There’s no better way to make a turn with more sauce and swagger than by drifting through it. Drifting is fun, drifting is stylish, and if you can pull it off, it’s incredibly fun. But whether you like drifting or not, you might have wondered if drifting is bad for your car. We’ll answer this question and more in this article.
Drifting damages the tires, engines, and bodies of vehicles. However, these damages are acceptable to many drifting enthusiasts and hobbyists who value the elegance of drifting above anything else.
There’s a lot of buzz about drifting at the moment, and you may or may not already be caught in the buzz. Regardless, you’ll learn more about drifting below and the potential damages it can do to a vehicle. So, keep reading.
Why Would Anyone Want To Drift A Car?
Drifting is fun. Incredibly fun. There’s something rewarding about seeing a car take on a turn with incredible elegance as it streams down a lane sideways. It takes skill and expertise to drift and what you see is akin to a choreographed dance between the car, driver, and the road. And the sight is very mentally stimulating.
People love to see cars drifting, and this is the main reason why drifting is one of the fastest growing motorsports worldwide. You get to see professional drivers pulling off insane stunts and pushing their rides well beyond their limits. Below, we list some of the reasons why people love drifting:
Cool As Hell
We bet you were blown away by the incredible drift sequences in the Fast & Furious franchise. You can also get to drift like a pro with some practice or, better still, watch die-hard professionals drift like child’s play while you get to enjoy the scenery from an amazing angle.
It’s Dangerously Fun
While drifting is fun, it’s not without dangers. The driver loses some control while drifting, but for action and adrenaline junkies, that’s a big part of the appeal of drifting.
Maintain RPM
Drifting can help track racers maintain their RPM when turning a corner. And this allows them to regain top speed and accelerate rapidly after completing the turn. Without drifting, the drivers will have to lower the speed and RPM of their cars significantly.
How Does Drifting Work?
While many people have seen cars drift before, describing the process may be a tad difficult as they don’t know what’s happening behind the wheels. Drifting occurs when the rear ends of a car lose traction through oversteering while the driver is still in control. The driver compensates for oversteering by having the front tires pointing or applying force in the opposite direction.
Drifting is a technique that’s acquired and mastered through practice. Traditionally, drivers quickly disengage and engage the clutch to drift which results in oversteering and countersteering.
Can Drifting Damage Your Car?
Drifting is cool and all, but the process subjects your car to a lot of abuse and damage. Below are damages that can result from drifting:
Tire Damages
Drifting generates a lot of friction and heat in the tires. Watch any video of a car drifting, and you’ll see smoke coming out of the tires as the vehicle makes a turn.
However, drifters generally aren’t concerned about tire damage. It’s part of the package that is called drifting. So, if you want to drift, be prepared to sacrifice your tires to the gods of drifting.
Depending on the length of your sessions, your tires are likely to last for just about 2 or 3 sessions. This is why drifters always bring spare tires with rims on whenever they want to do their thing. When the rear tires wear out, they replace them with the front tires. Then, the new tires will replace the front tires.
Engine Parts Will Wear Out
The various parts of a car’s engine are subjected to a lot of stress and heat during a drift. And this eventually wears out some components or outright damages them. The suspension is particularly at a high risk of being damaged, and chances are you will have to replace your suspension regularly. Also, the clutch of the vehicle will inevitably become damaged due to the enormous stress it undergoes during drifting.
Body Damages
No matter how impressive your drifting skills are, you are bound to have an ‘off day’ or make mistakes and crash into something. This will result in bodily damage to the car and is something any half-serious drifter should be prepared for.
Can You Drift With Any Car?
Any car can drift, given the right conditions. However, some cars are more suited for drifting than others. Hobbyists and professionals use vehicles with a low center of gravity. Such vehicles also have rear-wheel or 4-wheel drive. Generally, you’ll need cars with heavy-duty clutch, adjustable suspension, and alignment for drifting.
Preparing Your Car For Drifting
Ready to start drifting? Below are things you should put in place:
Racing Helmet
Safety is paramount when it comes to drifting since there’s the risk of crashing your car. So, it’s important for anyone into drifting, be it professionally or as a hobby, to wear a quality racing helmet to protect the head. Don’t try to save money by going for a low-quality helmet. If you carry out your research, you’ll find great helmets available at bargain prices.
Spare Tires And Tools
Your tires, especially the rear ones, essentially become smoke as you drift. So, it’s important you have spare tires and tools with you during any drifting session. Having tires with rims on is very convenient as it’s easy to replace the tires.
Heat Shields
As previously mentioned, a lot of heat is generated during drifting. Should this eat boil off your brake fluid or coolant, it could damage the engine. This makes installing heat shields necessary in drifting cars.
Equip Coilovers
Serious drifters know the value of coil overs. With a coil-over, the handling of a vehicle improves significantly, a feature that’s extremely important for drifting. Having coil overs could make drifting a lot more convenient for drivers.
Remove Loose Items
All loose items in your car should be removed prior to drifting. They could be anything from floor mats to water bottles, tissue boxes, car fresheners, and so on. These items could fly out of your car while drifting, which could be potentially dangerous. They could also be outright distracting, so you’ll do well to remove all loose items from your ride before you attempt to drift.
