Wednesday 24 April 2013

Drift Glossary of drifting terms


Here is a Drift Glossary of drifting terms I have complied. I hope people interested in the motorsport of drifting find these Drift Definitions helpful and informative. Please feel free to comment and add drifting terms that I may have omitted Here.

AE86

The Toyota AE86 is a classic car for drift enthusiasts. Years produced 1984-1987 Toyota Corolla GTS. Runs on the DOHC 4-AGE motor, rear wheel drive and LSD. In Japan and in the hardcore drifting community worldwide, the AE86 is commonly referred to as the “Hachiroku” which is the car’s Japanese name and translated literally means “Eight” – “Six.”

Body

Chassis preparation is similar to a road-racing car. Roll cages are sometimes employed for safety, and to improve the torsional rigidity of the car’s frame, but are compulsory in events that involves the 2+ cars tsuiou runs in the event of a side collision. Front and rear strut tower braces, B-pillar braces, lower arm braces, and master cylinder braces are all used to stiffen the chassis. The interior is stripped of extraneous seating, trim, carpet, sound deadening; anything that is not essential is removed to reduce weight.
Body kits are usually attached with cable ties. When the body kit meets the wall or curb, the cable ties snap, releasing the part, as opposed to breaking it.
As drift cars are pushed faster, aerodynamic tuning becomes more important as well. Rear spoilers and wings usually are useful only in large, open tracks where the cars develop enough speed to create a need for more downforce. Wheel arches are often rolled or flared to allow the fitment of larger tires. Airflow to the engine is critical, so the hood is often vented.
Due to the nature of the hobby, drift cars are typically involved in many minor accidents. Thus, those involved with the sport tend to avoid expensive or easily damaged body kits and custom paintwork. Typically drift cars will show signs of body damage: dents, cracked bumpers and applications of duct tape.

Bosozoku

Japanese word to describe groups of motorcycle and car riding hooligans who stop traffic with their wild driving antics. Bosozoku have been known to bash members with iron pipes for trying to leave the group.

Braking Drift

This drift is performed by braking into a corner, so that the car can transfer weight to the front. This is immediately followed by throttle in a RWD car causes the rear wheels to lose traction. FWD cars can also use this technique, as it does not depend on the rear wheels being driven.

Chicane

A quick left to right or right to left “S-turn” usually placed at the end of straightaways in order to slow drivers down before they reach the tighter - slower corners.

Choku-Dori (also: Chaku-Dari)

This is done by swaying the car’s weight back and forth on straightaways, using countersteer and throttle to maintain a large angle. This is a show maneuver that usually involves many cars following the same line.
*Here is an alternate definition for Choku-Dori, I include because I’m not sure which is true. A long sliding drift through a braking zone. Oftentimes in the US, Choku-Dori is misused to describe a side to side swaying drift typically used on straightaways (aka Manji).

Clutch Kick

This is done by “kicking” the clutch (pushing in, then out, usually more than one time in a drift for adjustment in a very fast manner) to send a shock through the powertrain, upsetting the car’s balance. This causes the rear wheels to slip. The foot should be at an angle so the brake and gas may be pressed as well, this being needed to control speed and stop from spinning out in the drift.

Countersteer

Corrective steering used to balance and maintain an oversteered condition. (turning the steering wheel in the opposite direction of the turn once the vehicle starts to oversteer).

D1 Grand Prix

D1 Grand Prix is one of the premier drifting competitions in the world held in various locations including Japan, USA, Europe, and Asia. Legendary driver “Drift King” Keiichi Tsuchiya judges the D1 Grand Prix. The D1 holds a multiple round point competition in which drivers compete for both individual event wins and overall season points. Competitions typically consist of a qualifying day for competitors to determine the top 32 drivers. The top 32 enter competition and perform a solo pass for judgment and further elimination. The next round consists of the top 16 drivers who, from this point in the competition on, are competing in head-to-head “Tsuiso” tandem drifting format. The drivers are eliminated round by round until one driver emerges as champion.

