Glossary of terms

Braking drift

This drift is performed by braking into a corner, so that the car can transfer weight to the front then controlling the drift with proper steering and acceleration. In an RWD car this causes the rear wheels to lose traction. In FWD cars the front wheels are not allowed to lock due to the continuous power, the rear wheels lock easily due to weight transfer and due to the general front heavy design of FWDs.

Changing side swing

This technique is used extensively in the Japanese D1 competition and is very similar to inertia (Feint) drift. It is often done on the first entry drift corner, which is often a long double apex turn just before a very fast straight-way. If the straight-way before that double apex is of a downhill orientation, the driver keeps driving on side of the track that is closeest to the corner. Then with correct timing in mind, the driver abruptly changes the car onto the other side. This movement has the car momentum to be altered causing the rear wheels to lose traction. The car is in a drift motion right now. Then the drift is carried over into the corner and through it.

Choku-Dori/Manji (Pendulum)

Otherwise known as over-sway, this technique is done by swaying the car's weight back and forth using countersteer and throttle to maintain a large angle. This is a show manoeuvre that usually involves many cars following the same line.

Clutch Kick

This is done by "kicking" the clutch (pushing in, then out, usually more than once in a drift ) to send a shock through the powertrain, upsetting the car's balance. This causes the rear wheels to slip and enables the driver to induce oversteer. . The foot should be at an angle (heel-toe) so the brake and accelerator may be pressed as well, this being needed to control speed and stop from spinning out in the drift.

Dirt Drop Drift

This is done by dropping the rear tyres off the road into the dirt to maintain or gain drift angle without losing power or speed and to set up for the next turn. This is only possible on roads without barriers and lined with dirt or other materials on which you lose traction. This is commonly done in WRC rallying.

Handbrake/eBrake Drift

Whole the clutch is depressed, pull the handbrake to induce rear traction loss and balance drift through steering and throttle play. As soon as traction is lost the driver releases the clutch. It is important to first countersteer and wait for the car to stop rotating and face the right direction to exit the corner, and only then to press the accelerator to give the car more accelaration to keep it sideways. If accelerator is pressed too soon or too much, the car will spin out.

Some people debate the fact that if using the handbrake creates an actual drift, or just a power slide, but ultimately, using the handbrake is no different to any other technique for starting drifts. This is generally the main technique to perform a controlled drift in a FWD vehicle. It is one the first techniques beginners will use as their cars are not powerful enough to lose traction using other techniques.

Inertia (Feint) drift or Scandinavian flick

This is done by dropping the rear tyres off the road into the dirt to maintain or gain drift angle without losing power or speed and to set up for the next turn. This is only possible on roads without barriers and lined with dirt or other materials on which you lose traction. This is commonly done in WRC rallying.

This is done by transferring the weight of car towards the outside of a turn by first turning away from the turn and then quickly turning back using the inertia of the rear of the car to swing into the desired drifting line. By going away from the corner, and turning back in hard, you are coming from a much sharper angle. Sometimes the hand-brake will be applied while transferring the weight of the car towards the outside to lock the rear wheels and help the rear swing outwards.

Note that the actual scandinavian flick manouvre in rally driving is more complex than feint drifting. In scandinavian flick the tyres are intentionally locked by braking hard right after turning a little away from the corner. While the wheels are locked, the driver applies steering input into the corner, accelerates while still braking and then rapidly releases the brake pedal. This causes the car to slingshot itself through the corner.

Kansei, Lift off, or Taking In

At very high speeds, by taking your foot off of the accelerator while cornering, certain cars with very neutral handling, such as the MX-5 will begin to slide, simply from the drop in torque and engine braking. The drift is controlled afterwards by steering inputs from the driver and light pedal work.

Power Over Drift

This drift performed when entering a corner at full throttle to produce heavy oversteer through the turn. It is the most typical drifting technique for AWD cars (predominantly RWD). Keiichi Tsuchiya has been regarded as saying he used this technique when he was too scared to drift at certain corners when he was younger. However the chance of this technique leading to a burn-out instead of a drift is possible if executed at a bad angle.

Power oversteer or Powerslide

It is usually done at the corner exit by accelerating hard, to slide side ways out of the corner. It is most commonly employed by beginners because it teaches steering and throttle control without the danger of an actual entry oriented drift. In low-power cars power oversteer can be achieved by applying excessive amount of throttle at the end of a shift. (As you are releasing the clutch during a shift, or immediately before that while the clutch is still depressed, press accelerator all the way to send more power to the rear wheels than is necessary for a smooth upshift). If done during a turn, the car will begin to slide. This technique can be used to initiate a drift at very low speeds in an underpowered car (e.g., when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear), and to enter in a higher gear while accelerating all the way up to the turn (e.g., accelerate in 2nd on the straight and shift into 3rd as you enter the turn).The sequence of actions is as follows:

• Accelerate in the straight line leading to the turn.
• Turn the steering wheel to begin the turn.
• Clutch in.
• Shift to the next gear.
• Floor the accelerator.
• Clutch out.
• Wait for the car to go sideways, then countersteer and proceed to exit the corner. Depending on how much power the car is making it is possible to keep the accelerator flat to the floor from the shift throughout the entire drift, and in a low-power car this is often necessary.

Shift lock (compression slide)

Initiated by downshifting (usually from third to second or fourth to third, and using a very fast shift) instead of braking, without rev-matching, causing the drive wheels to lock momentarily. Helpful for very tight corners, allowing the driver to approach the corner at a slower speed and lower revs, while allowing quick acceleration when exiting the corner. This technique can be very damaging to the engine if mis-used as the ECU is unable to limit the revs when the engine is overrevved by the rear wheels. Premature downshifters are called "Rod Stretchers".

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