I got a chance to test drift some different cars during the last Thunderdrift full track event over at Thunderhill raceway. A SR20DET powered RPS13, a LS1 Turbo Powered S14, and a stock G37. Out of all of the cars, I was actually most surprised about how well the stock G37 drifted. The factory setup the stock settings with mild understeer, but it can be called upon to smoothly rotate into stable and predictable drifts. Mid-drift the car feels serene, even when being aggressive with the throttle, it still held it’s composure. The chassis did not do anything scary, the car drives very predictably at the limits. This car was reminiscent of my Falken G35 where it was able to hold long, smooth drifts, but it seems that the new G37 has some suspension improvements that allows the car to perform at a more refined level.

Where the G37 felt like a refined, luxury drifter, Luke Lonberger’s LS1 V8 Turbo powered S14 felt like a crude import hot rod on the other end of the spectrum. This S14 chassis felt very light and nimble compared to the heavy G37. It rotated quick, but it lacked the refinement mid-drift to hold a steady line, especially during off camber, decelerating corners. The chassis felt less forgiving then the G37′s, but the extra power from the turbo LS1 motor more than made up for it. The motor was able rev out the powerband quickly even at part throttle, so frequent upshifts was necessary to keep the engine off its limiter. This car has a lot potential still, with proper gearing, some additional tire and suspension tuning, this car would be a competitive drift car.

The RPS13 is the pinnacle of drift cars, as it is the most commonly used drift chassis in the world. Jay Lapid of Graphtech Graphics hooked up this Camo S13 for about half a decade now and even competed this car in Formula D back in 2005-06. It’s been through many stages and has been recently resurrected and is going through refinement. This S13 chassis rotated very quick and was capable of big drift angles, but his lack of a solid engine tune held the car back from it’s full potential. It did run solid the whole event with Jay getting in a full day in with his car. Can’t wait till he get’s his car fully setup so we can get some good tandem drifting going on in the future.

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