Dirt Drop

This is done by dropping the rear tires off the sealed road onto dirt or gravel, or whatever low-grip surface borders the road, to maintain or gain drift angle. Also called “Dirt Turbo”.

Donut

Applying enough horsepower to the rear wheels of a vehicle to spin the tires, causing the car to rotate around the front end, again and again.

Drafting

To gain aerodynamic advantage by following closely behind a lead vehicle.

Drift

A Drift occurs when a vehicle’s momentum or horsepower exceeds the cars tire traction, thus causing the car to slide laterally or sideways. Through driver skill and certain car modifications, this seemingly out of control state know as drifting can be controlled and actually enables the driver to maintain higher rates of speed through corners.

Drift-zoku

Japanese term for racers who are in love with drifting, sliding their cars, and spining their tires.

Drift Angle

Drift angle is the angle a car maintains during a drift. Drift angle is important in competition and is often judged as part of a driver’s style - the more extreme the drift angle the better.

Drift King

A legendary Japanese race car driver by the name of Keiichi Tsuchiya. Keiichi Tsuchiya is truly a living legend in the world of drifting. Although many may claim to be as good, there is only one true Drift King – Keiichi Tsuchiya.

Drift Run

Refers to any vehicle proceeding through the designated Drift Course or Track.

Drive Train

A proper mechanical limited slip differential (LSD) is almost essential for drifting. Open diffs and viscous diffs cannot be controlled during a sustained slide. All other modifications are secondary to the LSD. Popular drift LSDs include OS Giken, KAAZ, and Cusco.
The most popular form of LSD for drifting is the clutch type, in “2-way” form; this is preferred for its consistent and aggressive lockup behavior under all conditions (acceleration and deceleration). Some drift cars use a spool “differential”, which actually has no differential action at all, the wheels are locked to each other. Budget drifters also use the welded differential, where the side gears are welded to give the same effect. This makes the car very easy to slide at high speed, but difficult to park, and is hard on the driveline. Torsen and Quaife (available on cars such as S15, FD3S, MX5, JZA8x, UZZ3x) diffs are adequate, but not generally available aftermarket.
The clutches on drift cars tend to be very tough ceramic brass button or multiple-plate varieties, for durability, as well as to allow rapid “clutch kick” techniques to upset the balance of the car. Gearbox and engine mounts are often replaced with urethane mounts, and dampers added, to control the violent motion of the engine/gearbox under these conditions.
Gear sets may be replaced with closer ratios to keep the engine in the power band. (Japanese drifters confuse the “L” and call these “cross-mission”.) These may be coarser dog engagement straight cut gears instead of synchronized helical gears, for durability and faster shifting at the expense of noise and refinement. Wealthier drifters may use sequential gearboxes or sequential adapters to make gear selection easier/faster.

E-Braking (also: Hand-Braking, Side-Braking)

In drifting, a vehicle’s emergency brake can be applied during the entry of a corner and with proper technique, lock up the rear wheels for a brief moment causing them to loose traction and skid thus inducing the drift. Emergency brakes only affect the rear wheels of a vehicle.

Engine

Engine power does not need to be high, and in fact if a car has too much power, it can be very hard to handle during a drift. Each driver has their own preference, and drift cars can be found with anything from 100bhp (74kW) to 1000bhp (745kW). Typically, engine tuning is oriented towards achieving linear response rather than maximum power output. Engines also must be equipped with upgraded cooling systems. Not only are the engines pushed very hard, creating lots of heat, but being driven at an angle reduces the airflow through the radiator. For turbocharged engines, intercooler efficiency is similarly reduced. Oil coolers are almost essential. V-mounting the intercooler and radiator improves flow through these components, and keep the expensive intercooler out of harm’s way in the inevitable crash.

Exhibition Drift

The purpose of drifting at the Drift Session is to cause maximum oversteer in a vehicle while maintaining speed. Vehicles are not judged based on time trials or speed but rather on the completion of clean and exaggerated drifts which maintain a reasonable rate of speed, drift angle and overall style. Exhibition Drifting includes techniques such as one hand drifting, opening the car door while drifting, hanging their legs and body out of the car, running behind the car, ect.

