Drift car settings

[DragonPrynce]

I've been reading everyone's posts and I have to say that they've helped me a great deal. There's been so much feedback amongst everyone and the technique discussions are great. But, after reading all the how to's and drifting 101's and basically almost everything one needs to know to get started skillfully, but I've been a bit skeptical about the car more than the driver. I think that any good/safe drift starts with a good car, but what I really want to ask you all is what kind of settings do you apply to your car(s)? In terms of suspension, weight distribution changes, tires, and crucial items for keeping the wear-down minimal. Any feedback would be great. I'm not necessarily looking for mod details, I just want to know what should I do to my car before I get started so that when the time comes, my car won't flip/poptires/spin randomly-uncontrollably/have enginewear/etc...
Thank you in advance for any feedback I get.

[GRiDRaceTech]

Suspension- lower, stiffer, stronger, more adjustable

Weight distribution- ehhhh... for the weekend drifter, not incredibly important. Until the driver can take full advantage of a balanced car, it is not crucial.

Tires- Front should be reasonably grippy, rears less so, for a drifting novice. As one progresses, he should increase the amount of grip his tires have.

Crucial- tune-ups regularly, transmission fluid every year, maybe sooner, diff fluid often.

Your car shouldn't just flip when you start drifting... on pavement most cars will slide before they flip. Popping the tires is more a function of how worn down you let them get before replacement. Spinning randomly and uncontrollably is something that doesn't happen to a properly maintained and aligned car. Engine wear is inevitable; drifting is hard on your car. Expect to spend quite a bit replacing worn out parts.

[Raziel]

Well if your new just start simple. I would start off by lowering the car and getting shitty tires first. Then as you believe your skill is improving get stickier tires and a little power adders. Like a straight intake etc.. also you can start looking for better suspension ie coilovers. Then you can start playing around w/ settings. Not everyones settings will be the same. its all driver prefrence.

[slideways2004]

What exactly do you mean with setup. Is that like camber/toe and/or coilover setups- like stiffness

At Formula D in H-town I heard Koguchi say that the car is not setup right. (It was a r33 gts)

[mranlet]

Setup: SilkRoad Coilovers, Megan Racing strut tower bar
Settings: 100lb/in, 19psi, 22mm sway bar, -2.5* camber

GRID got it pretty well. My opinion on camber and sway bars and such is to leave it as close to stock as possible and when you notice that the mechanicals are limiting you then you change something. Getting a few books on performance handling and driving will help immeasurably (much more than the purchase price worth).

I think there is a thread on books in the TECH forum - check that out.

-MR

YO how are those megan sturt bars. I saw some on ebay for cheap and it really strikes me cus the cuscos are like 100 bucks and the megans are 49 bucks for front and rear.

[mranlet]

A bar is a bar. I haven't known anyone to have any problem with them, and they stay on even when you smash your car into a wall and total it.

Megan Racing stuff is pretty good, but it's misleading because it's so cheap. I think I might be getting a set of their coilovers for my CRX along with the harness bar, I'll let you know if the stuff stinks or not...

-MR

[GRiDRaceTech]

Oh, you guys reminded me... make the car itself stiff. Strut braces, under braces, floor braces... stiffer is better, it just takes another bit of flex out of the equation and allows the driver to feel more of what the car is doing.

[bluballz]

a few more things. you should check and replace all worn suspesnion bushings and broken parts. also check brake pads, fluid, and lines.

[Irace4Kimchi]

do u have to have a coilover for better drift? all i got is shocks n springs

[GRiDRaceTech]

Well, the advantages to having coilovers are as follows: ability to cornerweight the car to increase balance, ability to raise and lower the car for bumpy courses/smooth courses, ability to adjust compression/rebound to your liking and the track,(available on KYB AGX shocks and Koni shocks, along with some other shocks... sometimes not strong enough, though) and sometimes the shock body is inverted on a coilover, thus reducing camber change under loading through increased rigidity. (Which does not matter for any car with double-wishbone front suspension) Also, good coilovers are precision-matched to the car, thus they take into account common problems with that car. (Such as S13 coilovers having separate height adjustments to allow proper stroke without premature bottom)

The pros use coilovers to drift competitively... but you don't have to. You are not going to need that adjustability if you're just learning. Shocks and springs are fine.

