Sideways query

[Dan318-is]

iv been out a lot tonight practising my drifiting as it was wet an the roads are emtpy.

i can basically drift whole roundabouts but was wondering, why when i exit the corner does my car snap back at me with excess role?

am i letting of the throttle to much?

please help as sometimes it snapps back quite violently an i nearly end up on the pavement!

[chip-3door]

Sounds like you are letting off too much too quicky, although TBH im not expert drifter myself compared to some people, but the key seems to be as gentle as possible, which is hard for me coming from a background of FWD cars requiring viscous liftover oversteer to get them to "scandanavian flick"

Also sounds like maybe your suspension might not be ideal, either worn shocks or incorect rate on them

[REEDY]

Yeah sounds like ya lettin off to sharpish, is about being as smooth as,

Always keep in mind which direction ya front wheels are facing,

When i`m ready to come off a roundabout, about 1/4 before it ease up on the throttle very slightly but not totally off and bring my front wheels towards the exit as smooth as i can???

Now its snowin outside might have to pop to the massive local carpark!!

[Dan318-is]

i thought that might be the case

im just afriad that il try and control it and end up letting of completely, meaning goodnite!

suspension is in the pipeline also

cheers lads

[astondg]

Chip is right, make sure the suspension is in good condition, including the sub frame bushes.

Are you over correcting slightly, or not taking the opposite lock off quite quick enough? I think it is fairly common that people don't bring the car back smoothly because it is a bit trickier to do and requires you to really feel what the car is doing and when it will regain grip. One place I see a difference in this a lot is Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear, he usually has the car snap back a bit or even start to go the other way (start of a fishtail) compared to Tiff Needle on Fifth Gear who brings it back a lot smoother. You have to feel when the car is about to regain grip and then start to take the opposite lock off, sometimes very quickly, and if you are reducing the throttle at the same time you need to take it off even quicker because if it is a powerslide (you are using the throttle to overcome the rear wheels grip) then when you back off a bit they regain grip and the car starts to turn the way the front wheels are pointed so if you still have opposite lock on then it will start to go that way and might snap back a bit.

Also keep all the inputs smooth, don't lift off the throttle, steer, or brake sharply.

Definately get the suspension checked though, mine started to do a similar thing to what you described when my sub frame mounts were worn. Kind of felt a bit like a live axel car, kicked a bit at autocross when I was sliding around.

Aston

[REEDY]

iv been out a lot tonight practising my drifiting as it was wet an the roads are emtpy.

Also doesn`t help when the road is wet and you hit a dry patch! It grips and sends ya towards cerb,

Thats whats happenin here in this little clip, dry patch on far side also this roundabout was a little small & tight!!

http://www.zippyvideos.com/296055364111 ... /*reedy325

[Dan318-is]

ok guys got under the car and the bushes seem to be ok although i didnt check for play!

springs are rusty as fcuk but have new HnR ones in the post

i boounced on each corner to check the shocks an these all seem ok as well!!

so its probably my shocking driving techniques

[SwirlyE30]

Yeh, dont come off the throttle too quick. I never actually come off the throttle to straighten the car out, or not completly, only a tiny weeny bit but just gently steer where you wanna go and then you can bring your foot off and it will get traction again without whipping back.


In this weather, dont steer too much either, unless your cars set up is amzing,and the front will stick like shit, then unsteer can be a bitch if your trying to go round a roundabout whilst keeping the power down, i only do roundabouts in 1st gear now as the IS just dosnt have it (or mine at least) to go round , even with a lot of clutch kick, better to go round as slow as possible that way the fronts remain gripped!

