swensicle

So I was headed home after work yesterday and was planning a nice drift once I got to my cloverleaf on ramp. I did a nice little power-over 2nd gear drift and that definately got my heart pumping. Is anybody able to do it on dry pavement. I've noticed these cars hook up pretty good and really aren't the best for drifting. Plus any tire with anything more than a 40 series sidewall seems to be too tall for such.

I guess I had so much fun doing it that I wanted to share it with you all. I don't think I would do it much on dry pavement anyway cause I can't afford new tires. In fact, I've only done 1 power breaking burnout since I've had the car.

I just want to hear some other experiences from you folks and hear your take on the cars drifting performance.

cekim

Anytime I have ever lost the rear at speed - it has been a very bad thing That's my experience with it...

I love watching those videos of idiot japanese kids practicing drifting and smashing into guard-rails...

At least with dry-pavement, the front wheels are hooked up... drifting on wet pavement strikes me as a good way to demonstrate centrifugal force and fly off the clover-leaf...

Nag complete - just make sure you film it and put it on putfile/streetfire/youtube so we can watch and laugh when you smash into something

P.S. on a more practical note - having spent a good chunk of my early years going as fast I could on anything with wheels in dirt...

1. don't learn how to drift near anything you wouldn't want to hit
2. its not about huge power - it is about timing - grab the emergency brake at speed for just a moment and any pretense you had of rear traction is now gone - floor it, turn in and pray and you are drifting...
3. if you cannot afford tires - don't drift - period - because you cannot aford the body work either...

swensicle

Haha! Very good advice. Isn't this a mustang board though, and not a buick board? These cars are made to "lite em up". I very much understand what it takes to drift and have a little bit of a racing pedigree....dirt mostly. I do however, understand your point....not really worth wrecking a $30,000 car for some giggles.

I'm gonna have to find a nice empty parking lot some day when it's wet and practice braking while drifting to sustain a nice "long as you want" drift.

I know some of you have done this....come on....OUT WITH IT!

Wally39

Getting to "RICEY" in here with all this talk about drifting. lol

P Zero

I have to agree with cekim, losing traction at speed is not a good thing. And yes mustangs hook up very well, if you dont believe me watch the video of the guy thats trying to outrun the cops in that 6cyl. So trying to drift in one, will probably not fare too well. (in stock form).
Another thing, when drifting or trying to kick the *** end out, its alot easier to do it when turning left than right, because of the rotation of the drivetrain. Dont believe me watch the video of the kid in the white cobra that lost it and T-boned oncoming traffic.
As for drifting, I cant help but drift in the snow. I actually took a few of my friends that drive RWD cars to an empty school parking lot to show them how to control a slide, something they should teach in drivers ed, IMHO.
-P.

howyhowy

The last drifting championship I saw I think was won by a mustang. Drifting is an excellent skill to learn because when you get into a crazy emergency situation you need to be very comfortable with having your car sideways.

I used to drift around in my 2002 GT 5spd a lot (drifting at 20MPH is a lot safer than getting your jollies by racing down the highway at 150MPH).

While going around a clover leaf I would let the *** start to come out by itself and then roll on the brake and gas at the same time and be able to slowly slide around the leaf with my tires smoking all the way. But a cloverleaf is not the place to learn how to drift because you WILL spin it around several times while learning.

Start off in an abandoned wet parking lot and just do burnouts with a little brake applied and try to get your car to go around in wide circles with the *** hanging out. It's pretty hard to keep that circle going because you really have to think several moves ahead otherwise you going to do a 180, or you will hook up and start going the wrong way.

When you graduate to pavement you can start with a brake stand, let it slowly go and then do wide circles while feathering the brake.

Always keep in mind how much heat your rear rotors and calipers are being exposed to. If you only tap the brake when needed you will prevent your rotors from warping and the seals in your calipers won't melt.

I did this a lot with my 2002 GT and my brakes still wore pretty evenly.

I have tried this a little with my 2007 GT but its harder to get this thing to slide around. Now that I have my borla stingers, every cop within a 2 mile radius knows what I am up to as well. After I get 5000 miles on my car I will start really beating on it.

-howy

swensicle

I have to agree with P zero. They should definately teach a controlled slide in drivers training. haha! Growing up in MN I did a lot of snow slides. That, in my opinion is the best place to practice and learn the dynamics of a drift.

I also understand that most mustang buyers are putting their money towards gettin their cars to hook up and go straight. I agree that this is the true purpose of the car, but I just like to have fun now and then and "let er slide". Nobody agrees with me?

Jeremy

"Wet Drifting"?

Is that a ****?

legendlime

Time for some Mustang owners to go Autocrossing!!
You'll learn to steer with the tail, and find out that it's not the end of the world (kinda dicey on the street, though). It's a humbling experience...You'll also find out all you DON'T know about car control LOL!!!
Ultimately, it makes you a much better (and safer!) driver.
I started autocrossing in 1983, and when my girls get old enough to drive, they will go too...
CB

cekim

I agree, in a perfect world we would "teach" this and much, much more, but teaching yourself in the rain is likely to teach all the wrong lessons like F=MA, broken car=expensive, in a ditch and 4 popped tires (that is my personal favorite) = sucks and Human Body = Fragile...

I learned on dirt and I think that info has saved my life and/or car a few times... But, I would never even dream of "learning" in the stang and/or in the rain on an on-ramp...

Flipping a buggy with a cage is fun - flipping a stang - well it just sucks no matter how much you steer into it...

It is funny to see "drifting" taking off when dirt drivers have been doing this forever - it is called "turning"...

As before, do what you like, just make sure it is on film so at least someone else can learn from it