Slide into Success with an RC Drift Car

RC Drift Car Essentialssuspension characteristics to make the car drift.
Have you ever seen a car chase in a movie whereHowever, a car will lose traction easier with a stiffer
one car slides sideways while taking a high-speedsuspension. So, if you want to experiment with
turn? Or, have you ever driven on a slick road, andobtaining a firmer suspension, you can purchase stiffer
panicked when your wheels lost traction and yoursprings and/or replace the oil in the shock absorbers
vehicle started sliding sideways? In today's RC Carwith a "heavier" grade oil.
world, these scenarios describe drifting, which is the artMotor
of making the entire car go sideways without losingRC cars with stock motors don't have what it takes
control. This new, challenging driving skill has made thefor drifting. If this is the case with your car, you'll need
RC Drift Car one of the most popular cars in the RCto upgrade the engine. In doing so, look for a balance
world.between speed and torque (acceleration power).
In preparing for this hobby-gone-competition, it's goodWhen choosing what to buy, remember the lower the
to know that you can buy RC cars which are alreadynumber of engine turns, the higher the rate of speed.
set up for drifting, such as the Sprint 2 Drift car fromFor example, a modified, high-performance 17-turn
HPI, or you can customize any 4 wheel drive (4WD)motor will deliver the right amount of speed and torque
on-road, touring type car. Below are the basic RC driftto get those tires spinnin' and keep 'em spinnin'! At
car set-ups, plus some additional options you can try.about $40, it's a good, cheap upgrade to make your
Why Modify?regular car into a drift car.
A 4WD RC car is a necessity in order to get the frontDrive Train (optional)
and rear ends to drift (go sideways), and to preventBecause the limited -slip action on cars attempts to
looping (360 degree turn). Electric RC cars arecancel one of the tires from spinning,another option to
preferable because of their lighter weight and motorachieve drifting is to lock up the front and rear
durability whereas Nitro RC cars are more likely todifferential gears. To keep the gears from slipping (all 4
suffer damage due to over-revving the motor whenwheels spinning), take a small piece of paper towel,
the wheels start spinning.wad it up and stuff it in the front and rear differentials.
TiresThis little trick has the effect of making a 4WD into an
RC drift cars sold today use special hard-rubber tiresAWD (all wheel drive), which gives longer lasting drift
that lose traction easier than normal tires. However,performance.
because these tires are a bit expensive, many haveHow to Drift
looked to a popular and cheaper alternative to tires byNow that you have either purchased an RC drift car,
using PVC pipe around the wheels to achieve theor modified an existing 4WD, you're ready to roll! Test
same drifting. To do this, cut 4 pieces of pipe of to theyour drifting skills by taking a turn at high speed. As the
width of the wheels. Using a vise around two boards,rear tires lose traction, steer the car into the skid and
press the pipe onto the outside of the wheel. In additionthe front tires will pull the front end in the same
to less cost, PVC also outlasts the hard drift-car tires.direction. Remember, the primary goal is to keep from
Note: whether you choose to purchase hard tires orlooping the car. When you master the technique, the
use customized PVC tires, you must alter all 4 wheelsnext challenge is to keep the car in a drift for as many
in order to achieve drifting.feet as possible. Some of the best drivers have
Suspension (optional for most cars)recorded 30 foot drifts! So, get your motor runnin'...now
Most RC cars come out of the box with adequateit's your turn!