Drifting is a technique used through a turn to change the direction of the car for a proper exit. Practicing this technique is good for a vehicle that has under or over-steering problems in cornering. (This method is used in Rallying but it is also useful to be used Road Racing) There are many types of drift techniques, while i'm going to introduce some of them to you.
Race Drift This is performed at race speeds, when entering a high speed corner a driver lifts his foot off the throttle to induce a mild over steer and then balances the drift through steering and throttle motions. (note: the car that is being used for this style of drift should be a neutral balanced car therefore the over steer will induce itself, if the car plows through any turn this technique will not work).
Braking Drift This is performed by trail braking into a corner, then loss of grip is obtained and then balance through steering and throttle motions. (note: this is mainly for medium to low speed corners).
Faint DriftThis is performed by rocking the car towards the outside of a turn and then using the rebound of grip to throw the car into the normal cornering direction. (note this is heavy rally racing technique used to change vehicle attitudes during cornering, mainly tight mountain corners).
Clutch Kick This is performed by depressing the clutch pedal on approach or during a mild drift to give a sudden jolt through the driveline to upset rear traction.
Shift Lock This is performed by letting the revs drop on downshift into a corner and then releasing the clutch to put stress on the driveline to slow the rear tires inducing over steer. (this is like pulling the E-brake through a turn - note this should be performed in the wet to minimize damage to the driveline etc.)
Emergency Brake Drift This technique is very basic, pull the E-Brake or (side brake) to induce rear traction loss and balance drift through steering and throttle play. (note: this can also be used to correct errors or fine tune drift angles).
Dirt Drop Drift This is performed by dropping the rear tires off the road into the dirt to maintain or gain drift angle without losing power or speed and to set up for the next turn. (note this technique is very useful for low horsepower cars).
Jump Drift In this technique the rear tire on the inside of a turn or apex is bounced over a curb to lose traction resulting in over steer.
Long Slide Drift This is done by pulling the E-brake through a strait to start a high angel drift and to hold this to set up for the turn ahead. (note: this can only be done at high speed).
Swaying Drift This is a slow side-to-side faint like drift where the rear end sways back and forth down a strait.
FF Drift (Front Wheel Drive Drift) The E-brake as well as steering and braking techniques must be used to balance the car through a corner. (note: the E-brake is the main technique used to balance the drift).
Power Over This performed when entering a corner and using full throttle to produce heavy oversteer (tail slide) through the turn. (note: needs horsepower to make this happen).
Heel & Toe by TakumiHeel & Toe and drifting are not the same thing. People watch Initial D and see Takumi using heel and toe before he performs his magnificent drift around the corner, and they automatically decide that he used heel and toe to accomplish that amazing drift. Well in a way he did, but not like people think he did. Heel and toe is used to maintain speed when exiting out of a drift or any kind of real sharp turn. To drift Takumi just simply shifts the weight of the car, (because he is that highly skilled) but how do you think he wins such mind boggling battles with an out dated Toyota Trueno? The truth is that he can enter and exit the corner at tremendous speeds. When entering a corner heel and toe is used to raise the RPM of the car. When Takumi is drifting he is not applying the gas. So what do u think would happen if heel and toe was not used? I'll tell you what would happen, he would exit the corner at a much slower speed then he entered it. When heel and toe is used, the clutch is pushed in and the toe of the foot is put on the brake while the heel is on the gas raising the RPM. After you enter the corner you let off the gas, clutch, brake, etc. and use whatever technique you use to drift or just simply go around the corner really fast while using grip driving. Whatever the case may be, heel and toe can be used for both. While exiting the corner you will come out at a much faster rate because you have raised the RPM which slowly drops while going around the corner when you are not stepping on the gas. When you exit the corner you should feel no jolt, or force on the car because it should be timed so that the RPM drops back down to where it was at when you entered the corner. This way you do not lose any speed. This technique is one that takes great skill and practice, but it is the best for optimum power.
