RC Drift Cars For Drift Racing

We often get excited when we watch a close car race, or a car chase scene in a movie,, and we imagine what it would be like to drive those cars as they race around the track, or through city streets. A fun way to experience some of this excitement is in racing RC cars, and an especially fun and different form of racing is RC drifting using RC Drift cars. Drift racing is not about speed, but about how good you look, as you drift around corners and the ability to achieve the really cool angles that good drift racer can achieve.

What are RC drift cars?

These are radio controlled cars(usually electric, although nitro cars can also be used) having 4 wheel drive, and PVC or similar compound tiresthat provide minimal traction when compared to conventional rubber tires. The main factors to be considered for drifting are motors, shocks and weight balance. Brushed electric motors are fine, as the higher speeds of brushless motors do not help when it comes to drifting. Shocks should be fairly hard, in order to avoid sway, but not too hard so that the car hops, skips and jumps around. The car should have low center of gravity and the weight in the car should be fairly evenly distributed.

Types of drifting:

There are basically two platforms to understand the basics of drifting. They are 50/50 setup or counter steer setup. In 50/50 setup, the front and rear wheels rotate at the same speed and this gives even distribution and controllable speed to the car. In counter steer setup, rear wheels rotate faster than the front wheels. This type of platform, requires more control and the right balance, and it is for a more advanced level than the 50/50 setup.

RC drifting techniques:

Drift racing is quite different from conventional on-road racing. In drifting, the driver forces their car to slide sideways through a turn, and the skill of drift racing is how well you can control your car, when the tires no longer grip the road. Skilled drift racers are able to make really controlled and cool looking sharp angles as they drift around a corner. Advanced drifters also have races where 2 drift cars are raced around corners in parallel, so both drivers have to execute the turn together and with the same angle so that the cars remain parallel.

Drift racing requires you to learn the fine balance between how the throttle and steering impact the control of the car. This will require some practice. A good place to start is to find a large space of smooth asphalt or concrete, and place a Frisbee, or similar object in the middle. Some exercises you can practice around the Frisbee are:

1. Hold the throttle half way and practice steering around the frisbee – try clockwise and counter clockwise
2. Hold the steering hard to one side, and practise controlling the car and the circumference of the turn by just using the throttle control.
3. Try going straight and entering a turn by briefly releasing the throttle while turning to get the rear to slide, and then counter steer ( ie. In opposite direction) to prevent the car form spinning out. Use your throttle and steering to control the turning radius, and then start returning the steering to a neutral position as you exit the turn.
4. Put another Frisbee or object about 15-20 feet away and practice driving a figure 8 pattern around the 2 objects.

With some practice and more practice, you will learn how your car reacts to the controls, and be on your way to becoming a drift racer.

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