I understand the drifting team's desire to have a tire sponsorship, but the tire manufacturer wanting to be associated with cars sliding all over the track seems a bit odd.
Falken Tires: When too much traction is a nuisance.
@smalleyxb122: These cars (while kinda silly) all approach or surpass 500hp, so are achieving their tire smoking slides the correct way, by over-powering their traction at high speeds while attempting to hang on by their fingernails to the ragged outside edge of the friction circle. If they didn't have ridiculous level of grip, they would all just being doing 80mph J-turns over and over with their handbrakes, instead of 1/4 mile long high speed slides. At the right track, this stuff can be pretty amazing and very fast.
Falken makes (made?) one of the best street tire class race tires on the market, and made it for half what any of the other manufacturers charged.
@All_Thumbs - R.O.A.C.H.: Please don't misunderstand. I know that prodigious amounts of grip are required to maintain control in these situations, but it's about perception. I knew there were some troll-like implications in my post, but it was really about the fact that when all is said and done, these cars are sliding on dry pavement, and in most situations that doesn't scream "control".
There is something so incredibly cool but so incredibly stupid about drifting and I can't put my finger on it.
Part of me is in awe of the skill and driving that is done by these drivers and cars. Hell, I did a drift burnout this weekend at 25mph and got a bunch of thumbs up. I was even surprised I got the car to snap loose at speed and slid it sideways for as far as I did.
But then there is the other part of me that thinks this isn't a sport at all but a form of just showing off and I am hating that these cars are going around the courses slower then they actually could.
AAAAGGGGHHH, my left side of my brain is fighting with the right side but my lower middle brain is telling me "just go with it"
@lilwillie heart clicks GM: I have a hard time considering anything with subjective scoring a "sport". Much like Freestyle Motocross, it is quite entertaining to watch, so I see its merit as an exhibition. Unfortunately, the time always comes when some guy claims to be the best, and then they have to set up rules and judging guidelines. Then, we wind up with an automotive equivalent of rhythmic gymnastics.
Nice work! That video was pretty cool. Surprising to see that Hyundai logo in there, Rhys Millen didn't place in that race but he did take the same car to pikes peak and set a new record for a 2wd time-attack.
Wings have always been hit or miss in dorifto fashion, but at the speeds these pros hit, there is definitely an aero effect. It then comes down to driver preference.
I do know that the rear suspension geometry on both US generations of 240sx, especially in the S14, is prone to snap oversteer, especially when rolling on and off the throttle and in and out of boost on a larger turbo car. Having extra wing would probably nice to keep the rear end planted and stabilized, especially with excessive slip angles.
@fuzzy plecoroom: Umm, drive a road course with traction at both ends? Seriously, with production values like this, an ordinary HPDE/track day would be entertaining. Probably more so.
Was he trying a handbrake turn in front of 17 year old girls who were too busy texting to even notice he was there and would eventually give him 0 points for it?
That was not Gittin's choice. In fact, the Mustang did it on its own.I have a few theories behind WHY the Mustang chose to do this, which I shall list in no particular order.
1) The Mustang felt itself to be so ugly that it could not stand to live, and attempted to destroy itself so that it would not have to live with the pain and suffering.
2) The Mustang made a show of being jealous of all the light weight Japanese cars, but when you look further down, it was really just depressed and wanted to die.
3) The Mustang is really Australian, and that concrete wall is as close as it comes to a windshield for the Mustang's face.
4) The Mustang has two left rear tires/feet.
5) The Mustang thought it was at a dance club, and tried to do a new move it learned, not realizing that it was in no shape to do so, thus losing its balance and face planting on the floor.
6) The Mustang was set up by Roush.
7) The Mustang was really only doing its job trying to make a new Special Edition Formula Drift Mustang featuring New Lifelike Crash Damaged Bodywork!
8) The Mustang is so heavy that it distorted the pavement such that the corner changed instantly, sending it into the wall.
9) The Mustang saw a mare, and blindly tried to go hump it.
10) The Mustang can only turn for so long before it needs to go straight again.
11) The Mustang was tired of this drifting shit, and put an end to it the only way it knew how... WITH ITS FACE.
Now, there is the possibility that this is neither Gittin's or the Mustang's fault. These theories are presented below in no particular order.
1) Invisible NASCAR.
2) Invisible Yuki Takahashi.
