The Art of Drifting in DiRT Rally
Among the various skills that one has to acquire as a rally driver, drifting is perhaps the most fun and important. In DiRT Rally, knowing how to master drifts can mean how difficult or easy will it be to finish a stage, and not face plant into the harsh off road. For most players however, they will come to fear drifting, practice as they might – due to the extremely realistic handling in this forces you to understand and manage the vehicle so much that it becomes stressful to play the game. Nevertheless, just like any other skill, practice makes perfect when drifting is concerned and one can learn the basics of balance, throttle control and technique to help bring their rally stage times down.
In this review, which is over 3000 words, we will familiarize you with the what and how of drifting in DiRT Rally: put hints, mechanics, techniques and settings in order in order to get your skills improved.
1. Understanding Drifting in Rally Racing
In DiRT Rally, drifting is usually employed more for steering and controlling the position and speed of the car around tight and sharp turning corners or dangerous hairpins, as well as loose surfaces like gravel and snow. In contrast to car racing games, dozens of rounds are often raced in laps, where no such controlled or precise drift is required because of the different surfaces and the constant changing of the road conditions.
Drifting in DiRT Rally is simply letting the car oversteer and carving a turn at the same time. You are not just doing it for the thrill of it like in ‘Need for Speed’ games where players purposely lose traction. What you’re doing here is steering with the weight of the car itself and using friction with the ground to maneuver around the turn rather than lose too much speed and control over the vehicle.
a. Why Drift?
In rally racing, the highways are rather narrow with numerous sharp corners. Drifting enables you to maintain high speeds even when faced with the relatively sharp and dangerous corners. To maximize the speed, control is retained to ensure that the car does not slide excessively. Drifting also reduces the need for aggressive braking which slumps the stage times. If you are doing correct drifting, you will always be in the right place to accelerate out of the corners.
b. What is the right time to Drift?
DiRT Rally is not all about drifting and knowing When to Drift as much as it is d about How to Drift. Drifts are most applicable on:
Hairpins: Sharp turns that require you to pivot the car rapidly.
Loose surfaces: These are surfaces like dirt, gravel, or snow, which have naturally low friction.
S-bends: Fast and smooth, alternating turns, where maintaining drifts in-between them helps the car remain on course.
In this regard, for example, in tighter sections or tarmac, it is more practical to apply traditional braking techniques rather than drift.
2. Types of Drifts in DiRT Rally
Dirt Rally allows its players to perform several types of drifts. Depending on the car, surface, and the subsequent turn, different types of drift are applied. Below are outlined most popular rally racing’s drifting techniques:
a. Power Slide
The power slide is a drift demonstrated in every mediocre racing game and consists of the basic principle of applying enough throttle while turning in order to lose the rear grip. This is due to the fact that power slides are most commonly used in the corners when there is a WIDE OPEN exit.
How To Do It:
Approach the turn at a sufficiently high speed to where you can begin to unwind the steering, and, douse the Japanese throttle.
As soon as the car begins to turn in, which is the front of the car, use the throttle to slide the car out.
Turn the wheel the same way in which the car is sliding to bring the car under control and the angle of drift down.
This technique is especially effective on surfaces such as gravel and snow where traction is not sufficient and speed can be maintained central.
b. Scandinavian Flick
This is an advanced technique and one of those commonly used in rally racing which pertain to shifting the car’s weight to initiate a drift through a quick change of direction. The use of the Scandinavian flick is common in corners and hairpin turns that are quite acute enabling the driver to turn the car quickly with little or no loss in speed.
How to Execute:
As you get close to the edge of a corner, turn the car towards the opposite direction for a short duration.
Just before the corner, quickly turn the car into the corner while letting go of the accelerator and slightly braking.
As the back of the car starts drifting, control the throttle and turn the steering wheel against the direction of the drift.
This is one of the advanced driving techniques that a driver has to spend some time mastering. However, it is particularly helpful in very tight corners where a power slide might not be fast enough.
c. Handbrake Turn
The handbrake turn is a drifting technique mostly used in very tight turns such as hairpins. It is possible to use a handbrake to create a rear-wheel slide, thus allowing better car rotation crucial for negotiating otherwise difficult inner lane curves.
