[LUV2TURN]

OK, so I'm pretty comfortable driving my Miata aggressively "grip" style, but I'm wanting to learn how to drift a little, nothing fancy. Watching other people do it in videos, even if it's the drift bible, only helps a little.

All I've been able to do is little power slides, mainly in the rain. My car is stock, so that might make it a little harder. I can't figure out how to initiate the drift, other than letting off the gas abruptly at 40mph+ speeds in the middle of a turn, and that's kind of intimidating. My e-brake doesn't work very well, so I haven't even attempted trying to initiate with it.

One of you Miata-drifters please chime in, fill me in on your experiences and how you learned, please!

 

[fwdtamiya]

May I suggest Roadster Drift

 

[leatherface24]

Intertia drift then. If the ebrake isnt working, pick your speed up a little more tap the front brake while keeping the revs up and jerk the steering wheel.
relese the brake and floor the gas pedal to break the rear section loose. modulate the gas pedal as your turning and keep the rear tires loose while your using the inertia from the speed you traveled into the turn with to keep you moving.

its harder for me to actually try to drift in the rain.

Im no pro by any means nor have i really done this to my car...ive used a buddies stock miata and a fc rx7, g35 coupe to practice.

theres some great miata drifters on here and im sure they'll chime in to correct me or agree in some manner to my advice.

 

[Agent935]

In Tsuchia's Drift Bible he has a training section at the end where he shows you how to start learning to drift. He suggests using the handbrake to rotate the car 180 degrees to get a feel for it, then trying to make 90 degree turns around a cone. The hard part about adapting his training is that the japanese have much greater acess to tracks to practice on.

but you can find drift bible on torrents.

 

[3uno5]

speaking on this topic, how is the NA's stock suspension as far as taking on the stress of drifting? i plan to upgrade suspension next but just curious as to how easily you could break something if you just started drifting on stock gear. id assume it wouldnt be good to do so.

like in drift bible it basically says you need to upgrade suspension and get LSD. they do show a roadster in it from what i remember but how much of a need are these for a NA?

 

[ultimateforce]

I know exactly how this is going to sound but...

I've been drifting off and on for years in my friends' Corollas and 240s. Here is my advice for a future Miata drifter, just get a huge-ass rear sway bar and remove the front one. That's 1/2 the battle. Practice your weight transfer as often as possible and don't get frustrated.

Also: KEEP IT OFF THE STREETS.

 

[Mx-5 dude]

I have always found it hard to keep the Miata in a drift once in there, I think its because of the short wheel base but also I suck lol

 

[jdmeg2]

there is only ONE way to learn


1. seat time

others that will ade your learning curve:
1. more lock i.e.- rack spacers
2. lsd (vlsd, torsen, clutch, any)
3. extra tires, start with junk- and work up to better. i use falken 512's
4. a legal place to do it at.
5. cones - so your not just dooing big donuts randomly

now im no drift king but i have had several people say im preaty good for as long as iv been doing it...

hope that helps

 

[SoCal_Brian]

Everyone tells me just go to events.

But... what I do is just downshift usually into second, rev a little bit, feint, and pop the clutch and slide.

 

[dude]

my roadster is a bit low on power for some big drift but this is how i do it...


start of in 2nd get to peak power, hold the throttle then throw it into a scandinavian flick then throttle on again, this should upset the balance and create drift.. this only works in the damp in my car due to low power and massive rear tyres it just grips in the dry..

if however i do want to kick it out in the dry i will turn into a corner then clutch kick it in 2nd which should be enough to upset the rear and bring it out a bit

 

[jdmeg2]

Everyone tells me just go to events.

But... what I do is just downshift usually into second, rev a little bit, feint, and pop the clutch and slide.

what i do is grab 2nd gear just befor i enter the first corner, as you turn the wheel, then as so0n as your in senond you will need to be counter stearing and on/off the throttle as needed( mostly on) to controle the slide so you dont spin,if you have more stearing angle you will have a larger angle to work with, and be able to catch the next drift eaiser. depending on the course, and your power, you may only use 2nd gear. if there is a large high speed turn you may need 3rd. speed is your friend in the miata.. the more spped the less snappy the car will be as you will have a lil more time to countersteer. speed helps alot.

im going to try and get some incar vids this weekend. try looking at robs, martys, IED,and everyone elses vids on roadsterdrift.com

 

[DRFT MX5]

Ok I guess I should reply... screen name and all... here's my story...

