Anybody into drifting their NSX?
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Drifting the NSX
- Thread starter Russ
- Start date
I hope no one is. 
Go buy a beat up Nissan 240 for that.
Go buy a beat up Nissan 240 for that.
EASY ANSWER:The NSX is not meant for drifiting. If you watch drifting you will see the cars are almost exclusively front engine/rear wheel drive. Mid or Rear engine cars are not well suited to drifting, nor would front wheel drive. Drifting AWD cars might be possible, but I doubt in the normal way, since they would not generate much tire smoke with the front end hooking up and pulling the car back straight again.
Keichi Tsuchiya seems to think the NSX drifts pretty well
Cambo said:Keichi Tsuchiya seems to think the NSX drifts pretty well
He's the exception, not the rule.
Ncturnal said:He's the exception, not the rule.
Exactly what I was going to say. I do not see Rhys Millen, Sam Hubinette, et al. lining up to buy used NSX's for competition, and I could be wrong, but I think the drifiting I am thinking of is different than JGTC racing where he was known for this.
Waiting for member Type Turbo to chime in
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I did mine few times in the rain in huge parking lot.
Probably around 40-45 mph drift, nothing very fast.
IMO, I think the NSX is a pretty good drift car, but its harder to break the rear end free due to the extra rear traction b/c of MR setting.
But if you don't do it right, you'll probably end up snap spin the NSX.
haven't try it on dry pavement, but I would expect a higher speed to achieve a successful drift.
hehe, maybe I should film it next time I do it and post it on the prime!!
Probably around 40-45 mph drift, nothing very fast.
IMO, I think the NSX is a pretty good drift car, but its harder to break the rear end free due to the extra rear traction b/c of MR setting.
But if you don't do it right, you'll probably end up snap spin the NSX.
haven't try it on dry pavement, but I would expect a higher speed to achieve a successful drift.
hehe, maybe I should film it next time I do it and post it on the prime!!
The same question has been answered multiple times here (with some interesting pictures too) - I recommend a search.
That's the kind of feedback I was hoping for. Drifting an NSX is trickier than in other cars, but that's the point, a little drifting practice with your tool of choice can only improve your overall car control skills. Besides, it's fun.
And who cares about Ferraris? Most Ferraris barely get driven, let alone drifted.
And who cares about Ferraris? Most Ferraris barely get driven, let alone drifted.
freelance201 said:
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Time to chime.....Acura NsX Pilot said:Waiting for member Type Turbo to chime in
I always had this notion that the NSX was undriftable, unless it was done by someone like Keichi Tsuchiya in his NSX-R (which he crashed).
My stubborness to believe that my NSX could be drifted was laid to rest at Beaver Creek Race track in PA a couple of months ago when I let Dan Lopez (of Teckademics) take my car for a spin on the track. At first he had a little bit of trouble getting the tail to break loose (I forgot to turn off the TCS). But once I hit that button and we got up to speed, he got my car sideways like I've never experienced. I knew if anyone can get my car sideways in a controllable manner, it would definately be him. Dan can drift anything on four wheels (ie: minivan, pickup truck, golf cart, shopping cart
, etc.). All in all, it was an experience. Nevertheless, now that I know my NSX can be drifted, I'm not going to attempt to try it myself. Dan promised me lessons in his drift prepped S14 when it's up and running. :biggrin:
I would like to take my NSX to a driftday event someday. This is a good way to learn the limit of your car in a very safe and legal enviroment.
As the car is setup now with Tanabe and Koni at full soft setting 215 Frt and 245 rear, I feel a lot of understeer. Good opportunity to tune the balance
As the car is setup now with Tanabe and Koni at full soft setting 215 Frt and 245 rear, I feel a lot of understeer. Good opportunity to tune the balance
Russ said:
I guess if you are willing to spend extra money fixing the car if things go wrong then more power to you.
It's just like the folks who take the NSX to 1/4 mile races, if you have the budget to keep replacing clutches left and right then that's fine, otherwise it's a stupid way of spending a lot of money on the car forcing the car to do something that it was never intended to do.
You can probably learn as much about car control by taking any car to an empty country road with dirt as your surface and sliding the car around, or taking a car to an empty parking lot when it's raining and doing the same.
I would not attempt drifting a car on the track without the car having a roll cage, unlike sliding a car in the rain or on a country road the car can roll over if the tires catch. Seen plenty of pictures of people rolling cars at auto-x's at low speeds.
Just my 2cents.
Russ said:
Umm.....no, not me.
Russ said:
Practice is a must....I practiced on rain soaked parking lots and in the SNOW (yes, I said snow) and that was pretty fun. I only did it to learn some car control and then stopped as I did not want to damage my car.
(P.S.--The picture above was from a course where there was a high speed turn that for some reason was easier for me to take while drifting. I do not make a habit of dry pavement moves like that in my NSX. I love my cars too much for that.)
Yes you can drift in an NSX, I have. Is it smart...NO! Best way to drift is to use clutch kick which kills your stock clutch FAST. Besides all the reasons listed above hear are some more reasons to do it in another car Tire wear- without a 2 way L.S.D you will burn your right rear tires much faster then your LR. My tires for my NSX cost more than for my Nissan.
Angle-in order to get serious you want more turning angle in your front wheels. You'll need to custom fab some tire rod ends and spacers for that and tub out the fenders for clearence.
There are more reasons but basicly you don't want to drift a car that is expensive or one that does not have the parts backing it up.
Angle-in order to get serious you want more turning angle in your front wheels. You'll need to custom fab some tire rod ends and spacers for that and tub out the fenders for clearence.
There are more reasons but basicly you don't want to drift a car that is expensive or one that does not have the parts backing it up.
NSX:
Low polar moment of inertia = bad drift car
Low polar moment of inertia = bad drift car
Low polar movement??? sounds like good for 4 wheel drifts
No, movement is something different than moment.JDM JUNKIE said:
can you tell me the difference, I'm unfamiliar with the concept.NSX-Racer said:
Thanks
Nobody has mentioned the danger of excessive force on a soft and unforgiving metal. Aluminum can not take the abuse (especially repeatedly) of drifting. Prepare to see things break on the NSX that would normally not break under the same drifting conditions. Cross beams go snap in a jiffy.
If you talk about possible crashes you're certainly right. But besides that I wouldn't be too afraid about damages to the suspension or the chassis because I doubt that drifting (that you usualy not do with race slicks) stresses these parts more than clean track driving with race slicks (which I do since 7 years and many thousand miles). The possible g forces here are way higher than when you drift the car with street tires.
And at least my '98 cp. had a lot less problems than any other car with comparable history my mechanic had in his shop (mostly Porsches and BMWs). Although the NSX parts are aluminium they seem too be very stable.
Of course you may experience more wear for the tires (very likely), clutch and drivetrain (less likely) when you do excessive drifting.
And at least my '98 cp. had a lot less problems than any other car with comparable history my mechanic had in his shop (mostly Porsches and BMWs). Although the NSX parts are aluminium they seem too be very stable.
Of course you may experience more wear for the tires (very likely), clutch and drivetrain (less likely) when you do excessive drifting.
