kiukiu
Suggest that you start slow.
1. Learn the characteristic drifting. How the drift dynamic works in GT4. You can do this by using some of the lower powered cars. I use the Cappucinno with the setting found in the Setting Depot, then move up to the Miata wz TS' Settings. Use 1-2 tracks for consistency until you get to know drifting better. Suggest Tsubaka (easiest) or Deep Forest and move on to Trial Mountain.
2. Learn the characteristic of the cars. Each car handles differently. The same car can also change it's handling characteristic when u Mod it or upgrade it. Changes to Settings will also affect it. Start low and once you find a setting you're comfortable with, practise with it till you're confident you can control the car even when it's sliding out. Then move up a notch and do it all over again. Note that MRs FRs, FFs and 4WDs each have different method of initiating a drift.
3. Method of initiating a drift. This is pretty personal and is dependent on your style. I mostly use Brake as well as Lift-Off with some Power Over to increase angle. My style is mainly Low Angle, High Speed but I found that some corners just doesn't allow that and you'll just have to go High Angle, Low Speed. With 1 and 2 above, you should be able to learn what type of corners require which method.
4. Be gentle in all the things you do. Counter Steer, Throttle and so on. If you just gas it like I used to last time, you'll end up meeting the wall for lunch in the sandtrap. Think about smoothness when it come to drifting in GT4. Patience and self control is a really big virtue here coz if u give in to ur desire to push too much, well, u might get away with it but mostly you'll get into trouble.
I think I've been ranting too much. I'm suppose to be a n00b here anyway...

Hope that helps.
This is just me, but I don't think you would be a n00b since you seam to sport quite a bit of knowhow to drifting

, and welcome to GTP, hope you enjoy the stay here.
What you've suggested and what everyone else has are more or less spot on, as for W00t jdm... Nk4e said it best, just practice and look at what others are doing. For me though it's been a case of trial and error, I'm a decent drifter in GT3 with the DS2, and I'm slowly getting to the level I was on GT3 on GT4 with the DS2 and DFP, it takes a while but you should be able to get the hang of things if you try and learn how to do some things the right way with a given car on a given track.
Nearly every car in GT4 does vary in general behavior, you just have to get used to a car's general behavior first (in my opinion) driving it 'grip' style, learning how to deal with oversteer when it comes, and then when you become comfortable that way, learn how to start drifts be it big or small on some corners.
Or you can do the opposite (which only really works if you're used to sending given cars sideways, be it FR, MR, 4WD, RR or FF) and learn how to send a car literallysideways, learning it's limits before trying to go about it grip driving (which was the case for me trying the BMW M5 around Suzuka and Deep Forrest, I had to literally hold back my tendency to give all the throttle I wanted to send the car sideways on N2's

, I still got sideways a bit on Suzuka though... good gosh the M5 is an awesome car... enough ranting on that model...).
Just keep at it, work mostly with bone stock cars or cars on stock power, I've been experimenting though with a Z06 Vette(420+bhp), M3CSL(Wing only), NSX-R(310bhp), SW20 GTS (320bhp) and a few other cars, but I've been mostly keeping some cars unchanged seeing how they behave on N spec tires (be it N2s or N3s, N1's as well...), dunno if any setups I could suggest would be any good to anyone, so I don't think I'll mention them.
In short, W00t JDM and anyone else curious, pratice is all you can honelsty do, that and learn by example of those who do know how to do it right.
Dunno what else to say, can't help but feel like I'm a broken record... maybe the same can be said for a few others including some vets/pros... maybe not, dunno.
Till later.