Can a AWD car drift?

Technique

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).

Feint Drift [ ]

This 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 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 straight to start a high angle drift and to hold this to set up for the turn ahead. (note: this can only be done at high speed.)

Swaying Brake Drift [ ]

This is a slow side-to-side faint like drift where the rear end sways back and forth down a straight.

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.)

Grip Racing [ ]

Grip is a term describing the total cornering envelope of a race car by the friction component of the tire, the mass of the machine and the downforce generated.

4WD Drift (Four Wheel Drive Drift) [ ]

4WD cars hit the corners at speeds that left the crowd gasping for air.

There are certain, specialized techniques for getting for full power from an AWD (All wheel drive) cars.

AWD cars can’t drift easily so the driver must take the corner at a very high speed, shifting car’s center of «gravity suddenly». Even an expert driver could lose control of the wheel during this move.

Once other enter the drift, the driver floors the gas pedal and relies solely on the steering wheel to control the car.

In an FR car, a driver can ease up on the accelerator to regain command of the vehicle.

Try that in a AWD and you’ll slide into a deadly understeer before you can slack off on the acceleration to regain control.

Keeping the gas pedal on the floor is essential for AWD drifting.

And it’s the first thing that in-experienced drivers forget.

Only a highly skilled driver should attempt an AWD in the first place, Otherwise, it’s suicide.

But once a driver has mastered the techniques can take corners at unbelievable speeds.

In AWD drift, avoid counter-steering at all cost.

In an FR car, other’s instinct would be to turn the wheel the opposite direction from vector. Do that with an AWD and car bolts will change direction with you. The AWD offers a huge power advantage over other cars. The driver must be quick and precise with the wheel.

The hazards of negotiating one hair-raising hairpin turn after another began to mess with mind.

The problem wasn’t the turn themselves, but something that happens to AWD brakes around tight corners.

Scadinavian Flick (also known as «Inertia Drift» or ”Fishtail Drift”) [ ]

This is done by steering the car into the opposite direction of the corner then shifting the weight of the car into the direction of the corner, causing the tires to slide. This was used by Takumi Fujiwara when he first raced Keisuke Takahashi.

Gutter Run (also known as «Ditch Drop» or «Ditch Hooking») [ ]

This is done by dropping the tire to the gutter of the corner in order to maintain speed while attacking a turn. This is a signature and well-known technique by Takumi Fujiwara as he had used it in many of his battles. There are two types of gutter run. The second type of gutter run is more advanced and requires good practice, used when exiting a corner. The gutter run was later discontinued in the latter half of the Project D arc for unknown reasons, presumably because Takumi had to save the Eight-Six from being crippled once more

Blind Attack [ ]

This is done while the car is behind the opponent, turning off the headlights to conceal position and confuse the driver in the lead. Once the car is at the midst of passing the opponent the headlights come back on again. Ever since Takumi Fujiwara joined Project D, this has been one of his special techniques, used in very tight situations. It at the same time decreases the drag from the headlights while turned off, when used in cars with popup headlights.

Left Foot Braking [ ]

This is a technique of using the left foot to operate the brake pedal in an automobile, leaving the right foot dedicated to the throttle. It is a quite difficult technique as the left foot is normally used for the clutch pedal. This technique was first seen used by Shingo Shoji. Takumi Fujiwara, Ken and Kai Kogashiwa, Daiki Ninomiya and Tomoyuki Tachi are also seen using the same technique.

Feint Brake [ ]

This is where a driver in the lead presses their brake to activate the brake lights, tricking their opponent into easing up on the throttle. This allows the leader to create a bigger gap between them and their opponent. This is especially harmful to the target if their car is turbocharged as the sudden release of the throttle would cause them to lose boost. It was first seen used by Shingo Shoji in his impromptu battle against Koichiro Iketani. Later on in the show it is seen used by Smiley Sakai against Keisuke Takahashi. Keisuke later uses this same tactic against Hideo Minagawa.

Gallery>>the Anti-grip: Awd-based Drift Cars

Most people would say that the biggest benefit of an all-wheel-drive layout is copious amounts of grip. For years, AWD cars and their grip have proven themselves on race tracks and roads all over the world. You’d expect the precise grip that AWD delivers would have no place in the unusual world drifting, and for the most part that’s true. However, cars that were once AWD have become rather popular among drifters around the world. Even if you take the AWD out of the equation, cars like the Evolution and Impreza still offer lots of horsepower, a stiff chassis, and well-designed suspension that can be appreciated by anyone, even drifting goons. Since we can never go too long without running a drifting story on Speedhunters, here’s a look at some of the AWD-based drift cars that have popped up over the years.

The pioneers in using AWD chassis for pro drifting are of course Team Orange and their JUN-built machines. Nobushige Kumakubo switched from his proven S15 Silvia to an all-new GDB Impreza half way through the 2005 D1 Grand Prix season and immediately proved just how capable a Subaru drift car could be. He would go on to win the 2006 D1GP championship in this car.

Shortly after Kumakubo jumped in his new car, his friend and teammate Kazuhiro Tanaka began driving his own Impreza with very similar specs. Tanaka still drives the car to this day – consistently finishing in the upper ranks at D1 events.

Eventually, Team Orange had matching cars built for overseas competition. So far they have seen action in both the D1GP USA series and the European Drift Championship.

