Drift or Powerslide

[funkymonkey]

This question's bugged me for a while... when is it a drift and when is it a powerslide? What's the difference between the two, and how do you stop one from becoming the other?

A lot of people say they're drifting when all they're doing is momentarly losing traction in the rear wheels (and when their rear regain traction this is when they've come out of drift, even though they've done nothing to make it happen)... is this drift or just a slide?

Or is drift just a RWD powerslide?

[Element]

Yea I might be able 2 shed some light 4 u. A powerslide is just when u floor it aound a turn, U use power 2 drift.

The other style is fish tailing before the turn, giving it a little flick before the turn, this give u a big head start.

[slip]

wrong.

Drift can be initiated in different ways. You do not have to 'fishtail' before the corner. You can use power to initiate drift.

[NisMojo]

Drift isn't sliding After the corner, Drift is being sideways before, during and after the corner....

[gtrken]

Drift is about style and content, not speed.

Drift is the art of keep the tail out as far as you can for as long as you can without spinning.

Power , h/brake , clutch kicking , scandinavian flicking , powering are all techniques used to obtain the objective.

Cheers

Ken

[PHaT MR30]

Jap drifting is about being 90 degrees to the corner. before, during and after the corner.

doing a skid round a corner and kicking the back end out is not drift

[NisMojo]

Drift is best learnt in the Wet...

IN the dry, you have a greater chance of over correcting and crashing hard....

[Dawzey]

yeah on a skid pad is also a great place to learn due to the fact that there is not much to hit cept cones and stuff.

also teaches u how far u can get them out without stuffing up...

[Guest RedLineGTR]

Originally posted by NisMojo

Drift is best learnt in the Wet...

IN the dry, you have a greater chance of over correcting and crashing hard....

i would rekon is you loose it in the wey its abit hard to stop than it is in the dry. But a track day would be the best (safest place to practise).

[slip]

In the wet you are going slower.

On our skidpan you are totally sideways, but at low speed so you can safely learn.

Track drift days are the only way to go after you get a bit of experience though.

[PHaT MR30]

yeh slow speed in the wet is the best way to learn

[Vovan]

Phat Mr30, what does this mean in your signuter "Can't spin em?? ..... CLUTCH IT!" ?

[(B1) MR_fanny]

Originally posted by Vovan

Phat Mr30, what does this mean in your signuter "Can't spin em?? ..... CLUTCH IT!" ?

does that really need to be explained .....lol:D:D

[Rezz]

Originally posted by PHaT MR30

Jap drifting is about being 90 degrees to the corner. before, during and after the corner.

doing a skid round a corner and kicking the back end out is not drift

Hit the nail on the head there...

Lately I`ve seen a number of Australian "Drift" vids off the net, just short pieces, and for the most part... there just kicking the tail out on exit! Aaah, Drift? Haven`t got the gonads more like it.

So many of those vids are titled "Check out this awesome drift!", or "Wanna see a Zed drift?" and I`m like, ok I`d love to see what Aussies can do nowadays. Then upon opening the file, I see this big power Skyline or whatever, and the driver *flys* up to the corner, slams on the brakes, putters around the corner, then floors the throttle on exit, resulting in what looks like a little chirp to the side. Mmmmm.

Please tell me this is just an inexperienced "Drifter" getting all excited about losing traction for the first time!

Please DON`T tell me that Danny from "Japanese Motorsport" is the only guy in Australia that can drift!!!!

[slip]

I disagree.

You dont want to be 90 degrees to the corner after the corner.

You want to be parallel with the exit line if its a single corner drift.

If you are at 90deg to the corner AFTER the corner, you are totally sideways when you want to be straight.

"Originally posted by PHaT MR30

Jap drifting is about being 90 degrees to the corner. before, during and after the corner.

doing a skid round a corner and kicking the back end out is not drift

Hit the nail on the head there... "

[Rezz]

Originally posted by slip

I disagree.

You dont want to be 90 degrees to the corner after the corner.

You want to be parallel with the exit line if its a single corner drift.

If you are at 90deg to the corner AFTER the corner, you are totally sideways when you want to be straight.

Of course man it's pretty hard to keep going if your at 90 degrees to the corner at exit. But you should be at least 30 degrees, right? Being parallel with the exit line is like rallying.

But I guess the whole idea with professional drift is to get the car as sideways as possible, as long as possible for any given corner. No if's, no buts. If theres room to continue the drift on exit, well then keep going!

[dan_the_man]

drifting in the wet makes me feel tough

[funkymonkey]

Originally posted by Rezz

Being parallel with the exit line is like rallying.

Hence my initial question... when does it stop being a drift and become a powerslide.

[Rezz]

I remember watching an old Colin Chapman vid, and I think Jackie Stewart was driving an Escort in the '68(?) British Touring Car Chapionship. He was the ultimate powersliding master. He had that Escort, as underpowered as it was, sliding like you wouldn't believe around Brands Hatch, easily getting the fastest lap times... it was beutiful to watch, seeing this old Escort almost "floating" around the faster corners...

In that situation, powersliding to get a faster laptime, is kinda outdated now in all but rallying, due to advances in tyre technology, suspension design etc... Whats more, the car is never out of control to an extent that it's hindering laptimes... well thats the theory anyway.

Drifting on the other hand (in the circuit battle sense of it) is an intentional powerslide sustained for as long as possible with no consideration of lap times.

Feel free to flame what I just wrote, thats just my understanding after going to illegal and circuit drift events here in Japan.

[NisMojo]

The most "functional" drift is having the car sideways before the turn, but the angle of the car should be parrallel with the straight bit of road you end up on.. but with the car still sliding sideways, a little more angle and a nice correction also makes for nice drift...

A snake tail is a drift gone wrong.