Drift-R by Team Losi

In case you haven't heard, Team Losi will be releasing a new drift specific RTR. The detail on this car is insane...from the tailpipes to the flashing lights. With the enclosed belt, drifters can now enjoy the benefits of a belt driven chassis without worrying about rocks chewing up the belts. Losi spared no expense with this one when they installed the Novak ESC. Here are some specs:

• Multi-functional headlights and solid glow taillights
  



• Detailed side-view mirrors, wheels, wing and exhaust
  



• Street-ready detailed LS300 drift body
  



• Exclusive sealed belt drivetrain
  



• JR® XR2i Programmable radio
  



• Losi electronic speed control with reverse by Novak
  



• High performance 19-turn motor
  



• JR's Z-590 High-Torque steering servo
  



• Foam bumper for added protection when drifting
  



• Easy access front and rear ball differentials

If you want to see more, visit the Team Losi website:
http://www.teamlosi.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=LOSB0289

Difference between Shaft-Driven and Belt-Driven cars

When shopping around for an electric RC drift car, you’ll notice two types; cars with a belt drive and cars with shaft drive.

If you are not familiar with the difference, it’s pretty simple. In a belt-driven car, the power from the motor is transferred to the wheels by a belt.
In a shaft-driven car, the power is transferred from the motor to the wheels, through a (you guessed it) shaft or rod.

Shaft Driven:
A popular shaft driven chassis is the Tamiya TT-01. The reason for its popularity is because it’s fairly inexpensive compared to other 1/10 scale chassis’. In the picture below, you can see the shaft running down the center of the chassis.
The TT-01 comes stock with a black plastic shaft and switching it to a metal shaft is the usually the first upgrade that is done.

One of the main arguments against shaft driven cars is that they have torque steer. If you notice the position of the motor in the picture above, the motor is parallel with shaft in the center. The power rotation has to transfer 90° to the wheels. This 90° transfer causes the
chassis to twist which in turn causes uneven weight distribution. That affects the traction on the tires and cause the car to shift or steer to the left or right and may cause your car to drift better turning one way than the other. This can be remedied by adjusting the shocks.

Belt-Driven:
An example of a belt driven chassis is the Cyclone S by Hot Bodies. As you can see, the power is transferred through belts and pulleys. There is no 90° transfer of power so there is no issue of torque steer.

The main gripe about this type of chassis is that rocks and pebbles eat up belts. In my experience with belt driven chassis, I've never had a belt break on me, however I've had a pebble get "sucked in" but it messed up the pulley gear before it broke the belt. The belt had no damage but the gear had to be replaced.

Ok so which one is better for drifting? There is no clear cut winner over the two. My suggestion is to figure out where you'll be using your car the most. Is the pavement littered with tiny pebbles or rocks? Is it a newly paved parking lot? Is it a basketball/tennis court?

If you're mainly driving on pavement without pebbles and rocks, give belt-drives a try. If you plan on racing, you'll have a car that's ready for that conversion. Most racers have had success with belt-driven chassis'.
Other than that, you can never go wrong with shaft drives.

Enjoy the ride!

New Toyota AE86

Here's some news that will grab the attention of the drifting community.

It looks like Toyota will be releasing a new AE86!

The article from Best Car Plus magazine went into some detail about the car.

Here are some specs:
4m long
1.7m wide
1.35m tall
Under 1,000kgs
120 HP from 1.5L 2NZ-FE

The RWD drivetrain will come from Fuji Heavy Industries - AKA Subaru

All that for a reported $12,300 US

I wonder how long it will take for HPI to make a body from this car...

What makes an RC drift car?

A quick answer to that question is: Any RC car or truck that has 4WD can be a drifter.
The vehicle can be electric or nitro powered...it doesn't matter just as long as it has 4WD.
I've read postings where people ask, "If real drift cars are 2WD why can't a 2WD RC car work?"
Well, when you shrink the car down to 1/10 of a real car the dynamics change. You don't have the luxury of a clutch or handbrake. It's pretty difficult trying to drift a 2WD RC car. I'm not saying that it's impossible; I'm just saying save yourself the hassle and stick with a 4WD drive car. By the way I haven't found a 1/10th scale 2WD car to test it out.
In future posts, I'll go over the different cars and chassis' out there.
Another element that is different in RC drift car is the tires. HPI, Yokomo, and Tamiya have specially made drift tires. You can also use ABS or PVC piping. I'll go over those as well in future posts.

How I got hooked

The RC addiction started a few years ago when I picked up a couple of monster trucks (Team Losi, Traxxas). Then a friend came over one night and told me about RC drifting. He showed me a video on YouTube and I was instantly hooked. Here's the video he showed me:

Thinking back, the exact moment I was hooked was when I saw the looooong drift at the 44 second mark of the video.

Welcome

This site was created for RC drifting enthusiasts.
Here you will find information pertaining to anything related to RC Drifting.

Enjoy the ride!