Best cheap way to try drifting?

[markbt73]

A new hobby shop opened recently in our local mall, and in the back they have set up a carpet track. Well, not a track, in the traditional sense; more of a "drift park." A large, carpeted, multi-level playground for on-road cars, primarily aimed at the drifters. The shop specializes in the Chinese RTRs (Exceed, Red Cat, brands like that), and they have a few drift cars available for rent for $10 per pack. But you can also bring your own vehicles, and they're talking about having competitions at some point in the future.

I never really got the drifting thing before, but I spent a little while watching them last time I was in there... and now I want to try it. But I don't currently have a touring sedan; I sold them all ages ago, since I don't have a big enough paved area to really let them loose. And my only 4WD vehicle that isn't a crawler is a Fire Dragon with dodgy gears, which might work, but it will look awfully silly with drift tires on it.

So, my question to the drift gurus on here is: which touring chassis make the best drifters? New or used; I want to keep it cheap (as far under $150 as I can go). I already have all the running gear I could possibly need, and I hate RTRs, but a used car that was already assembled would be fine. I know about the TT01D, and I'd heard that the old TA03F works well (I'm guessing because it's light in the rear); are there others I should be on the lookout for, Tamiya or otherwise? And what do you really need to set the car up for it? Just tires?

I plan to rent a car next time I'm there just to try it, but my driveway is calling as well...

[taliesin]

You can drift about any 4wd touring car by just adding a set of drift tires. Avoid the Tamiya "D" drift tires like the plague though; they are lousy for low speed drifting and have way too much grip. You will be disappointed and give up on drifting if those are your first experience - it happened to me. I gave it another shot though with proper tires, and it's really quite fun. Try these instead: http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=54021 I've been very happy with them and the price is dead cheap right now. HPI super drifts work a treat as well.

Ultimately you may want a high rpm motor that still has decent torque [brushless can be ideal here], improved steering, locked diffs, lights, etc. but for now just try a regular touring car and some drift tires. If you like it from there, it's nothing but improvement from there.

Oddly enough I've found a cheap TL-01 chassis with stock gears and a decent motor is surprisingly good to drift with. Can't even count the number of reasons why that shouldn't be the case, but it was a way to have fun with a $30 car and a set of drift tires. Now I am in the process of building a dedicated drift car out of a TT-01 with lots of power, locked diffs, improved steering, cool body, etc. [when I get around to finishing it is another story, but we won't go there....] I'm also going to convert a TC-4 with a brushless into a locked up drifter someday. [when I get around to it....]

A stock TT-01 is probably fine although I thought it needed the diffs locked up and oil shocks are an absolute must. The TT-01D is a better choice if you can find a good deal on one. I also tried a bone stock TB-02 and it was very good right from the box with an RR super stock motor. I think TA-03 was the one that got good reviews as a drifter if memory serves.

I tried drifting with a buggy and it was lame. I saw a cool video of a topforce with sparkler drift wheels and thought it was cool though. Guy must have had a ton of motor in it though because I tried a gravel hound and a fire dragon and they just were lame. Who knows - gearing maybe? Weight balance?

[VagabondStarJXF]

Getting an old TL01 and some ABS or PVC drift tyres would probably be the cheapest option. My nephews had TL01s and they were all bone stock and fitted with ABS tyres. They drifted quite nicely. It's been a while since I tried drifting my TA03 but, from what I remember, it drifted as well as the TL01 did. It was before I rebuilt it with dual motors though so I'm not sure how it'd handle drifting now. You could probably pick up a TA03 quite cheap aswell. My favorite for drifting is the TA04. I find the balance of the chassis is nice and even. I've built a couple just for drifting (fitted with HPI drift tyres, locked rear diffs, etc.) and the only gripe I have is the amount of dust that covers the inside of the chassis. I seriously need an undercowl or something because cleaning the dust off everything afterwards is a pain.

Whichever chassis you go with just remember to have fun and that, as with most things, drifting takes a little practice to get right, drifting well takes a lot of practice to get yourself consistent, and drifting like a pro takes a lot more practice and dedication than you'd think. Natural talent might help aswell but since I don't have any of that so I can't confirm if it does!

