i'm convinced drifting is the dumbest thing you can possibly do with a car
 

i'd rather watch nascar than see people trying to figure skate with their cars.

So you like watching guys turning left all the time???

To each his/her own I guess....

Why dont you like drifting????

Good for you =)

I think a lot of people have the wrong Idea of what drifting is all about. Most people just think of drifting as those presentation where they get two or three cars to show off their drifting. They are basically just to show the crowd around the small area what drifting is like. So there is no straight away like track. They want to show as much drifting as possible to the crowds in a tight area. Hence why people think drifting is just about a bunch of cars doing figure eights in a small stadium.

If you want to see real drifting, take a look at the video in this thread: https://my350z.com/forum/2003-2009-nissan-350z/160983-350z-vs-audi-tt-sport-video.html

That shows where real drifting came from. The race tracks.

And I won't even comment about Nascar. That is a subject that is too easy to make fun off. No challenge.

i hate nascar more than any form of automotive competition, but drifting takes the cake.

im aware of what "real" drifting is, and its not any better than the crap in stadiums. It serves no purpose other than to eat up tires. I hate nascar so make fun of it all you want in this thread.

I still don't know what the issue is that you have. When people track their car, they are trying to get the best time, not save as much tire as you can going around the track. If doing a lap faster requires you to drift in certain corners, then that's what you do. If you are afraid that you will waste tires by doing that, you really don't care about getting the fastest time and just there to get some thrills. It all depends what you want.

I think from an entertainment aspect, "drifting" provides a rather exciting spectacle; cars on the edge of control, the constant potential of a mishap, and the fun aspect of all the smoke and noise.

However, looking at "drifting" from a performance aspect, it's probably not the quickest way around the racetrack. Given that, I don't expect to see it being introducted as a driving technique at the next 24 Hours of LeMans.

EdgeOfSanity: Obviously you haven't seen the various NASCAR drivers celebrating their wins with slides across the infield grass and the smokey doughnuts on the front straight! That's drifting, NASCAR style!!

do you see F1 cars drifting around cornors...No, drifting you are actually loosing speed through a cornor. Yes, in cornors you may use throttle to provide some oversteer but thats it...

I agree, I really don't understand the "drifting scene" or even the organized events. I would rather waste tire trying to get a good lap time or 1/4 time then have some judges opinion on who had better style or technique.

Just got back from a D1 drift event a couple weeks ago.

I didn't see any figure eights or anything resembling figure skating.

Just cars flying around corners sideways at 80 mph barely touching each other and being inches from the concrete walls. These guys had backgrounds from Rally racing, GT racing and Kart. It was amazing what they could do with these machines.

Watchings cars at the brink of control is just awesome. Even my non-car buddies had a blast since at any moment, these guys could send their 100k tuner rides into the wall.


Anyhow, I can see why on video and in pictures it wouldn't attract some people.
It's not for everyone. I think the problem is that people have a hard time separating it from actual racing. Motocross became a full blown stunt phenomenon...I don't see why cars can't do the same.

i understand that racing requires sliding around turns to get the fastest time, and i dont care about how fast tires wear out. What i was trying to say is drifting serves no purpose other than to burn up tires and create lots of smoke. Its not a form of competition, its figure skating with cars.

Drifting is a ART... takes alot of skill to master the turns... its not all about burining rubber and spinning your tires, I have tried drifting and found it pretty hard, It's great fun and a great experience. But your opinion is your opinion! Plus Jap cars fall into it because drifting is Japanesse, a thing you can do where you aren't looked at as RICE where when drag racing Most american muscle car owners look at foregin cars and are disgusted.
Hope you give it another shot

thats probably why i hate drifting, it really has nothing to do with performance. For the last time, i dont give two ****s about nascar, i was using it as a comparison to show my dislike for drifting.

The Tirerack...
 

LOVES drifting! :D

it resembles figure skating because there are judges who judge the drifter on form and a bunch of other crap. I'm just not impressed at all by someones ability to slide around a corner.

i love it when ricers wreck their cars doing it on the street. I cant wait for fnf3 to come out. I'm gonna camp out in the parking lot for a little while after it gets out and watch hilarity ensue.

i'll never bother with drifting, i prefer actual racing.

good for you.... who cares. to each their own

and drifting rules :D

to each his own, but it doesnt mean im not going to talk sh!t anyways.

It really depends on what your definition of performance is. To most people, performance is how fast you get around a track. Where drag racing emphasizes on power and setup of the vehicle, Drifting relies more on overall balance of the car and driver's skill.

A drifting car on a "professional" level is set up to perform just as good as any sponsored road racing car. They have to be an extension of the driver and it takes and extreme amount of tweaking to get the vehicle to respond just right.

A drift setup depends on almost every performance aspect:
Suspension
Overall Weight
Weight distribution
Engine output
Tire compound
Track condition
Huge emphasis on Driver skill

Not many cars can break into a slide, return to grip all while piloting a race line and keeping check on the fellow dog-fighting driver. Sure it's style oriented....so you have every right to diss it. I wouldn't say it's "not performance oriented". :)