Dude if people didn't disagree or post their own opinions then what would be the purpose of this website. This whole site is based on objectivity.

On the other hand......why not just answer his question and move on. Yeah "ricers" are known for this, but it is a fun hobby. And the fact that you guys even brought up ricers proves that you have no intent to help him with his quest.

 

scoobysnax83 i agree with ya totally and i dont mind people objecting or having opinions. But when people are insulting or rude about there opinions, thats when they need to pack it up and move on!

 

yup

 

how do they judge a drift competition?

 

put really hard *** tires on it, it will drift.

the same things people do to rice to drift applies to an fbody. probably VERY stiff overall, and even more so in the rear.

 

Pretty much how far you can throw out the back end of your car and still maintain control around turns. You wouldn't even believe how good people are at this stuff. It is kinda neat to see. I had this video where 5 240SX's on a team were drifting in unison. They were going around turns like they were parked next to each other. It was really cool.

 

drifting is sweet. no way is it lame. you also have to realize drifting cant be used in a traditional race or basically what we see all the time. if you watch videos of japanese car shows and what not. when they drift the race starts out from a stop the cars usually a small number take off and then enter a road course. they go through it once or maybe twice, they dont make many laps. like traditional races would. they drift the whole time through it. its awsome watching these car do it. no they dont suck at handling they are very well balanced cars. its a different race. so your right drifting isnt the fastest way around the track in a regular race, but yea it is very fast in the races set up for drifting.

and ricers are idiots when it comes to terms. ask them what double clutching is and it wont be the right answer. and doing donuts isnt drifting. trey

 

if you put soft grippy tires on the front end and hard tires in the rear you will gain alot of control in a drift. dont mash the gas hold it around 3-4k and dont oversteer it back into control. o ya practice in a safe place its the only way to get good at it. your car believe it or not is very easy to get in and out of trouble with. you can throw its weight around with alot of ease and get it all back by letting off the throttle. i own a 240sx and a ta. they are no where near similar but i can do the same with both cars. just practice thats all. if you need too, put some weight in the rear like a cement bag it is the cheapest way to even weight in the car

 

i can drift in my 94

 

If your not drifting, your right foot is not heavy enough and your steering wheel is not being used to its fullest.

 

Yes , it is possible to drift an f-body, because I did it on accident going up a huge freeway onramp. Thought I was going to lose it but I decided to keep my foot in it and " went with it ". Much fun.
I think the key is to stay on the gas with old hard goodyear GSCs.
And yes this was a real drift, because I felt the front end come loose too.

 

Since nobody here knows why drifting is here and most people just wanna bash something they dont understand Ill speak up.


The reason drifting was started in Japan was because normal racing was getting to boring and attendance was down and they needed something new. A few brave fools got out there with old tires and started it. Now for top racers over there it has been proven that drifting is the fastest way around. Now we arent talking a Nascar track with all lefts here. Im talking a mountain pass or very curvy racetrack. You keep the speed of the tires and car up higher and therefore go faster. Go watch drifting videos and see if you can find the one where they test the same car/driver around a track and show that drifting is faster!


before you bash something, just remember that we are all different. I cant stand to watch a Nascar race where all they do is go in circles all day. Some other people dont like drag races cuz maybe its over too fast. Others think we are all rednecks and theres no reason to race.
In racing we have Nascar, drag, Indy, Baja, drifting, mud, uphill, and god knows what else. Let it go. If people wanna see it and itll happen

 

94flam-
you are trying to "educate us" but you are wrong. drifting is NOT faster, period. yes, drifting is its own thing and interesting(at first) to watch.

Racing and going fast at it means being exactly on the edge. trying to stay at 100% tire grip as much as possible. Drifting is staying somewhere between 101% and 150%. the tire has the most grip at close to 100%, and therefor will be the fastest. THe ability for the tire to accelerate the car(laterally or braking/acceleration) will be great diminshed when 'drifting'.

No doubt those guys have skills, but its not quite as hard as it looks. I have driven a 240 that was setup for this, and it was remarkably easy.

 

Are we sure drifting is the fastest way thru a turn? It might work at Pikes peak on the loose stuff but I do'nt see them doing it on the asphalt. Never saw a F1 4 wheel drift it thru a turn for more speed either.

 

Jord, as normal, has it right. And he's got the experience to back it up that most of you don't.

The only time you see professional top-rate drivers drifting on tarmac is WRC...and they are a very specialized car. For them, yes, drifting around the turns is faster.

For basically every other car? No.

Can you four-wheel drift an F-body without using the throttle? Yes. I can on my sticky-tired auto-x setup suspension. It's not set for drifting at all.

Needless to say, you shouldn't need to set up your F-bod to drift. Just do it. If it's not working, try driving the car differently.

And if it's what you get your kicks out of, have fun! But please, please do not listen to your friends who insist that their Japanese cars handle better because they can drift around the turns better, etc. That's a load.

Dan

[EDIT] BTW, Jord - a tire actually reaches peak lateral forces at a 5-10% slip angle, so it will be at a drift...but of course, nothing like what we're talking about here, where we're ate 30-40% slip angles...[/EDIT]