drift is fun as hell! it is slower though... now on certain turns of certain tracks or courses, MAYBE a drift will be faster... but there isnt really any proof... everyone does grip style for time trials.

 

End of story. Grip is faster as I see F1, NASCAR, SBK, LeMan, ALMS, CART, every road racing series you could think of grips. The answer is plain and simple.

Once you get to dirt its a different story. When you have traction you have alot of friction which slows you down faster. Dirt is soft, things dig in, it takes more to move in dirt than it does on pavment. Dont believe me? See which is easier. Running a mile on pavement or a mile in the sand... Therefore by drifting or giving up traction like say on a dirt track oval, you lessen the amount of friction that will slow the car down.

That sound good? I just made it up I really have no idea, but im sure it has to do with the amount of traction created by friction and that ratio. Im sure my answer is complete BS. But I bet a stunna would believe you!!!!

 

im sure your knowledge is so extensive on drifting,you have come to the conclusion that its for "****"? and im sure that all the tracks you have spent countless hours on determening wether drifting or gripping is better,adds up right?so we will shut up and leave it to the man that has proven a statment that drifting is for,"****"....rock on, jackass

 

words on the internet dont prove diddly squat

go to the race track and see what provides faster laptimes....
isnt that what you are after right?

 

just remember,if your tires are spinning,your losing speed

 

doesn't drifting prevent people from passing you?

drifting does help swing the weight of your car around.

the more you make your tires spin, you are wasting energy in which you could be using to propel you forwards.

 

Drifting is a art-form........ but on a track its useless.

 

Not in any legit form of motorsports.

So does spinning out, but that isn't the fastest way around the track.

 

My conquest is actually far faster drifting than using grip on the last "race" event I did with it..

.. of course it was on a gravel track with jumps, a small cliff with water on each side, about 1.25 car width track, with trees, hairpins etc...

.. oh and jumping a 3200+lbs car on stock 1988 suspension bends suspension pieces in the rear when it bottoms out

-Dave, who got third place in that rallycross....

 

according to friends in japan.. the best way around the track.. is if you know both!... they say that drift also teaches you to take a different line around a turn.. where as grip is more like one line. Am i making sense? but ya... thats just my reply to this post. hope it helps

 

hehe.

that's like the skyline guy who use to drift and decided grip was better.

it's just that drifting LOOKS soo much faster on hairpins

 

Sorry, that does not make sense and was not helpful.

If you can understand grip (maintaining traction), understanding drift (controlled loss of traction) is much easier. That is as close as those two concepts come to being related.

 

Good info. I still wish I could drift though.

 

Get a car with rear wheels that do more than keep the back of the car from hitting the ground if you want to "drift".

Easiest way to learn to control oversteer is to learn how to grip.

 

drifting is sometimes faster........

like in dirt racing etc...


i.e.

Sprint Cars...
Sprint bikes...


drifting on concrete slows u down

also eats up ur rubber like whoa!

 

Here's my opinion. After looking at some of the pics posted in this forum of some of the mountain passes in Japan, MAYBE drifting would actually work there in the very tight hairpins and tight turns, ones you'd probably never see on a track. However, on a real track grip would provide the best times hands down.

Someone mentioned that drifting would provide options for other lines through a turn. I can't really fathom that, unless you have a death wish in trying to overtake someone who's taking the best line already, by trying to drift pass them at possibly a higher speed than should be taken. I've never seen drift used in an actual competition with more than 1 car on the track (this counts out all drift competitons) has anyone here seen otherwise?

 

the way i see it is that majority of turns (almost all) drift is unecessary. i think the only time drift will be beneficial is when it is a really tight turn. for example if a turn is really tight and you use 'grip' you would have to brake and slow down alot whereas on the same turn, you can 'drift' through that turn w/o slowing your car down as much. hope this helps or make sense heh

 

Grip is definitely faster.

 

Taking the best line, with the most grip will give you the fastest lap times. You CANNOT accelerate when you drift, you are sliding, its basic physics. I am sure you can keep a higher momentum through the turn, but your exit will be worse.

As mentioned before, there are some courses that are setup for 'drift'...but in all honesty, it is because people who have mastered 'grip driving' got very very bored.

 

hehe ... which people?

 

This depends on your definition of drift. From what I've been told grip is 99% of the time faster. But there are times when a little rotation/drift will help point the car into the corner. Not the show drift like you see in the Japanese drift video's. Lets face it, most production cars are not well balance and don't handle like F1 cars. A little rotation/drift can get you going in the right direction.


[Modified by 6ghatch, 9:11 AM 9/27/2002]

 

worst thread ever.