Ok I am not a Pro difter... but here's what I've learned so far about drifting the Miata... its all about weight transfer, if you haven't mastered being smooth you have no chance of a sustained drift. You do not require massive amounts of power to drift, or even an LSD (though it does help).

My other lesson learned is, do you want to show drift or do you want to learn how to use slip angle to decrease your lap times.

I have mainly focused on the later. My main focus right now is autocross, and though many will say that spinning tires and slipping = slower time, it all depends on entry speed and how smooth you are through the turn. Since I'm at work right now, I will continue this post later... sorry guys!

So far my point is, it is very difficult to show drift a Miata, especially one w/ a suspension, I found it easier to drift w/ a stock suspension than my Tein Coilovers because large weight transfers had more effect.

And let me echo this... find somewhere legal to do it!

 

[Matt [exz3owner]]

I agree with above. Its much easier to learn in a stock car. stop reading about it on the forums and go to a drift day. that is the best way to learn. Not trying ot be a jerk, but you won't learn much reading about it.

 

[vicious-s]

^^ that is so true its not funny. actually, its not funny to begin with...

go to a drift event, and see if you can ride along with as many people as you can! watch how the initiate, and countersteer. ask them what works best for them. that kind of info has helped me a lot in my drifting "career".

once you figure out a few good ways to get started, just drive. attend as many events as you can. seat time is the only thing that can make you better.

as you get better with a stock car, start upgrading it. one of the first things i would get, is an lsd. i'd stay away from the viscous lsds, as they're not too great for drifting, or anything else for that matter. if you have a 90-93 miata, upgrade to a 94-97 type 1 torsen (the type 2's in nb's is geared to lock more on decel, opposed to the type 1's lock on accel). i can attest to the na6's diffs to be weak; i broke mine twice!

thats what i would do, if i were just starting out. come to think of it... thats what i did do, when i was starting out! i don't know much about initating drifts super early, or at high speeds, because i bought my car supercharged, so i didn't have any problems with power (or lack thereof).

i hope that helps, and if you have any more questions, ask. there's a good chance one of us has been where you are before.

 

[LagunaMiata]

And don't come to an autocross and expect to drift... the safety stewards (if they have a clue) will ask you to stop, probably not politely.

I know there have been some drift events in the Charlotte area.

Check out this site - http://www.importsnc.com/
and hit the forum there...

 

[LagunaMiata]

Just saw this on the Imports NC forum.

http://www.importsnc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9942

 

[LUV2TURN]

Thank you everyone for your input so far, I really appreciate it.

Rich, thanks for the heads-up on that Myrtle Beach event, I'll definitely be trying to go to that.

I'm not about to practice this out in traffic, I like to think of myself as being at least half-way intelligent :lol:

The only time I've had some sideways action really was during auto-x, and still then it was more like a small powerslide out of a tight turn.

I have a 94, so I do have an LSD. However, I also have blown shocks and a ragged out clutch (thank you previous owner...) so that makes things more difficult.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[asianrice02]

if you planning to go to drift day. set lots a money aside which is true for most motorsports.

 

[Bryan]

I have a 94, so I do have an LSD...

Are you sure? Just because you have a 1.8 does not mean you've got an LSD. It depends on the package you have.

BTW, Rich...I'm gonna have to sue the event organizers for stealing that picture of me

 

[LUV2TURN]

I have a 94, so I do have an LSD...

Are you sure? Just because you have a 1.8 does not mean you've got an LSD. It depends on the package you have.

BTW, Rich...I'm gonna have to sue the event organizers for stealing that picture of me

Not sure what "package" I have to be honest, but I'm 99.9% sure I have an LSD. Just take a U-turn in my car, and you'll know.