What do you think of the premise that learning to drift is a great way to get in touch with the limits of your car and a way to learn to recover when you go beyond them?

I am looking into burning up a set of tires. Am I crazy?

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2007 Speed Yellow Cayman GT 2.7 (retired)
2008 Guards Red Cayman GT 3.4
"Carpe Cayman"

I'm all in favor, and pushing your car to the limit is the only way to be 100% comfortable in it.

I believe in it for several reasons.

a) It teaches you where the line exactly is
b) It teaches you want to do when you cross the line
c) It teaches you not to be afraid, which increases the chance you will do the right thing.


I don't know how to drift per se but I learned to drive in New Hampshire and slide in the snow a lot. As such, well I do hit water and start to slide, I've been remarkably calm.

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resident comedienne

2006 Cayman S - Speed Yellow, Black Interior, Yellow Seat Belts
Sports Chrono Package, 6 Spd, PASM/PSM, Bi-Xenon headlamps
Carrera S wheels 19" - Conti Sport 2, Colored-crest wheel cap
Auto climate control, Heated seats
PCM 2.1 Nav, Denision ICE-Ipod, Bose Surround
De-snorked, Evo V-Flow

I just wonder how well drifting would work w/ a mid-engine car...I suspect there may be too much weight on the back end to do it well.

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'07 Guards Red Cayman S
'08 Honda Ridgeline RTL
'99 Miata 10th Anniversary Edition
'07 KTM Super Duke 990
'07 KTM 300 XC-W / '06 KTM 450 XC

I have thought that drifting schools might be a good skill to acquire. I am not a fan of drifting as a competition/sport however.

OTOH it seems a Rally course would involve the elements of drifting plus more skills.

So imho a Rally School will teach the most about driving at to beyond the limits and feeling comfy at doing so.

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AFRIDI
Cayman S 2007

Drifting, like drag racing, is a bit silly because it doesn't relate to a car's purpose of quickly going from point A to point B on a variety of roads. However drifting could not help but add to a driver's knowledge of his car's handling.

I didn't know there were rallye schools. Such activity would destroy a lot more of one's car than just the tires.

Wouldn't the cayman be at a disadvantage in drifting due to low polar moment? Yes, it will change direction more readily but to maintain a wildly unstable condition would be more difficult than in a vehicle with the engine front or back?

I learned how to race in a 911, long before drifting was the rage. Streets Of Willow is the kind of track where you need to steer with the back end and sometimes get both ends sliding to turn fast(er) lap times(although they opened the track up a little since then), but a lot of the POC's slalom courses were this way as well. I would argue just getting seat time on these types of courses would be sufficient, or maybe just getting a good instructor to ride a long for the first couple of times to show you how. As opposed to drifting, you're using sliding the car to get around the track faster, so you have to know when to use it, when not to, and how to transition from sliding to hooking up. Like I wrote, I had no previous experience driving a car on a track let alone a 911. It was easy to pick it up, as (at least with me) it's kind of instinctive to throw the car around when you need to, and with the 911 at least, it's easy to get it going and keep it under control, as long as you're either on the gas or on the brakes and never coasting.

I thought drifters didn't need an edumacation.

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Future Cayman S: 56 - Cobalt blue, RA - Cocoa leather, M6C - floor mats, 639 - Sport Chrono, 460 - sport leather steering wheel, 403 - 19" Carrera S wheels, P12 - dimming mirrors and rain sensor, P74 - bi-xenons, 342 - heated seats.

Drifting is largely theatrical. IMO, you'll learn much more about usable driving skills at an autox school or spending time on dry and wet skid pads.

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Dan

I watched a drifting competition on TV a while back. It was pretty entertaining, though I doubt it would keep my attention very long.

Buy some used tires on Ebay to destroy. Don't use new ones.

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Cayman S - a portable amusement park

- 2006 Cayman S
- 2003 Dakota SXT
- 1963 Studebaker Avanti, R2, 4-Speed
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LL

I thought that was only a movie special effect??????

You beat me to the punch commenting on wet/dry skid pads. I'd like to try the skid pads with my car, but I can't seem to find many DEs/events that still have them. Any recommendations?

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"The Cayman doesn't need any more toys." -- My wife

there is a drift school in NH that you use the schools cars. I will find out the name. It is supposed to be awesome.

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Craignyc
Cayman S 2006 - Sold
Boxster 2001 - race car and current track toy.
www.nycs4.com/cayman_track_times.html