How difficult is it to get good at drifting?
 

I just watched this guy's drift series, he has 7 or so vids of him drifting from start to present. And he's already entered into one "pro" event. And this is on a stock KA24DE in an S14

And yet, another guy I've seen has a turbo'd KA24DE and he's not as impressive.

How long does it take to get good and how likely is it that it happens? I mean, what separates the 1st guy from the 2nd guy I mentioned? Is it just a natural ability to pick up drifting? Or is it more about the setup?

I ask because if its about the set up, I'm going into my first drift event with a 100% stock S14 with the exception of a welded diff. Will this benefit me in learning to drift? Or will it mess me up since I'm driving on stock suspension and crappy tires?

Oh dear god.

It's the person not the car

oh yes oh yes oh yes

Ok, I guess you answered the basic version of my question that I sort of already knew. But what about the other one? How long does it take to improve? Can everyone be a pro drifter with enough seat time? Or do some pick it up faster than others? Can some not pick it up at all and suck at drifting their entire life?

let the flaming begin...

of course.

this thread brings me joy and laughter...:)

"Practice makes perfect"

OP are you talking about DriftIdiot?

hahahaha, ya thats the one man!! he's fuckin awesome.

Yeah Sam is pretty cool. He's just done an SR swap now, did you know that?

I didn't. I don't know him personally and have only seen his vids. I think the 8th vid he put out he's still on a stock KA.

There was a surprise at the very end of his latest video...
Drift Idiot Day 8: The Great Equalizer - YouTube

Ah, I hadn't seen that before. I stopped the vid when I saw the end credits stuff.

Anyways, how does he get so good so fast? does he just have a skill for it? As I said in my original post, he's doing a lot better with a stock KA than what someone else that I'm following does with a KA-T and now an LS1 swap.

Honestly? He's not that good. Pretty good for 15 hours of seat time, though. Like, he knows how to get the car sideways, but at the same time, he needs to get a lot better at keeping the drifts going. Like the other guys said, practice makes perfect. Plus, he probably knew a bunch about drifting before ever trying it, you know? And yes, some people just have a knack for it.

I thought his inability to keep drifts going was because of the stock KA. Is it actually his lack of skill?

A little of both. But, don't call it a lack of skill. Call it lack of experience.

Smartest part of that video was having the windows down managing to save the mirror glass. What matters is he had fun regardless of his skill level.

Thats the word I was looking for. Experience.

http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instanc...x/19155736.jpg

Anyways, practice will help you. You could drift any setup you want if you have experience and skill. Keep practicing and don't let anyone bash on you just because you got a KA24DE. Upgrade your suspension as soon as you can, though.

So why is it so important to upgrade the suspension if its the driver not the car? I've heard people say what you've said, but never any reasons. I understand upgraded suspension gives a stiffer ride, but what does that achieve for drifting?

Every little bit helps. It's both, the driver and the car.
We are just giving you advice you asked for.

First of all,
The welded diff will be only helpful if you have gotten used to it for driving everyday.
Secondly,
It all depends on the amount of practice you get, under what condition, and under what supervision. I'm not talking supervision for safety, what i mean is that you need to have someone there helping you along the way. You need to find someone that actually knows what they're doing to help out and show you some tips. Don't try it on the street or whatever your friends told you to do. Enter an event and fail, but don't make an idiot of yourself. You will learn.

Lol!!


Watch every video of Intial D and BAM!!! You are a OG Drift Super Star. And a honorary member of the Akina Speed Stars!

THIS. I have always had a passion for cars, and as soon as I got my license, I would just be out driving. And not hardcore driving, just cruising. Because driving is fun to me. I cant keep a drift or manji or anything, but I can slide through corners well and I have fun doing it. So I can care less about being "good" if Im having fun.

But to answer your question, practice does make perfect. Go out to your local skid pad or drift event, and just have fun. Most of the people aren't gonna call you a noob or make fun of you, they'll help you man.

KA ALL THE WAY

100 dod steveo in car - YouTube

just grow balls, dont care if you crash, and youll improve your skill. if you care about the car, dont drift it.

It's impossible because I tried once. Took out 4 telephone polls and a girl scout concession stand. All the thin mints and samoas couldn't even be salvaged.

I just died!!!! Frank_Jaeger make that comment your sig!

Seat time seat time and more seat time. Learning to drift in an underpowered car is hard but once you get it, the learning curve is tremendous compared to somebody who learned on a car that has alot of power. Power have a tendency to crutch and hide people's mistake (shitty lines).

On a Scale from 1-100000
it would be 23489