How to Execute:
Approach the corner at a good speed and brake sooner to reduce speed.
As you come to the corner, wrench the handbrake and turn the steering wheel towards the corner.
The rear of the car will spin out—counter-steer whilst slowly feeding the power back in to prevent the spin.
Handbrake turns are useful when the speed is low, but they are not recommended when the turning radius is tight and the speed is high else the driver may lose control of the vehicle.
3. Selecting the Ideal Vehicle for Drifting
Through the DiRT Rally game, the performance and handling characteristics of cars vary when performing drifts. Some cars have the advantage of being designed, weighted and power-outputted towards drifting. Knowing the dynamics of different classifications of cars will assist you in selecting the most appropriate vehicle for the art of drifting.
a. Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD)
When it comes to drifting, RWD cars are generally the best and they are the easiest because you have the bulk of the car power being transmitted to the rear wheels. This makes breaking of traction very easy. Controlling RWD cars is also a major challenge as they can easily slip on loose surfaces. This is because these cars need to have an accurate throttle management so as to avoid the spinning.
b. All-Wheel Drive (AWD)
AWD cars are generally quite safe as they can maintain balance and provide more grip. Nonetheless, this additional grip may render it harder to initiate drifts. Drifting is easier for learners using AWD vehicles because the vehicles are able to accommodate some sliding without complete loss of control of the driver.
c. Front-Wheel Drive (FWD)
FWD cars are the most difficult to drift because the front wheels do both the steering and the power delivery. Drifts can start from using the handbrake but controlling them requires a level of skill. Toned down FWD cars are more ideal for short and technical stages as opposed to long, aggressive transitions.
4. Tuning Your Car for Drifting
In DiRT Rally, the set up of ones’ car can go a long way in determining how well they can drift. Be it a RWD, an AWD or a FWD car, tuning the suspension, differential and gearing of the car enhances drifting performance.
a. Suspension
Softer suspension setups can help the vehicle to absorb the bumps of off-road surfaces giving you better control when drifting. This is in a case when the suspension used is overly rigid; the car can get disproportionately over responsive making controlling slides difficult, if not impossible. Aim to soften your suspension on gravel and snow stages for improved drift control.
b. Differential
A differential controls how much power goes to each wheel. For example, increasing the rear differential settings makes it easier to break traction which is essential when initiating a drift. For AWD cars, adjust both the front and rear differential settings since you have to find a balance between grip and drift potential.
c. Gearing
A shorter gearing enables you to keep the power throughout the corners, which is very important to keep your drift alive. By shortening the gear ratios, the desired revs can be maintained for a car when sliding around the corners.
d. Tires
Choosing the right tires is important for Drifting. When you are on loose surfaces like gravel or snow, softer compound tires will help you with the drifts better. On the other hand, when drifting on tarmac, medium to hard compound tires are the best to use since they maintain grip but are steady for drifts.
5. Drifting on Various Surfaces
There is a surface type for each racing car on DiRT Rally, and thus a different drifting angle is required. Be it catalyzed by a gravel, tarmac or snow, there is the necessity to know how your car behaves on those surface for you to master the drifting technique.
a. Gravel
Gravel reduces grip, and as such, allows for easier initiation and sustainment of drifts. Smooth throttle inputs and proper counter-steering are required when controlling the drift. On gravel, you can make use of the power slide as well as Scandinavian flick but do not exaggerate the turn as the car will slip over.
b. Tarmac
Tarmac has the highest grip levels, which also means drifts are harder to initiate. The power slide becomes less useful owing to the sharper corners and more brake or handbrake turns will be required instead. When driving on tarmac, you must be very careful with your steering wheel and throttle control to ensure you do not decelerate.
c. Snow
Of the various surfaces available, snow provides the least traction and so thanks to this attribute, one can easily get into drifts, but it becomes a challenge to keep the drifts in check. One would have to be light on the pedal to avoid oversteering, and counter steering would have to come in at a much earlier stage in order to hold the drift. While in the stages flooded with snow, one would find it very easy to execute the Scandinavian flick maneuver to start the slide and then control it.