Snow sucks though, my cars filthy from all the wank on the roads

[Dan318-is]

1st? you pshycho! i cant do it in first in my Is there is too much power

second gear is the best gear to drift in i find

im practising later tonight unless it snows

[SwirlyE30]

lol, ive got shit susspension mate, my car really needs to lose traction with the power , rather than shifting weight or anything. I find in my IS for it to drift in 2nd you really have to come in quick to the roundabout, but then thats pretty dangerous in this weather as the front can go very easily and its hard to keep the power there. 1st is best, dont even have to rag it in first, just a nice steady throttle not even touching the steering wheel, shame i dont have a nice 2.7 or somthing, i could do some more adventurous stuff lol

[Dan318-is]

i can appraoch a roundabout fairly slowley at about 2500 rpm in second and easily drift it without the loss of control except the fuckign snapback

we all loath more power mate but the kiler is insurance! that is the only thing stopping me getting a larger engined car

[chip-3door]

2nd in the wet in mine is great, but in the dry it doesnt really have enough power for any more than a little slide, it just wont keep it going as it doesnt seem to overcome the grip well enough.

Must say though thats is FAR easier to control than the cossie, in the wet that thing is a nightmare, and i once came out of a junction trying to turn right with a bit of tail happy action and ended up turning left instead cause i did a 270,lol



With regards to what astondg says:
You have to feel when the car is about to regain grip and then start to take the opposite lock off, sometimes very quickly

I find the lock SHOCKING on our 325SE, i cant beleive how much you have to turn the wheel to get any steering movement, it would defiantely benefit from a less turns lock-to-lock rack IMHO

[astondg]

I have an E36 rack which is about 3.4 turns lock to lock Vs the 4+ for the normal E30 rack (depends on wether it is power assisted or not). Might not sound like a huge difference but it definately helps. I noticed it a lot at autocross and I wouldn't go back to the standard rack.

Aston

[Dan318-is]

PAS racks on e30s are 4 turns lock to lock

non PAS is 4.4

e36 racks certainly must help imagine!

[chip-3door]

Is the E36 rack a straight swap?

Any other options?

[Dan318-is]

its basically a straight swap except a fabricated joint is needed

theres a very good right up in the tec articles mate have a butchers

[chip-3door]

cheers for the tip

will have a look sometime, are there no 2.5 or similar racks available though?

[Karan]

2nd in the wet in mine is great, but in the dry it doesnt really have enough power for any more than a little slide, it just wont keep it going as it doesnt seem to overcome the grip well enough.

Must say though thats is FAR easier to control than the cossie, in the wet that thing is a nightmare, and i once came out of a junction trying to turn right with a bit of tail happy action and ended up turning left instead cause i did a 270,lol



With regards to what astondg says:
You have to feel when the car is about to regain grip and then start to take the opposite lock off, sometimes very quickly

I find the lock SHOCKING on our 325SE, i cant beleive how much you have to turn the wheel to get any steering movement, it would defiantely benefit from a less turns lock-to-lock rack IMHO

i think the lock is fine... i dont find it too bad

[DubsterNI]

I'm in the same boat as 318-is, i find 1st gear near impossible to drift in smoothly, always do it in 2nd. I've managed drifting in 3rd in the frost but its scary enough, big respect to those who have mastered it!!

I have same problem whenever i come back from a drift with the car seeming to snap back into position, but i know for a fact my suspension has been described as 'wooly'. I sometimes use the diff to lock the rear wheels using a change down to 2nd gear on the entry to a corner to get it to slide and then power thru, does anyone know if thats really hard on the diff??

[Dan318-is]

I'm in the same boat as 318-is, i find 1st gear near impossible to drift in smoothly, always do it in 2nd. I've managed drifting in 3rd in the frost but its scary enough, big respect to those who have mastered it!!

I have same problem whenever i come back from a drift with the car seeming to snap back into position, but i know for a fact my suspension has been described as 'wooly'. I sometimes use the diff to lock the rear wheels using a change down to 2nd gear on the entry to a corner to get it to slide and then power thru, does anyone know if thats really hard on the diff??

what car u driving fella?

[SwirlyE30]

It does put a fair bit of strain onthe diff and drivetrain if you come in quick and then downchange with enough umpf to force it to slide. I prefere to kick the clutch in.

