Drifting a`VR4

[Blackmount]

wrong thread to post this in idk butttt.....


It can be done, it has been done, and I want to do it.

buy a vr4 shell\titleless vr4, and go from there.

My biggest hang up has been the drivetrain, I know in the DSM world, people have welded the center diff, and removed front axles and just put nubs in the trans for the front, and the rest of the drivetrain remained intact for the most part. I could do similar i suppose, but I want to do something a little more...on a professional level i guess you could say.

Anyone have such info? or suggestions. Hate on it if you like.

Here's a good vid of a GTO doing a little bit of drifting first one is best IMO.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0udZgpP5DY


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Uj1HuG94dg

[anyonebutme]

You're going to run into a problem getting more angle into our front end...otherwise it's going to be a pretty weak show compared to the popular cars to use.

[Blackmount]

yeah but it'll be fun to take to practice drift days, and amateur event's. just to burn off some rubber\aggression\stress


I'm not talking about drifting on a professional level, just building a decent car.

[Markingtime]

That doesn't look like it has any power to the front axle any more. Personally I don't see why our AWD cars couldn't drift with the right tires and suspension. Just look what Ken Block does in an AWD Subaru.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ7R_buZPSo

[Blackmount]

I'd prefer RWD\100% power to the rear end.

a big thing about drifting awd is how the power is divided between the front and the back.

kenblock also has a shit ton of money tied in to his cars, i am thinking just a few k's at most and be done with it.

[fullracegt]

The 3s wasnt engineered with drifting in mind at all,but it would be sweet to a 3s drift car competing at a high level like d1..but i doubt it would ever happen lol

[Blackmount]

i don't think there were many cars that were... lol I'm not talking about D1 or FD lol i'm talking about open drift days where you 50-150$ for an all day pass to do drifting locally. not competitive at all

[dpartinvr4]

That doesn't look like it has any power to the front axle any more. Personally I don't see why our AWD cars couldn't drift with the right tires and suspension. Just look what Ken Block does in an AWD Subaru.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ7R_buZPSo
look what he does in a fiesta...lolz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TshFWSsrn8

[Markingtime]

I so want to see him do a chase scene in a movie like the Italian Job.

[green-lantern]

3SGTO’s 1st I want to do a RWD conversion thread! I think this is the 1st anyway :lo5l:


You’re going to catch some crap with a thread like this because so many have said they were going to do it but pretty much never do. This is something you’re better off doing then posing about. ;)


If you had a way to transfer say 80% of the power to the rear wheels I think you would be better off. Maybe Supercar could build a custom center diff or something? Anyway I know you already said you pretty much want to go RWD only so if you want the most out of it I’d say turn the engine. People have done it before so I think you can find info to give you some tips on how to do it. I’ve even seen kits before but they were pretty generic. Good luck

[B-Man]

You mean your car didn't come with the RWD switch?...

[IPD]

the only good way to make a 3/s rwd is to start with a v8. and at that point, wtf didn't you start with an fd3s?

[bluzvr4]

vr440

[J4YK]

Drifting started in Japan in the 90's when all the 20 something guys would wach rally races in the mountains and try to do that with their sports cars on the weekends. the BEST setup for a drift car is symetrical AWD. RWD is the easiest to learn, Ive seen AWD cars in drift competitions, the speeds they need to drift they simply cannot tandem with a RWD car. In the end it really doesnt matter much what car setup there is, its 95% skill. there is a reason the top 10 has been the same 5people. I wached one guy take 3rd with a $400 El Camino. Nothing beats the pure joy of waching an 80's carola going tandem with a 09 viper.

[IPD]

vr440

yes. and if you start with what's essentially a totaled 3/s & work it from there--more power to you. for the love of god, don't mess up a perfectly good one.

[Hans@GZP]

there is a reason the top 10 has been the same 5people.

Is this Japanese math?

