Driving tip
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,880
Likes: 4
From: Montgomery Texas
Driving tip
My C4 is a dream when it comes to drifting it through corners but my C6 is a work out. Any tips or secrets to help me out. Please save all the " corvettes are for this or that " not everyone drives the same or is into the same thing. I like to pitch my car into turns like clovers and 4 wheel drift around the whole thing. With my C6 the line between drift and going all the way around is pretty fine and it is greater the faster the speeds.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 2,529
Likes: 3
From: Arlington VA
Ive never gotten a 4 wheel drift out of my GS but its pretty easy to get the rear out if you chop the throttle mid corner. You need to be pulling close to 1g to get it to step out, unless the tires and the road are cold in which case you dont even need to chop the throttle.
The stability control corrects it pretty nicely if you dont know exactly what you are doing, just dont panic on the wheel and it will get you pointed in the correct direction pretty smoothly. You could turn on comp mode if you want to keep the rear hanging out longer or if you have some real stones turn it off ( Im not there yet although Ive had some fun in comp mode )!
Beware I torched all 4 of my tires in 3k miles driving like this, and that includes driving back and forth to the fun roads at a moderate pace.
The stability control corrects it pretty nicely if you dont know exactly what you are doing, just dont panic on the wheel and it will get you pointed in the correct direction pretty smoothly. You could turn on comp mode if you want to keep the rear hanging out longer or if you have some real stones turn it off ( Im not there yet although Ive had some fun in comp mode )!
Beware I torched all 4 of my tires in 3k miles driving like this, and that includes driving back and forth to the fun roads at a moderate pace.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,880
Likes: 4
From: Montgomery Texas
Ive never gotten a 4 wheel drift out of my GS but its pretty easy to get the rear out if you chop the throttle mid corner. You need to be pulling close to 1g to get it to step out, unless the tires and the road are cold in which case you dont even need to chop the throttle.
The stability control corrects it pretty nicely if you dont know exactly what you are doing, just dont panic on the wheel and it will get you pointed in the correct direction pretty smoothly. You could turn on comp mode if you want to keep the rear hanging out longer or if you have some real stones turn it off ( Im not there yet although Ive had some fun in comp mode )!
Beware I torched all 4 of my tires in 3k miles driving like this, and that includes driving back and forth to the fun roads at a moderate pace.
The stability control corrects it pretty nicely if you dont know exactly what you are doing, just dont panic on the wheel and it will get you pointed in the correct direction pretty smoothly. You could turn on comp mode if you want to keep the rear hanging out longer or if you have some real stones turn it off ( Im not there yet although Ive had some fun in comp mode )!
Beware I torched all 4 of my tires in 3k miles driving like this, and that includes driving back and forth to the fun roads at a moderate pace.
I either drive in comp or I turn TC off. I can slide the rear of the car around a turn pretty easy even at high speeds I am trying to 4-wheel drift. Oh well when it comes to tires, I guess I am doing my part to help the economy. Trying to find the sweet spot were the car does not push or slid out is just crazy. I try one thing at a time so I can duplicate. Right now I drive in deep and once I hear the front start is push or feel it I apply my gas to free up the rear.
Pro
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 695
Likes: 0
From: NoVA
I really can't comment as I don't have enough time pushing my C6 but I will say tires make a huge difference. On other cars I have switched tires that went from traction on/off to tires with a very progressive feel.
CF Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 23,313
Likes: 25
From: Tucson Arizona
Get some sticky tires and try to avoid sliding. It's fun but it really isn't conducive to going fast. The only times I've really tried to drift and spin the car around was on a large, wet, paved lot. It was too much fun to be a work out. 
Short of modifying your power-assist steering maybe try the Pfadt control arm bushing kit...I found it made the steering feel a bit 'lighter' to the touch. Be careful...have fun!
Short of modifying your power-assist steering maybe try the Pfadt control arm bushing kit...I found it made the steering feel a bit 'lighter' to the touch. Be careful...have fun!
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,667
Likes: 159
I know that the Michelin tires were VERY controllable from a drift perspective, when I went to the Spring mountain corvette school.
It was unbelievable the difference in car control when you were "on the edge" compared to the goodyears.
They never felt like they would let go, so I found that I could accellerate in the curve (and basically not steer, by slightly drifting), which really improved my lap times.
In one session, I was in a grand sport, and another decent driver was behind me in a ZR1, and he couldn't catch me on the track when I was pushing it by "drifting" slightly.
It was unbelievable the difference in car control when you were "on the edge" compared to the goodyears.
