What to Do?

[cheesy586]

What is a car loving 15 year old to do? I don't have a car, I don't have my liscense, yet. I basically know all the basics to drifting, and basics and advance things about the mechnical objectives. I can't work on my own car, I can't go all out with the cars I do drift.
I work on car and a mechnics and with my neighbors who are like 40 and 50 and their into drag races, typical Detroiter right, lol.
They let me drive the cars occasionly, and I get into the parking lot and thorttle it...and then I gota go back... boring and I drift with my sister's Tracker when she asks me to take it out the garage but... thats a short trip around the block.
How could I contribute to the drifting soceity?

[eomund240]

I'm starting to sound like a broken record here, but focus on learning how to drive first. There's a lot more to becoming a good driver than just technique. Learning how to react to other drivers around you and how to avoid dangerous situations is more important than trying to become a pro drifter overnight.

Number one rule that you are breaking though is don't drift other peoples vehicles unless you are good for any possible damages, or if they're perfectly aware of what you're doing.

Something else of note, untill you get your liscence, keep off the street as much as you can. Not saying you'll do anything to hurt anybody or anything, but it you get popped by the cops, you won't be legally driving 'till you're 18 and you don't want that.

I know you don't have a car yet, but something else that's important. Don't drift your daily driver. You WILL damage your car, especially while you're learning. Using myself as and example, I've totaled 1 car, bent the axil on another and blown an engine. That's not including all the minor bumps and breaks I've had along the way. My point is you don't want to break your only mode of transportation if at all possible.

Start cheap. Like I said, you will break your car. Getting something that's not only affordable but having an abundance of parts on the market is a good idea. That way when you do break, you can affordably put it back together or at least you're not crushed that you wrecked a $20k vehicle.

As much as you can, keep it off the streets. I know we've all done it (or do it), but it's really dangerous and more importantly endangers other people and their property. At the very least just do it where that can't happen.

I'm not trying to be a buzzkill or get on your case or anything, just passing along some advice.

[Cavi Mike]

Get a school visa and move to a different country.

[cheesy586]

I understand were your coming from eomund240, but isn't there some way that I could actually do something? Most drifting champions in champion started most of thier drifting at like 15 or so.

Cavi Mike what do you mean by a school visa? Why would I move to another country

[death2allpop]

there are so many options for you to consider when trying to buy a car to drift. I agree that you dont want to use your dd(daily driver) but if it is all you can do to afford 1 car then do whta you want. But be aware that any motorsport is expensive to have as a hobby and things will break.

You just have to understand that before you get over your head.

Learning basic car control is essential to just being able to safely commute form your house to where ever your going. But racing or drifting take that to another level. Getting into a car and making your personal statement on it is the best part of getting into this. You just have to know where your financial capabilities will allow you to go.

As for how young most of the best were when they got started. Yes most but not all got into it very young. But alot of them still did things safely and even some legally. Most importabtly though is they had fun, and had a passion for the sport.

Josh

[Drift For Food]

At the sub ownership level, you should really be looking at video games, good ones with good physics engines. Buy a good racing wheel with a full shifter and clutch pedal (Logitech G25, Fanatic Porsche 911). Buy a couple of the better racing games. Look up Live For Speed, nFactor, Nascar Racing, GP Legends, GT-R, etc. These games along with a comprehensive wheel system will give you a lot of play area to hone your driving skills without ever stepping into a real car. Many of these not only give you great physics engines to experience but also generally allow car setup and suspension tuning. You can start to grasp some of the physics behind car setups and how they affect the car. Basically everything you learn here can be translated to real world cars both in driving and setup. Many real life racers use racing simulators in the off-season and between races to hone their skills, so it's not strictly kiddy play here.

[cheesy586]

Wow, I never thought of it, thats a great idea, but I get my own car this summer and I wana have some fun with it.

[Neo_Drift]

We're not saying you can't have any fun, just keep it as legal as possible.

Also video games are a great way to learn.
I was trying to drift on Gran Turismo years before I ever owned a RWD car. (I got my first RWD when I was 21)
Also watch a lot of video. WATCH THE DRIFT BIBLE!!!! study study study, like it's a life or death situation.
Pretty much, Get as much knowledge into your head as you possibly can, and when you finally get into a car and start drifting, apply that knowledge wherever possible. Try techniques you've seen and studied, and find out what works for you. The best lessons you can ever learn are from those first track runs. Finding entry points and speeds that suit both your car and your skill level. And focusing MAINLY on how your car is reacting to the conditions, and the strains of drifting.
After that, start smoothing things out. Try and get better transitions, and what not in your drifting.
Then the next part is probably the best thing I've ever done.
WATCH OTHER DRIFTERS! yep. do it again. but this time you have a car to practice things they are doing. Say you're at the track, and you have a guy a few cars ahead of you that obviously knows what he's doing. Copy everything he does! Try his entry points, angles, etc... These types of people have figured things out about the course and drifting that you haven't, so you need to do what they're doing and each time you run around like that, you'll notice new things you most likely missed.
After all is said and done, go home and study some more.
Like has been said, even the pros go home and use simulators when they can't drift. If you ever want to get good, you have to be filling your head with information you can use on the track, and then you have to go to the track every chance possible and use that info.

