question about drifting

[junia]

I've gotta question about drifting and forums.  It seems that they don't go to well together.  I visit alot of different forums on the internet and I've noticed that when the topic is about drifting everybody goes crazy like someone used a taboo word and people start arguing over what drifting is and what isn't.  Why is that.  I was just wondering.  Can anyone tell my why its such a big deal?

[sspikey]

ive noticed that too. i think the reason is now drifting is become more mainstream (super street) and alot of people are getting interested. but of course till now the only people who were interested were the people who actually knew what drifting was and had actually been doing it for years. so now because of superstreet and things like that we have tons of new people trying to drift thinking that theyre cool showing off and pulling the e-brake in turns. i think thats the main reason theyre just frustrated that ricers are turning to drifting and not sticking with their other garbage.

[AceInHole]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (sspikey @ Mar. 08 2002,09:30)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">i think thats the main reason theyre just frustrated that ricers are turning to drifting and not sticking with their other garbage.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
aaargh..... amen.... >_<

[junia]

Yeah I see what you're saying. &nbsp;Its like there just jumping on the bandwagon because its the cool thing to do or something. &nbsp;I can just see it, &nbsp;a Honda civic hatchback with onicam going down the street.

[XylathaneGTR]

A lot of people think drifting is something technical.
Its an art.
They think drifting is just pushing the clutch and sliding around like a n00ber...
It is really controversial...cause everyone wants to get in on it...
That is partly one of the reasons i chose a Silvia over an Integra Type R. &nbsp; Drifting.

[junia]

Yeah, this post doesn't need to blow up like the other drifting ones. &nbsp;I know how to drift, and I used to do it for fun with my friends. &nbsp;You guys know how to drift, and we all have our own definition on what drifting is. &nbsp;I wonder where I can go to try some rallying out here. &nbsp;I kinda want to take my old corolla beater and have some fun. &nbsp;Its gotta super duper 1.2 liter OHV 3k engine that produces a whopping 50hp but its fun to drive it. I gotta say I think I have more fun driving that thing than my 240sx sometimes.

Ok... I don't know what you guys clasify as "drifting" but the definition (that I know) is this; &nbsp;Pushing the car through a corner at the edge of traction...a four wheel drift. &nbsp;Its the fastest way around a corner (usually) &nbsp;I find it's easier in a RWD car, because you done have to LOSE speed to start the drift. &nbsp;(FWD you have to use left foot braking, or yank the hand brake) I learned to drive in a 90 VW Jetta, and started pulling the handbrake to unduce slides... wiped it out good a few times though! &nbsp;When I got my Datsun 280ZX, wow.. the things you can do with a RWD car are amazing! My 200 was slightly underpowered compared to the 280, but still fun. hee hee... I had a guy trying to keep up to me in a Cavalier WAGON, and when I drifted through a hard corner (at about 80k), he wiped out. &nbsp;Went right in the ditch. damn front drivers. Heh heh. &nbsp;Anyway, this got kind of long.. sorry ppl.

[rubbersidedown]

You beat me to it 200sx. I was going to say, drifting is not just an art. Its an art and it is technical. If done correctly you can get through a turn extremely quickly or you could just do drifting purely because its fun orrr you could do it just to help w/ your overall ability to control your car in different situations and such. I haven't seen anyone able to define drifting in one short simple definition. Drifting is however you want it to be pretty much, and please don't go "well it it could couldn't me :retarded example here" i'm sure you all know what i mean. but i guess its all just my opinion.

[bing]

i been trying a little every now and then, but i can only get it to go on snow, i dont want to push that hard under normal conditions because i dont want to hurt my suspension too much, and i dotn really know how to do it properly. i figure this summer i'll give a serious go, my buddy has a 300z and he really wants to do it as well, i;ve seen him do it but just in a parking lot, we goona have to take it the back streets first.

[AceInHole]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Guest @ Mar. 08 2002,2:34)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Ok... I don't know what you guys clasify as "drifting" but the definition (that I know) is this; Pushing the car through a corner at the edge of traction...a four wheel drift. Its the fastest way around a corner (usually) I find it's easier in a RWD car, because you done have to LOSE speed to start the drift. </td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
That definition sounds more like grip driving. &nbsp;Drifting goes beyond the limit of traction... usually induced to counter any understeer or keep the revs up or to keep the car's rotational momentum going. &nbsp;Drifting to me is best known through Outlaw Sprinters (and sometimes in ECM's), but it has become known in the import world as a Japanese culture where you slide the rear end as far out as you can through a turn.

[sspikey]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (junia @ Mar. 08 2002,1:07)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I wonder where I can go to try some rallying out here. I kinda want to take my old corolla beater and have some fun. Its gotta super duper 1.2 liter OHV 3k engine that produces a whopping 50hp but its fun to drive it. I gotta say I think I have more fun driving that thing than my 240sx sometimes.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
well there is one place but its in france. every year they have kinda open track sessions for the peugeot team to find some drivers for the wrc car. you pay get some small lessons and then if they see your good enough they keep on training you. my cousins got pretty far but towards the end kinda hurt the cars and that was the end.

[junia]

I won't be going to France anytime soon so I'm just going to act like I'm in a rally and just drive into the woods or something. &nbsp;Actually, are there any rallies in the states other than the pikes peak challenge??

[sspikey]

not sure about the states but we have on in canada. not far from where i live. we also have michelin challenge on ice. and sometimes people in montreal find a lake with some really thick ice and make some snow banks on it then its good times. last lake event there was an ice racing prepped golf there with an evo some wrx whole buncha cars.

