Dear Chris Harris - Does it need to drift?

Dear Chris Harris - Does it need to drift?

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Discussion

kbird

Original Poster:

1,036 posts

206 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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Hi Chris, you're top bloke; we've met couple of times with RMA at the 'Ring and in the Tiergarten bar after where we've gassed on about motors, so I have a question; why does it matter if it will drift?

You, Sutciffe, Needles, Clarkson et al, make a living from a practice that is impossible for the average PH'er to replicate. It seems every test has a prerequisite of will it drift, why?

On joining PH your reasoning was the overall motoring experience; new, second hand, modified, whatever, so a chap looking at a manual 456M will not have drifting at the top of his list of must haves just the ownership experience

When I open each month's Evo I go straight to Fast Fleet for an update on the ownership experience and from memory I can't recall a single mention on the drifting ability of any car

If you run a car at a track day and start drifting you'll be thrown off. If you compete and try it during a race you'll be slow, try it on slowing down lap and you'll look an idiot. Try it on the road and you'll be done for dangerous driving

So who drifts? Other than muttering rotters, no one. Its totally irrelevant, check this out; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ2CzeyCss0 a Car Mag drifting tutorial on a deserted track using a current M3 fitted with E46 M3 front wheels and tyres on the rear so it will drift, why?

You fitted space savers to a C63 so it would drift, again why?

I use a E90 M3 everyday which is without question the best car I've ever owned, number of times drifted; zero.

So tyre smoking drifting vids are just vanity and nothing to do with the ownership experience. Is it time to stop?

Cheers

Kevin






Dave Hedgehog

14,541 posts

203 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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poowwwwwahhhhhh sliding bores the hell out of me

except the merc on space savers that was fun

anonymous-user

53 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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kbird said:
I use a E90 M3 everyday which is without question the best car I've ever owned, number of times drifted; zero.
My God, you really are missing out on one of the best cars ever made wrt to getting a little bit of positive yaw out of a corner. I'm not talking about massive 45deg sideways in a cloud of smoke type drifting (but it will if you can afford the tyres!) but making the most of a brilliant rwd chassis ;-)



(I agree however, just "drifting" is pointless, although it looks good in magazine pics trying to make an otherwise boring cornering shot come to life a bit.)

rottie102

3,993 posts

183 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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kbird said:
I use a E90 M3 everyday which is without question the best car I've ever owned, number of times drifted; zero.
So why are you slating something you have no experience of? Maybe instead of moaning on the internet just book yourself a driftday and see how much fun going sideways can be? Also you'll see how much about car control and quick reactions you'll learn in one day.

also, just to clarify - one powerslide doesn't make you a drifter. Any monkey (see what I did here? wink ) can do it. Now going continuously sideways through multiple corners is where the difficulty begins and that's what's drifting is all about. Try it yourself and you'll see how much skill is required.

I'm not even going to comment on : "So who drifts? Other than muttering rotters, no one. Its totally irrelevant" because that just makes you look silly, considering the growth, popularity and money involved in international drifting leagues. I would even say that drifting is already more popular than rallying.

Edited by rottie102 on Sunday 22 January 19:35

denniswise9

539 posts

156 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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rottie102 said:
Now going continuously sideways through multiple corners is where the difficulty begins and that's what's drifting is all about. Try it yourself and you'll see how much skill is required.

Edited by rottie102 on Sunday 22 January 19:27
This.

Aphex

2,160 posts

199 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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dvs_dave

8,581 posts

224 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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Drifting is fun but does anyone here actually ever intentionally drift their car on a public road?

MartyPubes

900 posts

158 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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I agree it's pointless, but it's no more pointless than 90% of the stuff all feature magazine car reviews are full of.

HorneyMX5

5,308 posts

149 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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dvs_dave said:
Drifting is fun but does anyone here actually ever intentionally drift their car on a public road?
Never. whistle

hairykrishna

13,159 posts

202 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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kbird said:
I use a E90 M3 everyday which is without question the best car I've ever owned, number of times drifted; zero.
Never? Never had a bit of cheeky sideways action on a deserted, wet, roundabout? Never slid it through a well sighted curve?

Why on earth not? It's quite good fun you know.

0a

23,879 posts

193 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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I like the way the OP addresses the question only to Chris Harris!

Davey S2

13,075 posts

253 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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A. It's fun

B. it looks good in pictures

C. It's a good test of a cars chassis and power

D If you can do it (and don't have to pay for your own rubber) then flaunt it.


Alfanatic

9,339 posts

218 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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Because it's fun. D-uh.

I've always equated a tendency to be easy to oversteer without threatening to spin to be a sign that a car has good adjustable balance, but I'll happily concede that this was more useful information for me on wide, empty, well sighted South African roads that I started driving on than on the narrow tree-and-ditch-lined blind bends and tall hedges that dominate the UK's busy roads.

So yes, with regards to relevance, I'd agree that a car's over-the-limit performance is somewhat anecdotal in the UK... but try a drift day if you want to see why car testers with access to private tracks value driftability so highly: because it's bloody good fun, and frankly, if a journalist isn't looking for the pleasure in driving, testing sportscars isn't for them.

RWD cossie wil

4,295 posts

172 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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You might as well sell the M3 & buy a people carrier! Hand in your PH membership on the way out..

DanDC5

18,748 posts

166 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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You have to question why someone would buy an M3 and then question the point of drifting? Surely a normal petrolhead would go and give it a go and find out.


Your taxi is waiting outside by the way.

P I Staker

3,308 posts

155 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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Aphex said:
Look at all those cars with broken suspension, they cant even go in a straight line! rolleyes




biggrin

Nedzilla

2,439 posts

173 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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I used to do it all the time in my sapphire cozzy.........but then i grew up.

P I Staker

3,308 posts

155 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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Nedzilla said:
I used to do it all the time in my sapphire cozzy.........but then i got boring and started wearing cardigans.
EFA biggrin

kbird

Original Poster:

1,036 posts

206 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
quotequote all
I'm not slating genuine drifting just the presumption that a good can only be so it it drifts

I use the M3 on track and it moves around but not tyre smoking nonsense

I also race a 130i so car controls not alien to me, I just can't understand that testing a road car must include an irrelevant drift

Who on here drifts their car on the road intentionally?

DanDC5

18,748 posts

166 months

Sunday 22nd January 2012
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Not sure on here but I know at couple of people who have the odd play on quiet wet roundabouts late at night.