Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

My kid wants to try drifting....

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • My kid wants to try drifting....

    I've tried to envcourage him (20 yo) in anyway and be supportive of what ever he wants to do. He has a decent '02 WRX that I've helped him fix up (lowered, repaint, ehaiust, tune, etc.) I've tried to encourage him to take it to some kind of organized event like to the drag strip or autocross to discourage any street antics but he's afraid he'll damage it - it's his daily driver and I respect him for that.

    He's really taken a liking to the antics of Ken Block and the likes, so now he has it in his head he wants to try drifting but he knows he'll need another car. There seems to be a small group in our area that's doing it, but I have no idea what's involved and that's ok, but I know he'll be looking to me to help out. I'm going to let him take the lead and see if he's serious or if it will fizzle out. So anyone have the scoop on drifting?
    http://sites.google.com/site/arrowheadshotrodsite/

  • #2
    Man, a guy like Ken Block has one incredible, unnatural, practiced and finely-honed sense of the physical world. He can do the same crazy stuff on a skateboard, snowboard, or motorcycle. I'd say...be very good at one of those things before you go ripping up on cars...which, at 20, one might be a little late to start.

    I as a young guy spent plenty of time sideways in automobiles, after being a pretty crappy skateboarder (despite much effort). But I could handle bicycles and go-karts pretty well as a child, karting in dirt was probably the best practice for drifting. I did still personally damage two cars doing the sideways sh*t which is the type of thing that kept me in Chevy Vegas as at the time you could pull your drivetrain out of the bent one and for $300 get another body. Let's just say my choice of cars was appropriate to my resources, you really need to have something that you're not going to be crying over if you total it.

    So anyhow, I'd just say to realize what is probably behind some of those guy's crazy abilities and be physically and mentally prepared, and then be working with cars that you can afford to maintain, and wreck, and have a sense for how not to get hurt when it happens. Hey, I know guys who went into the nutty driving thing without having what it took to back it up, and it was a bad, dangerous deal.

    Autocross sounding any better?
    ...

    Comment


    • #3
      He'll find out its harder than it looks. And, its really hard on the cars. You mess up once and you need another car to build. Dont forget the cost of tires. The back tires will be gone in just one afternoon of drifting. If he understands the costs and still wants to tdy it, let him as long as there a safe place to go hahave fun.
      BS'er formally known as Rebeldryver

      Resident Instigator

      sigpic

      Comment


      • #4
        I guess he didn't like Bonneville............. ?

        Great he's getting more into cars though.

        Enjoy the "being the dad" part.
        There are very few people in this world who's opinion I value, you are not one of them.

        300 in 1999

        Comment


        • #5
          It seems like autocross is the most forgiving when it comes to low budget and low impact on your ride. He did a ride along at one but apparently it wasn't enough to get him hooked. I did one this last weekend second time I ever tried it. It's also harder than it looks, for me it was the mental part of keeping track of where to go.

          Screw it, maybe I'll just let him drive mine

          Last edited by Arrowhead; July 2, 2012, 10:09 AM.
          http://sites.google.com/site/arrowheadshotrodsite/

          Comment


          • #6
            kid at work did a lot of drifting events. He had a Nissan 280 with some hop ups. It would get damaged often (nothing too bad) but it was not a perfect car so it was no real issue. He would buy used tires off craigs list and off of friends and tear those up at the events. The drift events here were not like the ones you see on TV, only orange pylons in a big lot like an autocross event so really effing the car up on cancrete barriers was not a possibility. He did not have a whole lot of money into the car and he really had a good time. Its not fro everyone but who knows, maybe this will turn out to be his thing.
            If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue

            Comment


            • #7
              I attended a local drift event in New Orleans a few years ago, just like joes66fury says, local events are held in parking lots with orange cones and minimal risk of hitting concrete barriers.

              It's a lot of abuse on the car, if the kid is into wrench turning then he'll have plenty to keep him busy.

              Drifting cars beats Showing cars by a lot in my opinion.
              www.realtuners.com - catch the RealTuners Radio Podcast on Youtube, Facebook, iTunes, and anywhere else podcasts are distributed!

              Comment


              • #8
                Keep us posted, It would be cool to know the basics of drifting. I think drifting would be fun to try. There is something about being in control of something that is out of control. The only thing I can not get over is the winner is based on judges scores not on a clock. I guess if the winner was the fastest then maybe they would not spin the tires so much, then it might not be drifting......
                http://www.bangshift.com/forum/forum...-consolidation
                1.54, 7.31 @ 94.14, 11.43 @ 118.95

                PB 60' 1.49
                ​​​​​​

                Comment


                • #9
                  yeah, def not what we are used to...its not about speed, its about the angle and duration of the drift...and if you drift it hard you are not going to win any speed races. It's all about style and finess rather than top speed and bute force...fun to watch...I would give it a go...in someone elses car lol!
                  If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    All i can say,is that it is a helluva lot of fun to let the ass hang out..steer the car with gas and steering..buy a 200SX or Volvo 240-740-Bmw e30-e36..cheap cars with lots of cheap used parts around,and the best part..steering radius!!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      you can by my 88 rx7 turbo 2 for him to have fun with lol

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        id like to build a drifter out of a 50s car...i know it wont keep up with the lite small cars but would be fun to blast around in a big loud 50s car side ways,,,

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          the datsun 510's are fun cars

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            the euro 200sx is the 240sx here. Get a s13 hatch (cheapest 240sx) and do suspension work first. get 15x7 wheels and run every 195-225/45-60 tire you can find in a junkyard. Alot of people drift the same car for a long time and daily drive it too...
                            Si vis pacem, para bellum

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              My gut reaction wasn't very good..... but then I backed up and thought about it.... what the hell... why not... I'd buy him a CHEAP 3rd Gen or 4th Gen and make sure it's got 15" wheels.... grab a stack of cheap tires... stick a rev limiter in it and burn the suckers off... swap tires... repeat.... swap tires.... repeat...

                              Hell kind of sounds like fun...

                              K

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X