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With minimal modifications, this Corvette slides around the track with the best of them.

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El original

So all the effort to have the Corvette stick to the road was for not!?!? Tire's, aerodynamics, low profile, top speed are garbage?

Zappa

I'm thinking the only real benefit is seeing what the suspension is doing...the C5 was soft in the front and rear, my guess is it has a bunch of miles.....another thing is it would help someone to get to know the breakaway point. In this case that oval would be a great learning tool....get in touch with your machine, before you find out,out in the street where conditions aren't favorable, it's how I taught my daughter to drive, out on an old airstrip....it had just enough sand so she could feel it break away and bring it back....great video, will help you set up your suspension, and teach some driving techniques/ coordination for new drivers of all ages.....Thanks Zappa. P.S. The crowd was digging on seeing a Corvette there, the other cars were all reved out to keepem spinning....the Vette medium RPMs...thanks again..

BrandensBeast

Taylor Ray is an awesome youtuber, watch all of his vdeos, that car has 175k miles on it I believe.

The Chev

I agree. Why would anyone do anything to anything. I can't wait till we are ride in self driving cars that look exactly the same. No more loud exhausts, or flashy wheels. There will be no more traffic, and cancer will just go away.

Pretty much anyone that doesn't do what I do, is stupid.




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nullpointer

I watch him too, but I fully expect the car to be hacked together like his Miata. End of the day, if he has fun, that's all that counts.

66dts-v

I put a lot of effort into keeping my tires from spinning because spinning wheels = slower. Drifting looks like a lot of fun, but it goes against everything the Corvette was designed to do.

DGXR

I think any Corvette platform is bad for drifting. First, the short wheelbase makes them prone to spinning once the rear breaks loose. Also the wide tires are good for traction, not good for slipping. Yes the wheels can be swapped out but that would defeat the purpose of having a high performance car.

Something with a longer wheelbase and narrower wheels would be good. My 1992 Thunderbird comes to mind, if only it had more than 140HP

tayloray

Contrary to popular belief, having rear grip is ideal in drifting (assuming you have at least some power) Rear grip gives you much more control over the car, and makes the car faster in drift. The rear grip of the vette is one of the big reason I chose it as my new chassis.

This isn't so important in grassroots stuff except for the ability to keep up in tandem, and the control to really push the car to it's limits, but on a professional level it is absolutely crucial. You will see people running sub 10psi in their rear tires and suspension setup similar to that of a drag car. It's essentially sideways drag racing at this point.

Oh come on, have a bit more faith in me! The miata was never intended to be a big budget all out build. Merely a beater car to take to the track as cost effectively as possible (15's are cheap, tire wear is minimal due to lack of vehicle weight, parts are cheap, etc)

The corvette on the other hand will be a proper build. Will it be the level of an FD spec car? No. But I won't be swapping in junkyard motors either.

The plan is to build a new motor on the side for when the current motor gets past it's prime (soon I assume) to minimize downtime. I plan on doing as much as I can to ensure the oiling system, and cooling systems are up to par. The goal for this car is pure reliability. Overbuilding it in terms of strength, not power. All new suspension bushings, proper dual caliper handbrake setup, Proper aesthetics. I'm going to try to keep the car as "together" as I can.

killian96ss

Can't remember his name right now, but a former world drift champion used a Viper. Rwd, tons of hp & tq with the right tires equals a great drift car. I see no reason why a C5 couldn't be a good drift car?

Steve

friou

The whole drifting thing escapes me! I generally love all motorsports and just about anything with a motor in it, but just don't get drifting. Seems contrary to what a Corvette is all about. But, on the other hand, if we all had the exact same interests and thoughts, it would be a boring world indeed. So, I'm all for all the folks getting out there and having fun! If drifting trips your trigger, go for it and enjoy! Best wishes!

Zappa

If you never practice, what happens when you push her just a little toooo far, or say you hit some clankers oil patch,...maybe that little chuck hole you missed coz you were missing the big one next to it...and before you know it,all you can do is give it a little more gas to straighten her out....you want to be practiced at HOW she acts when your sliding all fours.
I don't like abusing a nice car..... especially when you love her so.....but practice makes perfect......better to be safe then sorry...And let's face it eventually something eventually goes wrong......even if your a pro.....they misjudge sometimes too..I agree it's hard on them to just go out and beat them for the fun of sliding....but there also able to be drivin out of mistakes.....if your good enough....practice will make you a real car guy....or girl....be confident, don't hurt anyone......have fun......Zappa

TrackAire

It was Samuel Hubinette. I got to meet him at a Viper club coral at Sonoma during a Formula Drift event he was competing in. That Viper had a supercharger and huge amounts of suspension work to allow the front wheels to turn almost 90 degrees. The rear tires would just shred and the crew would remove what looked like a small bucket of black corn rows of rubber. Nice guy and his wife was nice too (she also does stunt driving IIRC)

His wife was pretty cute, always a plus when a chick can drive

TGO

I think if you need modifications to slide your Corvette - you're doing it wrong. lol

Forcedvert

Getting cars sideways has always felt fun to me, I was never one for big speed, just acceleration. I like the feel when a car is hooked up also and you can really feel the g force.
Drifting just looks fun as hell to me, I wish I could find an empty lot without islands or light poles to try it without worry of wrapping my car around a light pole or curbing it on an island.A friend of mine has a drone he wants to try and film me, if I ever get a chance to do it I will post video ....as long as it's not too embarrassing.

Forcedvert

Rear gear and a supercharged stroker sure helps out when you have an auto

But I agree they will all slide and I would go so far as to suggest everybody should try it so they know what it feels like and how to correct it when the rear starts coming around.

Zappa

You bet ya.....that's good advice.......I'll bet there's hundreds of wrecked vets out there that had owners that got comfortable and confident with a vetts handling....only to find out that it's only half the equation, truly becoming one with your Machine could save your car and more importantly your life.....I'm sure if any of you look around, you'll find there are tracks like Thunder Hill in California, that have skid pads just for this purpose. Look around.....and take you Vette driving experience to the next level.....Zappa

El original

We white knuckle drift for 6 months (all winter) up here in Canada...on icy roads. It is nice to feel glued to the road surface for a few short months... and we rejoice!

okaythen

How about the cost to drift a C5? Staggered tires so you can't use/rotate the fronts? Anything else? thinking about a C5 z06 and an older miata. Wanna have multip uses to drift it and road course it.

KnightDriveTV

Corvette is an amazing drift car for countless reasons:

1. Great chassis balance
2. LSx already in it (drift is dominated by LS motors in every chassis you can imagine...so why swap when Corvette already has one?)
3. All the body panels are attached with fasteners, versus that of a unibody, which is harder to repair
4. Low entry cost with C5's


It still blows my mind how few Corvettes you actually see at drift, because they are a dominant force. Drift requires high grip, great balance, stiff chassis, etc...and Corvette hands you all that. I think the number of Corvettes at drift events are going to be on the rise.