[bluzvr4]

i agree i would never chop a a vr4 im just saying its a rwd vr4

[Blackmount]

nah i think the drivetrain as is would be fine. :)

saving the v8 swap for the e30

[MR2]

the second you go RWD your best off with another car :|

if you going to try drift...do it with what you have just have more power.

in theory AWD should allow you to get a bigger angle...

unfortunatly it also means you need to be going a LOT faster and need a LOT more space :p

[Blackmount]

not going big, just wanna have the abilitity to clutch around corners and tare up the lot at the Super Speedway during drift practice....

I've always felt like the 3000GT should be rwd...it just looks that way. but that's just me, and rwd is my favorite drivetrain

[IPD]

nah i think the drivetrain as is would be fine. :)

saving the v8 swap for the e30


not going big, just wanna have the abilitity to clutch around corners and tare up the lot at the Super Speedway during drift practice....

I've always felt like the 3000GT should be rwd...it just looks that way. but that's just me, and rwd is my favorite drivetrain

you're clearly driving the wrong f**king car. sell your 3/s now, and save yourself the headache. if you don't appreciate the 3/s for what it is; sell it and let someone else appreciate it.

i've said it countless times before: with every single sports car with > 4 cylinders having RWD (minus a few bland exceptions)--it would be impossible to stand out from the crowd if the 3/s came RWD. it didn't for a reason. FWD/AWD is a welcome change from the endless bevy of:

camaro
firebird
corvette
rx7
supra
300z
350z
370z
genesis coupe
solstice
mx5
rx8
sky
viper
and the list goes on

you're not going to get anywhere near the low drivetrain-loss levels of a true RWD car by trying to convert the existing 3/s drivetrain. you'd need a longitudinal engine & a different transmission. and once again, you'd have been better off to start with a different car.

[green-lantern]

not going big, just wanna have the abilitity to clutch around corners and tare up the lot at the Super Speedway during drift practice....

I've always felt like the 3000GT should be rwd...it just looks that way. but that's just me, and rwd is my favorite drivetrain

I agree it looks like a car that would burn out with ease but....


you're clearly driving the wrong f**king car. sell your 3/s now, and save yourself the headache. if you don't appreciate the 3/s for what it is; sell it and let someone else appreciate it.

i've said it countless times before: with every single sports car with > 4 cylinders having RWD (minus a few bland exceptions)--it would be impossible to stand out from the crowd if the 3/s came RWD. it didn't for a reason. FWD/AWD is a welcome change from the endless bevy of:

camaro
firebird
corvette
rx7
supra
300z
350z
370z
genesis coupe
solstice
mx5
rx8
sky
viper
and the list goes on

you're not going to get anywhere near the low drivetrain-loss levels of a true RWD car by trying to convert the existing 3/s drivetrain. you'd need a longitudinal engine & a different transmission. and once again, you'd have been better off to start with a different car.

This!

If you want to go through the hassle of making the car slower in almost every way then do it. or you can save a shitload of work and buy a car better suited for doughnuts.

Basically if you want a drift car then buy one. If you want a 3s to drift then get ready for a LOT of work. I hope you got a bunch of fabrication tools.

[Blackmount]

I have loved 3000GT's since i was 10 years old and i first saw one when i moved to madison Wisconsin, and the guy accross the street had a red 99 vr4. I have always loved one, and I dream of having one as my nice car to take out on weekends or to shows or whatever, then one as my whatever\racecar.

Idk about you, I would much rather save a title-less\wrecked but salvagable vr4 and make it to tare shit up with. then it getting hualled of to be crushed. I would not do this to a nice, clean vr4. It must be title-less\wrecked to hell, and or in horrible shape, worthy of being gutted and turned into a track car.


You'd be amazed some of the things drifted down here. Everything from Open Diff 350z's to Old 4 door AUTOMATIC V8 Lexus's to pick up trucks with a 2JZ swap\sr20\1JZ\Random V8 swap.

for real, this kid drifts his moms old lexus that she totalled in the rain, its auto V8, 4 door, Gutted of everything and all the windows broken out with a hammer.

if somone can drift a 400whp DSM with a welded center diff and no front axles as a RWD conversion, I'm sure a low boost single turbo VR4 will do the same with a similar set up.

[green-lantern]

We all have had a love for the 3s for a long time. Do what you want with it. It's just like I said in the beginning of this thread, people are going to give you shit over this. Do it and then show how much fun you're having.