Formula D

Formula D is the American equivalent of drifting’s premier championship in Japan, the D1 Grand Prix. Formula D is sponsored by the popular video game series, Need for Speed. Its official name is “Need for Speed Formula Drift Presented by Circuit City.” It was inaugurated in 2004, and is a division of the Sports Car Club of America.

Guardrails

Concrete, cones, tires, sand, gravel or a combination of the bunch used to protect the drivers and pedestrian spectators from out of control cars. In drifting, as a demonstration of style and driver skill, drivers will get as close to the barriers without hitting them as possible.

Hashiriya

Japanese term to describe racers actively involved in the Japanese racing culture. Although these drivers often race on public roads, they try their best not to disrupt traffic or obstruct other drivers.

Heel-Toe Shifting

A drifting technique where the clutch is pressed with the left foot while the right foot presses the brake with the toes and the heel slides over to the accelerator to rev the engine up before downshifting the vehicle. Heel-Toe shifting allows for smooth downshifting, without jolting the vehicle. This is important during the drift in order to maintain consistent speed and drift angle.

Ikaten

Regional drift contests, started by Video-Option, open to the public and professionally judged.

Inertia Feint Drift (or “Scandinavian Flick”)

This is done by transferring the weight of car towards the outside of a turn by first turning away from the turn and then quickly turning back using the inertia of the rear of the car to swing into the desired drifting line. Sometimes the hand brake will be applied while transferring the weight of the car towards the outside to lock the rear wheels and help the rear swing outwards. This type of drifting causes the car to accelerate faster afterwards, because of momentum built up while drifting.

JDM

Short for Japanese Domestic Market

Kansei (also: Lift Off, Taking In)

By letting off the accelerator while cornering at very high speeds, cars with relatively neutral handling will begin to slide, simply from the weight transfer resulting from engine braking. The drift is controlled afterwards by steering inputs from the driver and light pedal work, similar to the Braking drift.

Limited Slip Differential (LSD)

Axle gearing that allows power to be transferred to the wheel with the most traction. Similar to Chevrolet’s “Positraction.” Limited Slip Differential allows both rear wheels to “lock up” and spin at the same time. LSD is essential when building a drift car.

Oversteer

During a turn, the car is said to oversteer when the REAR wheels do not track behind the front wheels but instead slide out toward the outside of the turn in a more straight-line trajectory.

Power Oversteer (Powerslide)

This drift is performed when entering a corner at full throttle to produce heavy oversteer through the turn. The excess power causes the drive wheels to lose traction in a RWD or AWD car. This is the most typical drifting technique for all-wheel drive cars.

Road Course

A racing course made up of actual roadways and/or highways consisting of various straightaways, corners, and bends. For example: a large parking lot with cones to designate a course would not equal a “road course” - nor would an oval-track.

Rolling-zoku

A Japanese term for extremely dedicated touge enthusiasts. Also includes bikers and anyone else who likes hard turns, winding mountian roads, and highways.

Roulette-zoku

Japanese term for racers who drive round and round on circular highways or racetracks.

Shift Lock (also: Compression Slide)

Initiated by downshifting (usually from third to second or fourth to third, and using a very fast shift) instead of braking, without rev-matching, causing the drive wheels to lock momentarily. Helpful for very tight corners, allowing the driver to approach the corner at a slower speed and lower revs, while allowing quick acceleration when exiting the corner. This technique can be very damaging to the engine if mis-used as the ECU is unable to rev limit when the engine is oversped by the rear wheels. Premature downshifters are called “Rod Stretchers”.

Short Course

The track used at Drifting events and most major racing competitions.

Silvia

Silvia is the Japanese version of Nissan’s 240SX. The Silvia’s latest models come in S13, S14, or S15 variations. Typically coveted for its low cost, sporty look, and relatively powerful turbocharged 4-cylinder engine the SR20-DET. The Nissan Silvia is one of the most popular drift cars.

Ski Drift

This extremely difficult and dangerous drift is done by drifting while the car is on two wheels. If not done perfectly, the car will likely roll over and crash.