Again, the whole problem is usually money costs. And the biggest problem with drifting your dd is that you're scared to crash it and you won't be able to push it as hard because you'll always have that mental block. (unless you're made of money) but yeah. I would suggest finding something, as quickly as possible, that you can drift and not have to worry about destroying. Because then each time you go the track you won't have that worry in your mind as much. You'll be able to go all out, and focus more on what your car is doing rather than "wall! wall! WALL! OH CRAP!"

[DOWNCOME 101]

Foot to clutch really fast and then to gas really fast and let go of the steering wheel and then turn the wheel towards the direction the car is going in (hopefully around the corner you're trying to get around).

I think that's all Drifting needs...people to do the above mentioned stuff...A LOT!

...you can also pull the E-Brake if you want to.

[walperstyle]

Stay in school

get a degree, certification or whatever to make over $100k/year

Then drift.

expect to write-off a couple cars.

[nemesis91101]

I like to just power over wen coming from a full stop turn the opposite direction of where I'm going then quickly turn the wheel all the way back n floor it n waaaaaah lol its just fun to do wen a fwd ricer is behind me with his fart can lol just about all I CAAAN do since we have no tracks here for drifting in tennessee everyone likes going in a straight line I don't like going to parking lots I'm affraid of a cop seeing me n what not so I'm more into road racing not sure if I'd call it touge but wen me and my friends come along curvy BACK roads we like to perform some hauling of the @$$, only on roads that hardly get traffic and I don't cut the curves I ride the apex hey I kno road racing shudnt be done but u can blame someone who's state has nothin legal to race on but 1/4 and 1/8 mile tracks

By the way yea look at video games first. I played need for speed underground n drifted in automatic mode now I got rwd 5spd n I just had to put the game in 5spd mode got the rx7 and rarely used the e-brake in the game to drift wen I. started playin in 5spd it was quite fun drifting 5 straight laps in a row with the score still climbing lol I almost broke a million points but missed it by 30k lol

[adrianz31]

well i feel where your coming from bro
i had been dying to drift
im only 16
i busted *Censored**Censored**Censored* to get a car
started in a honda and moved to a nissan
no i aint a spoled brat
i tradded my xbox for a car
fixed the car sold it
bought a 300zx turbo
believe me though
go to driving school
get your liscense
learn the stick
even at that
try to hit up a near by drift track
and there probly is one near by
if not hit up an old abandoned parking lot
its safer than the street
and drifting aint cheap
im hardley getting by with my sea world paychecks
just hold on to the passion for cars and the sport
but dude stay off the street
ive busted up axles
control arms
rims
tires
bumpers
and come up with better excuses then hitting the curb becouse of a dog in the strret
it dont work anymore
but i will admit once you learn the basic
e brakin and power over
its hella fun

[nemesis91101]

Nice my dad bought me a camry for 750 6 months later I sold it for 2400 bought my s13 for 2k camry was nice I did pull the ebrake n did sick power slides with it. I've never hit anythin with my s13 or camry. I have done donuts on this back road with a 3 three way stop sign, done 90 in the straights 75 in the curves on a back road at 12am on baked bads and boiled fluid and bone stock suspension except for the kaaz (baked my new ones too ) 25 minute trip in 15 lol but I don't push my luck I know my cars limits. And I learned to drive a 5spd the day I got my s13 I had to get it home. I never stalled it tho lol altho I do it more now so much easier to do with the flywheel but oh well it happens. I've never gotten a speedin ticket tho I once did 110 behind this v6 camaro that must been doin 130 he got pulled over right in front me I passed him n the cop n went on home down a nice background in case he radio'd in I laughed that guy musta been p!ssed. I never had a car at 16 my first car was at 18 now I'm 20 I know most drift techniques but I don't really do them my s13 is a DD so I do more curvy road racing or touge if u call it.

Definitely take it easy don't try anything funny til at least a year after uve been driving alone. Wen I had my camry I never dreamed of going fast down curves and having the car to the point I had to shimmy my wheel to keep it on the road first I got comfortable with drivin then I tried other things one step at a time luckly I never knew drifting or touge even existed wen I had my camry I think that played a big part. Btw u got TT z32?

[adrianz31]

damn thats cool i wanna s13 or s14
but i have been driving for like 2 years now
and no i have single turbo z31
it wasent to expensive and it was already running
so i figured it would be good to start off in

[nemesis91101]

Hey man at rwd that's plenty of a start ur ahead of a lot of import n domestic tuner cars. Fwd will never handle like a rwd only cars that are made to handle are rear vetts,s2ks,nsx, etc rwd is hella run there are no brand new rwd cars that are affordable to ppl like us if u think about it. Btw buy a boost controller and an fmic n up the poundage a couple on that Z not much but just 2-4 pounds easy safe hp