If you can save a VR4 from the crusher then by all means do it. I have

[Blackmount]

We all have had a love for the 3s for a long time. Do what you want with it. It's just like I said in the beginning of this thread, people are going to give you shit over this. Do it and then show how much fun you're having.

If you can save a VR4 from the crusher then by all means do it. I have

^ I like this guy.

I was at Express Pull N Save, and they were cleaning out alot of the lanes of cars, and I watched the forklift comeby and pick up a green 2G SL and drive off to the crusher with it....Very sad moment :( I hate to see any 3\s meet it's demise, regardless of trim or whats done to it.

[NOMIEZVR4]

Yeah bud..its your car, do what you want, but make sure you take some vids..! :D

[Blackmount]

DUHHH! :) vids are am ost.

[BigTyla]

the only good way to make a 3/s rwd is to start with a v8. and at that point, wtf didn't you start with an fd3s?

This x1000. If you want this to be a drift car you might as well start off with the FWD model. Less weight and less crap to remove for your nice Ford rear axle.

[YoshiBishi]

^ I like this guy.

I was at Express Pull N Save, and they were cleaning out alot of the lanes of cars, and I watched the forklift comeby and pick up a green 2G SL and drive off to the crusher with it....Very sad moment :( I hate to see any 3\s meet it's demise, regardless of trim or whats done to it.

You didn't stop it and try to get the 2nd gen conversion parts off of it first? Shame on you. I would have given you tree fiddy for it.

[Blackmount]

going with 3rd gen conversion, and plus once they pick it up the car is gone. it sat for 2 or 3 weeks before they crushed it.

[thor'svr4]

people have welded the center diff, and removed front axles and just put nubs in the trans for the front, and the rest of the drivetrain remained intact for the most part. I could do similar i suppose, but I want to do something a little more...on a professional level i guess you could say.

this is the type of project i would try to avoid spending a ton of money on. im sure you could turn the motor, make some custom bell housing adapter, run a cheep t56 trans/ rear end and a custom drive shaft... or just weld the center diff and remove the front axles. you might have more drivetrain loss with the welded center diff than a true rwd conversion, but you could just take the money saved on custom parts and put it into the motor.

sounds like a fun project that could prob be done in a weekend for nearly no money. i say go for it.


you're clearly driving the wrong f**king car. sell your 3/s now, and save yourself the headache. if you don't appreciate the 3/s for what it is; sell it and let someone else appreciate it.

seams to me like a lot of people on here use there 3s for drag racing... should we all sell them for a camaro or mustang?


FWD/AWD is a welcome change
Really… that has to be a typeo.

[Blackmount]

yeah the idea would be a junked out vr4 turned into a low budget drift car, with a few extra goodies. I think it can happen. I know several local guys i have talked to about it are very interested.

[IPD]

seams to me like a lot of people on here use there 3s for drag racing... should we all sell them for a camaro or mustang?
Really… that has to be a typeo.

you don't have to bastardize a 3/s to get decent 1/4 passes out of it. fastest of the fast? no, but you don't have to rip it to shreds and do 100% custom work in order to run it at the drags. trying to use that as an excuse for why you should consider a RWD conversion on a 3/s is idiotic.

p.s.
that's NOT a typo. i grew up in indiana, where no one in their right mind would want to drive a RWD sports car in the dead of winter. on snowy, icy roads, i drove my fwd 3/s was stable and sure-footed.

[Blackmount]

I grew up in Wisconsin. 10 months of snow and 2 months of spring. so Nuff said.

and my E30 was WAY better in the snow then my FWD n\t Talon, I got stuck constantly; so that logic is wrong. ICE your screwed pretty much no matter what. Powder is a blast to drive in, in ANY car. It's just all about if you actually know how to drive or not. The average ol' shmuck is better off in something fwd\awd tho.

anyways this in no way has to do with snow. I'm talkin Dry Warm Pavement and a whole lot of tire smoke.

[IPD]

still say c4 vette with a few tweaks > rwd converted 3/s.