Skidpad

A skidpad is a large, circular area of flat pavement used for various tests of a car’s handling. The most common skidpad use is testing lateral acceleration, measured in g.
The test is carried out on a circular track with a radius of 300 ft (100 metres). A car driving on said track is slowly accelerated until the outermost tires on the car begin to slip. Going any faster would cause the car to drive outside the 300 ft radius. At this point, the speed of the car is recorded, and given the centripetal force formula mv²/r, a car’s handling in terms of lateral g-forces can be derived.

Steering

With increased steering angle it is possible to achieve greater angle with the vehicle, it will also aid in spin recovery. This is often done with spacers on the steering rack, custom steering racks, custom tierod ends, or machining the spindles. Increased steering angle often requires other modifications, as at some point the tire or wheel will come in contact with other suspension pieces or the inner/outer fenders.

Suspension

The suspension in a drift car tends to have very high spring and damper rates. Sway bars are upgraded, particularly on the rear. Caster is often increased to improve the car’s controllability during a slide. Most cars use an integrated coilover/shock (MacPherson strut) combination. This type of suspension allows the ride height to be adjusted independently of the suspension travel. There is no perfect height setting or spring/shock combo for any car, but each driver will have their own personal preference. Many suspension manufacturers offer suspension tuned specifically for drifting, allowing many people to enter the sport competitively.
Bushings can be upgraded with urethane parts. Most Nissan vehicles have a floating rear subframe which is usually fixed in position with billet aluminum or urethane “drift pineapples”, to prevent the frame moving during drift.
One suspension tuning method, still popular in Japan, is known as “Demon Camber” (Japanese Oni-kamu). It involves setting the suspension with extreme negative camber in the front to reduce slide. Negative camber on the rear would only induce understeer, making the car more difficult to drift. The front of the car having better grip and less tendency to slide, it is easier to swing the rear of the car around to get a good drift angle. However stability, grip, and overall ability to control the car are compromised. It has thus fallen out of favor as a serious performance-minded suspension setup. However, many cars built for show (such as those driven by bōsōzoku) still use this style of suspension setup for its aggressive look. A few degrees of toe-out on the rear wheels in some vehicles (leading edges angled outward) can improve turn-in, and make setting up a drift a little easier.

Tires

Drift cars often have different tires on the front and back, and the owner may have quite a few sets. This is because a single afternoon of drifting can destroy a new set of tires. As a rule, good tires go on the front for good steering. On the back, hard-compound tires are used, quite often second-hand ones tend to end up in a cloud of smoke. 15″ wheels are common on the rear, as 15″ tires are cheap. As a driver gets better, they will most likely want to upgrade the tires used in the rear for a higher grip compound. Although cheap/hard tires are fun purely for their slipperiness and ease of drifting, they quickly become a hazard for high-speed drifts. More advanced drivers require the most grip possible from all 4 tires, so as to retain control adequately during high speed drifts. Competitive drifters often run DOT approved tires closer to racing tires, which is permitted, with the exception of some major championships including D1GP which only permits commercially available tires that are approved by them. The grip is required for control, speed, and a fast snap on the initial entry.
Some companies have started to create tires with special effects for drifting. One such company is Kumho. They recently released tires designed especially for the drifting crowd. These new tires produce colored smoke instead of regular grey smoke when drifted. Furthermore, they are not permitted in many competitions, as they are seen as giving an unfair advantage to teams with the funding to utilize them, as they are currently too expensive to be used by the amateur competitor.Generally drifting consumes tires rapidly and multiple sets may be necessary for a single professional event.

Touge

A winding road suited specifically for drifting. Touge is a Japanese word literally meaning “pass.” It refers to a mountain pass or any of the narrow, winding roads that can be found in and around the mountains of Japan and other geographically similar areas.
Placing a series of turns or bends in the steep roads that provide access to and from the high elevations of the mountains was intended to be a safety measure, usually to prevent commuters from reaching unstable speeds or creating excessive wear on the vehicles associated with them. It is therefore ironic that these same passes have become popular with street racers and motorsport enthusiasts in the last two decades, providing a dangerous and therefore challenging course where nightly competitions sometimes occur.

