Best Ferraris for Drifting | FerrariChat

Best Ferraris for Drifting

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by Playboy V12, Dec 4, 2018.

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  1. Playboy V12

    Playboy V12 Karting

    Aug 23, 2004
    225
    The Gardens
    I just finished a 3 day drifting school in Dubai and caught a bug with this activity, mainly the skillset. It's a lot of fun and rewarding when you get it right!! I also learned a ton of what makes a good car for sliding that is not well known.

    I did the school because I wanted to get very comfortable with powersliding and improve my car control skills and that it did. Would love to take the skills and translate it for track work or rally skills.......sorta learning it backwards from how most people do it (like everything else in my life!).

    I don't think I want to get hardcore involved with the sport and competitions but it's a fun skill to keep up for the "show". :)

    Anyways, I've come up with a list of what I think would be the best Ferraris for casual powersliding and drifting with no modifications. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at this list:

    1a. F12 (base, not tdf)
    1b. 599 GTO/GTB HGTE/GTB
    3. Lusso/FF (either V12 or turbo V8)
    4. Portofino/California
    5. 612

    Obviously all front engined cars. Mid engined cars can slide no problem, but a lot harder to sustain drifts and not as comfortable feeling with the pivot point being at the rear. Big hp/torque....a must.

    F12 is the most powerful front engine Ferrari ever built that does not have:

    a) Electric steering
    b) Rear wheel steering

    For this reason it is better than the 812 and F12 tdf. Electric steering does not auto-unwind as fast as hydraulic racks (or manual racks), so if you want to carry huge angle or an aggressive transition, you cannot let the car do all the work with an electric rack like you can a hydraulic. All the hardcore drifters swap out to hydraulic or manual racks. Letting go of the steering wheel is the essence of the sport, and counter intuitive to good form on a race track for minimizing slip angles

    Rear wheel steering I'm told doesn't feel good for drifting. It's probably great up until you break traction, and then it becomes a handful, at least for full on big slides and transitions; probably is nice for the small slip angles on the track.

    The 599 for having the ability to have a clutch pedal (or converted easily to one) gives it an edge for hardcore drifters for being able to use clutch kick to save a drift. There's an Italian drifter who uses a 599 with sequential transmission and supercharger for 900 hp:

    https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/federico-sceriffo-ferrari-599-drift-car

    Of course we should not modify a 599 GTO for drift, but stock it's a beast and to powerslide one would be heavenly!

    As for the other cars, they have less horsepower/torque, but some of that might be offset a bit with the longer wheelbase. A Lusso with an 812 engine swap would be ridiculous. :)

    Another subtlety is how fast the steering is on these newer Ferrari GTs. You don't typically need a very fast rack, but it allows you to make great recoveries and can probably dial in bigger angles too. Holding the line should be easier too.

    There's a misunderstood line of thinking that grip isn't important - it's actually very important. You want a lot of grip and stiffness, because the essence of drifting is traction/no traction on and off......tons of power, tons of grip. Tons of power and no grip and you can hit one nice power slide, but will struggle with continuous drift.

    I trained on a G35 coupe with a welded diff mostly then upgraded to a 370Z drift car. Felt almost night and day like I was a better drifter, when it was the car allowing me to get out of subtle mistakes here and there. An F12 with a little practice I might feel like a pro! Chris Harris's youtube video powersliding an F12 seemed all too easy....

    Thought I'd give a new take on the cars we love. The front engined cars get called boring way too often, and here just think that an F12 is a better slider than the mid engine Ferraris, all Lamborghinis, Porsches, etc. Better than Vipers, and as good or better than most of the newer Z06/ZR1 Corvettes. A good AMG GT, SLS, McLaren SLR would be worthy competition, depending on which ones have hydraulic racks.

    Stay sideways my friends. :)
     
  2. Mitch Alsup

    Mitch Alsup F1 Veteran

    Nov 4, 2003
    9,252
    For a car to drift well, the rear end must not have too much traction.
    For a car to race well, the rear end must have as much traction as possible.

    Ferrari makes cars that race (and drive) well.
    Thus there is no good Ferrari for drifting,
    unless you want to buy a perfectly fine race car
    and then ruin the grip of the rear suspension.
     
    DrewH and Formula Uno like this.
  3. Playboy V12

    Playboy V12 Karting

    Aug 23, 2004
    225
    The Gardens
    Not so sure I agree.

    Everything is relative.

    These cars have grip front & rear, stock. Modifying it for all out drift would compromise in certain areas, and I'd never want that anyways. But same could be said about modifying a street car to handle perfectly at a track.

    The game changer with these front engined Ferraris, Corvettes, are the huge amounts of power available by comparison and very good overall stiffness and grip from the factory.

    Hell, none of these cars are engineered to be drag racers but they wind up beating up muscle cars because of all the advantages they have in other areas.
     
  4. willrace

    willrace Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Oct 21, 2006
    32,908
    North Tay-has
    Full Name:
    Kurt
    Put a set of skinnier, all-season tires on the back, and go at it.


    Please post action pics, and serial number, of the car if you do this.
     
    JohnMH and LightGuy like this.
  5. _CoA

    _CoA Rookie

    Mar 12, 2012
    17
    I just got into this hobby recently too. purchased a 599 Alonso for drifting
     
  6. vrsurgeon

    vrsurgeon F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 13, 2009
    15,875
    Charleston, SC
    Full Name:
    Curt
    I'm going to use a LaFerrari with some cheap General Tires stretched over the rims to do my drifting. $3 mil car with $300 tires from TireRack should fit nicely.
     
    JohnMH, ShineKen and 020147 like this.
  7. JAM1

    JAM1 F1 Veteran
    Rossa Subscribed

    Oct 22, 2004
    7,189
    FL, NY, and MA
    Full Name:
    Joe
    No rice rockets available all of a sudden? This has to be neck and neck for the stupidest Fchat post right along with stance cars. :rolleyes:
     
    JohnMH, ShineKen, 308 milano and 5 others like this.
  8. 020147

    020147 F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 12, 2006
    3,649
    Midwest
    I’m thinking of swapping the steering gear to a faster ratio in my 2500 pickup to make it drift easier. ;)
     
    308 milano likes this.
  9. spider348

    spider348 Formula 3

    Nov 3, 2003
    1,264
    MA
    Full Name:
    John
    Look on YouTube for: Federico Sceriffo's Ferrari 599 Formula Drift video. Car sounds amazing!
     
  10. ginoBBi512

    ginoBBi512 F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed Silver Subscribed

    Oct 9, 2016
    3,434
    SO CAL
    Full Name:
    GINO RUGGIERO
    Ferraris were not made for drifting , they were made for driving, catching a drift they can do and do very well, but by no means are they to purchase so they can drift better than the next car, thats what Mustangs and Camaros are for, and most likely there are more that I have not thought of.

    Thank you
     
    eulk328 likes this.
  11. zstyle

    zstyle Formula Junior

    Jun 28, 2007
    531
    Fountain Hills
    Full Name:
    Jon
  12. SCEye

    SCEye F1 Rookie

    Aug 28, 2009
    2,950
    Norcal - Peninsula
    wait till you hear about the Demon and Hell Cat.
     

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