[Blackmount]

i specifically want to drift a Vr4. or a starion\conquest widebody (LS Swap). can't change my mind

[bluzvr4]

i had a 87 starion and it was a blast without power i couldnt imagine one with a ls

[Blackmount]

LS7.....Angry Child Scaring sounds would come from the metal piping of that car, melting a catastrophic amount of rubber across the road as it plows your face over, Causing the ground to shake, crack, and crumble as it passes by; Causing even the sturdiest of buildings to fall.


All it needs now is a Giant Turbo that could suck in a small child walking down the street who got to cloose to the car.


So basically Pure Awesomeness.

[ToeKnee805]

Not to be a debbie downer, but youre living a pipe dream, and if youre gonna put that much work and customization into a street car, it will be far from street drivable. So it will specifically have to be a track car, which then in turn isnt just to drive around and "showcase" on weekend track events. Besides the VR4 weights damn nearly 3800Lbs, it would never be able to outdrift a short wheelbased lightweight car like the old school corolla.

And whoever said that AWD = more drift angle, youre talkiing out of your ass, what determines steering angle is the Lock2Lock of the steering rack, and how wide your stance is. Along with all 3 of your alignment angles. And from what I can remember when I owned my 3000GT, I was making 3 or 4 pt turns everywhere i went.

Take it from a guy who drifts a Corolla, start with a RWD car, build the motor, rebuild the diff, and call it a day at the track. A starion would be a great choice, i almost had one :)

Driftings a whole lotta fun, just keep it as a hobby and dont put too much money or time into it and youll enjoy yourself instead of having your dreams crushed by the cars inability to hold a slide. Check it out..
http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/255602_1994856985228_1057530011_2408885_3343591_n. jpg
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/296904_2234911226434_1057530011_2683027_515069426_ n.jpg
http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/304165_2234910626419_1057530011_2683022_907882086_ n.jpg
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/296444_2234910826424_1057530011_2683023_528062109_ n.jpg

[MR2]

actually AWD does allow you to hold a bigger angle without the rear completely going around (look at the top gear example)

[Blackmount]

lol at rebuilding diff. I know alot of proam drifters who just drift their stock welded diff. A few of them with ls6s

[Blackmount]

Bigger angle = aftermarket knuckles and steering kit

[ToeKnee805]

Rebuilding your diff was meant if youre going to use an LSD. Forgot that youre trying to go welded. Where do they make a steering angle kit for VR4s? Ive never seen any. Maybe Inner Tie Rods, but that hardly does shit. Hence why I got the corolla, Everythings already been made, Beefy RCAs, Quick Steer Ratio Gears, Manual Rack Conversions, Super Angle Knuckles, etc etc all I had to do was click BUY. And since I see youre gonna half ass it by welding your diff, i dont wanna see how your custom fabbed knuckles will come out.

[Hard AttacK]

is this japanese math?

hahahahahaha

[Boomer3000]

at pics on previous page... Doing it wrong.....

[Blackmount]

at pics on previous page... Doing it wrong.....

Hahahaaha I never noticed those

[AudibleSilence]

There are cheaper and easier ways to go drifting. The weight of the 3s alone makes it unattractive.

[J_Parker]

Well, I'm going to have to come in here and stir some shit up guys... If he wants to drift a VR-4, who are you to call him down? To me, that's like calling someone down for going big single, or putting a 6G74 in. It can be done, and if he want's to do it, then by all means let him damn well do it without having the little devils on his shoulders calling him a retard. How about we spitball some ideas, and help this dream of his come to life.

If I were to do this, I would try to mount the engine longitudinally, and mate a 6sp V160 Supra trans up to it with a custom drive shaft.

[Blackmount]

if a kid can bring a 4 door lexus auto v8 and make it drift good, i think a 3\s could do it too...however this is not top of my projects right now. I have bigger fish to fry....with a turbo....or two.

[IPD]

if a kid can bring a 4 door lexus auto v8 and make it drift good, i think a 3\s could do it too...however this is not top of my projects right now. I have bigger fish to fry....with a turbo....or two.

yes. like putting up-to-date tags on your car.