In 2006 Team Orange member Naoto Suenaga joined the party with a GC8 two-door Impreza drift car. Naoto drove this car in Japan for a few years, and if I’m not mistaken the same car is now being used by Team Orange in the D1GP USA series.

In 2007 Team Orange and JUN debuted their first non-Subaru drift car with Kumakubo’s Evolution 9. After driving the car for about two seasons, Kumakubo handed it down to his Team Orange kouhai Naoto Suenaga for 2009…

…meanwhile in 2008, new Team Orange member Hideo Hiraoka took over driving duties in for Kumakubo’s old championship-winning Impreza.

And the most recent addition to the Team Orange fleet, Kumakubo’s Evo X which was originally shown at Tokyo Auto Salon 2008 and debuted for the 2009 D1 season. I’m still waiting to see them build a new-body style Impreza for Tanaka…

Team Orange aren’t the only ones who have run Impreza drift cars in Japan. This stylish GDB was driven by Komagata in the D1 Street Legal series, but has since disappeared from the action.

From time to time, AWD models also pop up at grassroots drift events in Japan. I remember being thoroughly impressed by the driver of this GC8 at Nikko Circuit last year.

Here in the United States, Formula D driver Stephan Verdier has been successfully drifting his Impreza for a few seasons now.

The car got new livery for 2009 and Verdier has been having a very solid season so far this year.

Also joining Formula D this year is Irishman Eric O’Sullivan who pilots this Rockstar/Hankook-sponsored Impreza. Expect more on this car later in the month…

Skylines have always been popular drift cars, but not too many people drift Skyline GT-R’s. Tusyoshi Tezuka and his Bee*R-built BNR32 have proven that that a converted GT-R can be a very successful slider. This car is actually one of the veteran machines on the current D1GP car roster.

And finally there’s the R35 GT-R-based drift car that Blitz has been working on for a while now. If and when this car is ever finished, it should be one of the most talked about drift cars in a long time.

I think that covers all of the AWD-based drift cars I’ve seen personally, but I’m sure there are others out there.

What other AWD chassis have been massaged for drift use?

drifting

How to aim one’s car at a wall and miss it completely; drifting is the opposite of grip driving, which involves taking a corner without sliding. This can be done without any regard to horsepower, weight, or any other factors. Essentially this means any car can drift, however, some cars are more apt to powerslide than drift. Drifting originated in Japan, thus most cars used to drift are Japanese. Most of the cars used to drift are also usually RWD cars with FR layouts, as they are easier to drift than AWD cars, FWD cars, or RWD cars with MR layouts. However, other drivetrains are used for drifting by different people, as driving styles vary from person to person. Some common cars used to drift are the Nissan Silvia, the Nissan 350Z, the Mazda RX-7, and the Toyota Supra.

Drifting is not for the faint of heart, the poor, or those who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. If you have trouble experiencing any epic, you may not wish to try to drifting, as it will have a sudden spike in epic if done correctly.

by stiffshifter September 14, 2009
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drifting

To cause a vehicle to exceed its tire’s limits of adhesion, exhibiting a lateral slip, resulting in an oversteer condition.

Takumi was seen on Interstate 81, in his 1986 Toyota Corolla ,drifting along the many curves in the road.

by Srinath May 2, 2004

drifting

Drifting, the art of controling an out of control vehicle.

Drifting is not a race at all but rather a subjective sport where drivers compete against each other but are judged on the basis of style and execution—think of it as the ‘figure skating’ of motorsports, a controlled ballet of lightweight vehicles sliding around a turn to make the most stylized and complex drift possible. As it is not a race, drivers are not timed but are judged using a point system based on form, and the high scorer of each heat advances to the next round. To create his (or her) own style, each driver customizes their vehicle with aftermarket parts that shape their personal style and performance. Only certain models are chosen for competitive drifting; though almost any car can be caused to drift momentarily due to a loss of control, the necessity of being able to control the drift requires that only rear-wheel drive and some all wheel drive vehicles be used. Typically, drift drivers use inexpensive and lightweight Japanese vehicles such as the Nissan 240SX and its Japanese counterpart, the Silvia, but American cars have been used in competition recently as well.

by Mr Drift September 4, 2006
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drifting

A really entertaining way to ruin your tires.
Some dude just went drifting by me in a cloud of smoke and hit a wall, man!
by XomegaX October 7, 2009

drifting

Something homeless people do from town to town.
Did you see that homless guy drifting last night?
by BMWguru November 19, 2010
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drifting

Making the car slip laterally by means of oversteering. Possible with a RWD vehicle. Some people try this with FWD cars as well by driving in Reverse.
Its aptly defined as «Controlling your car when it is in uncontrolable zone»

US competed in the Drifting Grand Prix with a Pontiac GTO and were knocked out before the round of 15.

by LedVTECin August 20, 2004

drifting

To cause a vehicle to slide or ‘drift’ laterally. It is caused by making a turn a speeds high enough to cause the tires (both front and rear, but the rear tires go first and the front don’t always go) to loose traction, allowing the car to slide laterally. It is possible in front, rear, and all wheel drive. Pulling the hand/emergency/parking break (three names for the same thing) at the apex of a turn will allow one to drift at lower speeds than if the rear wheels were allowed to spin freely. Also, drastically speeding up the rear wheels by revving the engine (therefore causing the rear wheels to spin faster than the car is moving forward) will allow one to drift more easily, this is only possible in rear wheel drive.