prolems problems

[chernobyl]

Hi there,

I recently started drifting but have come across some problems, which i belive to be occuring due to the car i drive. It is a Suzuki Cappuccino with a small power increase to just under 60kw at the wheels. Now my biggest problem is how snappy the car is. To give a clearer picture of whats going on i have a short story :P

First off, my handbrake needs extreme amounts of force before it locks up anything, so i dont really obther using. Anyway, im traveling around 60kmph (37ish mph ) and start turning like you usually would. I start braking abit while midway through the corner trying to unsettle the rear wheels abit, but nothing much happens, keeps understeering. Out of nowhere the car looses traction but angles in Waaay too fast and if i even attempt to countersteer it changes direction to where im steering nearly straight away. Is this becuase my car is soo light (aproxx 660kg / 1450lb), has a short whelkbase (2060mm / 81"), has 50/50 weight distrobution or is it a combination of all three?

Also if you have any suggestions of techniques i should use, i am all ears =]

Thanks

PS Im in Australia and trackdays are hard to find/expensive so making do with whats available if you get what i mean :P

[Soldat]

The weight distribution and short wheelbase are likely the biggest culprits, I've heard the same thing about Miatas.

Try this, instead of braking drifts, have you tried clutch kicking to initiate? It will give you more of a defining starting point to anticipate rather than waiting for the car to break loose and reacting. I know that in my Camaro, if I'm waiting for the car and reacting to what it's doing, then there's no way I can keep up. By the time I react, it's already too late. However, if I'm staying on top of the car and acting based on what I know it's going to do, then I can keep it sideways without going around.

[Drift For Food]

Yes, the small, light car will operate faster. This will make it more of a challenge. However, the main culprit is the suspension tuning. A lot of the balance of the car and the way it behaves really depends on how the suspension is tuned. This will affect not only general understeer/oversteer but also when it transitions between the two. I haven't driven a Cappuccino, and I don't think it's imported into the US. Miatas can be a little twitchy I think but I have yet to drive one, only ridden in a few. It's not always the small car aspect. If tuned well or conservatively, a small car can be very easy to control. A Honda S2000 is really well mannered in stock form. I've driven and ridden in a couple old RX7s, and they seem to remain conservative when pushed. I don't own these cars, so I can't say I've driving any extensively.

One thing I will say, with a twichy car, drive conservatively and lightly. Focus on doing more subtle movements and smaller inputs. A lot of your trouble comes from you trying to force the issue, and your over the top inputs creates over the top results.

With anything, it just takes practice. Time and practice will take care of things. A lot of the process is understanding more so than technique. You have to figure out which inputs work, when they work, how much inputs are quired, etc. It's a lot of testing and trial and error. After time, you gain a very good understanding of the abilities and limits of the car. It just won't come overnight.