So you’ve been wanting to learn how to drift ever since you saw the Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift movie. Drifting seems so cool, right? For those who have no idea what drifting is all about, it is a driving method that lets you steer around corners in a fun, exciting, and challenging way.
Some street racers and drag racers switch to drifting when they start to get bored. Drifting allows you to slide around the corners using two techniques: clutch-based and brake-based.
Drifting Techniques
Clutch-based
- Clutch-kick drift - Grip the clutch, escalate the rpm and downshift. Then release the clutch to allow the back wheels to lose its traction.
- Shift-lock drift – Downshift the gear, lower down the rpm and release the clutch. This causes the back wheels to slow down and lose its traction.
Brake-based
- Braking drift – Press on the brakes to shift the weight of the vehicle to the front wheels. This causes the back wheels to lose its traction.
- Feint drift – Steer the car outwards to move the weight to the outer wheels. Then quickly steer back and once the suspension kicks back, the weight shifts creating a drift.
- Swaying drift – It is similar to a feint drift but starts with a long approach to a turn. Maintain the drift by steering side–to-side.
- Jump drift – Steer the rear tire to shift the weight to the outer wheels. This will reduce the traction to generate a drift.
- Dynamic drift- Turn at a fast speed and release the gas. This will shift the weight to the front wheels and lessen the traction to create a drift.
- E-brake drift – Turn the corner and pull the emergency brake to lock the rear wheels. Steer to produce a drift.
- Power-over drift - Accelerate into the turn to make the back wheels drift. You need a lot of horsepower to do this.
- Long-slide drift – Approach a turn with a long straightway with high speed. Pull the emergency brake to start the drift.
Remember, getting the right method of braking requires much practice. Over breaking can lead to over steering which may cause your vehicle to spin uncontrollably. On the other hand, lack of braking will cause you to understeer. This isn’t safe either.
Make sure you regularly clean your tires with the KevianClean Wheel Cleaner to make sure there are no debris stuck in your wheel.