Forza Motorsport 2: The Art of the Drift (Page 3)
Entering the Corner: Initiation Techniques
When attempting to drift in Forza 2 it is important to understand the 4 different techniques that can be used to initiate oversteer. By understanding these methods you will be able to trigger a controlled slide that can then be maintained with precise throttle modulation and countersteer. The four basic techniques that can be used to initiate a drift in Forza 2 are as follows: using the e-brake to upset rear traction, using the car's power to break the rear tires loose, using the brakes to shift the weight of the car forward and using drastic weight transitions to temporarily upset the car's balance.
Some of these techniques involve the use of heavy weight transition's in order to upset the balance of your car, while others involve the use of heavy braking or excessive power. As always, it is better to start off small and work your way up -- meaning don't try to execute these techniques at full speed when you are learning. It is very easy to spin out when attempting some of these initiation techniques for the first time, so make sure you are prepared to spend some time figuring out how to apply them. First we will cover a technique that involves the use of the e-brake in order to lock up the rear tires.
E-Brake Initiation
The emergency brake is a drifter’s best friend, as it allows you to momentarily lock up the rear tires to induce oversteer. This is the most basic drifting technique and should be used by anyone who is looking to practice throttle control and countersteering. You want to make your approach from the outside while slowing down enough to clear the turn, and as you reach the optimal speed pull the E-Brake while turning in to the corner. Your rear tires will lock up and you will feel the rear of your car start to lose traction. You will only need to pull the e-brake for a split second, so don’t be too aggressive with your initiation.
Once you car begins to slide, get ready to countersteer while applying a small amount of throttle to break the rear tires loose. At this point you will need to find the drifting balance of your car as explained earlier, and maintain the drift until the corner exit. This will require lots of practice, so don’t get discouraged if you are having problems maintaining a drift. You should aim to practice the timing for when you want to pull the e-brake, as well as how long you should wait before beginning to countersteer. These are the fundamental elements of drifting, so spend some time driving around a track that you are familiar with while pulling the e-brake at the corner entrances.
Click here to watch a video demonstration of the e-brake initiation.
As you can see in the video the E-Brake only needs to be used momentarily to lock up the rear tires, so make your approach from the outside, slow down for the corner, and pull the E-Brake after you have turned into the corner. If you hold the E-Brake for too long you will lose speed and will risk spinning out, so remember to let off quickly before applying the throttle and countersteering towards the exit.
Power Over Initiation
The second initiation technique requires the use of a car that has enough power to break the rear tires loose on command, and for this reason we recommend other initiation techniques over this one. Once again you will make your approach from the outside while slowing down enough to clear the corner, and as you approach the optimal speed jump on the throttle for a split second while turning into the corner. Your car will instantly lose traction with the road as the rear tires break loose from the increase in throttle, thus inducing oversteer. Once the car has lost traction you will need to very gently re-apply the throttle, while countersteering towards the exit. It is important to remember that you will only need to apply the throttle 100% for a split second at the corner entrance to initiate the drift. If you continue to hold down the throttle after your tires have already lost traction you will find yourself spinning out quite often.
Click here to watch a video demonstration of power over initiation.
As you can see in the video a quick jab to the throttle is all it takes to break the rear tires lose. Once again make sure that you have turned into the corner before hitting the throttle to ensure that you initiate the drift in the right direction. Once you feel that the car has lost traction make sure to slighlty let up on the throttle, to avoid spinning completely around.
Braking Initiation: Shifting Weight Forward
The third initiation technique requires the use of the brakes to shift the car’s weight forward and off the rear tires, thus reducing their contact patch with the road. This is an advanced technique that should be the main focus of your attention once you begin to feel comfortable with the drifting balance of your car. By using the brakes to initiate the drift you can also maintain a higher entrance speed, which is important when considering competition drifting. As you approach from the outside of the corner hit the brakes in order to slow down to the optimal speed. This will shift the weight to the front of the car, and off the rear tires, allowing you to initiate the drift by aggressively turning into the corner. Make sure to initiate your turn in very soon after applying the brakes as you want to take advantage of the fact that there is less weight over the rear tires.
The timing for this technique is crucial, and eventually you will learn to jump on the brakes while simultaneously turning your car into the corner. If you hit the brakes and wait too long before making the turn in you will lose momentum and have a hard time breaking the rear tires loose, so make sure to take advantage of the fact that the weight of your car will be shifted towards the front. Depending on your car's layout, braking characteristics and speed, you may or may not need to apply some throttle to fully break the rear tires loose, so don’t be afraid to hit the throttle if you are having problems fully initiating using the brakes.