Tsuiso Battle

When two drift cars go head to head in a tandem drift run.

Understeer

A loss of traction in a vehicle’s FRONT tires, caused by excessive speed in relation to a cornering angle, causing the vehicle to slide outwards during a turn. Understeer is the opposite of Oversteer.

Vanning-zoku

Japanese term for cruisers who turn their vans into eye-catching, music pounding machines in order to park, blast tunes, and dance. These vans are mobile dance clubs!

Zeroyon-zoku

Japanese term for racers, mainly in cars, who compete on a 400 meter straightaway.

Suspension Types: Rear


Historical Suspensions
Sixt­eenth-century wagons and carriages tried to solve the problem of "feeling every bump in the road" by slinging the carriage body from leather straps attached to four posts of a chassis that looked like an upturned table. Because the carriage body was suspended from the chassis, the system came to be known as a "suspension" -- a term still used today to describe the entire class of solutions. The slung-body suspension was not a true springing system, but it did enable the body and the wheels of the carriage to move independently.

Semi-elliptical spring designs, also known as cart springs, quickly replaced the leather-strap suspension. Popular on wagons, buggies and carriages, the semi-elliptical springs were often used on both the front and rear axles. They did, however, tend to allow forward and backward sway and had a high center of gravity.

By the time powered vehicles hit the road, other, more efficient springing systems were being developed to smooth out rides for passengers.
Dependent Rear Suspensions 
If a solid­ axle connects the rear wheels of a car, then the suspension is usually quite simple -- based either on a leaf spring or a coil spring. In the former design, the leaf springs clamp d­irectly to the drive axle. The ends of the leaf springs attach directly to the frame, and the shock absorber is attached at the clamp that holds the spring to the axle. For many years, American car manufacturers preferred this design because of its simplicity.
The same basic design can be achieved with coil springs replacing the leaves. In this case, the spring and shock absorber can be mounted as a single unit or as separate components. When they're separate, the springs can be much smaller, which reduces the amount of space the suspension takes up.
Independent Rear Suspensions 
If both the front and back suspensions are independent, then all of the wheels are mounted and sprung individually, resulting in what car advertisements tout as "four-wheel independent suspension." Any suspension that can be used on the front of the car can be used on the rear, and versions of the front independent systems described in the previous section can be found on the rear axles. Of course, in the rear of the car, the steering rack -- the assembly that includes the pinion gear wheel and enables the wheels to turn from side to side -- is absent. This means that rear independent suspensions can be simplified versions of front ones, although the basic principles remain the same.
Next, we'll look at the suspensions of specialty cars.

Suspension Types: Front


So far, ou­r discussions have focused on how springs and dampers function on any given wheel. But the four wheels of a car work together in two independent systems -- the two wheels connected by the front axle and the two wheels connected by the rear axle. That means that a car can and usually does have a different type of suspension on the front and back. Much is determined by whether a rigid axle binds the wheels or if the wheels are permitted to move independently. The former arrangement is known as a dependent system, while the latter arrangement is known as an independent system. In the following sections, we'll look at some of the common types of front and back suspensions typically used on mainstream cars.

McPherson suspension
Dependent Front Suspensions 
Dependent front suspensions have a rigid front axle that connects the front wheels. Basically, this looks like a solid bar under the front of the car, kept in place by leaf spring sand shock absorbers. Common on trucks, dependent front suspensions haven't been used in mainstream cars for years.
Independent Front Suspensions 
In this setup, the front wheels are allowed to move independently. The MacPherson strut, developed by Earle S. MacPherson of General Motors in 1947, is the most widely used front suspension system, especially in cars of European origin.
The MacPherson strut combines a shock absorber and a coil spring into a single unit. This provides a more compact and lighter suspension system that can be used for front-wheel drive vehicles.
Double-wishbone suspension
The double-wishbone suspension, also known as an A-arm suspension, is another common type of front independent suspension.
While there are several different possible configurations, this design typically uses two wishbone-shaped arms to locate the wheel. Each wishbone, which has two mounting positions to the frame and one at the wheel, bears a shock absorber and a coil spring to absorb vibrations. Double-wishbone suspensions allow for more control over the camber angle of the wheel, which describes the degree to which the wheels tilt in and out. They also help minimize roll or sway and provide for a more consistent steering feel. Because of these characteristics, the double-wishbone suspension is common on the front wheels of larger cars.
Now let's look at some common rear suspensions.

