Long, or short wheel base?

[djnarush]

Originally posted by _PG_
Anwyas, DJnarush... stop with the Ninja handa dude! Turn in, kick the clutch let the wheel slide through your hands.., ANTICIPATE when you want your truck to stop rotating and catch the wheel and hold it there.

Don't be so frantic, and also you need to start anticipating, bro. If you wait until it starts you'll counter too late! [/B]

let me rephrase my original thought(1st post in this thread)

Hey guys, Im thinking about buying a 1998 toyota tacoma standard cab. and just swapping the parts to the standard cab(short base) from my extended cab(long base)

for drifting would it be worth going through all this trouble for a shorter wheel base?
If so, if not.. why?

i know I should just go out there and do it...
which i try as often as i can
i just wanted to know the effects of a longer, and shorter wheel bases so i may be an informed driver...
im new to drifting, and i have questions.....
and i have a LOT to learn
i want to understand the mechanics, and physics involved...
I want to explore the options avaliable to me....
which are not many at all.. try finding drifting parts for an extended cab 1998 toyota tacoma 5 speed 2.4L

i know i should just go out and do it...
im just being very decisive, and trying to make informed decisions before i spend money on drifting...

[SidewaysGts]

No reason to, thats all down to driver preference. i dont believe this car will ever amount to anything "great" when it comes to drifting but i think hes doing pretty well considering what it is.

I see this for the originality aspect of it and i love it

[Pennyman]

Dude in terms of the e-brake, I know you don't HAVE to use it. Hell my Z has a e-brake that hardly works anyway. I just thought the motion would be funny.

[JunpoweR]

DUDE DRIFT IT first time i learned stick shift I drifted or shall i say fish tailed a truck when i was 15 also my friends oldeer brother lent me his turbo II 89 black when i was a freshman at lowell high school in sf mann that was like in 92'lol anyways my advice is here!!

Put some weight on the back to balance weight out..
camper shell would be nice.hatch is lighter but tighter.

get more power like a turbo kit or full exhaust
you need to improve your power so you can get more speed for the turns.

Stiffer suspention. mabey 600\700 lb springs and some shocks.

does it have LSD ?? if not get one or weld the open diff so both wheels are locked and spinning..well only if it's a drift car..


But sick and youre learning I might say.as you get better and make the car faster you will do better I believe!!so go practice hard..!!

[CrazyHawaiian]

I think malcolm covered it pretty good. My only experience with short vs long wheelbase is mustang vs camaro and I prefer the longer wheelbase camaro even though the mustang was much more nimble.

[djnarush]

im waiting for my garret hybrid to come back...
I have a turbo supra lsd installed...
i have a cat back 3" straight...
once i get the turbo back, im prob going to go 3" all the way

[SidewaysGts]

I was surprised to find out a friend of mine has been in the top 3 almost every time hes been into a drift competition with no lsd.

Also keep in mind intake/exhaust mods will do more then jsut power, throttle response is a nice plus as well.

[JunpoweR]

Yea i seen people do it with opendiff but this truck needs it i think imo.anyways opendiff drifting is very possible and sometimes more controlled..

[SidewaysGts]

the driver i mentioned above uses an na s5 fc

[hachiroku-fc3s]

This isn't as important unless you intend to turn pro with your truck at some point in time, but the length of the vehicle also affects the appearance of the drift. If you have ever drifted a miata and watched your drifting ( I have ), you have to get your tail out more to get a "sideways" appearance. Also you are talking about a truck, so it prob won't be a factor, just contributing.

[Nemesis]

Originally posted by hachiroku-fc3s
This isn't as important unless you intend to turn pro with your truck at some point in time, but the length of the vehicle also affects the appearance of the drift. If you have ever drifted a miata and watched your drifting ( I have ), you have to get your tail out more to get a "sideways" appearance. Also you are talking about a truck, so it prob won't be a factor, just contributing.

werd

i get my miata sideways...it doesn't look like it, but i do...

[Sideways Spanky]

The longer base helps lots when starting to learn, and it looks really good on the track. (Think Toyota Chaser). Mmmmmmm......