As new to this as one gets !

[Robocp]

As the title said, im as new to this as one can be, and at the moment.. i can not afford a car that "applies" for drifting.. my friend is driving a new Toyota Auris, and i was wondering if it would be possible to do some basic drifting on that car ? it hasnt been what you call "tuned" or modified in any way, and theres this esp thing, that starts peeping and takes control when ever you slide a bit..im in iceland and the streets are covered in snow so i just wanted to know if theres any way to avoid this esp thing or turn it off, and do some snow drifting, only some really basic stuff.

Thanks in advance, Robert

P.S. i know many of you might not be bothered wasting time on answering this, which is perfectly understandable, but any feedback would really be appriciated

[Soldat]

ESP stands for Electronic Skid Protection and it's job is to make sure you don't slide. Typically there is just a little button to press that will turn it off.

We don't have a Toyota Auris here in the states. My first reaction is to assume that you mean what we call the Yaris . . . maybe not.

Even if the Auris is front wheel drive, then you'll still be able to have some fun in the snow. It just won't really be "drifting". However, if the Auris doesn't have an option to turn off the ESP, short of disabling it by disconnecting/cutting wires, then you're going to have serious issues with getting it sideways for any extended period of time. I know that when the ESP is on in my GTI I can only get the car to slide 2 or three feet before it takes over and tries to correct.

[Robocp]

Ah ok, appriciate it. But lets say i wanted to get started..with just the minimum requirements for drifting, what exactly would i need ? A RWD car, this LSD (which i dont really know what is, but i understand i need it :P) and how much power is needed to drift, not on snow.. just on street ?


Thanks in advance, Robert

[Soldat]

What you need:
Rear Wheel Drive car
LSD (Limited Slip Differential, makes sure that both of the rear tires spin together instead of just one)
Manual Transmission

. . . then, since it's best to learn on a cheap beater-car, just fix what needs to be fixed from a mechanical standpoint. Make sure that the drivetrain is at least reliable, fix/plug any leaks, replace worn belts . . . general maintenance stuff. The beauty of this sport is that you don't need to go out and buy a $30,000 race car just to get started. Around here, you can get a bone stock 240sx for about two or three thousand dollars and (as long as it's running properly) it will drift pretty well as-is.

As for power, you really don't need a lot. When you're learning, you probably won't be going out and doing third and fourth gear sweepers. Chances are that you'll start by doing first and second gear stuff in parking lots (though we'll all encourage you to drift on a track, not on public roads). For this, you really don't need some turbocharged motor making 350+ hp. 90% of the time a well running and reliable stock motor will do just fine.

[Robocp]

LSD, is that expensive at all to get ?