[Blackmount]

yes. like putting up-to-date tags on your car.

oh no that was taken care of awhile ago.

But thanks for the reminder, I'm just so lost with out you. I don't think i could ever live in this life with out you.

[AudibleSilence]

If he wants to drift a VR-4, who are you to call him down?

Someone that has spent more than probably 70% of this community doing it wrong.. Honestly of the things you listed on there the only thing that is nonsensical is mounting the engine differently. Big single and 74 have been proven to be effective and not super expensive.

Who am I? Someone that knows the difference between something that CAN be done and something that OUGHT to be done.

[Gamerse]

Subject is a bit boring actually. People have theory crafted RWD conversion since the first FWD car rolled off the line. It is those that do, that make the subject worth talking about. Might as well just google the subject. It's your car, if you want to go through the trouble of swapping a decent RWD front end, and have the 5-10k it will take to do the project right, have at it. Jay Leno proved that anything can be made to handle if you gut a corvette and slam said guts into the chassis of your choice. The red-neck way is to weld the spider gears, and cap the front axle outputs. If you google it, you can find videos of eclipse owners than can leave tire trails until they run out of road. Subsequently, they have no controll of where the rear end ends up. The last one I watched, the guy spun the tires going down a long hill, but ended up in the grass twice.

This thread was a subject of debate for years with Datyona/Laser owners, they looked RWD, even mistaken for mustangs during the 1st gen years. The outcome was that RWD conversion was a novelty, and only one or two people kept the turbo 2.2 or 2.5 engine. Rwd bellhousings were available for mating them to popular 5spd transmissions, they were not big sellers. A fun subject is "when is the car no longer a". This was asked among K-car owners that converted to different powertrains or RWD with different powertrains.

When mitsubishi designed the 3000Gt, AWD was a staple. We were lucky enough not to get stuck with a 4g63. The concept car that inspired the creation of our car, and the eclipse platform, was a 200mph, 300hp dohc 4 banger. It was also one of the few functioning concept cars at the auto shows that year. This thing was overloaded with tech, some or most of it was useless for real life driving, such as self adjusting automated duel independent canards and real spoilers. (yes two, a left and right) This tech is obvious in the VR-4 and one of the reasons stealths are a hair lighter from the factory.
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/1989-mitsubishi-hsr-concept-car-2.jpg

How much can you change before a 3000GT is no longer a 3000GT? When Jay Leno shoves a whole corvette into a Toranado, is it still a Toranado, or a heavy ass vette with a Toranado shell? There is a guy in nashville TN right now that had the same idea, but different motives, he wanted a poor mans corvette. He bought a VR4 roller, and an Ls1 drivetrain. That car never came to fruition and he is now looking for an older vette chassis.

Personally, if I were drift inclined, I would look for a straight axle car with a factory 4 link and rear sway bar. If you want something different, the starion/conquest platform is one of the coolest, most overlooked platforms out there. It shared rear brake assemblies with one of the porsche models of the same year. There was a handling package available that made it on par with other makes of the same year. These cars were burn out kings with little modification. There was a small club in paris TN, one of the owners proudly displays his ticket online that states "other" "burn out" "deliberate reckless stationary wheel spin caused large plume of smoke that endangered pedestrians and other drivers by limiting visibility across mainstreet". <it was some non-sense to that extent

Again, it is your project, just do it. I'm sure there would be plenty of ooohs and ahhs from forum members when you post the completed product

[Blackmount]

AHHH!! HSR, I was just driving one of those on gran turismo lol

[Checkered vr4]

You can drift a vr4, just need enough power to break all 4 loose and a sponsor for tires!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qa3OVz1G4Q&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Checkered vr4 - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qa3OVz1G4Q&feature=youtube_gdata_player)

[Blackmount]

There is a guy in nashville TN right now that had the same idea, but different motives, he wanted a poor mans corvette. He bought a VR4 roller, and an Ls1 drivetrain. That car never came to fruition and he is now looking for an older vette chassis.

im pretty sure I bought that VR4 lol... Had hopes of getting it running... But i just simply didnt have the funds so I parted it and sold it.