Drift control - a few questions

[metale]

I know the best way to learn is to try for myself, but I don't have any track near my, and local parking lots have vigilance cameras at night.
I don't fancy trying this on public roads, so i'm left with lots of theory and hope that it comes handy in the "moment of the truth".
I'm not wanting to learn drifts, but skid recovery, so I can protect myself and the car in an emercency situation.

When you drift, i'm guessing you turn the steering hard and lift the gas.
Then you keep mild gas and counter steer to maintain power drift through the corner, right?
When you want to recover grip (control), do you smash the gas and undo the steering?
What is the procedure to maintain the drift and get out of it?

Thanks.

[Abrahams/101CM]

I know the best way to learn is to try for myself, but I don't have any track near my, and local parking lots have vigilance cameras at night.
I don't fancy trying this on public roads, so i'm left with lots of theory and hope that it comes handy in the "moment of the truth".
I'm not wanting to learn drifts, but skid recovery, so I can protect myself and the car in an emercency situation.

When you drift, i'm guessing you turn the steering hard and lift the gas.
Then you keep mild gas and counter steer to maintain power drift through the corner, right?
When you want to recover grip (control), do you smash the gas and undo the steering?
What is the procedure to maintain the drift and get out of it?

Thanks.

Your best bet is to attend a Drivers Education Event with BMW. Perhpas a facility with a skid pad - Right? Or, just wait until it snows again and find a big parking lot.

[metale]

Your best bet is to attend a Drivers Education Event with BMW. Perhpas a facility with a skid pad - Right? Or, just wait until it snows again and find a big parking lot.

I'm out of luck... The BMW driver education program does not exist in Portugal, and we don't get snow in here, so... i'm left with theory.

[2BZ3]

Are there any clubs offering Autocrossing near you? AX is a great way to work on your car control.

Frank

[metale]

Are there any clubs offering Autocrossing near you? AX is a great way to work on your car control.

It's probably fun too, but as I mentioned there aren't ANY kinds of track I can use (only 1 or 2 small kart tracks).

Thanks anyway.

[shim]

hmm..... i know you said that there aren't any tracks or such near you, but i think those are the only safe places to try & drift or to learn control. i have tried drifting on the streets & it is definitely not safe..... maybe try to find some huge parking lot or some backgroads in the country that are wide open, have no chance of other cars coming nearby.

[jmott]

autocrosses are typically held in parking lots, not tracks.

if there are no autocrosses or gymkhanas in portugal, you might consider starting a club and renting out some lots =)

It's probably fun too, but as I mentioned there aren't ANY kinds of track I can use (only 1 or 2 small kart tracks).

Thanks anyway.

[Abrahams/101CM]

I'm out of luck... The BMW driver education program does not exist in Portugal, and we don't get snow in here, so... i'm left with theory.

Ok - Do this...

Find a very large open parking lot with no light posts or obstrutions.
The next time it rains go to this lot.
Start off with your wheel turned 1/4 in and start increasing your speed.
When you feel the "push" or front wheels sliding, decrease the speed and expect the "oversteer" or the back end to step out. Try countering keeping the car moving through the arc your on.

Other than that - go buy a playstation.

[mijgilbert]

Why don't you contact the BMW club of Portugal and see if they hold any car control or skid pad events?

http://www.bmwautoclubeportugal.com/

I don't speak Portugese so I can't tell if they hold driving events but it's a good place to start!

[metale]

Why don't you contact the BMW club of Portugal and see if they hold any car control or skid pad events?

http://www.bmwautoclubeportugal.com/

Thanks, but they only kind of cruise around, no sport driving.

[jmott]

Thanks, but they only kind of cruise around, no sport driving.

join up, and start an initiative to hold some autocross events.

[Heckler&Koch]

Country roads?

One thing--don't always lift too fast. I drive a front heavy torque monster, I'm used to sliding around. Sometimes you have to lift slowly so you can slide back towards straigth. I can do this almost seamlessly now, but you're absolutely right, practicing is the only way to really get it down.

The most important thing though, is to always keep the front tires pointed in the direction you're actually going, or you'll catch traction with the rear and head whichever way the fronts are pointed.

[shim]

One thing--don't always lift too fast. I drive a front heavy torque monster, I'm used to sliding around. Sometimes you have to lift slowly so you can slide back towards straigth. I can do this almost seamlessly now, but you're absolutely right, practicing is the only way to really get it down.

