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Re: Nice article, but... (Reply to this comment)
by gfxminc
Well, I admit I didn't say much about FWD drifting, though I did try to at least mention that achieving oversteer is possible, and extremely difficult. Yes, the heading of "Why doesn't FWD work?" kind of lets on impossible, but you're right that it is possible, and very very hard. Though it requires extremely hard, short braking, it is possible to oversteer and let the rear swing. Maintaining a drift on FF, I'd imagine, means needing some serious torque so that you can spin the front wheels and lose traction that way.
If you've read my review of the Dodge Neon, I even mention that I've powerslid by accident, and I have a few friends who've mentioned similar experiences in a Neon when they take a turn too fast. An interesting after-effect of that whole cab-forward thing that caused so much of a weight bias that the rear can come loose that easily even on a bone stock setup.
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Jan 31 '06
3:35 pm PST
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Nice article, but... (Reply to this comment)
by h0nda4life
I like your article. It's got a good, easy-to-understand feel to it, while still covering all of the important parts. But I have to disagree with you on one important point in your article. You claim that FF (Front engine, FWD) drifting is not possible. This is simply not true.
Drifting is defined as:
"Causing a vehicle to exceed its tire's limits of adhesion, exhibiting a lateral slip, resulting in an oversteer condition."
Last time I checked, oversteer is when your car's angle is greater than that of the turn. On top of that, side-breaking (also known as e-braking) is a pivotal tool of the seasoned drifter, stated so by "The Drift King", Keisuke Tsuchiya in the Drift Bible.
To add to this, what do you call what Keisuke Hatakeyama did for Falken. He was drifting an EF9 (very early 90's late 80's Civic Hatchback) for them. He was doing that in Japan before that, beating Truenos and Silvias.
You've gotta respect the FF Drifters man, cause FF drifting is SOOOO much harder than FR drifting. FFs naturally understeer, so you can never tell exactly how much traction you have. I drive an '03 Civic EX and I drift a local mountain pass. It's not like I'm spinning my rear tires to cause the oversteer, but side-breaking is a commonly used tool for FR drifters everywhere, even in D1GP and Formula D events.
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Jan 03 '06
3:32 am PST
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Re: Re: good article... (Reply to this comment)
by gfxminc
Drifting as a sport unto itself is pretty much just a matter of style. In an actual race on clean conditions, gripping is generally best because you maximize the amount of power planted to the pavement. Although, whether gripping or drifting, ultimately the best thing from a racing standpoint is to take the ideal line.
Drifting and powersliding and so on is used in rally races mainly because people drive almost specifically in poor-traction conditions, and sliding means you don't have to drop down in speed as much in order to make the turn. And cars in that world are sponsored well enough that tire switches after each stage aren't really an issue.
Also if someone is fishtailing back and forth on a straight after the exit, that means they obviously did something wrong. Most likely going too fast and overcompensating. A proper drift should have minimal counter-steering on the exit.
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Nov 14 '05
9:06 am PST
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Re: good article... (Reply to this comment)
by eastonskater
I actually don't understand the reason for drifting, apart from the fun/mess-around factor. It seems like an inefficient exercise in many ways. It doesn't seem to be the fastest way to negotiate lots of different kinds of corners and bends. It seems that the rubber on the tyres are being wasted away for nothing, which means you keep having to pay for more and more tyres for a silly reason. It seems that the amount of rubber that is used up would quickly make the tyres lose traction and grip-performance after a very short time, which means that drifting might be completely useless in a long distance/endurance kind of race. And also, making a car fish-tail from side to side while going down a wide-straight track looks really really stupid.
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Nov 14 '05
1:13 am PST
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good article... (Reply to this comment)
by ra64,  in Cars & Motorsports
I like the shopping cart comparison. I agree, no car from the factory is good for drifting. To set a car up for drifting requires a certain setup different from even a standard race setup, where grip is optimal.
My 1985 celica (RWD) with stock suspension was near impossible to drift in dry conditions, although in the wet it was definitely possible with a sharp turn in.
I never understood front-wheel drive "drifting." It just doesn't make sense...
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Nov 24 '04
8:31 pm PST
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