Click here to watch a video demonstration of braking initiation.
This technique will require some practice as it is very easy to understeer in any car if you turn the wheel while braking. The timing for when you want to turn-in, along with how long you hold the brakes will determine the sucess of your drift. You want to make sure to maintain enough speed so that when you make your turn-in you have enough momentum to throw the car sideways. Remember you will continue to slow down once your car enters the drift if you are not applying any throttle, so take that into consideration when determining how much to brake for the corner. If you are having trouble with this technique then try adding in a slight swaying motion that will prevent the car from understeering. This technique is normally reffered to as a "Feinting" motion, and will be discussed in the following paragraph. The braking drift combined with a slight weight transfer will work well in any car, so don't be afraid to combine these two techniques together when you are learning.
Weight Transfer: Feint Initiation
The fourth and final technique that can be used to initiate a drift in Forza 2 is what is normally referred to as feint drifting; the process of creating large weight transitions that upset the balance of the car allowing you to induce oversteer. This is an advanced technique where the timing of your weight transitions is the key to a successful drift. You will want to approach the corner from the inside and make a swaying motion towards the outside before cutting back in the direction of the corner. This will create a large amount of weight transfer that will throw your car sideways before entering the turn.
Once your car is sideways make sure to find the drift balance and maintain the slide until the corner exit. How much you throw the car from side to side will depend on a variety of factors, so spend some time experimenting with this technique in order to determine how much weight transition is needed to get your car sideways. As explained earlier it is very important to start out small, as too much weight transfer will spin your car around so quickly that it cannot be controlled by countersteering. If you notice that you are spinning around very easily when attempting this technique then tone down on the weight transition, and swing your car much less. Often times only a small swaying motion is needed to upset the cars balance enough to initiate a drift.
Click here to watch a video demonstration of the feint initiation.
As you can see in the video the timing for this technique is the key. If you begin the initiation too early you will not carry the proper line through the turn and will be forced to re-adjust. If you initiate too late you will risk running your car off the track. As explained earlier it is important to understand that only a slight weight transfer is needed to induce oversteer, so start out small and work your way up once you have the rhythm down.
It is also worth noting that the brake was not applied throughout the entire swaying motion, but rather at the beginning and the end. This will allow you to maintain enough momentum to send your car sideways into the turn. Depending on the corner and how fast your approach is you may also hold off on braking until the second swaying motion that will swing you back in the direction of the turn, so make sure to experiment and find the braking balance that works best for you.
Weight Transfer: Linking Turns
Learning how to deal with weight transitions while drifting is very crucial, as it will help you not only initiate a drift, but also link multiple turns together with a constant slide. When making a transition from one corner into another, the weight of your car will be transfered from side to side, forcing you to countersteer enough to prevent the car from spinning around. This weight transition is very similar to the “Feinting” motion that can be used to initiate a drift, so practicing this technique will not only benefit your corner entry, but it will also improve your ability to deal with the weight transfer that occurs when you begin to link multiple turns together. In order to make the transition from one direction to another, you will need to countersteer more than usual in order to swing your car back the other way and into the opposite drift.
Depending on the corners and your car, you may need to quickly hit the brakes while simultaneously making the transition in order to shift the weight forwards and off the rear tires thus allowing for a quicker transition. Learning how to link turns will be very challenging at first, however once you get it down you will be able to predict your cars behavior and throw the car from side to side without any problems.
Initiation Technique: “Dynamic Drifting”
So now that you have learned the four different techniques that can be used to initiate a drift, it is time to put all of them together in order to accomplish what is usually referred to as “Dynamic Drifting”. This high level technique is based around the driver’s ability to adapt and utilize the four initiation methods in order to drift under almost any circumstance. As you progress and begin to drift consistently you will learn the various ways that these techniques can be combined together in order to react to your surroundings while drifting. For example if you initiate with your feint too early and are not going to carry the proper line through the turn, you can pull the e-brake to extend your drift without having to lose your drifting angle. This will allow you to continue sliding sideways until you reach the proper line and are able to successfully continue the drift. Using the e-brake in this manner is just one example of how all of these techniques will eventually merge into one master technique known as Dynamic Drifting.
Up until now we have been focused on how to manipulate your car in order to drift around turns, however now it is time to focus our attention on the car itself. In Forza 2 there are various upgrades and tuning options that can help you build a car that suits your driving style. If you are not handy with the tuning options dont fret, cause we have included a few different car set-ups that will help you along the way to finding the ultimate drifting weapon.
// Continue to Page 4: Upgrades and Tuning for Drifting //