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clint282cc
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yeah another new guy

Post by clint282cc »

aight. ive been into this driftin stuff way before it got mainstream. ive had my lisence for about a year and a half and i got about 14-15 tickets. i actually have 4 in my glove box right now that i have just got in the last month. main reason for the big jump in tickets is cuz i just got my baby. see i use to drive a jeep "still have it" and its all jacked up and offroadin is sweet. but now i got my dodge dakota. its a 2x4 and i love this thing. its already got considerable hp and ive been through 2 sets of tires "i got it in august"

my question is. since my ultimate goal is to get this thing drift ready and dont have ANY money "all goes to the attorney" i need some tips on how to get this thing handlin better. i get alot of oversteer "were the front end pushes right" and its almost sent me into a wall a couple times. i dont have an e-brake or clutch so all i got is throttle. also no rear sway bar.

what can i do to make it have less oversteer, less traction, and easier to keep the tires spinnin? do you think as a temporary thing i could fab up some rear struts? the rear leaf springs are pretty loose and i know i could break the tires loose if it was firmer. but would struts be too much?

sorry this is so long but ive been lookin for answers everywere on the internet and i figured this would be the best place
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CodyW
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Post by CodyW »

:shock:
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CodyW
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Post by CodyW »

ok. so i'm trying to take this a little more seriously now, so here are my suggestions.

1. quit drifting on the streets. there are bound to be some legal events/track days in your area that will undoubtably teach you way more than screwing around in parking lots or on public roads. they will also most definately cost less than tickets, attorney fees, and wrecks. if not, drive to some events. andysapp (the owner of this site) did that for a full season before we had any events in atlanta and got insanely good quite quicky. and yes, i know we all do a little playing on the street sometimes but i can guarantee you'll learn so much faster in a controlled environment with people that know what they're doing helping out.

2. sell the truck, buy a 240/corolla/rx7/miata/old bmw/etc. i know it's cool to be different, but the reality is a truck was made for everything in the world except for drifting, and as a beginner, it's gonna take a hell of a lot of work and skill to get it remotely capable (and even then i'd imagine most sanctioning bodies might not allow it in events).

3. in the event you have to keep it and are determined to try it, might need to understand more what you're talking about. wanting "less oversteer and less traction" sorta contradicts itself, as oversteer is the loss of traction. the car pushing also sounds like you're talking about understeer, where the vehicle doesn't break loose. a rear swaybar will most likely decrease traction even more, which may or may not help you as i'm still not sure what problem you're suffering from. overall, more legal seat time and an automobile designed with some kind of perfomance handling in mind are probably your best bets. sorry if this comes off wierd or rude or whatever, but these are just my thoughts.
clint282cc
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Post by clint282cc »

understeer is what i meant to say. i wasnt sure which was which. and around here... there are no local events. all we got is drag strips. im in northern illinois. winter is commin soon and thats when my jeep and i get the most driftin in when its snowin.

ive gone out with car groups to parking lots and such and everyone just seems kinda slow to me. i dont want to sound like some stupid kid who thinks he knows what hes taklin about because there is alot i dont "like over and understeer lol" but i watch them and think how bad they really are doing. i can control my truckright now great. but since it is a truck and its not set up for it i have to wait till it rains before i can practice. thats why i was askin about what i can do as a temp setup so when i go out to a lot or somthin i can through on my "struts" or w/e

i just bought this truck and i did for a reason. it is different and i think its the sweetet vehicle on the road "for the price" im not about to go buy a corrolla. and the tickets. almost all of them are for stupid reasons when i wasnt payin attention 35 in a 25, 75 in a 55, stop signs and so on. nothin seriouse. trust me if there was a track near here i would be there!!
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Post by down_shift »

To make your truck remotley capable you are going to have to put some cash down. No avoiding it. This is an expensive hobby. Making a vehicle do something it was never intended for is quite a task. These changes are not going to be temporary for "going out to a lot". If your serious do a lot of reading and hit up the dodge forums.

But if all you wanna do is spin donuts just get some cheap rears and have fun.
::::: understeer is definitely a crime - Colin McRae
clint282cc
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Post by clint282cc »

trust me ive been around the dodge forums alot. well if its ganna cost money that just means it cant happen right now. but what small things can i do? and what are the "big changes" that ill have to do? im just lookin for some kind of advice. what can i do to reduce the understeer? HOW CAN I TWEEK MY SUSPENSION?

any advice is appreciated
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CodyW
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Post by CodyW »

read this thread, lots of opinions and ideas (not that they're all great, but gives you something to look at):

http://www.drifting.com/forums/showthread.php?t=378
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Cankles
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Post by Cankles »

hey man what part of nothern illinois you from cause im from st. louis and we do have track nights down here on friday. and i agree if you are going to want to drift the pikup its gonna take alot of changes not only in the suspension but also in the engine and the drivetrain.
clint282cc
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Post by clint282cc »

whats gotta be changed with the engine and drivetrain? i have an lsd and a 392 gear so its pretty decent as is. what kind of changed are you thinging?
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darkducati
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Post by darkducati »

Drop it. Is it a 5.9? If so then you should have plenty of power. Work on the suspension. Maybe tow out the front a little and add some negative camber. Go from there.
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Post by Rhoad Racing »

tire pressure
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Post by down_shift »

sandbags
::::: understeer is definitely a crime - Colin McRae
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liquid aluminum
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Post by revel »

basically i am with cody on this. if you are wanting to learn drifitng- spend like $1000-3000 and pick up an 89-94 240sx, or 85-87 Corrolla GTS, or atleast a RWD mini-truck. then you can go out to local events and beat the living crap out of it and not really care.
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Post by matts13 »

get ride of the big tires and get somthing lower profile so you are not roling on the sidewall as much.
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