Drift Technique

Wikipedia refers drifting as a driving technique and to a sport based on the technique; this article deals primarily with the sport. A car is said to be drifting when the rear slip angle is greater than the front slip angle, and the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn (e.g. car is turning left, wheels are pointed right), and the driver is controlling these factors.

Heel-Toe Shifting While Drifting Your Car


In the following article we will discuss how to heel-toe(also known as heel-toe shifting) and how it applies to learning how to drift.

First off lets explain what heel-toe shifting is:

Heel-and-toe is a driving technique used in performance driving. It involves operating the accelerator and brake pedals simultaneously with the right foot, while facilitating normal activation of the clutch with the left foot. It is used when braking and downshifting simultaneously (like when going around a turn), and allows the driver to "blip" the throttle to raise the engine speed and smoothly engage the lower gear.(From wikipedia.org)

Why is this drifting technique so important?
As you approach a corner, you are generally in a higher gear accelerating toward the corner. As you enter the corner you are breaking and reducing your speed.If you keep reducing your speed but stay in the higher gear, you wont be in the correct gear to give you the best acceleration out of the corner (or in the case of a drift, you wont have the power to keep your tires spinning through the corner)

Using heel-toe you can keep your car in its "power band" which basically means you have the maximum power throughout the whole corner. Ok so you are probably convinced that heel toe shifting is something you should know how to do. Heel toe shifting is a fundamental part of drifting your car. If you are a beginner, this is one of the drifting instructions that you will need to practice a lot before really learning to drift your car.

When you are practicing your first REAL drift, knowing how to heel-toe is going to be very helpful. And unlike drifting, heel toe is quite safe to practice. IF you are serious about drifting, then this is a good place to start. The site Car Drifting Explained at http://www.cardriftingexplained.com is an excellent resource on finding all of the drifting techniques. So get out there and try it using the following instructions:

You can practice this technique practically anywhere. You don’t have to be going fast to do it.

1) While you are approaching a corner begin braking
2) Continue braking while you turn
3) Push the clutch in
4) Use the side of your foot to press down the accelerator so that your engine revs up.
5) Shift into a lower gear (in your case you'll probably be going from 3rd to 2nd) and at the same time, you slide your foot off the brake and on to the accelerator.

TIP: Try to time the downshift so it matches the point where you would normally start accelerating through the corner.

VIDEO: Watch this video to get an explanation of what a heel-toe shift is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJAP6IHVh18

That’s all it takes! Keep practicing, and good luck!

**Disclaimer** We do not condone dangerous or unsafe driving. Always wear your seatbelt, always obey the speed laws and other local traffic laws. IF you smash up your car it is not our fault.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sumeet_Sodhi

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