Free Review of BMW E30 – Ultimate Drift Machine

The E30 3 series was introduced at the end of 1982. It came available in 1983. It was available as 316, 318i, 320i and 323i. The 320i and 323i where six cylinders and had a check control and rev counter as standard. At the end of 1983 a 4 door version came available. In 1985 some changes were made to the 3 series.

First the 320i received a new engine that now had 129 HP. Then the 324d was introduced. It was the first 3 series diesel ever. It had a six cylinder diesel engine with 86 BHP. Also new where the 325i, 325e, 325ix and 325i convertible. The 325i replaced the 323i and had 170 BHP. The 325ix had four wheel drive and the 325i convertible was the first convertible that was made made by BMW. All models received a very small facelift. The front spoiler was changed. In 1987 the 324turbo diesel was introduced.

It had a 6 cylinder diesel engine with turbo wich now had 115 BHP. This was also the year that the 3 series received a facelift. Black plastic bumpers replaced the chrome ones and the rear lights where bigger now with a plastic surround filling up the void at the rear end surrounding the license plate. The 318i received the new M40 four cylinder engine. The 316 received the old 318i engine and now had 102 BHP. In 1988
the 316i received another new engine. It now had a M40 engine wich had 100 BHP.

Also available now was the new Touring. It was available as 320i, 325i, 325ix and 324td. In 1989 the 318is came available and the 318i was available as touring. The 318is had a 16 valve engine that produced 136 BHP this was nicknamed “the baby m3″ as it was a small 4 cylinder that was also lively. In 1991 the 316i touring came available. This was also the year that the convertible received the same facelift as the sedan had in 1987. There was also a 318i convertible introduced. This was also the last year that the E30 sedan was available. The new 3 series was already available since the end of 1990 so the old E30 went out of production. The Convertible was available until 1993 and the four cylinder tourings until 1994.

The bmw E30 is an iconic legend and has a special place in many a man’s heart it is the pinnacle of bmw engineering and was a world leader at it time of introduction. it is renowned by many as the ultimate drift machine with its lively rear end attitude and the power versions avilable. The best of the e30’s for drifting in my opinion would be the 327i alpina but as many know this was a limited edition and somewhat of a collectors item nowadays so sporting it round a track on a trackday or drifing round the roundabuts in your local town would be frowned upon by many enthusasts. Therefore the best e30 drifter in my opinion is the 325i yes you heard me right the 325i not the m3. the 325i is a lot more tourquey than the m3 with it being a six cylinder giving you more ability to control the drift giving you a much more satisfactory experience.

Drifting a Car

Arts of getting a car to go sideways in a delicate balance, and one which requires a great deal of skill and concentration. We shall assume that you have a suitably equipped and tuned RWD car that is drift ready with a locked rear diff. Never ever attempt to drift on a street or in a public area!!! Many clubs and tracks offer a safe venue for drift practice.

We will cover the most popular drift techniques which generally will combine together to create the other techniques. By learning a few methods you can combine them to match your personal style, the car setup and meet the track and apex conditions with the perfect drift. The better you get the faster you can drift.

Some techniques only really become effective at fast speeds. These techniques in particular should not be attempted unless you have attained an intuitive level of drift control at slower speeds and can control the cars direction as well as holding a drift.

Power over - Using the throttle to cause a power surge causing the rear wheels to lose traction. Pressing hard on the throttle will cause the wheels to spin faster than the travel of the car and this loss of traction effectively causes the rear of the car to go light. If you are already steering into a bend the back will go wide, if you are travelling straight a steering motion will start the drift.

Feint - Steering into the corner first and as the car is just about to settle into the bend a flick of the wrist in the other direction will upset the cars traction causing the rear to brake free. The Scandinavian flick as popularised in the world of rally is a very similar technique. Using a feint technique it is possible to drift a front wheel drive car if you have enough speed. It is possible to drift a car using the inertia of the car caused by deceleration into a bend without using the Feint.

Clutch Kick - dipping the clutch to disengage the drive then reapplying it suddenly. The aim here is to use the different engine to road speed (either higher or sometimes lower) to initiate an over steer skid which can be held in a drift. You will need a meaty clutch for this and often the drivetrain, gearbox or diff will prematurely fail.

Handbrake - Sometimes, depending on speed and the apex of the bend, drifters may use the handbrake to initiate the drift, and as such it is a useful way to break the rear traction, saving the clutch and drivetrain. A drifter will combine this with the other methods described to catch and continue a drift otherwise the car will slow up or spin out. This is also what the FWD kids do in supermarket car parks which is not cool and not drifting - the aim is for a sustained drift.
So now the rear of the car is running wide we need to keep it balanced. The key here is to use gentle and progressive controls. Steering motions need to be fluid rather than jerky. Throttle application likewise also needs to be progressive and steady.

This is what distinguishes a pro from an ameteur and the feel only comes from hours of practice. It will become second nature.

To stop an over steer skid you steer into the direction of the rear skid, to make it worse you steer the other way. (ie: If the rear slides out to the left, you have steer to the left in order to catch this and prevent a spin or steer to the right to make it worse and create a spin!) In drifting you want to maintain the fine balance between over steer and running straight.
What if you overcook it and the car spins? Stay calm and do not panic. The car will generally complete a 180 degree turn and come to a stop. When the car has lost its speed be quick to apply the brake to prevent the car rolling into a barrier or worse still another driver. The holy grail of drifting is a long "driftlock" - being able to hold a steady drift vector for as long as possible at a fast pace. The greater the angle and faster the drift the more points are awarded. In car GPS measures the angle and speed of drift and allows an easily judgeable benchmark for practice runs. Most competitions have judges who award points on speed, style and angle of drift.