How Car Suspensions Work


When people think of automobile performance, they normally think of horsepower, torque and zero-to-60 acceleration. But all of the power generated by a piston engine is useless if the driver can't control the car. That's why automobile engineers turned their attention to the suspension system almost as soon as they had mastered the four-stroke internal combustion engine.
The job of a car suspension is to maximize the friction between the tires and the road surface, to provide steering stability with good handling and to ensure the comfort of the passengers. In this article, we'll explore how car suspensions work, how they've evolved over the years and where the design of suspensions is headed in the future.
If a road were perfectly flat, with no irregularities, suspensions wouldn't be necessary. But roads are far from flat. Even freshly paved highways have subtle imperfections that can interact with the wheels­ of a car. It's these imperfections that apply forces to the wheels. According to Newton's laws of motion, all forces have both magnitude and direction. A bump in the road causes the wheel to move up and down perpendicular to the road surface. The magnitude, of course, depends on whether the wheel is striking a giant bump or a tiny speck. Either way, the car wheel experiences a vertical acceleration as it passes over an imperfection.
Without an intervening structure, all of wheel's vertical energy is transferred to the frame, which moves in the same direction. In such a situation, the wheels can lose contact with the road completely. Then, under the downward force of gravity, the wheels can slam back into the road surface. What you need is a system that will absorb the energy of the vertically accelerated wheel, allowing the frame and body to ride undisturbed while the wheels follow bumps in the road.
suspension
The study of the forces at work on a moving car is called vehicle dynamics, and you need to understand some of these concepts in order to appreciate why a suspension is necessary in the first place. Most automobile engineers consider the dynamics of a moving car from two perspectives:
  • Ride - a car's ability to smooth out a bumpy road
  • Handling - a car's ability to safely accelerate, brake and corner
These two characteristics can be further described in three important principles - road isolationroad holding and cornering. The table below describes these principles and how engineers attempt to solve the challenges unique to each.
PrincipleDefinition Goal Solution 
Road IsolationThe vehicle's ability to absorb or isolate road shock from the passenger compartmentAllow the vehicle body to ride undisturbed while traveling over rough roads.Absorb energy from road bumps and dissipate it without causing undue oscillation in the vehicle.
Road HoldingThe degree to which a car maintains contact with the road surface in various types of directional changes and in a straight line (Example: The weight of a car will shift from the rear tires to the front tires during braking. Because the nose of the car dips toward the road, this type of motion is known as "dive." The opposite effect -- "squat" -- occurs during acceleration, which shifts the weight of the car from the front tires to the back.)Keep the tires in contact with the ground, because it is the friction between the tires and the road that affects a vehicle's ability to steer, brake and accelerate.Minimize the transfer of vehicle weight from side to side and front to back, as this transfer of weight reduces the tire's grip on the road.
CorneringThe ability of a vehicle to travel a curved pathMinimize body roll, which occurs as centrifugal force pushes outward on a car's center of gravity while cornering, raising one side of the vehicle and lowering the opposite side.Transfer the weight of the car during cornering from the high side of the vehicle to the low side.

A car's suspension, with its various components, provides all of the solutions described.
Let's look at the parts of a typical suspension, working from the bigger picture of the chassis down to the individual components that make up the suspension proper.

