Radio-controlled drifting
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Radio-controlled drifting refers to the act of drifting with a radio-controlled car. R/C cars are equipped with low traction tires to aid in the ease of inducing and maintaining controlled oversteer. Car setups are often modified to allow the car to drift more easily, by replacing motors, shocks, tires, weight balance, brakes, and other factors. R/C drifting is typically performed with 4WD (four wheel drive) electric R/C cars, although some practitioners use gas-powered (Nitro) R/C cars and / or rear-wheel drive vehicles.
As a hobby, radio-controlled drifting is one of many variations of R/C car types and activities. Informal or formal practice events and competitions are held worldwide. When one judging R/C drifting competitions, R/C drifting typically follows the guidelines and judging criteria set by professional drifting organizations like the D1 Grand Prix. These judging criteria often include drift factors such as racing line, drift angle, speed, and show factor. Some R/C drifting competitions include the use of "tsuiso" or tandem-drift competition in which competitors are paired together to drift in a lead-chase format.
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[edit] Chassis
For R/C drifting, most 4WD touring car chassis will suffice. Typical vehicles used in R/C drifting are 4WD, electric powered, 1/10 scale vehicles. The use of an RWD drifting chassis is uncommon; unlike their real-world counterparts, RWD R/C cars behave much differently due to the R/C car's scaled-down structure, which in turn changes weight distribution and general behavior.
The cost of a 4WD chassis can range from $79 to $499. However, it is more logical to assume that the more knowledgeable driver and practically-thinking builder will have the most direct advantage: it is important to know the influence of driver control and relevant upgrades.
There are companies now that make "Drift Specific" chassis. But in reality, these chassis are based on already existing 1:10 Scale R/C Touring Chassis and very little has been done to make them Drift Spec.
[edit] Tires
Unlike R/C racing where rubber or foam tires are constantly changed and have short life spans, R/C drifting can be done with tires made of ABS plastic piping. ABS piping can be purchased pre-cut from various R/C drifting companies or you can also fabricate your own tires with ABS piping purchased from a plumbing or hardware store. For 1/10th scale R/C vehicles, 2 inch diameter ABS piping fits snug over the appropriate wheels for that scale vehicle. Drift tires can also be created out of white PVC piping due to the inherent frictionless behavior exhibited by PVC on concrete; however, the inherent white coloration of the material can be undesirable. Some users will paint these wheels to compensate.
Most pre-fabricated drift tires are made of either rubber, plastic or polymers and come in has many variety of traction as well as tread. ABS tires last for hours, and PVC for longer, due to their physical hardness. Other types of plastics such as PVDF, PE, PP and their derivatives are also used due to their amount of traction and sliding combination. Fabricated drift tires are comparatively cheaper than manufactured drift tires. Manufactured drift tires, promised a more realistic and controllable driving experience under certain circumstances. According to testing by many of the R/C drift experts on DRC Central, RP-D, HPI T-Drift Tires and Yokomo Single Ring drift tires seem to be the tires of choice. There are many makers of drift tires especially from Japan as the main source of RC drifting. Edge, Option No.1, Kawada, MWorks, RP Racing, Tamiya, Ride, Alex Racing Design, Shimizu to name a few.
The development of tires within Japan itself is staggeringly fast compared to the rest of the world that have little access and yet couldn't relinquish its dependencies. This has reflected to less growth of development of drift tires either being use or make between the two sides.
However, R/C drift is still a new art, and advances in the state of technology for drift tires are still in the works.
[edit] Shells
A notable aspect of R/C drifting is the creation and customization of the vehicle body or shell. Using paint, decals, and other craft type items some enthusiasts make replicas of their favorite real-world drift cars or come up with their own unique designs. Additional aesthetic modifications include LED light kits, ground effects, wide body kits, FMICs (Front Mounted Intercooler), decals, flared guards, and roll cages so they can achieve a realistic looking drift car. The aesthetics of painting one's own car is also a point of interest for some hobbyists. Some will go as far to create their own shells.
[edit] Videos
Some hobbyists create their own professional quality or amateur R/C drift videos. Many of these videos can be found on YouTube and other video sharing websites.
