How to Build a Drift Car: A Step-by-Step Guide
Who doesn’t love to have a drift car? This hobby indeed demands a handsome amount in maintenance and repairs but you don’t need to purchase any fancy car for drifting. It’s possible to turn a normal car into a drift car only by knowing how to build a drift car.
How to Build a Drift Car: A Step-by-Step Guide
What makes a car a drift car? Well, for drifting, a car has to have a front engine, a locked differential, and a rear-wheel-drive layout.
The process of building a drift car consists of 7 steps. These are:
Choosing the right car
Not every car qualifies for becoming a drift car. Hence it is crucial to choose a vehicle that can perform drifting effortlessly on tracks. Usually, cars that are lightweight and rear-wheel-drive with manual transmission are the most suitable ones.
Reduce the car weight
Drifting a heavy car is troublesome. Therefore, the next thing to do is to lessen the car weight. Remove any unnecessary parts like interior panels, rear seats, speakers, center console, and other accessories except for the handbrake, gear stick, steering, and dashboard gauges. During this process, it is also a good idea to get rid of all types of in-car entertainment systems to avoid any distractions.
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Engine/Transmission run
After the weight reduction, check if both engine and transmission are working in sync and offering optimal performance. Depending on the power/torque you need to generate on this drifting car, tune the car engine.
Install a strong clutch
Clutches play a crucial role in drift cars. Install heavy duty-clutches for drifting, as leather-like materials wear off quickly during heavy-duty tasks.
Installing LSD or welding them
As drifting cars require both rear wheels to rotate at the same speed all through the ride, install LSD (Limited Slip Differential) on your differentials. Also, you can weld the differentials if you find that easier to do.
Hydraulic handbrakes installation
Using the hydraulic handbrakes, drivers can lock up the rear wheels at a speed faster than the in-built cable system. These brakes also make rear-wheel locking and sideway car swing effortless.
Installing roll cages
For any drift car, roll cage installation is a must. This external framework helps to stiffen the chassis. It also protects the drivers (given they wear a helmet) even when there is damage in the car body.
Installation of coilover suspension
Drift cars need stiff suspensions for maintaining ground balance during car glide. Therefore, Coilover is the best type of suspension for these vehicles.
Drifting a car is all about changing directions, and this suspension keeps weight transfer to the minimum during direction change by increasing roll stiffness and reducing the center of gravity.
Increase the steering angle
While steering on a drift car, drivers need a wider angle. It is only feasible when there is an increased steering angle.
A manual process or the drift angle conversion kit is a popular approach to extend the steering angle.
Final Words
Now that you know how to build a drift car, begin the straightforward process. This procedure is time-consuming and costly, but with skills and patience, one can seamlessly turn a car into a drift car.
