Preparing for my first drift comp...

[xyoufailmex]

Well, I live in Alabama, so about the ONLY thing I do is practice drift... never any competitions, but I do wanna make it to a big one in Atlanta this June. Anyways, I was just wondering some great practice techniques you guys use... like for example.... I mostly use clutch kick to initiate my drift, since I dont have a sr20, and I haven't gotten a good lesson in other methods.... and ebrake slides are weak.

My problem is, I can't control my drift well... like... I mean I can keep a slide up, but I can't control it around a line well, and this is partially due to big empty parking lots rarely have big curved lines.

Also, any advice on a different technique? There are no local drifters here, so I'm pretty much depedent on Drift Bible and the Internet for everything I know.

I know these topics come up quite a bit like "d00d I want to learn to d0rift0", but thats not the case here... I'm looking for some guidance on how to move from parking lot kid, to somebody who atleast kinda knows what theyre doing. Thanks.

[574-240sx]

Keep practicing. Do you have a good LSD, seat, and coilovers. Try to hit up some drift practices int eh region. I wouldn't aim that high if you aren't ready you could possibly put yourself and others in danger, not to mention you car. I learn by practicing and teach myself. Don't try to much at once. good luck

[xyoufailmex]

Well, I dont have a seat yet... I know its probably something worth investing in, it's just the cost of things sucks, in comparison to other things I can get for that amount.

[574-240sx]

Believe me trying to brace yourself and drift at the same time is hard to do. It took away from my concentration. You might be able to get away with a cheap 1 piece seat and a decent 4 point harness.

[xyoufailmex]

I mean, dont misunderstand again... I drift my car alot, and I know how much of a pain it can be trying to brace yourself, just on a budget like I am, affording a 500 dollar seat+harness setup sucks.

[240SicknessX]

some things that i i find my self needing to be able to do............ lets say you are chuki dori a strait, and your on ur coutner and your going to hit the grass before the turn..... grab the ebrake and some more countersteer to keep going in a strait line to get that extra 10 15 ft to make ur line sexy............. belive it or not steering work is inimaginly important... being able to keep calm steering, and where the wheel is pointed is key....... get 3 cones....... set them up about 15 ft from each other marking the inside of a turn....... try to keep a specific distance the same and consistant, pick a speed ur comfortable with...... i can do stuff at 63ish all day long.......... get consistant with your line at ur begining MPH and then up the mph 2-3 each time, dont get ahead of your self, but get used to going faster, with going faster, start your slide eariler.

to me drifting is being able to slide before the entrance of the turn and after.

dont say your open diff and stock suspension is holding you back........ granit i have sportline springs and agx shocks, im still on a auto open diff......

something that ive been doing lately is just using steering and brakes to keep my drift...... yes i slow down way fast but being able to control the slide with your steering and gas is just more exersize for perfecting your imputs......

coast though an intersection around 45mph.... and start playing with the amount of foot brake you apply, check how the tires and car react, after you think you have the idea of how much brake to give try throwing some steering wheel action in there with the footbrake.......

i could go on and on and on forever, get someone to video you and watch other videos to get ideas....... get different suspension before you think about a seat

[xyoufailmex]

I have a good suspension setup now... AGXs and RSRs.. hoping to grab some Konis or coilovers soon.... I have a VLSD too.

I like the idea about getting somebody to video tape me, then comparing that to other videos I see... never even thought of that... sometimes you can learn more by watching than by doing. My biggest problem right now, I would say, is still that "Oh ****" feeling when things dont go perfectly, so Its hard for me to rebound.

[Grip Gambler]

line control is hard, no question, and the abality to grasp the concept of how to make a car move and go to your intended path while your car is already sliding takes alot of time, u have to be comfortable enough with just sliding a car, before u start thinking on how to move the car in and out or apex's, i can give u some advice but it wont help much, its just something that comes with time. but if u want to bring your car into the apex u have to lightly press the brake that will slow down the the fronts and bring your car "in" to bring the car "out" i find that the E-Brake works great

[240SicknessX]

a lil trick that i find helpful. instead of just yankin the ebrake and then steering, give it a ill foot brake and steer so the car will have its inertia going into the turn direction, then hit hte ebrake and get on the gas or slip the clutch to keep revs up....... it really makes for a quicker more controlled entrance, instead of gradually getting your angle, you get it before the turn and fast...... i find that im more comfortable with having my slide before the turn, i could then abort if i need to. plus it looks better if you get that quick snap into the turn.

see if you can find some fresh black top tar in the wet...... definitly allows you to feel as if you have a 500 whp car, plus you can excucte more advanced moves at slower speeds.......... with ur current setup, the best mod you can do is keep getting used tires for the rear