[merckx]

i have a tb evo 3 that i drifted for a while. i really liked it. i quite like having a bit of weight in the car itself, it seems to hold slides nicely and change direction predictably. a spool in the rear does help quite a lot, but not totally necessary. tyres are the real key as mentioned. my fave are HPI T Drift slicks. heaps of motor is ideal too. i ran a novak 8.5, it was good, heaps of grunt. a 6.5 would probably be better still. its more fun if you can heaps of power on tap.

[Static Age]

Definately worth the time locking the rear diff, makes a big difference. That & set of decent drift tyres as mentioned above & you are away.

If you decide you like drifting then you can keep modding the car to suit. Having the dampers set up very hard helps, stops body roll & makes the car break away when you flick it into corners. Some chassis can be modified to gain extra steering lock, though without proper universal shafts you may find you will throw out a dog bone when cornering with power on.

I use a sport tuned motor but I know a few people with well set up cars who drift with a stock silvercan.

Just fitted a front one way diff unit to my car & it really helps with the tighter drifts, alows you to handbrake turn the car too.

[djmcnz]

Can you put a front one-way in the Fire Dragon?

If so I'd do that, lock the rear diff (or fill it up) and use some PVC on the rear wheels (leave the fonts as they are).

That'll drift! Big time. And pull straight instantly with throttle.

[qatmix]

You have been describing 50/50 drifting which is the old way that drifting was done. It's good fun and as mentioned a cheap TL01 or TT01 would be fine with a locked rear diff and slippy tyres. This style is more like rally as you just kick the end out and then ease of the steering and drift aroun.d

Counter steer is the new way of drifting and is much more realistic (and fun) as it is much closer to real life drifting. To do this you need to change the front and rear drive ratios. The TA05 is one of the most popular cars for this style of drifting. With counter steer you always have to keep steering against the drift much like the real cars.

[Panther]

I've been trying to drift my Porsche GT2 on the TA03RS chassis and it seems to be working OK in the local sports hall. The only modifications I have made have been larger diameter tyres on the rear and smaller ones up front so that the back end is always a bit loose. Having read this thread I might try and get a dedicated drift car, it is good fun!

[Static Age]

Can you put a front one-way in the Fire Dragon?

If so I'd do that, lock the rear diff (or fill it up) and use some PVC on the rear wheels (leave the fonts as they are).

That'll drift! Big time. And pull straight instantly with throttle.

I think you will find it just spins around in circles.

[Static Age]

You have been describing 50/50 drifting which is the old way that drifting was done. It's good fun and as mentioned a cheap TL01 or TT01 would be fine with a locked rear diff and slippy tyres. This style is more like rally as you just kick the end out and then ease of the steering and drift aroun.d

Counter steer is the new way of drifting and is much more realistic (and fun) as it is much closer to real life drifting. To do this you need to change the front and rear drive ratios. The TA05 is one of the most popular cars for this style of drifting. With counter steer you always have to keep steering against the drift much like the real cars.

Changing the front to rear ratios isnt essential, but does work well. Been managing counter steer drift with both diffs locked, though now with a front one way its even better.

[markbt73]

Thanks for all the replies. I knew I was going to regret giving that old TL01 to the neighbor kid a few years ago...

Anyway, it occurs to me I do have another option: a new built but never run CC01 Pajero. I might try throwing some drift tires on it and see what it does. It already has a locked rear axle...

[TamiyaVancouver]

Thanks for all the replies. I knew I was going to regret giving that old TL01 to the neighbor kid a few years ago...

Anyway, it occurs to me I do have another option: a new built but never run CC01 Pajero. I might try throwing some drift tires on it and see what it does. It already has a locked rear axle...

I found myself in the same situation as you. I watched for deals on a TT01D kit and the cheapest I could find was about $180 US inlcuding shipping. I would need to add a receiver minimum to get it running and the receiver compatible with my radio is about $50. For $20 more I opted for a RTR Associated TC4. This stung me a bit because I love Tamiya and the build is about 75% of the fun for me. However, the TC4 is a much better car than the TT01 and is fully adjustable. I can take off the drift rims/tires I bought throw the on road tires back on and race semi competitively if I want. The TC4 can also handle ridiculous power with few hopups and due to the adjustable suspension geometry, is much better out of the box in every aspect than the TC4.

*edit*

Also, because the TC4 came RTR I kept the AM radio/receiver it came with for a project for my 2.5 year old. Him and I are going to build a Holiday Buggy together for his thrird birthday (he doesn't know this yet). You could easily flip it for approx $35 US to offset the cost.

Just my $.02

Mark