North America, Welcome Back to Japan: Drifting Techniques

"So there's a lot of ways of doing this! Hand braking is the easiest, so first thing I want you to do: I want you to rip that E-Brake!" (from The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift)

So a little while back, I wrote an article on the story of drifting, the generalized feel of the sport, its growing expansion, and blah blah blah. Then I thought: "Hey, why don't I write an article telling people how it's done!"

So, here it is, Lesson No. 2. How to drift. (Lesson No. 1 was what drift is, for anyone who was wondering.)

The Basics

So as written up top, the easiest way to do it is to pull out on the E-brake. This induces rear traction loss. In order to stay in the drift, a bit of throttle play is in need, however. All of the great drifters start off simple, and this manner is simple.

Go Long

This is basically the same thing as the first, however at much higher speeds and the car is put in a drift position during a straight and is in the high-angle drift position before entering the turn. Just pulling the E-brake at the right moment induces traction loss and the car simply swings into position. Not recommended to do if you are still learning how to drift, because things could get ugly.

Power Over

This one can be tricky and is recommended for novice or expert drifters. While entering the turn, accelerate quickly to slip the rear wheels out of the straight position, basically forcing an over-steer.

Clutch Kick

I'm not too sure how they do it, but in this kind of drift, drifters depress the clutch and then "pop" it to make a jolt go through the drive-line and upset the rear traction. Keeping it in the drift position requires a bit of throttle work.

Shift Lock

According to my source, Shift Locking is very much like Clutch Kicking. How it works is that, during the downshift, let the RPM's drop and release the clutch to stress the drive-line and induce over-steering. It is not recommended that inexperienced drifters attempt this technique because of potential damages to the drive-line. Of all the techniques present here, this one (if done wrong) could cost the most to fix.

Down 'n' Dirty

Another easy way to drift is to simply drop the rear tires off the road and let the rear wheels "spin in the nothing"—the dirt or what have you on the side of the road acts as a friction-loss mechanism and therefore eliminates the need to worry about your car regaining traction. Plus it makes a really big dust cloud! Unfortunately, many drifting competitions do not consider this a valid form of drifting.

Feinting

Get yourself some really sleek tires, because, without them, this technique is almost impossible to do. Just rock your car to the outside of the turn and then quickly turn it back to the inside of the pipe. With the smooth tires, the rear end will stay to the outside and therefore put you in the drift position for the turn. Watch out for burnouts or over-rocking, which can make your car go round and round or even flip it. Not recommended for inexperienced or unconfident drifters.

Jump

Push the wheel on the curb and make it loose traction by turning while the wheel is in the air. Not allowed at most drifting competitions.

Inertia

By far the coolest by my standards, Inertia drifting has a drifter (using a neutrally balanced car) release the throttle at high speeds to induce rear slipping and then controls the drift with steering and throttle motion. It takes a lot of practice to do this kind of drift, but, when mastered, it is the one that lets you keep the most amount of control over your car. Expert drifters should try this technique, but no one else.

So there you have it. Nine ways to rip up the tires and do the coolest car tricks in the world. But when you do try these techniques, make it in a safe, controlled environment and always wear a helmet and your seat belt.

There are as many ways of drifting as there are cars, so try stuff out. And for all you rookie drifters, take your wallets out—you may need to fix something (or two or three).

Enjoy, I'm out of here.