RX8 drift help...
 

hey i just bought an 04 rx8, and i am gonna start drifting it with some friends soon, but i was wandering if there are any mods i should make before starting....

Buy crappy tires and some big sway bars. That'll get you sliding. I'd learn in wet parking lots before you get too adventurous. Try not to get yourself killed or smash up your 8.

I've never really tried drifting the 8 intentionally. I should think it would be difficult to keep it going with the stock power level.

correct if i'm wrong someone, but you'll want the rear sway stiffer than the front. Shoot for some adjustable sways so you can accomplish that.

I would assume that you would have to turn off traction control and\or stability control. But be careful, I hear disabling stability is extremely dangerous. GL

its been raining like crazy here in northeast texas and every other day i try to find a wet parking lot to get sideways in. Its honestly the best way to get used to going sideways. I eventually started to try drifting in the dry whenever my friends are doing burnouts / donuts. Just take it slow and make sure to check your temp gauges and such because it gets hot after a while.

The stock rx8 can get sideways and stay there for a bit, but its not anything like D1 or anything on tv. I think you'll have more fun in the rain than anything...its cheaper too. Make sure you do it on crappy wheels as well, because i have a buddy who would hit some asphalt patches or something similar and it would tear up his wheels.

learn in an empty parking lot first! i know from personal experience and im not proud of it. i tried it and wound up in a fence pole. luckily i was ok and my 8 is somewhat ok.

Suspension need to be setup correctly as well, from what i understand.

quadruple the rear spring rate ...

You will need Tires. I buy stock tires on this board for cheap. They last a relatively long time. You will also need tires and maybe an extra set of rims. After you do an event or two think about an alignment with slight toe out in the rear and some more tires. Once you are entering the corner sideways think about springs as the soft suspension makes the feint approach rather difficult to control.

Once you can enter a corner sideways and stay that way till the exit and maybe link a few corners get some variety of coilover/shock/spring setup.

If you are going all out (which I wouldn't recommend until you get really good) fully adjustable coilovers with the rear set to a setting stiffer than the fronts. A sway bars with a stiffer bias in the rear. Run a very sticky tire compound in the front like Advans and Azenis in the rear. At that point you will want a 2 way diff, heavy duty clutch.

That having been said I have been to 3 events and my suspension is completely stock and A judge at the last event I was at suggested that I get coilovers as I am pushing the stock suspension.

Be prepared to give it A LOT of gas to keep the revs high. If they go below 5500 or so the car doesn't have enough torque to keep the tires spinning.

get the dvd called drift bible. it's made by a japanese dude but dubbed in english. i think i bought my copy for 12 bucks on amazon. all the posts above sound good. you want to upgrade your brakes also.

First mod = LSD

The Drift Bible DVD is good to learn to drift. You get a lot of different styles to work with. I also want to drift my 8. I just cant find empty parking lots without any cops near by.

Look for truck turn arounds in an industrial park in the rain.

first thing you wanna do is practise! a good driver doesnt need to mod the car, other than turning traction control off.

step 2 would be to play with alignment, and tire pressure. the stock tires might actually be good drift tires, cause they get all slippery when they get hot. we've found with high mileage tires and a few laps you're drifting the track weather you want to or not!

step 3, you might be looking for more power, lighter flywheel etc.

step one. Say a few prayers.
step two. Go fast and fishtail your car on purpose in order to get a "feel" on how the car moves and Its' center of gravity.
step three. wait until a rainy day and go into a very large parking lot with a couple of friends looking out for cops. If you are near long island there are old abandoned parking lots that you can rent:) mmm. thank you K-mart going out of business. I swear they make more money now.
step four. get some one to record you to watch your progress.
step 5. vary between your regular tires and some cheep stockers however make sure the rim size / type are the same ... ie 19" rims with some sort of tires on both
step six. get a hot Asian girlfriend who likes to watch you drift.
step seven. take pics of your hot Asian girlfriend with your car and post them online and then proceed to talk crap like a pro ... bam! your a drifter ;)
steps 7 - 10 involve working a second, third, and possibly 4th job ... upgrades and tires get expensive fast.


enjoy with a coke.

^lol great steps :D

it'd be nice if we had one collective (maybe stickied thread) there are lots of little posts about this that seem to go nowhere

Go to an autocross and learn to drive under pressure and harder situations than everyday driving. Try to go to an event where it is raining to add to the difficulty.

or you can just take advanced driving school...

Hell Yea!! Ima Try That!!! Does It Matter On The Prayers? lol

That'd be really nice. I still have so many questions and don't like going to 240SX boards to find answers.

DO NOT TRY IT IN EMPTY PARKING LOTS!

Thats just asking for trouble. Reckless driving tickets aren't good for your record. They do hold events every few weeks that are open to all experience levels.

If you really want to get into the drift scene the right way, I would suggest taking some basic classes to understand your car first. There are some schools that teach you "grip driving" which is pretty much pushing your car to the limits without going over the limit. That way you know how fast you need to go around a corner before your tires start to grip and how to react in certain situations. There's an instructor in the car with you who helps you out and gives you great tips.

2nd would be finding some cheap tires, even some replacement wheels. RBMotoring.com is one place to find cheap used JDM wheels that are perfect for drifting. They are a few hundred bucks but its well worth it. They are already used so you don't have to worry much about ruining wheels. Some shops will sell salvaged tires. Around my area I can usually find 4 tires of similar tread for about 55 bucks.

After that, some slight suspension work is necessary like mentioned above. Turn off the traction control as well.

But once you get to an event, its usually like 100-120 for an all day session and that usually gives drivers about 4 hours of practice time. Other drivers are pretty cool about it and they will give you tips. I still haven't seen another RX-8 driver out.

There is also drifting.com, which has a forum and there is lookoutdrift.com (mainly for east coast people) that is very informative and gives you event dates.

But I would go that route. remember that tokyo drift was a movie and you can't do that crap in the streets. And paying for a controlled session is well worth it over heavy fines and possible jail time.

I hope no one here is actually dumb enough to attempt drifting on a street :rolleyes:

You'd be surprised by the amount of stupid people out there in the world.

I mean, I've done some dumb things an dI have been known to do a hit and run in the occasional parking lot but, I have NEVER drifted on a street. Hell drifting in parking lots is getting kind of dumb. Once you go to a drift day and drift on an actual track nothing else will do. :) So I guess the best advice anyone can give is get to an event and start learning stuff.