How to Stiff My Car for Drifting

Drifting setup is the difference between winning and loosing.

All motor sport requires a very specific car set up but most are geared towards generating speed and grip. A drifting setup is geared toward a certain balance rather than the maximum grip level. Drifting requires precision, style and a very specific car setup. Maximum control comes from a very stiff setup, and with drifting maximum control and maximum stiffness means a maximum chance of winning. You can also tune the stiffness to balance the car and make it very easy to drift.

Instructions

1. Mount a sway bar between the top of the rear suspension mounts. This will stiffen the chassis at the rear and help the car break loose a little more easily. The thicker the bar, the more it will stiffen and the more easily the back will break loose. Be careful not to overstiffen, as this will make it difficult to keep the back end under control.

2. Increase the diameter of the anti-roll bar. The anti-roll bar anchors the bottom of the left suspension to the bottom of the right suspension. The larger the diameter of the anti-roll bar, the less roll will be allowed and the stiffer the car will be.

3. Increase the stiffness of the rear shock absorbers. Some shocks have adjustments for stiffness, but most stock shock absorbers have to be replaced with more advanced models to allow adjustment.

4. Adjust the springs on the car. The stiffer the springs, the less roll they will allow and the stiffer the car will be. Springs can only be adjusted by replacing one with another, so choose carefully and make sure the spring and the shock absorber are well matched. Badly matched springs and shocks can have disastrous effects on the handling.

References

• Driftlock: Drift Equipment
• Torque Cars: Drift Car Setup and Tuning a Drift Car