Drifting techniques

[Drifter240]

I noticed that Drifter had asked about drifting autos on my last post, so I thought it would be cool to see what techniques everyone uses. Yes, I have drifted my auto, it just takes practice. I usually combine a feignt with power-over. Just swing away from the turn quickly, enter the turn early, brake briefly, and give it gas. Not too much, tho. you have to keep the torque at maximum to keep the back wheels spinning. Fortunately the 240 just has that perfect weight, power and length combo that makes it a natural drift car. Kind of similar to a Trueno in that respect. Anyone else want to share how they drift?

[MasterMan]

yeah i do about the same with mine.. it helps to have tires with no tred on them also but u have to be careful u might end up in a ditch..........

[Ceptos]

i swore away from ever drifting an automatic car again =) yeah you can do it, but its easy to do it wrong, and i did it wrong once, ugh. a warning to anyone that might try it, do what drifter said and go quick on the brakes, quick and kinda hard, other than that, if you stall on them you will lock up your front wheels and then you wont be turning at all =) and if you stomp on the gas, your back end will come all the way out around. ive done both and never plan on trying it again until my 240 comes back as a manual =)

[I H8 UR DSM]

http://www.turnfast.com/tech_d...lasso

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/2771/

[drifter]

Um yeah DSM, your links are great, but they don't apply to us! (Remember, we're automatics...if I tried to heel-toe, ....well, i COULDN'T!)

Another ?: When you enter the turn early, do you gas it hard before braking? And when exactly do you brake? Halfway through the turn?

[Drifter240]

About the auto drifting thing, here's how I do it, more or less. Yeah, cheesy visual, but it's pretty close to right. Hope it helps some.

[travis]

I like your "pave the world" quote. never caught that before. keep driftin.

travis

[Ceptos]

i would hit the brakes enough to get the car to skid, then release and use the gas to keep the back tires spinning, if you stay on the brakes or dont get your back tires to spin, then if you entered the turn to fast you probably wont make it =) i hit the brakes when the turn is pulling on the car the most. good luck =)

[topless@vabeach]

when I first purchased my car I could swing the back end around just my punching the gas, I purchased some decent tires from Firestone (yes firestone , cant help it, I own stock in the company) and now I cant break traction. Then again I can corner like a MutherF*CKEr

[SpeeDDrifT]

as for drift techniques, try here alsohttp://www.nissaninfiniticlub....heorymy favorite techniques: feint, clutch kick, and braking drift as for drifting an automatic, still researching this one for you drifter. i do have a drift tengoku video where a guy is drifting a automatic cressida(i think) and he is using feint the whole time with no braking drift. i'll look at it again and get back to ya.

but i would stress the importance of a good drift suspension set-up. you'll be better off on your stock rims til you master your technique.a feint drift combination braking drift would be your best option, trailbrake into the turn= the idea here is to put traction on the front wheels and weight off of the rear. if done correctly feint motion should brake the rear lose. power-over is unlikely unless your on wet pavement or highly modified.

[SpeeDDrifT]

remember there is a difference between drifting and powersliding.and some of you a discribing powersliding.Drifting your slide should start before the turn and taper off in the exitPowersliding kicking the back end out at a turn's exit.

also having no tread on the tires will make the rear end break lose easier however i never reccomend drifting on bald tires.1. breaking the rear end lose is the easy part2. maintaining a DRIFT, requires traction3. it's not safe.

Topless .....you can break the rear end lose with the right technique.

[drifter]

as for drift techniques, try here alsohttp://www.nissaninfiniticlub....heorymy favorite techniques: feint, clutch kick, and braking drift as for drifting an automatic, still researching this one for you drifter. i do have a drift tengoku video where a guy is drifting a automatic cressida(i think) and he is using feint the whole time with no braking drift. i'll look at it again and get back to ya.

but i would stress the importance of a good drift suspension set-up. you'll be better off on your stock rims til you master your technique.a feint drift combination braking drift would be your best option, trailbrake into the turn= the idea here is to put traction on the front wheels and weight off of the rear. if done correctly feint motion should brake the rear lose. power-over is unlikely unless your on wet pavement or highly modified.

I knew it had to be a matter of time before you responded, dude ....

Is it true that automatics don't slide as long as the 5 spds do? I mean, I don't have LSD either which makes it difficult.

Awwwww, I hate my stock rims! And it's sooooo hard to put them all on by myself (jack up one side, then the other, put in the wheels, uggggghhhhhhhhh..........) But yeah, you're right.

[Drifter240]

Actually, SpeeDDrifT, I know exactly what you mean. I didn't even know that there was a difference between powersliding and drifting until about a year ago. Also, I completely agree with your stance on the tires. If you drift on bald ones, it's just like trying to drift in the rain. No traction means nothing to push you out of the sideways motion. Speaking of which, I almost wrecked tonight. I entered late, got paranoid that the back was too far out, and let off the gas. Result: Violent fishtailing and my rear being about three inches from a signpost during one of the swings. Moral of the story: Grip is good, but don't chicken out like I did. It comes back and bites you in the ***.

