What does it take to get that realistic drift style.
In RC drift... How fast are you aiming for?
RE-Xtreme Aims for Realistic 1/10 Scale. From a scale modelling and rc hobby background, the elements presented here are about creating realism in the drift hobby.
1/10 scale means you should be aiming for a MAX TOP SPEED of 250kph. Thats 25kph in scale terms at top speed.
Knowing that an 1/0 RC touring race-car car reach about 100km/h that's about 1000km/h in real speed!!! Totally stupid if you ask me. You need reflexes of a mosquito. Not to mention it simply looks too fast.
If you run 1/10 touring car and believe 1/10 drift should be the same speed... I hope I can influence your ideas.
Getting the right Speed
This should be your first priority for getting a realistic drift pace.
We should be aiming for about a jogging pace on the straight and a walk around the corners.
At our circuit we can brisk walk around the track following the cars with a camera, this seems about right.
slow walk... 5km/h = 50km/h
fast walk... 10km/h = 100 km/h roughly 60mph
Jog 20km/h = 200km/h roughly 120mph Pretty fast for a drift car.
Run 30km/h (average person) Absolute max speed for most drift cars. But never achieved.
husain bolt (44.7km/h) thats 447km/h crazy talk in RC drift.
Probably some of the fastest drift entries at Suzuka D1 event are in the 230km/h range so any faster than a jog is probably too fast.
Sizing the Track
If a real race car needs 1 kilometer to reach this max speed then shouldn't we have a 100 meter long track.?
Well that's kind of cool, but not really appropriate. So everything from now on should be about reducing the speed to something manageable visually and keeping the size and speed to be more realistic.
For example 10 Meters (100 meters scale size), that's the width of a tennis court x 27 Meters thats the length of a court
A 27 m (270m) straight is reasonable. So this is also the realistic limit of a RC race track.
For an indoor venue, the street theme may be more applicable. 15m (150m) is a good length and with large radius corners can provide what we need.
Track Width...
This is a tough one. For a true realistic drift experience... .5 meter per street lane up to 2.5 meters for a race track. But consider beginners and the capability of cars and drivers in this one. A balance here.
Choosing the Surface and Control Tyre.
What surface is best?
Remembering the speed issue, my personal preference is for a low grip super smooth surface such as tile or polished concrete with a Very hard HDPE plastic tyre.
The surface you choose has a few traps. Remembering the above points, the tyre and surface can instantly make your car's look like toys and not realistic.
High grip surfaces and tyres, grit concrete, Tennis hard court
High power is required, high speed, high load on electronics, high tyre wear, high speed accidents, high cost.
Speeds up to 60km/h (600 km/h!!)
Low grip surfaces and tyres - polished concrete
Low power for wheelspin, realistic speed, low load on components, low tyre wear.
Speeds up to 25km/h
Carpet is an interesting high grip surface with low tyre wear so can be popular.
Speeds around 35km/h.
Can be made slower with additives.
Note Loop pile or long pile carpet will create a super fast track.
Marine grade (basically the chapest cut pile on a plastic backing is best.)
Most circuits can be faster with softer tyres. But try not to go there.
What Tyres should I use?
Grip Level:
Soft tyre = more grip - faster... higher scale speed...more RC / toy look
Hard tyre = less grip - slower scale peed... more realistic look
Remembering realistic speed is the key, tyres will have the biggest impact on speed.
Most tyres are available in
Rubber, ABS, Polycarbonate, HDPE and various compounds of all.
You will need to test and do some timings for average speed performance.
I recommend the slowest combination to still allow control. The Motor, Gearing and Tyre can also effect speed and control. You can regain a lot of speed and control through setup.
Gearing and Countersteer Ratio...
Even if you have a high grip surface,
Big track suits = fast gearing / hig rev motor / low countersteer
Small track or low grip suits = slow gearing / high torque motor/ High Countersteer / RWD
Track design and Driving Style
Long Straights and Sharp corners = design for flickable car capable of going straight
Constant flowing corners. = setup for max angle all the time.
Car Weight for realism.
Now here is something that's not really mentioned.
Power to weight.
depending on your grip level, Weight can have a huge impact.
Full Alloy upgrades add weight. Slide further or roll more depending on setup. Weight transfer is important.
Light plastic chassis have more agility but can be harder to tune because of the fraction of weight on the suspension. Twisting plastic chassis can have a totally different dynamic to a full alloy heavy battery chassis.
A heavy body and extra weight can totally transform a car. If you have low grip, try more weight and more torque rather that light weight high rev.
Equate your car to a heavy 6.0L v8 or a light sceaming 1.6 liter. it's your choice.
How can I set up my car?
The answer is not available on the internet. Best to consult your local track that you think is good. They will help you tune for their track.
Here are some of my cars and hopefully you will see how different they are.
The Unrealistic Basher.
For this style of track you will be so far away from your car.
Detail and realism are somewhat unnecessary you can reduce the Countersteer
Target: Smooth Silca Concrete. / Outdoor basketball court. Super fast
Tyre: Soft Street Jam ABS tyres last around 1 battery
1.3CS
Hard Spring for higher slip angle.
Motor 7.5t~9.5T Brushless
Off Track
SSG Drift package - Designed for large areas
Grip Level: Medium ! Rough Street / Asphalt Carpark
Track Size: Large Wide Open
Track design: Full throttle super fast sweeping corners.
Tyre Yokomo R2 (hard abs plastic)
CS 1.5 ~1.8 no more
High ride height for stone clearance.
Motor 7.5t~9.5T Brushless
Street Drift Speed.
Target : Tight track on Polished Concrete.
Tyre: HDPE : balance of grip and Slide
CS 2.5 ~ 3.5
Ultra Soft Spring and weight balance
Motor 17.5T ~21.5T Brushless
D1 Style Speed.
Target : Epoxy Coated Concrete.
Tyre: HDPE : Medium
Grip and Slide
CS 2.0-2.5
Medium Spring
Motor 10.5T Brushless
Variety is the key,
That's why I have multiple chassis. They are all targeted for different areas. You can change components and setups for each track, but there are so many parts to change, sometimes it's easier to get another chassis.
The swapped components may add up to more than a new chassis.
Think about what you want to achieve at your track, have a meeting, make some choices.
But always. Have Fun..