6. Drifting Methods Based on Rally Stage Variations
Drifting techniques need to be modified in accordance with the differing features of stages offered in DiRT Rally. The late stage has turns with relatively shallow angles as well as turns with very sharp angles; therefore, knowing how to perform a drift on such types of stages is essential to enhance one’s performance.
a. Broadside Pavement Turns
The best way to enter a wide corner would be to use a power slide or a Scandinavian flick. These techniques bellies the inside of the turn while keeping speed which is a requirement for wide corners. Begin the drift well in advance and make sure to leave the corner as straight as possible to allow for maximum acceleration.
b. Cornering: Tight Vs. Hairpin
When it comes to tight corners and hairpins, advanced drifting manipulations, such as a handbrake or a combination of a Scandinavian flick and a handbrake, are introduced. Do not leave any given corner to later, brake in time to the opening of the corner, the handbrake makes the drift, and quickly turn the steering wheel back to avoid an outspin.
c. S-Bends
Going through S-bends necessitates a seamless flow between two or more drifts. At the first corner, initiate the drift, counter steer quickly and then enter into the next corner in a drift. This calls for enough control and timing to be able to power through the bends without coming off or losing speed. A very important aspect to note here is the use of throttle, brakes, and steering in a certain ratio in order not to lose too much speed in the corners. For S-bends on slippery surfaces, like snow or gravel, where less grip is offered, the Scandinavian flick technique becomes crucial since it allows one to load the car in transition between the corners.
7. Controller and Wheel Settings for Drifting
If you’re trying to learn drifting perfectly in DiRT Rally, then proper drifting controller or wheel settings would be necessary. Regardless of whether you have a gamepad or a racing wheel, the inputs needs to be set properly before using the drifts, or in this case, the car will not respond as per the drifts.
a. Controller Settings
While using a controller for drifting, the main aspect that is difficult is being able to control the inputs due to most being digital unlike a racing wheel that allows an analog input. Nevertheless, some people can still manage to perform drifts with the aid of some adjustment to the sensitivity and dead zone tweaking.
Steering Sensitivity: If you are the type of driver who can perform drifts whilst keeping high speeds, it is advisable to lower the steering sensitivity to reduce oversteering and provide a controlled input for the steering.
Throttle and Brake Sensitivity: These sensitivity settings should be kept in high enough levels to enable handling of throttle and brake inputs without spilling over. These settings also assist on encouraging the use of throttle while drifting.
Vibration Feedback: Maximizing vibration feedback can help give you a better sense of how the car is handling mid-drift. It allows the user to know when the car has lost grip and when the user should adjust the counter steering in the vehicle.
b. Wheel Settings
Mostly everyone agrees that using a racing wheel in DiRT Rally particularly when drifting improves one’s control. This is largely due to the more precise input control as well as allowing for more intricate actions.
Force Feedback: Make sure to set the force feedback to medium high. This will help in feeling the weight of the vehicle moving, especially during a drift and help in knowing when to initiate counter steering.
Steering Angle: In rally stages, it is advisable to decrease the steering angle range to about 540-720 degrees. This is to make sure that the inputs are fast and very accurate while minimising unnecessary wheel turning.
Pedal Sensitivity: A good recommendation is to modulate your throttle and brake’s sensitivity so that it can be regulated as intended. This is important particularly when controlling drift with the throttle, where excessive or inadequate power may cause a spin or loss of speed.
Handbrake: Pleasingly, having a handbrake lever or a button that is distinct from the wheel set up also aids in enhancing the ability to drift, particularly when corners are sharp.
8. Practicing Drifting in DiRT Rally
There is no doubt that drifting is an essential part in DiRT Rally game but it takes a lot of time to perfect this aspect of the game. This is mainly because the game has an engine that incorporates realistic physics which requires precision when performing the manoeuvre. The secret to getting better at your drifting is simply a lot of practice – practicing basic movement with different surface and different vehicles so that one can understand how it feels during a drift in each of them.
a. Time Trial Mode
Surely, one of the best advantages of Time Trial mode is to allow the player to train on any form of drifting. In it, the player can choose a car and stage of his liking which enables him to practice in every round without any concerns over race positions or damages.