Making a Car Drift






The first drifting technique a driver needs to master is actually a regular racing technique. Heel-and-toe shifting lets a race car driver downshift smoothly and quickly (to increase rpm) while simultaneously braking (to shift the car's weight forward). The goal of this shifting technique is to maintain equilibrium between engine speed and wheel speed so the drivetrain doesn't jolt while downshifting. To heel-and-toe downshift while your right foot is on the brake, you depress the clutch with your left foot, shift to neutral and release the clutch. Then, keeping the ball of your right foot on the brake, you move your right heel to the gas pedal and rev the engine until the rpm matches up with wheel speed (usually an increase of about 1,500 rpm per one-gear downshift). Once you reach the proper rpm, you get off the gas pedal, still applying the brake, push in the clutch again and downshift. Once a driver can execute proper race-style shifting, she's ready to master some drifting techniques.
Clutch-based techniques
  • Clutch-kick drift - Approaching the turn, the driver holds in the clutch, increases rpm and downshifts. She then releases the clutch, causing a power surge that makes the back wheels lose traction. This is a basic drifting technique.
  • Shift-lock drift - Approaching the turn, the driver downshifts and drops the rpm to slow down the drivetrain. She then releases the clutch, causing the back wheels to immediately slow down and lock up so they lose traction.
Brake-based techniques
  • E-brake drift - The driver enters the turn and pulls the emergency brake to lock the back wheels. She steers into the turn, and the back end swings out into a drift. This is a basic drifting technique.
  • Braking drift - The driver enters the turn and applies the brakes to push the car's weight to the front wheels, causing the back wheels to rise and lose traction. She then uses a combination of braking and shifting to hold the drift without the back wheels locking up.
  • Long-slide drift - On a long straightaway approaching a turn, at high speed (up to 100 mph / 161 kph), the driver pulls the emergency brake to initiate a long drift and maintains it into the turn.

Clutching and Braking


There are two primary techniques that drivers use to initiate a drift: clutching and braking. Drifting almost always requires a rear-wheel-drive car; it's possible to drift using a front-wheel-drive car, but it's relatively rare. In a common clutch-initiated drift, as the driver gets near a turn she'll push in the clutch and drop to second gear. She'll then rev the engine up to about 4,500 rpm. When she releases the clutch, there's a huge surge in power to the wheels because theengine is spinning so quickly. The sudden power dump makes the back wheels spin so fast they lose traction, and the back end swings into the turn. In a basic brakingtechnique, the driver pulls the emergency brake as she enters a turn, causing the back wheels to lock up and lose traction, initiating a drift. This type of brake-initiated drift is one of the only techniques you can use with a front-wheel-drive car. In a rear-wheel-drive car, there are at least a dozen possible drifting techniques, and pro drifters often use several in a single run.
Once a drift is initiated, the really hard part of the sport begins. Holding a drift instead of spinning out requires a lot of practice. Expert drifters use a combination of throttle (accelerator) control and steering motions to control a drift, not allowing the car to straighten out, regain traction or slow down through the turn. The best drifters can maintain a drift through several turns in a row. That's a pretty high level of drifting skill -- those drivers can expertly execute multiple techniques one after the other to maintain extended control of a drift. In the next section, we'll check out the physics of making a car drift and the many different drifting techniques you might see on the pro drifting circuit.

