Auto Racing: How To Drift (Part 1)
As you drive towards a turn on a closed race track, you are approaching speeds of up to 200 km/h. The watching spectators are worried, since you don’t have enough space or time to slow down enough to get around a turn. As they watch, you enter the turn at
full speed and all of a sudden, your car’s back tires start smoking, and as you slide smoothly around the turn with a cloud of smoke following you, you can feel the awe and admiration radiating from the spectators who are amazed at what they have witnessed.
Ok, so maybe they won’t be shocked and in awe, but drifting takes a lot of hard work and practice- not to mention, sets of tires- to learn properly. Although drifting is not good for your car, since the suspension, tires, and engine has a lot of stress put
on it, it is amazing to watch and an incredible feeling of satisfaction is felt when it goes right.
So when an enthusiast first wants to learn how to drift, it is essential to know about the theory behind it. A car’s tires will grip the road as best as they can, until they can no longer adhere to the surface. Past their maximum grip, the tires will begin
to slide until the adhesion is reinstated. So basically, pushing a car past its adhesion limit, while still in control, is the theory behind drifting.
To start learning how to drift, it is best to find a large open space without any objects around the area where you are going to be drifting. An empty parking lot is the best place to start, but make sure to check with local authorities to make sure that
you don’t get any tickets for aggressive or reckless driving.
So after you have found a place to drift, next is to find a car that is suitable for drifting, as well as equipment. The best car for drifting would be a rear wheel drive (RWD) car, since they are easier to drift with. Using an SUV, even a small one such
as a Honda CR-V, is not advisable, since they have a tendency to flip over. Front wheel drive (FWD) and all wheel drive (AWD) cars are also not great drifters, since they can only perform a handbrake drift, which is not considered a real drift.
When drifting, old car tires should be used. They have less road grip anyways, being old, and they can keep your good tires from becoming bad ones from drifting excessively. Your car’s engine also needs to be strong and in good condition, including the transmission.
A limited slip differential (LSD) is also a good idea, to get the most power out of your car to drift. A normal driver wouldn’t notice a LSD in everyday driving, but one who has been stuck in mud, or driven off road can appreciate it. For example, if one of
the drive wheels is off of the ground, the car won’t be going anywhere if it does not have a LSD installed. The drive wheel that is in contact with the ground will remain stationary, while the wheel that is off of the ground spins. With a LSD, both tires spin
which makes off-roading easier and puts out more power and control while driving aggressively.
As always, safety comes first. So it is best to have a roll cage installed in the vehicle in case of a rollover, as well as racing seatbelts, which hold you into your seat a lot better than conventional seatbelts do. A helmet is not necessary at low speed
drifting, since it would obscure your vision.
Now that your car is readily, both performance wise and in terms of safety, it is a good idea to obtain a few cones or similar markers to help you improve your accuracy, as well as a friend standing at a safe distance to tell you how to drift better.
Now that the car and place is chosen, it is time to learn how to drift. This will be discussed in the next article.
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