Drifting Tips and Technique

[mansonite]

Hey all you sideways lunatics!

I was wondering if someone could help me out with my drifting.

my main drift car is a Nissan 370z with all mods from the parts shop.

LSD: 10/50/40
ride height: -25 / -25
spring rate: 10.5 / 6.5
Dampers Ext: 5 / 5
Dampers Com: 5 / 5
ARB: 4 / 6
Camber: -2.5 / -0.5
Toe: -0.10 / 0.05
Brakes: 5/5

up until yesterday ive been running with the DS3 controller on Comfort Softs mainly on the Autumn Ring (reverse) circuit. i can hold roughly 45 degree slides with full acceleration, lots of smoke at about 80kmph around every corner of that track. Initiating all slides by just mashing the throttle while the body is a bit off balance, no need for handbrake.

I cant say im great at drifting, ive seen people initiate a lot earlier and hold it a lot later than i around the same corners, but i can certainly get it sideways and hold it there without spins.

NOW! my problem is i have swapped over to using my G25 which i have been using for track racing since GT3. I am way way way faster around a track on the wheel than i am the DS3 and just assumed i would be better at drifting as well, which is totally not the case. Im trying to drive the same way, but initiating the slides with a clutch kick, and just cannot control the car.

When i initiate the slide, I cannot get the car more than say... 20 degrees without spinning in the direction of the slide, or the the car snapping back and spinning the opposite way. Someone suggested I drop down to comfort hards, but ive found i cant even get around the corner at all unless i go down to 20kmph, which is a joke.

I made a pretty terrible video of the difference between my DS3 and G25 drifting, and its quite embarrassing so would rather leave that unless no one has any ideas.

Anyone got any ideas what I could do to help?

 

[nk4e]

feather gas pedal and practice.

 

[mansonite]

feather gas pedal and practice.

tried that for a few hours last time, im fairly certain ive got the power control down, as im used to doing it when racing... i think my problem is the actual reaction speed of my steering, ie on a DS3 i can go from full lock left to full lock right in as fast as it takes to flick my thumb 1 inch, where as the wheel takes a few seconds.

is there some way to either increase the sensitivity of the wheel or would reducing the force feedback help? (currently have FF at like 4 i think)

 

[Nobu34]

roll bars go with a 7 front and a 1 rear. also try a 0.40 front toe in and a 0.30 toe in rear. that should keep your car stable with good throttle control. its also a good idea to use comfort hard tires. just saying ^_^ .

 

[mansonite]

its also a good idea to use comfort hard tires. just saying ^_^ .

i tried the comfort hards for ages, it helps not even needing to clutch kick to get it to spin the rears, but i cant go into a bend faster than 20kmph without just understeering straight out of the bend again

 

[Nobu34]

i tried the comfort hards for ages, it helps not even needing to clutch kick to get it to spin the rears, but i cant go into a bend faster than 20kmph without just understeering straight out of the bend again

its all about technique. use e-brake to lock your angle into a corner than its throttle control from there. your set up isn't to different from mine so you shouldn't be having those problems unless its your technique.

 

[LittleZippyUK]

If you are understeering try to decrease your front camber, I usually use 1.8 on the front and 1.5 on the rear

 

[mansonite]

spent a good 4 hours today trying to do it on the wheel, people telling me to get the **** out of the online room because i suck.

went on to the DS3, had people trying to tandem drift with me but they couldnt keep up... ARG! SO ANNOYING!!!!

 

[LittleZippyUK]

Seems like you are best suited with a DS3, it does take a while to get the feel on a wheel as I should know. I tend to catch the drift, or else I just lose it in a big cloud of smoke

 

[mansonite]

ive decided my problem is as soon as i get into a slide, im not countersteering fast/accurately enough to catch it and keep going.

with the DS3 i can do crazy fast counterlocks meaning i can hold anything, with a wheel its too slow.

so my choice is either dont get sideways at all, or oversteer massively into a tree

 

[LittleZippyUK]

When the car slides, I normally let go of the wheel and let it counter-steer itself, then when I feel its at the right angle I grab the wheel again and hold it there until straightening up for the exit

 

[mansonite]

When the car slides, I normally let go of the wheel and let it counter-steer itself, then when I feel its at the right angle I grab the wheel again and hold it there until straightening up for the exit

i do the exact same, but then out of no where the rear end will grip up and snap the tail back into the corner and spin me and with the wheel im not fast enough to catch that

 

[mansonite]

i do the exact same, but then out of no where the rear end will grip up and snap the tail back into the corner and spin me and with the wheel im not fast enough to catch that

and if i use more throttle to stop the rears from gripping too early, i have no traction on the rears and spin the other way

FRUSTRATING!

 

[LittleZippyUK]

LSD: 10/50/40
ride height: -25 / -25
spring rate: 10.5 / 6.5
Dampers Ext: 5 / 5
Dampers Com: 5 / 5
ARB: 4 / 6
Camber: -2.5 / -0.5
Toe: -0.10 / 0.05
Brakes: 5/5

I'd suggest put the LSD 1st number as low as possible, then the other two up to max
Run the rear 5mm higher than the front
Camber i'd use 1.8/1.5
Toe 0.00/0.020
Brakes 4/6 (use more rear end i'd say)

I can't suggest much as I am a noob myself but I find these settings work well

 

[DaveM-sport]

roll bars go with a 7 front and a 1 rear. also try a 0.40 front toe in and a 0.30 toe in rear. that should keep your car stable with good throttle control. its also a good idea to use comfort hard tires. just saying ^_^ .

Those arb and toe settings will make the car an under-steering pig!



It really is just practice though and comfort hards are far better to be honest unless you have around a 1000bhp Viper or something.

 

[Nobu34]

Those arb and toe settings will make the car an under-steering pig!



It really is just practice though and comfort hards are far better to be honest unless you have around a 1000bhp Viper or something.

you want the car to under steer. makes it so you can open the throttle longer and hold a bigger drift without over steering. with proper technique you shouldn't have any under steer issues.

 

[DaveM-sport]

I know, all good drift cars understeer naturally when not drifting but you don't have to go to the extent of using almost no arb on the rear and max on the front and extreme toe in at the front.

 

[mansonite]

thanks for the tips guys... still terrible but ill keep at it