Is it ever quicker to drift a corner?

  • Thread starter ikarys
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It all depends on how much speed you can carry through the corner. On the old Porche Unleashed game there was a video of a 911 taking a hairpin corner at an insane speed by having his tail push the front end at the correct angle. If I understood Dr. Beckmans' The Physics of Racing I could explain it in slip angles and yaw. But I don't. :(

How come no ones mentioned the difference between rear wheel, front wheel and true (4 wheel) drifts? Someone here has the answers! Please post.

Edit: Drivingfast.net also mentions that the tires get the most grip when they are about to lose traction (I probably didn't say that right.) They are at their best just before they break, and a good tire will give a little before it does break so a little slide is expected.

Try the TT#8. I always get a better time when my back end goes out just a little as I transition from entry/deceleration to exit/acceleration. I get the best grip, the best line, I spend less time in-corner and I can accelerate harder.
 
Last edited:
Ronald6
It all depends on how much speed you can carry through the corner. On the old Porche Unleashed game there was a video of a 911 taking a hairpin corner at an insane speed by having his tail push the front end at the correct angle. If I understood Dr. Beckmans' The Physics of Racing I could explain it in slip angles and yaw. But I don't. :(

How come no ones mentioned the difference between rear wheel, front wheel and true (4 wheel) drifts? Someone here has the answers! Please post.
Click to expand...



Because there is a difference between true drifting and sliding.
To me, drifting is an art for the sake of art, not for the sake of speed or 'going faster'.

Sliding your car a bit when you have 500hp and crappy downforce makes cornering faster, but just because you lack the downforce to keep your car on track.

For instance: the second you see a Formula 1 car slide, he forked up his round. The second you see a F1 car drifting : call me because I've never seen a F1 car drift :D

This is sliding:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FF7GnYQ1CI

This is drifting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enr7eNbvqE0&feature=related
(gawd I want that Porsche in GT5 !!!!!!!)
 
^^ I agree,

But what you are talking about so far has only been 2 wheel drifting. If a car reaches maximum traction with all four tires at once then he will have achieved a true drift. Because he is at max-trac his tires are at their limit and will (as explained very nicely, better than I can, by Drivingfast.net) "drift".

This is almost impossible to do on a hairpin, but I do it all the time in my firebalde on deep forest (love that car!) on the sweepers.
 
Merquise
EH?

This is definately a 4 wheel 'slide' (first seconds of the movie)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etW53ExZLo0&feature=related

Drifting to me is 2-wheel, because on 4 wheels you have so much grip you cannot speak of a true drift.
Click to expand...

In that video, at 18 seconds, the car maintains a 4 wheel slide (as you call it). I would call it a true drift because the car is at maximum traction but all four tires have broken loose.

I think we're saying the same thing but from different perspectives.
 
Just so everyone is clear... there is a difference between sliding and drifting. I wouldn't necessarily say e-braking around one cone at very low speed is drifting. Anyways on tarmac that is about the only time "drifting" might be faster. But if there is a decent straight after the cone and a wide turning area I bet it would be faster overall by griping.
 
Sliding or drifting aside, I think it has more to do with the vehicle used and the track/corner/contact surface.

In an older AE86 ala DriftKing, it might be quicker to "point-n-shoot".
 
Drifting is best used going down mountain pass where the roads are narrow with a lot of sharp corners. It's different on a racing track as the track is a lot wider than the mountain road and smoother than a road would be. Also on a race track you can hits speeds of over 250+kph where as on the mountain roads you would really have that much chance to hit those type of speeds. End of the day both are fast but depending on the location. You wouldn't see a F1 or IRL on a mountain road now would you???. Grip driving is faster on the race track for sure.
 
oppositelock
It can be faster under the right circumstances. I've personally seen some very fast autocross cars that spend a generous amount of time sideways. In general I'd say:

Drifting is usually most beneficial in slower, tighter corners.

It usually works better on cars with no downforce and poor grip.

The key to a fast drift is zero countersteer. That means keeping the wheel more or less straight and steering the car mostly with the throttle. If you're applying huge amounts of countersteer Formula D style then you're probably losing time.
Click to expand...

👍

you should see me drift around the final turn at laguna seca and just blow past everyone.
 
i belive that drifting is not faster. but if you can keep the nose pointing straight out of the corner it can be faster but it is hard on the tires. i real racing racecar drivers tend to slide when it is raining, where it does not destroy the tires as much
 
Watch the replays of the top GT Academy drivers. How many of them do you see drifting corners on their runs?
 

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