[Nick_240]

I've never really tried to get my car sliding on dry pavement, only a little, but it was probably more like powersliding, but it was fun. I seem to slide sideways in the rain with very little effort at low speeds all the time with a little power-over. I've only had my car about 3 months though. With a little practice, and luck I might actually get this drifting thing right....

[SpeeDDrifT]

yeah that is the worst thing to do in most cases is chicken out and let off the throttle......but it is a natural reaction.to drift well you have to train your mind to be calm and react with logic not instict.your final gear on your transmission is set best to accomadate the wheels the car came with...in most cases. and if you bend one of your stock rims you'll probably be less upset (eventhough they cost more) also cheaper tires to replace. with the right set-up, technique, and power....i think you could drift a automatic just as long as a manual. and if there is a difference it would be minimal enough that you wouldn't care.....unless your in some sort of pro drifting event.

[Drifter240]

Hey, just a quick question: You say about the right setup, and I was just wondering what brand strutbars you think is best. I've been told that DC Sport is the way to go....Comments?

[SpeeDDrifT]

i really don't think the strut tower bars are all that important. as long as they are doing their job. i would rather save the extra cash and spend it on fully adjustable coilovers and an LSD.

[bboybuya]

Drifting is big in Hawaii (btw I live in Hawaii ). We have contest and all. For more info check driftsession.com

[Cyberkreig]

Lot of ppl were talking about not drifitin in the rain. I dont know how i feel about that.. I have never attempted a 'true' drift before.. and the first time i do, it will not be on a dry streach of twisties.. I wanna get the motion and feeling of the car doing something un-natural in a wet parkinglot.

[SpeeDDrifT]

no doubt practice in a parking lot......rain drifting is a whole different enchilada than dry drift, just remember that. i've got pics of myself drifting in the rain on the http://www.slideways.com2.info website. however in my opinion rain drifting is easier to start.....but extremely harder to mantain. reason being all four wheels will want to drift, so unless you have good technique....i'd advise against rain drifting (parking lot is fine) on turns.

too support my opinion if you watch the 2001 D1 Grand Prix, the round it is raining, i'd say 80% of the field wrecked their cars, and remember these are professional japanese drifters!

[float_6969]

I'm pretty familiar with heel to toe but I use a little different technique. Instead of brakeing with the ball of my foot and hitting the gas with the heel of my foot, I use the ball of my foot on both pedals. My foot is wide enough that I can press both at the same time. I personally feel that I can control the brake and gas better this way. So for those of you with big feet like me try doing that. I'm still working on drifting, but I have powerslides down pat. I guess I'm afraid of the mighty curb in my 17" wheels. Also, does the KA motor drift alright?

[SpeeDDrifT]

yeah the KA motor drifts fine.

off subject, does your JDM climate control work?

[float_6969]

Yes, it does. I really need to get a description together of everything that you need to do it, but I'm just kinda lazy. Plus I like knowing that the chances of anyone else having this installed and working properly is slim to none. I guess I'm selfish too.

[Cyberkreig]

I would love to see that list.. I bought one with an incomplete harness for a pretty penny..

[float_6969]

Hey, I don't have pics of anything, and I can't use my scanner cuz my comp. shot the shi*, but if you want info on it, I'm going to make a new post in the technical forum called "JDM Climate control" I'll list every thing that you need. I'll try and get the wiring up later today, but it's raining right now and I don't wanna be outside.

[240LE]

hey just to let you all know...

i've been drifting with my automatic for a while now... and it found it out easier to lower my gears instead of breaking... just to make sure you dont blow up your motor never lower your gears when your speed is higher than 50mph... and just lowered it down to 2 and just throttle back and forth... with the padel... and countersteer and you'll be fine... and if higher than 50mph then brake and gas... just like heels and toe method.

[S13Sil-line]

I've learned that everyone has thier own ways to drift and some may feel more comfortable doing it different. Find an empty parking lot...and I mean one with only you in it and use the lines to make pretend turns and try different things. That way if you under steer or over steer you have nothing to worry about... Nothing to hit, you just slide until you stop and try it again. Stadium parking lots work great. Then you can play with enterance speeds and practice entering left and then right.

[240LE]

not to metion the 300 dollar fine you'll be gett'n if you get cought drifting or doing dounuts on parking lots....

i've been there... not a pretty good idea since the cop got a crown victoria... "supercharged"... man! i was about to ran away... but... decided not to and got a $300 fine for... reckless, noisey tires, noisey car, and all other stupid things he can think of...

[Altiman94]

I had a careless driving ticket for doing donuts. It was 60.50 I believe.

[S13Sil-line]

I live in STL and there is a motorcycle crew called the Street Fighter and they practice all night when the parking lot is empty doing all kinds of crazy stuff. The cops just watch.