3) Taken over by the spirit of Aryton Senna's car.
Alphamazing promoted this comment
Edited by PowerTryp, Starless wonder. at 07/17/09 2:05 PM
PowerTryp, Starless wonder. was starred
PowerTryp, Starless wonder. was unstarred
@Alphamazing: Since the Mustang isn't ugly, and it's big V8 is more suitable for drifting than turbo-fours, it's not Australian, it can dance pretty well, I'm going to have to go with option #5 and say it has two left tires. What do I win?
Looks like the left front separated from the wheel. Not much you can do in that situation, I'd imagine. It is pretty funny to watch the coil bouncing off the wall, then doing a MJ-worthy spin on the track.
'The Hungarian Drift Community'... really proves that if you can think of it, it already exists and there's a video on the internet to prove it (although i wouldn't want try this theory out with more niche market 'indoor pursuits')...
Nice article Peter (or should that be 'Orosz Petros'?) and cool video.
@GeeHalen: Although my medical diploma says Petrus Orosz, which I find very cool. Not as cool as my dad as Ladislaus Orosz, but still. At least I can pretend to be a very expensive bottle of French wine.
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Falken Tires: When too much traction is a nuisance.
07/20/09
Falken makes (made?) one of the best street tire class race tires on the market, and made it for half what any of the other manufacturers charged.
07/20/09
07/20/09
Part of me is in awe of the skill and driving that is done by these drivers and cars. Hell, I did a drift burnout this weekend at 25mph and got a bunch of thumbs up. I was even surprised I got the car to snap loose at speed and slid it sideways for as far as I did.
But then there is the other part of me that thinks this isn't a sport at all but a form of just showing off and I am hating that these cars are going around the courses slower then they actually could.
AAAAGGGGHHH, my left side of my brain is fighting with the right side but my lower middle brain is telling me "just go with it"
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http://www.ppihc.com/contentx.aspx?tabid=14&xsltfilename=PPIHCRaceDay&xmlfilename=~/Results/PPIHCResultsRaceDay&contentid=258
Now if I could just figure out how to get links to work...
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@r0ver: If they did have spoilers, it's just something they have to pay to replace later.
Although, they have been sighted in the past:
07/20/09
Wings have always been hit or miss in dorifto fashion, but at the speeds these pros hit, there is definitely an aero effect. It then comes down to driver preference.
I do know that the rear suspension geometry on both US generations of 240sx, especially in the S14, is prone to snap oversteer, especially when rolling on and off the throttle and in and out of boost on a larger turbo car. Having extra wing would probably nice to keep the rear end planted and stabilized, especially with excessive slip angles.
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1) The Mustang felt itself to be so ugly that it could not stand to live, and attempted to destroy itself so that it would not have to live with the pain and suffering.
2) The Mustang made a show of being jealous of all the light weight Japanese cars, but when you look further down, it was really just depressed and wanted to die.
3) The Mustang is really Australian, and that concrete wall is as close as it comes to a windshield for the Mustang's face.
4) The Mustang has two left rear tires/feet.
5) The Mustang thought it was at a dance club, and tried to do a new move it learned, not realizing that it was in no shape to do so, thus losing its balance and face planting on the floor.
6) The Mustang was set up by Roush.
7) The Mustang was really only doing its job trying to make a new Special Edition Formula Drift Mustang featuring New Lifelike Crash Damaged Bodywork!
8) The Mustang is so heavy that it distorted the pavement such that the corner changed instantly, sending it into the wall.
9) The Mustang saw a mare, and blindly tried to go hump it.
10) The Mustang can only turn for so long before it needs to go straight again.
11) The Mustang was tired of this drifting shit, and put an end to it the only way it knew how... WITH ITS FACE.
Now, there is the possibility that this is neither Gittin's or the Mustang's fault. These theories are presented below in no particular order.
1) Invisible NASCAR.
2) Invisible Yuki Takahashi.
3) Taken over by the spirit of Aryton Senna's car.
4) Dale Earnhardt
5) Invisible police chase.
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@Skunky: But those never actually worked...
It's like premature ejaculation. There's a lot of effort, but it doesn't really do anything except make the guy look bad.
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FUG's ?
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I saw an Eagle Talon, of all things, the last time I was in Poland.
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Nice article Peter (or should that be 'Orosz Petros'?) and cool video.
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Moar!!!
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