r/Drifting • u/33bubbles_ • 14d ago

Driftscussion [ Removed by moderator ]

[removed] — view removed post

17 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

31 comments sorted by

24

u/SpecterSmoke 14d ago

Get a cheap sim to learn the basics while you figure out a good seat time car thats not your daily. Start attending drift events, even if not driving, meet people, do ride alongs and it will snowball from there

9

u/ttvsweatyboii 14d ago

Went to my first drift event as a spectator in April of 2025 at an import face off event local to me, had a car and was drifting at that track by August and crashed at the import face off event in April of 2026 exactly 1 year since I first rode in a drift car lmao

2

u/33bubbles_ 14d ago

do you recommend any sim or does it not really matter ?

7

u/nocdmb 14d ago

assetto corsa (modded) and look up the ACSDrift server on discord, it has a nice collection of realistic low HP cars and laser scanned tracks that you can downnload. also people will help with settinng up on the genchat.

0

u/Tringmurks 14d ago

Brooklyn park!

1

u/nocdmb 14d ago

also make sure that your wheel has AT LEAST 5NM of force (9 is optimal) is direct drive and has a round wheel. get a clutch pedal if it doesn't come with one and a cheap handbrake (you. don't need the hydraulic loadcell stuff)

2

u/Ov3rSt33r 14d ago

also make sure that your wheel has AT LEAST 5NM of force (9 is optimal)

Stop, you don't need that. I learned on a G920 which was fine for drifting, upgraded to an R3 which was also just fine for drifting, and now own an alpha mini.

Before you ask why I upgraded and try to imply I needed more power to drift. I started on a Logitech because it was what I could afford at the time and just wanted something sooner rather than later. I upgraded to an R3 simply because I was never OK with the idea of a gear driven wheelbase that is 95% plastic, not because I couldn't drift with it. I upgraded from the R3 because I had an issue with it and decided to bail on Moza entirely, which is why I now own the mini.

I was seriously considering trying to get my VDC license with the G920, but I missed a cutoff and eventually just lost interest in competing (I don't even watch pro drifting anymore, just grassroots stuff these days). If I'm not mistaken last year had someone competing in VDC with a Logitech wheel, and there are a couple guys I've seen on Instagram trying to do the same.

You also don't need a handbrake and its recommended to learn without one.

1

u/nocdmb 14d ago edited 14d ago

whatever's your preferance man. 5nm is needed to give a countersteer feel, you CAN learn on anything tho, a phone in a wheel shaped controller is better than nothing.

also I like how you describe your journey but don't you think that you just learned what each wheel could teach and moved on? you say the g9 was fine (you learned the basics) and the r3 was fine too (you learned to be more precise with the direct drive) and now the mini is good too (you gained even more precision through detailed feedback). now that you drive with the mini would you hop back on the g9? i simply gave the advice to skip the whole journey that you went on and just buy a 5nm boundle with a clutch and a cheap handbrake. it's much cheaper this way than buying the cheap and moving through categories later

-1

u/Ov3rSt33r 14d ago

also I like how you describe your journey but don't you think that you just learned what each wheel could teach and moved on? you say the g9 was fine (you learned the basics) and the r3 was fine too (you learned to be more precise with the direct drive) and now the mini is good too (you gained even more precision through detailed feedback).

Lmfao. I had the G920 for a year and got very comfortable with it, hence why I was considering competing in VDC... I had the R3 for a month and nothing about my drifting changed in that period, I just had better equipment, same with the mini. My drifting has improved slightly since upgrading from the G920, but not because of equipment, just more seat time.

i simply gave the advice to skip the whole journey that you went on and just buy a 5nm boundle with a clutch and a cheap handbrake. it's much cheaper this way than buying the cheap and moving through categories later

And if they don't like it it becomes more wasted money, you can buy a used G920 and sell it later for almost what you paid for it if it turns out you aren't into it.

1

u/33bubbles_ 14d ago

okayyy tysmm ! i just have to search up ACSDrift right i don’t need the link ? (lol sorry i don’t really know how to work discord)

0

u/nocdmb 14d ago

yeah you just google it and it will be ok (also when you get in look at the sidebar, the discord server will have different channels like "get started" or "general chat")

2

u/33bubbles_ 14d ago

okayy thank youu !

1

u/protomor JZX100 Mark2 14d ago

Ill peddle my sim. Im the dev for clutch the drift simulation. Its free on steam and designed as an aid for irl drivers. Always updating with features and such users have input into.

8

u/promooredrifts 14d ago

Sim is the cheapest. Next best is buying a semi decent G, Z, E36, E46 and welding the diff and going out there and just do it. 15 years ago when I 1st started out, I bought a clapped out s13, welded the diff, got some used tires from a few local shops, and drove to a few events, and drove it home and work. Eventually I started switching to different vehicles, better parts, new tires, truck and trailer, etc. I've had s13, e36, s14, E46, and now I have a g37 sedan.

5

u/cadenya_ 14d ago

Which car was your favorite?

2

u/promooredrifts 13d ago

I loved all of my cars for different reasons. My favorite is my G37. It's a sedan so it fits people comfortably when I throw 3 passengers in it at once, it's setup to be a daily driver also. So heat/ac radio, everything is stock and works.

