How To Set Up Your JDM Car for Drifting

Japanese domestic market cars are a natural choice for those looking to get into the motorsport of drifting. Between their power, aftermarket support, and overall handling characteristics, JDM cars are often top of mind when someone thinks of a drift car. And, after all, it’s hard to ignore the roots drifting has in Japan. If you’re looking to get your GT-R, Supra, or even your Evo set up to dominate the drift track, see the performance professionals at Boostin Performance. Let’s get into some of the areas you should consider when choosing a chassis and when building out your dream drift car.

Forced Induction Vs. NA: Power & Tunability in JDM Cars

Going for forced induction or a naturally aspirated setup comes down to personal preference, but we at Boostin Performance are unsurprisingly partial to boosted setups. Forced induction gives relatively smaller engines the ability to put out big power, power you would need a much larger naturally aspirated engine to achieve. Forced induction setups also have greater flexibility in terms of their tuning, making for a vehicle that performs in a way that complements your driving style.

Going for forced induction or a naturally aspirated setup comes down to personal preference, but we at Boostin Performance are unsurprisingly partial to boosted setups. Forced induction gives relatively smaller engines the ability to put out big power, power you would need a much larger naturally aspirated engine to achieve. Forced induction setups also have greater flexibility in terms of their tuning, making for a vehicle that performs in a way that complements your driving style.

Get A Tune for Your JDM Drift Car

As we mentioned, it’s important to get a tune that complements your driving style and makes your power output predictable. During drift events, you’ll generally be keeping the RPMs quite high for the majority of the run, meaning it’s that 4.5-6.5k rpm window that’s most important to avoid sudden surges or dips. Overall, you need a tune that’ll help you put down enough power to keep those wheels spinning. When it comes time to get your car ready to hit the track, consult the tuning professionals at Boostin Performance to get your car set up with a drifting tune near Chicago.

Weight & Your JDM Drift Car

There is plenty of discussion about whether a lighter or heavier vehicle is better for drifting, and the consensus is that it comes down to driver preference. Light drift cars will often be easier to flick and get sideways, and they’ll also be quicker to transition from turn to turn. Heavier cars carry more inertia and can tend to be a bit more forgiving to minor input errors. Still, they can also be more difficult to recover when corners are severely miscalculated. If you’re partial to the more nimble options, this is particularly where turbocharged setups thrive, as they can make big power out of smaller, lighter engines.

There is plenty of discussion about whether a lighter or heavier vehicle is better for drifting, and the consensus is that it comes down to driver preference. Light drift cars will often be easier to flick and get sideways, and they’ll also be quicker to transition from turn to turn. Heavier cars carry more inertia and can tend to be a bit more forgiving to minor input errors. Still, they can also be more difficult to recover when corners are severely miscalculated. If you’re partial to the more nimble options, this is particularly where turbocharged setups thrive, as they can make big power out of smaller, lighter engines.

Suspension Setup for Drifting JDM Cars

Your suspension setup for drifting should start with a good set of coilovers. You want to be able to stiffen up the body roll a bit, but you don’t want things to get too stiff to the point the vehicle starts hopping and skipping over bumps. A good set of stiffer sway bars can also help to make for a more controlled feel during skids. You’ll likely want to lower the car a bit, but if you go more than a couple of inches, you’ll start changing the suspension geometry and will need to look into more components (like adjustable control arms) to help preserve suspension angles.

Flywheel/Clutch Setup for Drifting JDM Cars

Contrary to most other motorsports, you actually don’t want too light of a flywheel when drifting. You may think that a lighter flywheel would allow you to get your engine to speed up quicker for clutch kicks, but it’s actually necessary to have the increased inertia of a heavier flywheel for those clutch kicks to be effective. For that reason, a factory or similarly weighted flywheel paired with a performance clutch that will lock up quickly are the ideal combination for drifting.

Don’t Forget the Little Stuff

Drifting your car is a very different application than it was originally built for, so you’ll want to make sure you accommodate the added stresses this will be adding to your vehicle. Be sure your fluids are topped up and with fluids that are ready to take the heat. You’ll even want to be mindful of what your tire pressures are, as getting them as hot as they’ll be during a drift event is sure to bump up their pressure significantly over the cold pressure.

Boostin Performance: Get Your JDM Car Drift Ready

Boostin Performance is your local performance automotive shop in Hoffman Estates, IL, where you can get a quality tune and performance parts for your drift car. We specialize in forced induction JDM cars, so be sure to reach out to us when you need more power to help you smoke ‘em through those skids. Whether it’s just a new engine map to accommodate a high-octane fuel you’ll use at the track, or it’s a complete custom engine build, the professionals at Boostin Performance know what it takes to get your car track ready. Give us a call today and let’s open a discussion on how to get you to your goals.