They never felt like they would let go, so I found that I could accellerate in the curve (and basically not steer, by slightly drifting), which really improved my lap times.
In one session, I was in a grand sport, and another decent driver was behind me in a ZR1, and he couldn't catch me on the track when I was pushing it by "drifting" slightly.
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Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,724
Likes: 9
A great way to start may be to start Autocrossing. It may not be an organized drifting organization, but if you haven't yet been to an organized driving event before it will definitely teach you a lot about low speed car control. Once you've started to learn how the balance of the car can be effected by you as a driver you can start to push the boundaries of the car.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 25,009
Likes: 2,707
From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
I know that the Michelin tires were VERY controllable from a drift perspective, when I went to the Spring mountain corvette school.
It was unbelievable the difference in car control when you were "on the edge" compared to the goodyears.
They never felt like they would let go, so I found that I could accellerate in the curve (and basically not steer, by slightly drifting), which really improved my lap times.
...
It was unbelievable the difference in car control when you were "on the edge" compared to the goodyears.
They never felt like they would let go, so I found that I could accellerate in the curve (and basically not steer, by slightly drifting), which really improved my lap times.
...
Non-standard tire sizes, and mixed tires, may produce undesired results.
And generally, the stiffer a suspension is and the more grip the tires/suspension provide, the more sudden will be the breakaway when they finally let go.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,880
Likes: 4
From: Montgomery Texas
A great way to start may be to start Autocrossing. It may not be an organized drifting organization, but if you haven't yet been to an organized driving event before it will definitely teach you a lot about low speed car control. Once you've started to learn how the balance of the car can be effected by you as a driver you can start to push the boundaries of the car.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 772
Likes: 4
From: Ottawa ON
A 4 wheel drift with a Corvette? Is that possible in a controllable way? If your rear end is stepping out way more than the front, you are probably giving it too much throttle, try easing up on the gas a little. Maybe a stiffer front sway bar would help.
An approach would be to try to understeer as much as possible, but not to the point where you're going straight instead of turning. Then, give the throttle a blip to shift more weight in the front, after the weight transfer, give it just enough gas to lose the rear end as well but not so much that it makes you spin out.
It's all theory of course. I have not tried this myself.
An approach would be to try to understeer as much as possible, but not to the point where you're going straight instead of turning. Then, give the throttle a blip to shift more weight in the front, after the weight transfer, give it just enough gas to lose the rear end as well but not so much that it makes you spin out.
It's all theory of course. I have not tried this myself.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,880
Likes: 4
From: Montgomery Texas
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,044
Likes: 9,809
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
The tire setup you have probably has a lot to do with the poor control you are experiencing. The rear tires being drag radials probably have much less handling capability than the R888s. They are straight line tires pure and simple. Get a matching tire on the rear and you will find the car more controllable and you will be able to step it out further while still being able to control the car with the throttle. With my C5Z like T7 at Watkins Glen at full throttle which put the car into a mild 4 wheel drift that I used to counteract the natural tendency for all cars to understeer in that corner. The C6Z rear suspension is a little too stiff to allow me to get on the throttle soon enough due to bumpy pavement leaving the apex of the turn but once I clear the concrete I can roll into full throttle and the back end will start to come around and point me up the straight. You don't have enough steering to hold the back end as far out as the drifters do but that is the slow way around a corner anyways.
You can see in the video how the guy flicks the steering to the left to get the rear to break loose. He probably lets off the gas right then which adds trailing throttle oversteer into the equation and once the rear is out far enough he tromps the throttle and uses it to hold the yaw he wants.
Bill
You can see in the video how the guy flicks the steering to the left to get the rear to break loose. He probably lets off the gas right then which adds trailing throttle oversteer into the equation and once the rear is out far enough he tromps the throttle and uses it to hold the yaw he wants.
Bill
Last edited by Bill Dearborn; Nov 17, 2011 at 05:36 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 940
Likes: 1
From: Long Island NY
I agree with you! I am not a drifter I just like to drift the big clover ramps. As far as driving I push my car past my abilities more than I should which is pretty easy. Pretty much every guy thinks he can drive until he gets on a track and sees just how bad he is. I am 41 one now and I know I need to get some classes.[/QUOTE]
Big clover ramps? Sounds like you're talking about drifting somewhere other than a racetrack, like the street. Watch out before you lock your own thread.
Big clover ramps? Sounds like you're talking about drifting somewhere other than a racetrack, like the street. Watch out before you lock your own thread.
