I attempted it...and failed.

Bah it's harder than it looks.

I finally got the balls to try to go sideways in my MX-6 (yes, it's FR, and yes it's still drifting as per the definition of the word 'drifting' in the dictionary...don't give me the "rear wheels have to be spinning" crap because that's a myth) and I came up on the turn, slowed down a little (my first time... didnt know how the car would act) slung the wheel towards the turn and set the e-brake. I'm rewarded with - a small squeak and a nice sharp turn... impressive if I'm trying to grip... but no. So what am I doing wrong?

Well, a few things I recall from my days slinging a Geo Storm sideways around a parking lot autocross course will be useful to you.

First off, don't grab for the handbrake until the car's weight is loaded up on the outside. You'll need that inertia to carry the tail out once you've broke traction with the handbrake.

Secondly, flick the car to the outside before cutting inside. For instance, in a left hand corner flick right before steering hard to the left. This'll help load the weight up on the outside even more, plus it'll put the car more at its limits of grip.

That's about all the advice I can give you.

:bigthumb:

Thanks, I'll remember that for tomorrow and I'll tell you how it went.

:eek: Oh no. Layla's right as usual, but I'm thinking maybe mediocraty's car needs new e-brake cables. Is the MX6 a stick shift? Remember, most FF cars find usefull oversteer when the throttle is lifted off mid-corner. You just have to be in a low enough gear for anything to happen.

Remember, BUCKLE UP FOR SAFETY. :lol2:

I finally got the balls to try to go sideways in my MX-6 (yes, it's FR,

....huh? :eek7:

since when has an MX-6 been FR? unless that's a typo...

from my days of "practise" with my FF Pontiac beater, i agree with Octagon (Layla's Keeper). don't just rely on the e-brake to do all the work for you. simply yanking it at the beginning of the corner will only result in your rear wheels dragging. you have to get the weight of the car to transfer to the outside wheels, like Octy said. so for instance, if you are making a right hand corner, try to get all the weight of the car to the driver's side wheels before bringing the e-brake into the equation.

when i used to e-brake in the dry with my Pontiac, i would come into the corner fairly fast (but remember that this car was a beater and i did not care about it.), turn towards the corner first to shift the weight, then yank the e-brake and at the same time counter-steer the car through the corner, releasing the e-brake and re-applying it to point the car when/if necessary. this worked very well, especially considering this was in a 12 year old rusted out automatic Pontiac family car. despite all of that, i could get that bastard sideways...and yeah, you can ride my chops for "drifting" a POS like that, but hey, practise is practise. any kind of car control practise ultimatley helps in the long run.

the best way to practise this is, sadly enough, in the snow. it's easier to get the weight to transfer when you have no grip. in the dry is similar, but also alot different. the car will grip more and will resist your attempts at getting it sideways, but the practise in the snow will help you to learn.

it's hard to explain over a message board, but i hope that helped.

DOH! yeah, I'm sorry, FF. I'm still getting used to the letters.

As for a new e-brake cable.. probably. I was backing into my parking spot at home and I just decided to goof off and when I was rolling, I applied the brake...what happened? I still rolled...

As for doing it in the dry - here in ky we don't get a lot of snow when we want it... it's either too much or too little. and I can't just go balls out on it as it's the only car I have (for now, untill I can get the s13 that I want) but yeah, I'm gonna try it entering into the HS parking lot with the way you said it s13, I'm gonna have to start developing some multitasking coordination for that though.

Oh and it's just a silly little automatic, since I want to at least dabble in racing I seriously want to learn to drive a stick (too damn hard to keep powerband in an auto)

I'll let you guys know how it goes... it needs a new engine... so if I can't afford an s13 for awhile, or I get some spare money I'm gonna drop the 6 cylinder mx-6 engine in it and put the 5 speed in it. It's surprisingly quick for a middle of the spectrum mazda sports car.

Only advice I can give is "Practice makes perfect". Youll be able to do it with a lot of practice and wear on your car. LOL!

I would not put any more money into that mazda. I would just drive it and save up. Do some more research about the S13 adn other cars. Because of where the suspention connects to the frame, it gets understeer while accelorating and over steer while braking. Keep your eyes open for any FR or really any RWD car.

I'm not going into drifting per se, and I'm gonna have to keep the sixer around for while for those snowy days we do get here.

Know anywhere that I can dl the s13 manuals?

Yeah you can get them on ebay im pretty sure. Yes deffinately keep that car for the snow. Besides getting stuck easier FR is better than FF in the snow, but this is with a skilled driver.

Yeah, don't waste any money on that car. Just keep the oil changed. As far as that goes, the best thing you could do with that car is keep it as nice as possible and save what little resale value you can muster. Modifications rarely help the resale value of most cars. Don't thrash it because you don't like it, that's backwards thinking with a car that's in decent shape.

As far as the weight transfer thing goes, you don't have to be drifting to learn how weight transfer affects the car's cornering. I would actually say from my experience that playing with weight transfer is better in the dry, since you can load up the outside tires to their limit instead of breaking loose early and releasing the cornering force in a slide. The snow is a different story. It doesn't actually simulate driving fast on pavement, since there are other factors in snow that play a part in effecting the car's behavior. But what do I know. It is great to learn how to do a smooth transition turn on snow though, that is actually the funnest part to me. Hmm. I just contradicted myself slightly, as doing a smooth transition turn means nailing the moment of inertia from side to side. Wow, thought process in action. :rolleyes:

Yeah, after failing once more at trying to sling the car sideways... I think I'm just gonna keep it for snow driving. The e-brake doesn't work as well as it needs to... just enough that it keeps the car from moving from a stopped position if I dont push the gas..

Heheh...scratch the last comment.

Finally did it today - it was more of a 180 but I slung 'er sideways in a wet parking lot (empty) today. Almost had it on video but the other two cars doing junk took up all the time :(.

You need therepy mate. 180's don't count as a drift. It is quite pointless to try drifting FF's unless rallying when it is neccesary to do so. Join the SCCA and go do some autocrossing to improve your skills with your car. Never get discouraged if you can't do it or you cock it up, that just means you need more practice.

We're here to help, not hurt. I go out and "drift" my FF. It's fun as hell, but just not satisfying enough for me. Sure rallying in the dirt is great but it trashes your car twice as fast as on tarmac, what with the rocks and all. The best thing a FF car car do is give you confidence to move up in the car world. FF's aren't bad, it's just nobody knows what they're here for.