[200sx]

Well, ok. maybe I should have phrased that a bit different... Drifting IS going past the edge of traction... but in a controled way. &nbsp;If your doing it for fun, its cool... but in a competition environment, you dont want a lot of drift; it slows you down too much to step the rear end out and hang it there through the whole turn....with the exception I guess of dirt track or rally racing, where you HAVE to swing the back out to get around corners. &nbsp;Besides.. on the street, its usualy pretty dangerous to drift the rear end way out on evry corner! &nbsp;Anyway, happy drifting folks! <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

[Sniper-X]

right...as i know it, drifting is the controlled loss of traction going through a turn. I think alot of the arguments do stem from those who THINK they can drift and those who can. Then there are those total idiots who trash their car TRYING to drift (aka my cousin). Also i think there's so many arguments about drifting because there's so many ways of initiating and controlling the drift. For more info, check out this site. this place has competitions every so often so it's off the street where it should be. drifting (http://www.driftsession.com)

[MK]

Its called a lot of things, probably the technical description that would be 'powersliding' where you have the wheels spinning ALL the time and the car going sideways BEFORE you go through the corner. Anyone can get a car sideways through a corner, its not that hard, the really good drivers and the high powered cars are going sideways before they go through (= more points to judges, fans love it <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'> )
Sort of like dirt speedway where the cars arent ever going straight ahead, its very hard and I make no claims to ever having the ability to do some of the stuff a real top driver can do. which makes me laugh a lot when people call themselves 'driftking', 'drifter' or some shit like that <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>
Chances are, they dont even have a modicum of talent, own a couple of video's and a playstation <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>

i don't think drifting in a competetion race would really be bad because you lose speed.. you can actually get through a lot of corners a lot quicker if done correctly but its hell on your tires and suspension and there is a lot more risk in wrecking your vehicle, even if you are a professional. shit happens. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>

[DrDubbleB]

I don't drift, never have, but have always wanted to. &nbsp;I just don't feel as if it's the best thing for me to learn on public roads, but that's just me. &nbsp;Anyways...the reason why drifting is becoming so popular now is things like:

Gran Turismo (they have a mode called "Drift" Mode)

Initial D (An anime about Japanese street racing, crazy amounts of drifting going on...great show to...I ordered the entire series...if anyone wants them...I can burn them for you so long as you pay me for shipping and the CD's...cause there are 8 CD's I think).

Then there are various magazines that talk about it regularly, and I think that there was even an entire series in one of them devoted to it (but I might be imagining things).

Anyways, once something hits the media, a bunch of posures (sp?) always tend to jump all over it. &nbsp;Snowboarding is another example. &nbsp;People that were in it from the beginning get a little defensive because then they are associated with all of the wannabes (even if they know what they are doing). &nbsp;I can't blame people that have been in the drifting scene for a while because they are the ones that made the scene. &nbsp;There are better ways to go about certain things though. &nbsp;

Embrace the fact that you have a lot of people that want to be like you, and instead of cutting them down, help them out. &nbsp;If they use an incorrect term, politely correct them, and move along. &nbsp;If they are too stubborn to listen to you, don't sweat it, you know you're right, and that they're wrong, and that they are only in it for the glory.

Anyways I've said enough...that's my .02

[KiNG]

well, im gonna try at that simple explanation between drifting and powersliding =]

ok, here it goes.

in a drift, you dont lose control, everything down to the tail sliding out is controlled and ur front tires generally dont lose traction. otherwise, ull probably spin out.

powerslide = ur car simply slides sideways and u hope ur back tires will push u forward sooner or later when they finally grip again.

u see, i guess the biggest diff is that u never really lose traction in a drift, its just a different kind. im sure most of u already know this, but just couldnt explain it cuz its not usually somethin u hafta write an essay on. but ya, if u guys notice when u drift, ur front tires can still steer, AND your back tires can still steer (if uve drifted before, u know what i mean by back tires steering). in a powerslide, u cant until u actually regain traction. if you maintain traction while initiating a skid with ebrake however, and maintain good speed, technically, its still a drift (rally racers often use ebrake, prolly only cuz they can afford to on dirt and not lose speed though)but generally, ebrake = a drifting nono. i guess that's the whole technical side of it.

btw, incase u guys are wonderin, i used to go drifting in my buddie's old 300zx, like an 89 or somethin hehe. he must trust me alot to let me screw around with it =]. too bad hes gone integra ff driver on me =[. oh well, atleast he still drives manual and hasnt gone into "automatic drag racing" or "transmission drop launches" lol. ok, that was sorta long haha.
[edit]
GOOD LORD!! IM DOING IT! =[
just read my post and realized i was sorta arguing it (or trying to eleviate confusion) but still! =[

[jupiterl]

I think drifting ... is ... keep the car moving in a direction (which the driver wants ) while the rear wheel is sliding all over the place. People in japan will drift on a straight road. They take a turn at ... maybe 40 mph ... really slow ... but drifting .... the japanese consider drift is an art because the movement of the car is like drawing a picture on the track or road.

Why people in here start to drift ? Even with FF cars ? I think it is because the JDM scene stuff ... you know what I am talking about ... I remember a long time ago a whole bunch of people in a honda forum saying that drift car has some crappy suspension setup or they are crappy cars and stuff. And now ... everyone wonder how the hell do they do that and they thinks it's cool.

I personally like drifting ... but I would like to learn more controlling my car before I do that.