I've been curious to try this for a while and plan on attending a drift school at my local track to see what its all about and maybe / hopefully improve my car control skills
Does anyone on here do any drifting? Or tried taking lessons?
Hopefully this doesn't turn into a bunch of curmudgeons ranting negatively about it :)
Thanks
I've done it exactly once but that was enough for me to want to go again. Not sure how your local scene is but here in OKC the drift scene is very laid back which can be a nice change of pace from more structured events.
It's super fun to do. I found the competitions to be a lot like autocrossing where you spend all day at the track for a few minutes of wheel time.
so now I just go to tracks that allow drifting during test and tunes or rent the track with buddies.
you will obviously go through tires. And on both ends until you start to get the hang of it.
Love watching it, but I have a bit too much mechanical sympathy to do it. If I did decide to get into drifting, apparently I already have a great car to do it, as Quinn Kizis showed me.
I've done so much of it in the snow, I'm DYING to try it on pavement.
(I'm like ~50 years old and I think drifting looks like crazy fun)
It's also (almost) the sole reason I want an E46 for a daily driver.
I have BMW 328 e36 2.8 specially made for it. All the suspension, brakes(hydraulic e brake) and etc stuff.
Look for rwd car, the bigger the engine the better, weld the diff, throw in hydraulic e brake and go for it. Fun guaranteeed.
Dont know anything better than drift.
It becomes like an addiction when you get hang of it.
It's even more fun than you think it's gonna be. Stuff is going to eventually break as most cars aren't designed to drive in cursive, but as long as you can fit enough burner tires off Craigslist in your car, have an air compressor to crank rear tire pressures way up and have AAA you're gonna have an absolutely fantastic time.
In reply to jxv :
Do you do any street-driving with it?
Having had a daily driver with a spool and having had ZERO issues in any weather with it (let alone the nightmare scenarios you read from people who never have), I have never driven a welded differential. I like the small plate welded in idea rather than just filling up the voids with welds.
It's fun. Super fun. Don't make it a competition between you and the next guy. Compete with yourself, and yourself only. Don't bring a massively powered car. Learn to drift with 100hp or so. This will teach you the basics and always stick with you. It's not racing. So don't bring that mentality.
also- DO NOT BE TAUGHT THE AMERICAN WAY. I know that sounds anti American, it's not. Learn how the Japanese drift. Long manji into the corner, minimal tire smoke, minimal gas pedal input. Pivot the car with the brakes, the REAL brakes. The Japanese learned to drift underpowered cars with regular brake setups. THIS is why it became popular at first. America then.... made it American. Huge power, dedicated brake systems, don't even get me started.
ive been drifting since the 90's. Before many people here knew what drifting was. I learned about it from an uncle stationed in japan. The internet had very little to offer back then. It wasn't until the 2000's where I was able to learn a lot more.
In reply to _ :
I'm as pro-America as one can be but I don't find your words to be anti-American at all. I totally know what you mean. I love the American way of making everything bigger and better but for instance, genuine Chinese food is far different than "American" Chinese food and it's ok to like the genuine stuff more.
The current pro-Drift scene in a way turns me off because that forum is so out of my league that I can't identify with it.
ebonyandivory said:In reply to jxv :
Do you do any street-driving with it?
Having had a daily driver with a spool and having had ZERO issues in any weather with it (let alone the nightmare scenarios you read from people who never have), I have never driven a welded differential. I like the small plate welded in idea rather than just filling up the voids with welds.
I drive it daily. Consumption is kinda big. It has techincal inspection too.(Have to take off welded diff and hydr. ebrake off once in a year when im going to technical inspection)
Driving with welded diff will need to be getting used to. A bit harder to park(as both wheels spin at same speed) Driving in winter or rain may be a bit scary too.
But you get 100% lock and i think its much safer than drifting with open diff.
Im from Latvia
In reply to jxv :
What part of the technical inspection makes you have to swap out the differential? I'm curious seeing in Massachusetts, my 2006 never gets on rollers or anything and my e-brake has been gutted and they never even checked it.
And you're right. I preferred driving my spooled differential than when it was open. Especially in snow. Infinitely more predictable.
ebonyandivory said:In reply to jxv :
What part of the technical inspection makes you have to swap out the differential? I'm curious seeing in Massachusetts, my 2006 never gets on rollers or anything and my e-brake has been gutted and they never even checked it.
And you're right. I preferred driving my spooled differential than when it was open. Especially in snow. Infinitely more predictable.
State tehnical inspection. Either you pass it or you dont drive the car on public roads.
They check it on brake stand.
In reply to jxv :
And I thought Massachusetts was bad...
I've done it a few times and enjoyed it every time. Stuff will break that you never even think of. Find a local track that does an open day for maximum track time.
In reply to jfryjfry :
Damn, Jeremy. I would consider you to be more of the "professional" class on do-rift-o, watching your movies.
In reply to amg_rx7 :
I don't know where you're located, but our car club hosts a couple open drift events in Delaware every year. The drifters also go to various events around PA and NJ. I can put you in touch if you're in this vicinity.
There is a local "drift clinic" this weekend and I am seriously considering with Datsaniti, my silly Challenge car. It has LSD and I have a full set of cheap new street tires still attached to the original Infiniti rims that would be perfect to burn up. I also have AAA.
What stuff tends to break? Specific to 350Z/G35 chassis if possible.
In reply to Javelin (Forum Supporter) :
Damn that looks like fun
maschinenbau (I live here) said:There is a local "drift clinic" this weekend and I am seriously considering with Datsaniti, my silly Challenge car. It has LSD and I have a full set of cheap new street tires still attached to the original Infiniti rims that would be perfect to burn up. I also have AAA.
What stuff tends to break? Specific to 350Z/G35 chassis if possible.
Oil consumption is gonna be the big one with any VQ. Check your diff mount bushings, it's no fun to launch too hard on a torn rear bushing and rip the stud right out of the diff. Keep an eye on oil temps, otherwise just send it. V35s/Z33s are just about the perfect platform to get into drifting with. If you're still runnng stock arms and knuckles, pull the steering stops off the knuckle and front lower rear arm for a few degrees more angle.
Also, these are more stock body tips, but set cold pressures to 32 front, 38 rear and bump up your rear rebound damping by a few clicks if you can. It'll definitely help you if you're relatively new to initiating a drift.
Good stuff, thanks! My steering stops are long gone due to tiny 15" wheel fitment, but my diff mount bushings are original at 155k miles. This car has been fully sent since 30 seconds after first firing the engine and still has plenty of send left I think.
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