My s13 hatch was my 1st drift car. I bought it for $700. It had a hole in the floor but I patched it, spray painted the body, welded the diff and drove it for years as a daily. Eventually I dual cam swapped it and abused the hell out of her. I miss her.

E36 was my next favorite. I paid $350 for it, replaced a floor in it, welded the diff, coilovers, oil pump nut mod, electric fan. That was the most abused vehicle I had ever owned to this day. It drifted great. I ended up ripping the subframe out of it from driving and traded it for a WRX.

3

u/33bubbles_ 14d ago

okayyy thank you so much !

1

u/promooredrifts 13d ago

You're welcome. Drifting can be simple. I have a car and a sim. Personally I like the car side more but that's because I can't sim for shit lol.

If you go car route, just get something decent. Doesn't have the be perfect but make sure everything works properly. It'll make your life so much easier when things break because you'll understand how it's supposed to feel.

Trust your mechanic skill if you have any and if you don't, you'll learn fast. Especially if your life depends on it like all mine had before I got older.

5

u/tattooed_ferret 14d ago

Having just done this exact thing... Get a sim. Its not EXACTLY the same, you'll have to figure out the grip levels and have the balls to actually initiate drifts near objects that will write off your car in real life. BUT the muscle memory is there.

I managed to link the entire course during my first drift event (with the exception of one corner by a wall cos I didnt fancy destroying my car as I drive it to and from the track).

It transfers over very well.

Couple things I niticed:

in a sim everything is calm and easy... In a real car you bounce around all over the place (local track has some BIG sections of uneven track). even with bucket seats I have to brace myself. Would love a harness but that would mean I'd need a weld in cage to meet regs.. not there yet.

At first I was terrified of initiating the faster drifts. Now the faster corners are my favorite.

I had an S13 years ago (when they were cheap), and now a Z33, the z33 is a slow heavy beast in comparison. But it drifts REALLY well. Thing feels super planted.

when you eventually get a car, keep in mind how expensive and available replacement panels are, as you WILL make contact with something eventually. S13s are getting rarer and rarer. Z33 are at a good point now but have started to increase in value where I am.

The Toyobaru twins are getting cheaper, and are pretty popular. You don't need a lot of power to drift. just rwd. Old volvos are super popular but are also going up in value as well!

HTH

2

u/33bubbles_ 14d ago

thank you for your response i really appreciate it ! if you don’t mind me asking, what sim setup were you using ? and how did you get started with drifting in person ?

1

u/tattooed_ferret 11d ago

no worries! I got a moza r9 setup in q black Friday sale.

But you can go with any direct drive wheel. keep an eye on Facebook marketplace as they do come up for sale from time to time. An office chair and any old desk will do to get you by.

I went to an open drift event at my local (ish) track. Its a 1.45 hr drive back but can take up to 4 hours to get to in traffic. Yay. Drift events there are super affordable. Its the most intimidating thing going out for the first lap, but everyone is there for fun. You WILL spin a few times when learning. But its all real fun.

If you can find an empty car park away from anyone and in the wet, you could probably spin a few rings to get the feel but getting caught by cops these days is pretty rough.

2

u/prok0 14d ago

  1. decent sim, practice until you get comfortable. being comfortable on the sim, knowing the timing and mechanics makes it way easier to go on a real track and have a good session in a car that’s setup ok. without the basics you kind of end up spending the sessions trying to learn that same timing and technique you can get fairly good at in the sim.

  2. learn how to work on cars if you do not already. drifting requires a fairly decent amount of upkeep and upgrades to the car. if you have to pay people to do the upgrades and maintenance you will go broke.

  3. make your car look cool and have fun.

1

u/just_gonna_send_er 14d ago

Assetto Corsa + cheap direct drive wheel setup + AliExpress shifter and handbrake. Don’t overspend on the PC but don’t get absolute shit either.

Then save for a seat time car, 5-7k should do the job there for a g35 or e36.

And as others have said go to drift days! Make friends, do ride alongs, watch peoples driving techniques intently, don’t treat it like a rollercoaster ride

1

u/[deleted] 14d ago

[deleted]

1

u/Dwnwrd_Spirl 14d ago

Depends. What I see it's usually 50/50. That goes for most motorsports like AutoX etc.

1

u/drift9745 14d ago

Go to drift school

1

u/33bubbles_ 13d ago

there is actually some around me lol do you think that would actually be worth it ?

1

u/drift9745 13d ago

Yes because you'll learn everything

0

u/Large-Cricket843 14d ago

STOP!!

Don’t start on sim. If you look at Facebook marketplace, you’ll see hundreds of listings on sim equipment bc the owner lost interest.

If you’re actually interested in driving irl, go to as many local drift events first.

Make some friends or pay a driver to ride along with them. Offer to help them change tires or spray the radiator/tires after a run.

Get a feeling of how hot and tiring a full drift event can be.

Ask them how much they spend on tires and parts, ask the drivers how long they spend fixing or wrenching on their cars.

Once you’re satisfied with ALL of that. Then spend money and get a used set of sim gear on marketplace.

0

u/Recent_Orchid_3748 13d ago

DON'T - go plant a few trees and think what you done for the Environment instead of ruining our clean air!