Drifting for Beginners - How to Drift Your Car in 3 Easy Steps

Drifting for Beginners - How to Drift Your Car in 3 Easy Steps
By James Hendricks

Drifting is becoming more and more popular by the minute. Everywhere we see, on the street and in the stores, drifting is on fire. Ever since drifting busted out onto the mainstream with help from Hollywood movies and with the increase in drifting fans, the surge for wanting to learn how to drift, like they see in the movies has grown rapidly.

Sure drifting looks easy, just drive really fast and get your car sideways and smoke the rear tires. But as you'd know if you've already tried drifting, it isn't as easy as they make it look on the big screen.

Here's a short drifting lesson for beginners. The very basics of drifting. First, here's what you need:

1. You need a car - preferably rear wheel drive.

2. It should be a manual car preferably. Automatics are harder to drift but not impossible.

3. You need to go practice in a wide open area where its legal and safe. Drift days are the place to go.

4. You'll need some spare tires. Obviously.

Now, here's what to do:

1. You want to practice doing circles or donuts in one spot on the donut pad or wide open flat area around a pilon / cone. DON'T go straight to the circuit trying to drift around corners on your first time attempting drift.

Do donuts to the right, then change and do circles to the left. Start with small circles and then get bigger.

2. Once you have mastered the donuts, you can start to use the handbrake and try some 180 degree spins. Set up 2 pilons about 100 feet apart and go up and back doing 180 handbrake turns.

You shouldn't try to drift out of the turns yet, just get used to your handbrake and feeling of the slide of your car. Once you can get it nice and smooth, you can try drifting out of the slide.

NOTE: Keep the handbrake on for longer than a split second. Slide it right around with the handbrake until you're facing the way you want to go then you can power out.

3. Keeping the 2 pilons where they are, you can now try figure-8 drifting around the pilons. Just like you we're doing in the 180 degree spins, use your handbrake to slide it right around and then power out straight, lining yourself up for the other side of the pilon at the other end. Repeat and try to get close to the pilons with your ront bumper as you can - touching the clipping point - just like the pro drift drivers!

Try these beginners drifting tips before you hit the track and total your car. Just like any sports, practice makes perfect and the right training when learning how to drift will keep you and your car safe so you can live to drift another day.

- James is a drifting fan of the highest rank. He loves drifting in Japan and watching drifting dvds [http://DriftDVDs.com] all day everyday. He knows what he's talking about when it comes to drifting. For more drifting info and latest drifting news and goodies, you can check out a couple of places James loves to hang out and drift fans are talking non-stop about http://DriftInJapan.com and [http://DriftDVDs.com] - Have fun, Drift safe.

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