Drift glossary
30 terms, defined by what they change about your build rather than by dictionary definition. The ones with enough to say have their own page.
Ackermann phase 2
The geometry that makes the inside and outside front wheels point at different angles through a turn, because they are tracing circles of different radii.
Angle kit phase 2
Replacement or modified front knuckles and arms that increase steering lock, usually with adjustable Ackermann, caster and roll centre.
Apex seal
The sealing element at the tip of a rotary engine’s rotor. The part that fails when a rotary is run hot or badly tuned, and the reason a compression test on an RX-7 needs the correct gauge.
Bumpsteer phase 2
Unwanted steering input caused by suspension movement rather than by the steering wheel. A side effect of lowering a car.
Camber phase 2
How far the top of a wheel leans in (negative) or out (positive) from vertical, viewed from the front.
Caster phase 2
The fore-aft tilt of the steering axis. More positive caster gives self-centring, steering feel, and camber gain as you steer.
Clutch kick phase 3
Dumping the clutch to shock the drivetrain and break rear traction, used to initiate a drift or to add angle mid-corner.
Coilover
A shock absorber with the spring mounted coaxially around it, usually with adjustable ride height and damping. Phase 1.
Dual caliper
A second rear brake caliper on its own circuit so the hydraulic handbrake does not share pads or fluid with the foot brake. Phase 2.
Feint
Initiating a drift by steering away from the corner first, then sharply back, using the weight transfer to break rear traction. The Scandinavian flick.
FR layout
Front engine, rear-wheel drive. The layout every chassis in our catalogue uses, and the one drift requires.
HICAS
Nissan’s factory rear-steering system on some Skylines and Z cars. Normally locked out or deleted for drift because the behaviour is unwanted.
Hydraulic handbrake
A lever with its own master cylinder, plumbed into the rear brakes, used to break rear traction instantly and repeatably. Phase 2.
Knuckle
The casting that carries the wheel hub and the steering arm. What an angle kit replaces or modifies to gain lock.
Kouki / zenki
Japanese for later and earlier model within a generation - commonly used of the S14. Some panels and front-end parts do not interchange between them.
Limited-slip differential (LSD) phase 1
A differential that biases torque toward the wheel with grip while allowing some slip. Used clutch-type units run $400-800; new ones $1,100-2,200.
Manji
Linked left-right transitions down a straight, used in practice and in judged runs to demonstrate control.
Missile car
A deliberately worthless drift car - stripped, mismatched panels, no interior - built so that damaging it costs nothing emotionally or financially.
Offset (ET) phase 2
How far a wheel’s mounting face sits from its centreline, in millimetres. Higher pulls the wheel inboard, lower pushes it out.
Open differential
The factory differential on most cars. Sends power to the wheel with least grip, which is why a car with one cannot hold a drift.
Roll centre phase 2
The imaginary point an axle rolls around. Lowering a car moves it, which changes how the suspension responds to load.
Scrub radius
The offset between the steering axis and the tire’s contact patch centre. Changed by wheel offset and by an angle kit, and felt as steering weight and kickback.
Spring rate
How stiff a coilover spring is, usually in kg/mm or lb/in. The coilover decision that actually matters, and it has to suit the car’s weight, the tires and the surface.
Surge tank
A small secondary fuel reservoir that keeps the pump fed when sustained lateral load pulls fuel off the main pickup. The fuel problem drift has and road cars do not. Phase 3.
Tandem
Two cars drifting together, one leading and one following closely. The thing most competition judging is built around.
Toe
Whether the wheels point inward or outward relative to each other. Front toe affects turn-in and stability; rear toe is a main lever on how willing the car is to rotate.
Treadwear rating phase 1
A number on a tire’s sidewall indicating relative wear life. Lower generally means softer and grippier; 200 or better is the usual drift front recommendation.
Two-way / 1.5-way / one-way
How a clutch-type LSD behaves on and off throttle. Two-way locks under acceleration and deceleration and is generally what drift drivers want.
Viscous differential
A factory limited-slip design using silicone fluid. Effective when new, and by thirty years old usually behaving close to an open differential.
Welded differential phase 1
A differential whose spider gears have been welded solid, so both rear wheels turn at the same speed permanently. $100-300 at a shop.
See the terms in context
Most of these are decisions rather than definitions, and the build order is where they sit relative to each other.