[Dan318-is]

i jsut aproach at about 300 in second an then gently apply accelerater works perect in the wet

in the dry it needs a few more revs but not many

[Karan]

I'm in the same boat as 318-is, i find 1st gear near impossible to drift in smoothly, always do it in 2nd. I've managed drifting in 3rd in the frost but its scary enough, big respect to those who have mastered it!!

I have same problem whenever i come back from a drift with the car seeming to snap back into position, but i know for a fact my suspension has been described as 'wooly'. I sometimes use the diff to lock the rear wheels using a change down to 2nd gear on the entry to a corner to get it to slide and then power thru, does anyone know if thats really hard on the diff??

yeh hard on prop and gbox too.... ive killed both when i used to use this technique a lot...... now i tend to just trail brake in or flick it from side to side. occasionally shift lock it in the wet though

karan

[TheDutch]

318-is - (going back to the top of the thread) - do you mean you have been doing laps of roundabouts?

Karan - how easy do you find it trail braking into a slide then continuing it using power? Try to ignore the fact you're driving a monster - is the technique simple? One or the other seems fine to me, but the transition sounds tricky.

N

[Karan]

318-is - (going back to the top of the thread) - do you mean you have been doing laps of roundabouts?

Karan - how easy do you find it trail braking into a slide then continuing it using power? Try to ignore the fact you're driving a monster - is the technique simple? One or the other seems fine to me, but the transition sounds tricky.

N

i find its a technique better used for 3rd gear longer corners.... transition is actually not that hard if u learn to use left foot braking to initialll slowly pivot the rear around. id reserve this for track or wider spaces though!!

this technique is irrelevant of power but more to do wit suspension setup and the locking ability of ure diff practise makes perfect though!

my next move is to install a flyoff hydraulic handbrake WRC style as i wanna learn how to properly initiate higher speed (3rd gr stuff) with the handbrake to get good entry angles

[astondg]

You can do what Karan is talking about in LFS to get an idea before you try it in you car. You can try most of this stuff in LFS and it seems to give a reasonable simulation, although probably a little bit easier to control than real life (I think everything happens a little bit slower).

Aston

[Andy335Touring]

Fcuk messing about in third on the road !

Andy ( )

[Karan]

Fcuk messing about in third on the road !

Andy ( )

ill tell u wot.... in my touring things happened a lot slower in 3rd than they do in the sport.... the lighter back end is snappy on e30s compared to a couple other newer BMs ive driven

put some steelies on.. find a big junction roundabout at night and try 3rd gear using braking on entry.....

i found cutting the PAS belt off has made my life a lot easier!!!!

[Andy335Touring]

Yeah but dude, you've got talent and i haven't !

[jonbuoy]

318is

Your best bet mate is to find a big carpark like in a industrial estate or something, that's what i've found, you get to learn alot about your car and the feel of what is happening. I've learn't alot over xmas and have got alot of confidence now, more so than before. You'll be able to learn to loose that snap aswell and actually have fun once you've mastered using the throttle and actually bring it back in to play and switch between slide's, that's fun!!

[Dan318-is]

318is

Your best bet mate is to find a big carpark like in a industrial estate or something, that's what i've found, you get to learn alot about your car and the feel of what is happening. I've learn't alot over xmas and have got alot of confidence now, more so than before. You'll be able to learn to loose that snap aswell and actually have fun once you've mastered using the throttle and actually bring it back in to play and switch between slide's, that's fun!!

chers ddeude,. although i mto opised to read that il wil do so in the morning a! thank smate!

[Dan318-is]

ok guys

jus been out (sober tonight!) and have almost mastered it. as i come off the roundabouts i unlock the steering earlier and there is no roll whatsoever

i am also a lot more controlled with the throttle an its easier to hold a dirft

thanks a lot!

[jonbuoy]

No prob's mate, that's what we're here for

Keep that tail happy