The most important thing though, is to always keep the front tires pointed in the direction you're actually going, or you'll catch traction with the rear and head whichever way the fronts are pointed.

yup...... if you lift off the throttle too fast, you will end up spinning out... ask how i know, especially in the wet what you want to try and do is blip the throttle... try to feather & play with the gas so you back end is still sliding sideways & the tires are still slipping but you are in control of the direction it is going since you are inducing the slide w/ the amount of throttle you give it. throttle is key in drifting - it can either make or break your drift

[dorikin_86]

if you just want to recover...

i counter steer in the opposite direction while lifting a little bit of throttle...once you sense the car is about to snap back...center your steering wheel. Worked MANy times for me already....but if you're trying to maintain a slide..that's another story

[sunir]

I find it kinda funny how drifting is the latest big craze and what it amounts to essentially is controling a car around a curve in a purpose slide...this is exactly what dirt track racers in the US have been doing since the beginning of time ...all those guys in world of outlaws or late model, modified cars out there on the dirt are kings of drifiting

[shim]

I find it kinda funny how drifting is the latest big craze and what it amounts to essentially is controling a car around a curve in a purpose slide...this is exactly what dirt track racers in the US have been doing since the beginning of time ...all those guys in world of outlaws or late model, modified cars out there on the dirt are kings of drifiting

yup, i've always noticed the dirt oval racing..... but doing controlled slides on dirt & doing them on pavement are two different things...

[sunir]

but doing controlled slides on dirt & doing them on pavement are two different things...

not really... it's all throttle steering granted on dirt you set a car up for optimal side bite.

[shim]

not really... it's all throttle steering granted on dirt you set a car up for optimal side bite.

ok, maybe i should it put it this way; the level of difficulty is higher for the guys doing it on pavement....... granted, those guys doing it around the oval track are very skilled

[sunir]

ok, maybe i should it put it this way; the level of difficulty is higher for the guys doing it on pavement

that's not true...the concept of throttle steering and what the driver's have to do are identical...if anything the guys driving late model's on a dirt track are flyin' around those turns...long before the bonzia boys were flyin' down Mount fuji with their AE86's

[shim]

ok, i see your point about throttle steering, but.... on a dirt surface, the traction is already slick enough where all you need to do is balance the throttle & steering in order to hold that drift around the apex. for guys who do it on mountain passes & what not, they have several techniques they can use and the surface is not already slick. they must use different techniques in order to kick the tail out & start smokin' the tires. the guys who do it on the pavement definitely have to use more skill in order to drift than the guys who do it on dirt tracks do.... there's just so much more that goes into drifting on pavement than there is on a already slick surface, such as dirt.

[sunir]

ok, i see your point about throttle steering, but.... on a dirt surface, the traction is already slick enough where all you need to do is balance the throttle & steering in order to hold that drift around the apex. for guys who do it on mountain passes & what not, they have several techniques they can use and the surface is not already slick. they must use different techniques in order to kick the tail out & start smokin' the tires. the guys who do it on the pavement definitely have to use more skill in order to drift than the guys who do it on dirt tracks do.... there's just so much more that goes into drifting on pavement than there is on a already slick surface, such as dirt.

dude, there are 2 basic ways to induce oversteer entering a corner at speed...(1) Power on oversteer and (2) trailing throttle oversteer...

dirt and asphalt driver's can use both or either at any time...mkay ...once the car is set into a slide the exact same principles of "drifting" or what technically is throttle steering are the EXACT SAME.

Surface does not make a lick of difference...tire smoke is is for the fans, just keep quickly modulating the throttle through the curve

[shim]

you have your school of thought, i've got mine......... i'll leave it at that

[jmott]

ok, maybe i should it put it this way; the level of difficulty is higher for the guys doing it on pavement....... granted, those guys doing it around the oval track are very skilled

uh...

im gonna have to disagree with you there

[Heckler&Koch]

ok, i see your point about throttle steering, but.... on a dirt surface, the traction is already slick enough where all you need to do is balance the throttle & steering in order to hold that drift around the apex. for guys who do it on mountain passes & what not, they have several techniques they can use and the surface is not already slick. they must use different techniques in order to kick the tail out & start smokin' the tires. the guys who do it on the pavement definitely have to use more skill in order to drift than the guys who do it on dirt tracks do.... there's just so much more that goes into drifting on pavement than there is on a already slick surface, such as dirt.

Course they do it in a little dirt track with 20 other cars around and walls around it. They don't spin out, they frikkin' crash and burn.

[dorikin_86]

dude, there are 2 basic ways to induce oversteer entering a corner at speed...(1) Power on oversteer and (2) trailing throttle oversteer...

dirt and asphalt driver's can use both or either at any time...mkay ...once the car is set into a slide the exact same principles of "drifting" or what technically is throttle steering are the EXACT SAME.

Surface does not make a lick of difference...tire smoke is is for the fans, just keep quickly modulating the throttle through the curve

trailing throttle oversteer? or you mean trailing ur brakes?

ppl have been drifting (gyaku-han in teh old days) since the 50's in japan? was never really big because cars were rare but i think the earliest form of sliding was rallying...so let's just leave it at that

i believe once you get sliding...it's all the same..but the entry lines are different if the surfaces are wet vs dry..of cuz that wouldn't apply to oval racers becuz you kinda hm...turn left...and it's the same turn....