Drifting 101
- This is a preview of the essay.
To view the full text you must login!
Ask an average person what "drifting" is and you may get several different responses. The only type of drifting in my mind is the type that is done with an automobile. You see, drifting in a car is where you enter a corner at high speeds and then (through several different methods) throw the car sideways so that you slide through the corner as opposed to using tire grip to just turn through. Car enthusiasts love drifting because of the fun of going sideways, but I love it more from a scientific aspect.
As any person with knowledge of automobiles will tell you, the tires are the most important part of the handling aspect of a car. The handling aspect is what really gets a car going and staying sideways in a corner. When a car enters a corner and the driver uses the tires to grip, all of the tires will encounter severe g-force and considerable friction that results in a lot of heat on the tires. But with drifting, the tires are subjected to far more strenuous affairs. When gripping, the amount of force on a tire is exerted in one direction, but when the car has lost traction the forces are acting in opposite directions. This is where another very crucial part of handling comes into play: The Dave point...