my drift experience...

emad · Oct 30, 2003

i've only spent maybe 20 or 30 laps total around all the tracks just trying to drift. i've mostly started on the complex string but it was just too tough for me. so now, i'm practising on apricot hill with a lightly tuned altezza 4 door. (about 280hp), stock everything but i upgraded the clutch, flywheel and transmission (no adjustments on transmission though), tcs/asm=0, sim tires

apricot hill results after about 15 laps of practise (average):
the first 2 turns:
i brake to about 4th or 5th gear to drift around the first corner. at the entry speed that feels right to me (i rarely check the speedo), i exit on the outside of the turn or if it's too fast, in the sand. from there, i brake further to about 65-75mph in 3rd or 4th gear then begin steering. i exit the turn perfectly with almost no countersteer. in each of these turns, i use the accelerator to slide the back out, no braking drift here.

the chicanes:
i'm generally 3rd gear, 4th for the last bend. again, no braking and i can manage very little countersteer (except for the first turn... where i sometimes spin)

The next turn:
down to 4th or 3rd gear (75-80mph) and again use gas to maintain drift. countersteering as necessary.
my problem with this turn is that i cannot maintain drift through the entire bend. it's either the last 3/4th of the corner or the first and last 1/3 of it. only rarely do i manage the whole bend.
feint doesn't seem to help here so i use gas and the back just ends up slipping out perfectly. any more than 83mph entry speed and i end up in the grass

Hairpin
2nd gear, 45-50mph, turn the wheel and tap the gas. and counteersteer. no probs here except for a generally poor exit.

next major bend:
4th gear, i forget entry speed, but i think it's 60-70. near perfect drifts on this bend but i can't manage to spin the car around fast enough for the s-curve immediately after.

final turn:
i don't think i have enough power to drift the entirety of the corner. it just doesn't seem to work unless i have a fairly high entry speed which i can't do because of the previous corner.

i'd tape a video of it, but no transfer card or camera.

any suggestions for the corners i'm having probs with?

i like my altezza as a drifter...it seems to enjoy sliding around more than my ae86 SS edition. and it's easier to drift than the 180sx (i think that's the car...looks like a sil80 without the silvia front)

MoNkEy_MaGiCx · Oct 30, 2003

i cant really help much but with your sliding out problem...when you star to slide out then push the gas halfway down..it works for me so i dunno....it seems like you have a good entry speed for everything else though....with more practice you should be drifting apricot hill no problem...

felix4787 · Oct 30, 2003

Try putting sport tires up front. Most people prefer sims all the way around but I prefer a little more traction up front, helps get car sideways.

I like highpowered FR cars with with sport tires in the rear then slicks up front (t2s), hence the S15 in my signature.

With a little stickier tires up front you can get the car sideways more without having to worry about spinning out, just lift off the throttle if it's too much for you.

Hope this helps.

battle_stage · Oct 30, 2003

Forget mixing tires.

XzifT · Oct 30, 2003

Originally posted by battle_stage
Forget mixing tires.

Shows a lack of skill, it does..

pergatory · Oct 30, 2003

Agreed. Don't mix tires, it will only delay the inevitable (which is you learning how to drift rather than sliding helplessly). No offense of course, it just takes practice is all. Anyway, the only advice I can offer from looking at your post is that for that long nasty corner on Apricot Hill, the corner starts off slightly banked, but becomes crowned at the exit (the center of the road is higher than the edges). So you have to put more power down at the exit in order to keep the car sideways. I often find myself shifting up to 5th near the end of this one.

azndrifter318 · Oct 30, 2003

Originally posted by battle_stage
Forget mixing tires.

yeah i have you guys to thank for teaching me, love these forums.

emad · Oct 30, 2003

i've tried mixing in the past...it's not something i'm comfortable using. it's easier for me to just use sims for now

felix4787 · Oct 30, 2003

Welp, Im still on my first week of drifting, trying to get used to the basics.

I think ima try sims all the way around now with a little less horsepower, thanks for the tips guys.

emad · Oct 31, 2003

those first 2 turns...is it possible to take them as one fluid action? i've found that i can slide about halfway to the 2nd corner but my angle is never sharp enuf so i gotta stop the drift there and start again for the 2nd turn

battle_stage · Oct 31, 2003

Yes, you can. Just throw your car sidways and let it slide on it's own towards the 2nd turn. Then takeover and control the drift from there. Just takes practice.

azndrifter318 · Oct 31, 2003

Originally posted by emad
those first 2 turns...is it possible to take them as one fluid action? i've found that i can slide about halfway to the 2nd corner but my angle is never sharp enuf so i gotta stop the drift there and start again for the 2nd turn

u gotta use sims, if your aren't using them already.

layzeeboi · Oct 31, 2003

Originally posted by azndrifter318
u gotta use sims, if your aren't using them already.

you dont have to use sims.. i can clear them just fine with sports tires.. i usually handbrake towards the middle to extend the drift to the second turn..

Ark · Nov 1, 2003

Originally posted by felix4787
Welp, Im still on my first week of drifting, trying to get used to the basics.

Since you've pretty much just started out, I think one of the more important things to keep in mind is more of a work ethic thing. And that's that you should just keep trying and trying and practicing, because it's always pretty rough to figure out what you're doing when you first start off.

Best of luck~

emad · Nov 1, 2003

Originally posted by Ark
Since you've pretty much just started out, I think one of the more important things to keep in mind is more of a work ethic thing. And that's that you should just keep trying and trying and practicing, because it's always pretty rough to figure out what you're doing when you first start off.

Best of luck~

can't agree more...the first 2 turns are still killer, and that super long one is almost possible for me now...it only took about 40 laps of practise

. the others, i get better at them with every pass through the course