Remote Control Car Drifting
Is Controlled Chaos at 1/32nd

Remote Control car drifting is chaotic. I caught the movie The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift on TV last week and have been wondering if there are any RC car racers drifting. A quick Google on RC Car drifting brought up several YouTube videos savingme a trip to Singapore where RC drifting has its own Fast and Furious following.

Flame Your Model For Excitement

This video lays it out pretty clearly, but it still left me with questions.

For the answers on how to drift a radio controlled car I turned to Lee Brain, an expert in the field of RC cars.

Still wondering how to drift? A fantastic trick that pays homage to original RC car drifting video products made a few years ago in Japan, the real thing most drivers want to know is just how to drift! It's a complicated trick with one advantage: it gives the car the ability to take sharp, experienced corners without losing speed. The effect is to make the whole car look as if it's taking the corner completely sideways, since the wheels are turned horizontally and the body remains parallel to the straightaway. The trick takes a lot of experience, and there are five essential tips to consider when imitating those videos and learning how to drift:

Tip #1: You will need an RC car that has 4 wheel drive to imitate the videos properly
Tip #2: Electric RC cars are better than nitro for those with less experience
Tip #3: Smooth tires are necessary when learning how to drift
Tip #4: Make sure your transmission is well sealed
Tip #5: The track must be low-friction

Four wheel drive is necessary when you are figuring out how to drift. Without this element of control, your car won't slide the way it is supposed to, and it may well flip during the experience. Learning how to drift takes time, so savour the experience. Electric RC cars won't break down while you're learning how to drift. Invest in one of these and your experience levels will match those videos soon enough.

Special tires need to be made or bought so that the car can slide properly when you learn how to drift. You can buy or make your own from PVC or ABS pipes, or simply use rubber tires wrapped up in electrical tape - experience and money are generally factors in this decision. Experience the videos and check out what tires they've used.

Figuring out how to drift causes a great deal of dirt and dust to be picked up off the track and fly around - some tracks don't allow it for this reason. As regards to your car, you should seal up the transmission tightly so that this grit doesn't get into the works and wear down the engine. Don't ruin the experience with too much grit, learn how to drift without wrecking your car.

Lastly, remember that the drifting experience only works with a low-friction track or with a high powered car (preferably nitro) that won't lose speed on a sticky surface.

Happy Drifting!

Here are my pic ks for 1/32nd RC Racing Starters