[nissanguy_24]

On an unrelated note, Do (i assume your affiliated) sell Drifter AGAINST Bush stickers? GRiDRaceTech

[GRiDRaceTech]

Opposite Lock apparel is my e-company. Look for more graphics later on, with more emphasis (about 50/50) on grip driving. (I need to touch up on my Illustrator skills before graphics come along.)

I don't touch anything that's anti-Bush, sorry. I'll pander to the posers and the ricers, but not to the other side of politics.

[nissanguy_24]

Originally posted by GRiDRaceTech
Opposite Lock apparel is my e-company. Look for more graphics later on, with more emphasis (about 50/50) on grip driving. (I need to touch up on my Illustrator skills before graphics come along.)

I don't touch anything that's anti-Bush, sorry. I'll pander to the posers and the ricers, but not to the other side of politics.

So theres no "Micheal Moore was right" decals comming down the line? too bad.

[grift]

in my opinion
if you are gonna buy decent shocks and springs I would get some decent coil overs instead they are a little more but worth it. ones that are around a G you will need them later. I have JIC flt a2 which are very pricey but nice and worth the cash i think. I have a 90 240 I do not know how low it is but enough so the tire has about a 1/2 inch until it is tucked in to the fender as far as set up I run 2.5 degrees neg camber in front rest of alignement is to stock settings . the shocks are on the 7th setting of stiffness. In the rear stock alignment settings with the shocks set at 10. I also have a 2 way tomei LSD. My car is awesome but for a daily driver it sucks. Dif makes horriable noises and the ride is bumpy but as a drift car it excels. also use some what sticky tires in front and crappy ones in rear. this is what works best for me anyway . Also I am not a begginer I started with a POS car that I cared less about crashing so this set up may not work for you. A 240 with decent stock suspension drfit just fine i think so maybe polish up on your skill and up grade as you get better

[GRiDRaceTech]

Nissanguy- Haha... please don't get me started on Michael Moore. Please. You should see the threads on bimmerforums where he is mentioned; heads roll.

[mranlet]

Originally posted by Irace4Kimchi
do u have to have a coilover for better drift? all i got is shocks n springs

Shocks and springs will be fine for now - as you progress you'll want the adjustability, and that's where coilovers and adjustable dampers/shocks come in.

-MR

[feintmotion86]

With any car, leave the basic mods stock when you begin. Refresh all things that are relatively wear items, like bushings, gaskets, belts, etc. Flush your fluid systems, and change them with high quality fluids and lubricants. that in itself is quite a time consuming task and something most of us to this day are STILL doing (especially with the AE86).

Anyhow if you are going to get something aftermarket or want to spend money on something necessary, I'd say make sure you either have one OEM or buy an LSD. It is probably the single most important piece on a drift car. People can argue all they want about drifting with an open diff (yeah yeah I know alex from 5zigen won the first drift day competition without one) but its absolutely necessary. I've seen people with 2,000 dollar suspension systems with crappy or no LSD and they look like idiots out there. However, a friend with stock suspension and a KAAZ 2-way makes him look like a savage. Its like night and day. My LSD went bad, and I had a miserable time at my last drift day.

[grift]

I agree and disagree with feintmotion. i guess we all have our own formulas for our style. I think the lsd is very helpfull. But to say you absosolutly need it i would say no. Lsd helps alot with keepin the car in control, keep the drift for a longer period of time and helps even out tire wear. i have drifted with and without an LSD. I am sure that like most people in this forum we do not have sponsors and so getting high dollar LSD'S is not easy we have to save and whe we have the cash. We decide what will the 1000 dollars be better for the SR Swap or LSD, Suspension or exhaust ETC ETC. Also LSD especially on a daily driver can be a bear. they pop, crunch and make nasty noises. I guess this only applies to certain ones like the Kaaz, tomei, nismo, (clutch type ETC). The quaife, stock, and phantom LSDs do no make the noises as much. My LSD is tomei I am lucky the car is not my daily driver. I would say to start out make sure the car had good bushings, struts, motor ETC. when the car control is better upgrade the car. in the long run yes get LSD but realize that hardcore equipment can make everyday driving suck