So what would happen if...

[Sköttie P]

Okay, so a friend and I were watching the remake of The Italian Job the other night and enjoyed watching them drive the crap out of those adorable little Minis. At one point, Marky Mark (yes, I know he's grown up and is a Whalberg now, but he'll always be Marky Mark to me) yanks his e-Brake and rips out a nice drift around a corner to our immense viewing pleasure.

My friend, to whom I'm always boasted about the divine greatness of the SVX, turns and says, "Can your SVX do that?" Of course, I replied, "Pffft, I do that like three times on the way to the grocery store, sucka!"

Later I had to admit to myself though that I don't know if such a thing is possible. So I posit to those here who might have more experience in such matters the following:

1: Would the SVX stock handbrake be able to handle being yanked while at speed or would it rip right out the bottom of the car or worse?

2: How would the AWD and heftier than normal weight of our fine automobiles affect a drift on normal, dry pavement?

Not that I ever plan to put such knowledge to use with my immaculate baby, but when it comes to defending her honor and abilities, I like to have my basis covered.

[AFBeefcake]

I would think that locking up the rear wheels and keeping the fronts moving would mess the transfer clutches up big time. The only way would be put the FWD fuse in. Therefor separating the front and rear wheels.

You could wire a relay or something to disconnect the rear wheels whenever the e-brake is pulled up.

But I would say don't try it. AWD drifts are fun in the snow.

[svxcess]

I have seen this maneuver done in person, but only and always with a RWD car with manual transmissions, preferably with a limited-slip differential. Cars with a handbrake on the rear wheels can enter a controlled turning skid by shifting the car into second gear, employing the handbrake, locking the wheels and turning the steering wheel sharply in either direction. This maneuver can also be called a "bootleg turn".

You may also be referring to the "Handbrake/ebrake Drift". This technique is pretty straightforward; pull the handbrake to induce rear traction loss and balance drift through steering and throttle play. Some people debate the fact that if using the handbrake creates an actual drift, or just a power slide.

This is generally the main technique to perform a controlled drift in a FWD vehicle. This is one the first techniques beginners will use as their cars are not powerful enough to lose traction using other techniques.

I have never seen either of these methods successfully used with AWD

[NikFu S.]

I've done it multiple times at speed but I guess that's another clue as to why my AWD is busted.
Or the AWD was busted first and that's what made it possible.

[SubaruPartsGirl]

Originally Posted by NikFu S.

I've done it multiple times at speed but I guess that's another clue as to why my AWD is busted.
Or the AWD was busted first and that's what made it possible.

Haha...the world may never know.

[MNYPNNY]

I had a boyfriend years ago when I was a dumb teenager who thought he could pull off a 90 degree turn in his Ford EXP using the e-brake. He pulled it off all right, but we ended up in the ditch and I ended up in the hospital.

[shelfy]

Originally Posted by thndrmtn92svx

I had a boyfriend years ago when I was a dumb teenager who thought he could pull off a 90 degree turn in his Ford EXP using the e-brake. He pulled it off all right, but we ended up in the ditch and I ended up in the hospital.

i haven't seen a ford exp in years. i had an opportunity to buy a low mileage 2 seater car for very little money, several years ago. i was hoping for a honda crx or toyota mr2, but it ended up being a ford exp. needless to say, i didn't buy it.

I think the SVX is to heavy and the AWD would make it too hard to do on dry pavement. You could probably pull it off on gravel. I've done it in my SVX in a icey parking lot. I used to pull e-brake slides all the time on gravel and ice allot in my Forester though. I never hurt the AWD and the forester 5-speed is still working great now in my SVX.

[b3lha]

I used to do this all the time when we did autotest competitions in our Justy. Great fun, but it only worked in FWD mode. The Justy had no centre diff, so if you locked the back wheels in 4WD mode then it also locked the front ones by way of the prop shaft and the car would just skid to a stop.

In my limited experience, I've found the best cars for "handbrake turns" are FWD with manual gearboxes. It helps if you pump the rear tyres up to about 45PSI too.

I've never managed it in the SVX. With the transmission sending 65% of the engine torque to the back wheels, the handbrake is too weak to lock them up.

I've managed to swing the back of the car with "lift off" oversteer, but it's not easy to unbalance this car.

[Earthworm]

I've never tried it with the 4EAT but it does work with the 5MT. I still don't know why the tranny doesn't think the front tires are spinning and lock the center diff similar to the Justy experience.

[NikFu S.]

Originally Posted by Earthworm

I've never tried it with the 4EAT but it does work with the 5MT. I still don't know why the tranny doesn't think the front tires are spinning and lock the center diff similar to the Justy experience.

Maybe it knows when the handbrake is on and compensates.

---
Blah nevermind. Missed the part where you were talking about the 5mt.

[Speedklix]

Originally Posted by Earthworm

I've never tried it with the 4EAT but it does work with the 5MT. I still don't know why the tranny doesn't think the front tires are spinning and lock the center diff similar to the Justy experience.

Works with the awd 4eat also.
Don't try it for the first time in an svx anyone... it'll be a lovely mess.

*closed track, professional driver of course...

[Speedklix]

Originally Posted by NikFu S.

Maybe it knows when the handbrake is on and compensates.

AWD has a center diff. the 4WD doesn't (locked front and rear)

[NikFu S.]

Roger that, kthx.