Pick stages with different surfaces and degrees of difficulty so you can understand what it feels like when one drifts on different types of surfaces. Smoother safer longer first, than tighter more aggressive ones.
Replay Evaluation
In DiRT Rally, utilizing the replays is one of the most beneficial aspects. After every run watch the replay carefully, identify any moments you think you lose control, start drifting way to late, or steering too much. Try to observe how you control the gas and the steering, you would be surprised how little mistakes will help in improving in the long run.
Exit Speed is Key
As much as one might feel the urge to let the car slide and enjoy the display of a perfect drift initiator, a rally driver must bear in mind that it is all about speed. Once a nice drift has been completed, how quick you can turn the vehicle in the other direction and move from a corner will significantly impact your stage time. Be sure to always position the car in a way that encourages exit speed but does not cause extreme over rotation or excessive loss of speed.
9. Common Drifting Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Even experienced rally drivers go wrong on drifting in DiRT Rally. Understanding the majority of mistakes, and how to avoid them, makes this learning process easy and quicker.
a. Oversteering too much
Oversteering is perhaps the most famous drift mistake, causing either a spin or slowing the car down too much. Oversteering refers to a situation where the driver countersteers aggressively right after performing a drift.
How to Avoid:
While drifting, purely delicate steering should be used. Do not overdo it by rotating the steering wheel too much too quickly. Maintain enough counter steering to stabilize the car in the slide; do not fight the slide by turning the steering wheel too much.
b. Braking Too Late-Drifting
A common thing when drifting is that one has to decelerate turning before the corner. Braking too late or too hard also leads me to crossing the optimal entry angle for the drift which may cause the car to run wide or even less of the curve’s apex.
How to Avoid Taking These Steps:
To begin with a drift, one must brake well in advance. Instead, ease off the throttle as the car approaches the curve and steer to begin the process of the drift. In this sense, avoid the excessive brake application and work on the throttle to enter the drift at the proper velocity.
c. Excessive Use of Handbrake
The handbrake does serve its purpose when one wishes to drift the car inside a sharp corner, but extreme use of it can prove disadvantageous as the car may lose speed or control on a fast stage. Moreover, excessive use of a handbrake can be the reason behind the difficulty in cornering: i.e. in making the next turn after a corner.
How to Avoid Taking These Steps:
Do not use the handbrake to lose speeds around corners except for very tight corners and hairpins. On the other hand, for faster and more open turning corners, use throttle and steering control to initiate drifting more appropriately. This is especially useful in maintaining speed while still controlling the vehicle in a drift.
d. Ineffective Management of Throttle
As for throttle management, it is probably one of if not the most essential skill in drifting. If you apply too much throttle, you will get into situations of oversteer and loss of control, and if you apply less validation of drift aspiration, you will not be able to hold your drift. Along that line, finding that threshold is the secret in DiRT Rally when it comes to drifting.
How to Avoid Taking These Steps:
Keep a light foot on the throttle all the way through the drift, building up the wheels’ power as the car comes out of the corner. Spend time Learn how to control the throttle without going out of control or going over the limit.
10. Final words about drifting in DiRT Rally
There is a satisfaction a player gets when drifting in DiRT Rally. Welcome to the world of practice, practice and more practice. With the right physics and the right ground, this game seeks to increase the overall rallying experience to a whole new level. It is such an important concept to master in DiRT Rally that it even affects the quality of the play, that is how fun the game becomes when one learns to play all the levels level after level with such precision.
Perhaps, you’re looking to learn how to properly execute the Scandinavian flick, the perfectly timed handbrake turns, or just improve your general control of the car, then definitely remember these exercises and spend enough time on them, as it will certainly bear fruits with time. As you progress in your skills, you will most realize that drifting will become as easy as walking, and you will be able to enjoy a high pace of play while accomplishing even the hardest stages of the game.
Finally, by selecting a suitable vehicle, customizing controller or wheel settings, and engaging in regular training, the player will be capable of executing dramatic slides in DiRT Rally, thus a competitive rally driver.