Help me troubleshoot my drifts!

[Sohcahtoa]

I've been trying to drift now for a few days, and I can never execute a nice clean drift around a corner, ever. Something always goes wrong. However, I think I have an idea about what's causing each kind of failure, but since I'm still new to drifting in GT5 (Never really got into it on the previous GTs, but I didn't have a wheel back then, either), I wanted to ask if I'm understanding the theories behind why I'm having trouble and just failing in the execution (meaning I just need more practice), or if I'm completely clueless.

I'm usually doing a braking/feint drift. For example, if the turn is to the right, I will feint left, give a short press on the brake and swerve back to the right, then countersteer/throttle my way into either spinning out, sliding to a stop, or hitting the outside wall. My guesses as to why I'm failing:

If I'm hitting the outside wall, then I'm just simply entering the corner too fast, and my tires just can't grip the road well enough to turn the car.

If I'm spinning out, I'm giving it too much throttle and the back end just goes nuts.

The interesting case though is when I slide to a stop halfway through the corner. I'm guessing that I'm not countersteering enough, and so the front tires are dragging the front of the car towards the inside, but I'm also not applying enough throttle, which allows the back end to regain traction and the whole car comes to a stop.

What I also have happen sometimes is the car will suddenly and violently change direction and spins towards the outside of the corner. I'm guessing in this case I'm countersteering too much and the front tires are suddenly regaining traction and yanking the front end towards the outside. The sudden transfer of weight back to the inside of the corner causes the back end to whip around.

Are all my ideas correct and I just need more practice to get execution down? Or am I just completely misunderstanding how drifting works? Or should I make a video and post it so you can see exactly what's going on? I'm driving a Mazda RX-7 Bathurst Type-R. LSD set to 10 initial, 60 accel, 50 decel. Comfort Medium tires.

 

[Chad D.]

you've got just about everything spot on, just keep practicing, you'll get it eventually (it took me about a week or 2 before i got used to drifting with my g27) but yeah, maybe feather the throttle a little in the corner instead of mashing it (if thats what you've been doing) trust me, enough practice and you'll be able to put all the pieces together and then, BOOM! you'll get it (something like that, lol)

 

[JWalker841]

something i learned is that you want to go a lot slower than you think you have to especially when ur just starting out. it took me about a week to get the hang of keeping a steady drift on my fanatec wheel, but it's taken me a month or so to actually be able to hold a good line and to be able to really put the car where i want to.

also, i learned that its easier if you let the wheel slip through your hands when you start to counter-steer. as soon as i lose traction in the beginning of a corner, i let the wheel spin by itself for a little bit before i grab onto it and countersteer. that helped me a lot.

 

[jimy281090]

no matter how many techniques are presented the best 1 is practice! once you get a consistent drift pattern then try other peoples techniques. otherwise you will get lost!

 

[SKOT_FREE]

My 2 cents is that you really should get the Drift Basics down before doing Manji/Feint Drifts. First you should pick one track to master and get all corners perfected, me I chose Tsukuba. Anyhoo, you want to get perfected: Entry speed, angle, and Throttle work to get through the turn and only after that do you want to Feint drift.
To better answer your question, the reason you are spinning in the turn is because you are actually going too slow because u are scrubbing too much speed(Going too slow) when you feint. That's also why your front is Regripping. Try finding the correct speed through the turn first, also watch angle and That you are on the correct line.

 

[BRADZZZ11]

If you're having a lot of trouble with the wheel, maybe try getting the hang of the flow of drifting with a DS3, until you get a feel for it. I'd suggest Tsukuba as a track - with the following speeds on practise - As you enter the big sweeping corner, keep the speed at around 83 - 87 mph, and dab the handbrake just as the pit lane opens up. Keep holding it by feathering the throttle and making little adjustments with the steering. At the corner past the line, enter at around 54 mph. This is the corner that causes me a lot of problems, spinning half way through, or regaining traction at the apex. Don't drift the small "S" bend. The next loop past the S, enter at around 40 - 45 mph. As this is quite a tight corner, I often find myself on full opposite-lock through most of it. For the next 90 degree corner, 50 mph and a dab of handbrake is enough to get you through nicely, and allows you to the link the opposing 90 up as well. As you reach the corner before the straight, regulate the speed at around 54 mph once more, and turn in slowly, and dab the handbrake. This is a relatively easy corner to master.

This is what works for me, and I use this method for practise. It's worth giving it a go.

 

[alvin23a]

No one thought of u might have some aids on by accent or something but I drift with a dfgt and I only use abs

 

[Sohcahtoa]

I actually found one of my real problems:

I have a crappy wheel setup.

My wheel is attached to a really light TV tray that had tons of stuff on it, and so I was always afraid to get too rough with the wheel because it would wobble and stuff would fall off. So I said "F@#$ it" and took everything off the tray so I didn't have to worry about crap falling off of it.

My drifts improved immediately. I wasn't afraid to fight the wheel any more. My drift exits especially improved, when I have to pull hard to straighten the wheel. And when I countersteer too much and begin to suddenly spin out towards the outside? I'm better at pulling the wheel straight again quickly to avoid a crash.

The setup is still wobbly, and I'm considering building a cockpit, but let it be known that just a really bad wheel setup can certainly be a block.

 

[xDriftzzinc]

Just fyi roll bars help a lot

Front:5 Rear:3 will hold ur angle then you just have to learn how to work the gas

 

[pergatory]

It sounds like you understand the fundamentals pretty well, actually. As far as sliding to a stop in the corners, it generally means you initiated the drift at too slow a speed. Since your other problem was going into the corner too fast, I think your primary problem (which is to be expected) is finding the right entry speed into the corner. Entry speed is everything in drifting.

 

[Sohcahtoa]

As far as sliding to a stop in the corners, it generally means you initiated the drift at too slow a speed. Since your other problem was going into the corner too fast, I think your primary problem (which is to be expected) is finding the right entry speed into the corner. Entry speed is everything in drifting.

When I slide to a stop, I find that its because I was countersteering to little (Or too late) and my angle was getting too high and so I released the throttle. The slide always ends with the nose pointing directly to the inside of the corner. The car is perpendicular to the track.

I'm getting better at drifting, but I still feel like my drifts aren't really drifts. I lose an absurd amount of speed. The car turns sideways no problem, but then it doesn't really TURN. The car is rotating 90 degrees with very little actual horizontal movement.

 

[Powellx235]

Sounds like your setup is wrong. Try decreasing the rear anti-roll bar and rear dampers

 

[gt5drifter94]

i am using a method of drifting very close to yours but im using low powered FR's MR's and one high powered 4WD depending on how much you modded your car your tequice must adapt to the changes in the car the more you change it the more you must ajust to it. and to the "personality" of the car. just find what works for you. My advice keep trying cars and tinker with their settings, with in your drivetrain class

 

[D-Max]

People comment on how you must have huge entry angle. Try just gettin te car sideways at any angle even if it is the smallest amount. Then concentrate on carrying the drift through the corner. Once you get to grips with carrying the speed, you will learn to better you're technique and get more comfortable with you're entry speeds and angles.

 

[nk4e]

Sounds like your setup is wrong. Try decreasing the rear anti-roll bar and rear dampers

Personally, I would try stock drifting to learn fundamentals or using the depot.