Friday 19 April 2013

Toyota Corolla AE86


The Toyota Corolla AE86 is a classic drift car suited to rally and drifting motorsports due to these attributes: Rear wheel drive limited slip differential configuration, low vehicle weight, good balance, a 5-speed manual gearbox, ventilated disc brakes, MacPherson strut style independent suspension in front and a four-link live axle with coil springs for the rear, stabilizer bars (sway bars) at both ends, and a relatively powerful and easy to tune 4-cylinder engine.
Toyota Corolla AE86 Trueno
In Japan, these qualities made the AE86 popular with Japanese street racers named “Hashiriya,” who raced the AE86 in mountain passes, named “touges,” where the tight corners suited the AE86. Many car enthusiasts refer to the AE86 by its Japanese name “Hachi-Roku,” which translated literally means “eight-six.”
Professional drift driver Ueo Katsuhiro drifting his Toyota Corolla AE86.
Japanese racing legend Keiichi “Drift King” Tsuchiya helped popularize the sport of drifting while driving the AE86. The AE86 continues to have a large fan base because the classic relatively inexpensive drift car is capable of competing against much newer, more expensive, and powerful sports cars like the Nissan Skyline and Silvia in D1 Grand Prix and Formula D drifting events.
There were two versions of the AE86 and two body styles. The versions are commonly known by their Japanese names “Zenki” (early model) and “Kouki” (later model). The Zenki was produced from 1983 until 1985 and the Kouki was produced from 1986 to 1987. The chassis remained the same throughout production with the only changes being aesthetic and minor strengthening of the transmission. The two body styles available are the coupe and hatchback. The coupe is generally thought of as being the stronger of the two and is slightly lighter and therefore is usually chosen for racing purposes.
In Japan and Europe, the AE86 was available with a fuel-injected 4-cylinder twin-cam 1587cc 4A-GEU engine which was also used in the first-generation Toyota MR2 (AW11). The 4A-GEU engine had a power output of 130 PS (97 kW) and 103 ft·lbf (140 Nm) of torque standard from the Toyota factory.
Toyota Corolla AE86 4A-GEU Engine
In North America, a modified 4A-GEC engine was used to comply with California emissions regulations. Power was rated at 112 bhp (84 kW), and 100 ft·lbf (136 Nm) of torque.
The 4A-GE engines were equipped with T-VIS or Toyota Variable Induction System that improves the low-end torque of high-performance, small displacement four-stroke engines by changing the geometry of the intake manifold according to the engine rotation speed.
Models equipped with the 4A-GE engine received a 6.7″ rear differential, while other models equipped with the 4A-C engine received a smaller, weaker, 6.38″ rear differential. The AE86 SR5 (4A-C equipped) had an optional automatic transmission, though the GT-S model (4A-GE engine) only came with a standard 5-speed manual gearbox.
Toyota Corolla AE86 Interior
In Japan, the DOHC 4A-GEU AE86 was offered in GT-APEX or GTV trims as the Corolla Levin or Sprinter Trueno, with SOHC 3A-U AE85 version sold in a variety of trims including SR and GT.

In North America, the top-spec DOHC 4A-GEC AE86 was sold as the Corolla GT-S and the lower-spec SOHC 4A-C AE86 was sold as the Corolla SR5, both versions sold with pop-up headlights only. Lower-spec American AE86 SR5 models used a smaller 4A-C SOHC engine, did not have optional LSD, and had rear drum brakes instead of disks.
Euro spec models were sold as the Corolla GT with DOHC engines and fixed Levin-style headlights. The Middle East received the same basic model as the North American market, with pop-up headlights and the regulated 5 mph (8 km/h) bumpers.
Toyota Corolla Levin GT APEX AE86 - Fixed Headlights
1984 Toyota Corolla Levin GT APEX AE86
Toyota Corolla Trueno AE86 - Pop-up Headlights
Toyota Corolla Trueno AE86
Both the Levin and Trueno AE86 variants were offered with either a 2-door coupe or 3-door liftback, or hatchback, body style. Both the Levin and Trueno were generally identical, apart from fixed, rectangular headlights on the Levin and pop-up headlights on the Trueno. Minor bodywork changes were made in 1986 which resulted in different tail lights for both Levin and Trueno models, along with the coupe and hatchback styles.
Toyota Corolla AE86 from Initial D Anime
The AE86 is frequently seen in Japanese manga and anime including Initial D, éX-Driver, Tenjou Tenge, Over Rev, Azumanga Daioh, Dear Boys, School Rumble, Capeta, Transformers: Energon, Jigoku Shojo, Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori, and [adult swim] hit FLCL. Manga appearances include Beck and Shuichi Shigeno’s earlier work Tunnel Nuketara Sky Blue.
Racing video games like: Namco’s The Fast and the Furious (PS2), Microsoft’s Forza Motorsport franchise, Electronic Arts’s Need for Speed franchise, and Sega’s Initial D Arcade Stage all feature the AE86 as a playable car.
Taka Aono’s Toyota Corolla AE86
More than 20 years after its production, the Toyota Corolla AE86 continues to play a roll in drifting and street racing. In modern day drifting, the AE86 is a classic under dog that continues to compete among drifting’s elite race cars. It is pretty impressive to see an AE86 hang with a Skyline during tsuiso battle.