Has anyone tried it? Is it even possible? If so what technique did you use to do it, and how was it? I have an automatic and I want to try it but i dont know if its possible in an xb or not :roll:

Dude drifting is for 4WD and RWD cars. Drifting in a FWD car is just called losing control of your car and being stupid. Also the Xb is about as aero dynamic as a bus and is top heavy, so going sidways is not what is capable of doing.

NO DORIFTO FRO JU!!!!

:lol:

I'm 4 M4D TyTe JdM DrIfTeR YO!!!!!!!!!!

Never going to happen. Stupid to attempt. Have a nice day.

I think if you want to attempt anything that remotely resembles a drift with a FWD, use your handbrake. However, just to let you know, this is not really drifting because you really have no control of it, hence "sliding out of control".

You can get a FWD vehicle into a four wheel drift with proper suspension and driving technique. Granted it isn't as spectacular as a 500hp 240 drifting, but it still can be done without pulling the ebrake or putting plywood under the rear tires.

My old Focus which I setup for auto-x was easily put into four wheel drifts on some of the higher speed tracks. No handbrake was used...you just have to know how to effectively transfer the weight of the car through a turn. Also, having a huge rear sway bar did help place the rearend just where I needed it. :)

That was the only FWD car I was completely comfortable pushing over the limits. I'd never try it with the topheavy and underpowered xB. The xB is anything but a race car and really shouldn't be driven as such.

You can get a FWD vehicle into a four wheel drift with proper suspension and driving technique. Granted it isn't as spectacular as a 500hp 240 drifting, but it still can be done without pulling the ebrake or putting plywood under the rear tires.

My old Focus which I setup for auto-x was easily put into four wheel drifts on some of the higher speed tracks. No handbrake was used...you just have to know how to effectively transfer the weight of the car through a turn. Also, having a huge rear sway bar did help place the rearend just where I needed it. :)

That was the only FWD car I was completely comfortable pushing over the limits. I'd never try it with the topheavy and underpowered xB. The xB is anything but a race car and really shouldn't be driven as such.

A properly set up xB will own a Focus on the Auto-X...

I have kinda drifed this morning :lol: . On my way to school, I turned a 100 degree corner, at about 35 with the pavement wet because it was raining. I lost all traction and was able to swing my car to the right and kinda tailfished. But I was alittle worried.

xB= No drifting :D
-nt

lol...Well, I had my fair-share of "___-DRAGGING" the box at a local school parking lot one night. They have like 4 light poles and its about 4 acres.. :lol:

Anyways, the sprinklers for the plants on the outskirts were running and all the water was running down into the center, so you had wet pavement on the outsides and drier towards the inside :)

I decided to head out one night with a buddy and a camera, and got SKIRVY with the E-brake..

It was only fun and games :)

Took a few pictures, and ended up missing a pole (IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE) by about a foot... I was trying to get a full sideways drift going around this one side of the pole, and I did, but I caught a little patch of Dry pavement and the car just kep going sideways, the tires caught and pulled me into the pole.. :oops:

The whole night was awesome, lasted for about 2hours... I think one of my buddies has it on video :)

All in all, I STRONGLY urge you to not try that... unless you are a good driver, and know how to correct yourself incase of a messup.....AND if you've drifted before in something other than a FWD car...

I have to side with you too about the xB owning a Focus... on AX that is..

I mean it would come down to it, if they were both equally given struts, dampners, swaybars, frame braces, brakes, and tires...

The xB handles good stock, don't get me wrong... but I will tell you which would own STOCK ... :twisted: .... as long as the Focus isn't a damn SVT or an RS or anything...lol

Late..

And don't forget, DRIVE SIDEWAYS (not fwd though)

:lol:

A properly set up xB will own a Focus on the Auto-X...

HAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAH

HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHHAH

HAHAHHAHAHAHHHHA

HHAHAHAHHAHA

HAHA

HA

Uhhhh...wtf are you smoking? The xB doesn't even have a true independent rear suspension like the Focus or Mazda 3. The top heavy design of the xB also makes it an inherently bad handling vehicle. Remember cars with a higher center of gravity always have a disadvantage.

Don't get me wrong, I love my xB...but the car's handling prowess doesn't hold a candle to the Focus. I'd be more than happy to rent a Focus and meet any of you out at the track. I guarantee you'll change your mind. :)


Just so you know, the SVT's suspension is/was nothing special. It had higher rate dampers, slightly revised spring rates, and a slightly larger sway bar. You put coilovers and an Eibach rear sway bar on a SVT and a ZX3, both will handle equally.

First, put the xB in REVERSE..... :P

no drifting..
if you want you xb to drift...park it on a island or some sort of ice mass that is drifting away from the land. then your xb will drift, only in a different way..Make sure to soup up your insurace to recover from losses. :D

HAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAH

HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHHAH

HAHAHHAHAHAHHHHA

HHAHAHAHHAHA

HAHA

HA

Uhhhh...wtf are you smoking? The xB doesn't even have a true independent rear suspension like the Focus or Mazda 3. The top heavy design of the xB also makes it an inherently bad handling vehicle. Remember cars with a higher center of gravity always have a disadvantage.

Don't get me wrong, I love my xB...but the car's handling prowess doesn't hold a candle to the Focus. I'd be more than happy to rent a Focus and meet any of you out at the track. I guarantee you'll change your mind. :)


Just so you know, the SVT's suspension is/was nothing special. It had higher rate dampers, slightly revised spring rates, and a slightly larger sway bar. You put coilovers and an Eibach rear sway bar on a SVT and a ZX3, both will handle equally.

Base Focus vs xA??? Hehehehe. . . how curious I am.
I really like the setup on The Foci. . . independent suspension, WIDE OEM tires/wheels. The newest year has an updated engine. I had a chance to run a 2002 Focus, which I beat in a straight line. Dunno which engine he has tho. If it didn't have Ford resale, and the weird interior (yes I actually think it's weirder than the xA, I don't dig the slanted center panel), and if there weren't 5 million of em on the road, I'd be very tempted to buy one. One of the best low end domestic cars I've seen yet. But a manual xB with a nice spring setup would be able to put up a good fight, and with a good driver, you never know. . . auto? But then again, if you mod a Focus. . . they have that euro version with the V8. . . the lambo killer that was featured in Motortrend/RoadandTrack/CarandDriver? Forgot which mag. . .

dude

if you want to get sideways in your box,wait till winter and find ice and i dont mean tha audio kind,really tho i would just keep tha shiney side up and go to a drift event and watch rwd cars kickin some butt.

bondobob

Dude drifting is for 4WD and RWD cars. Drifting in a FWD car is just called losing control of your car and being stupid. Also the Xb is about as aero dynamic as a bus and is top heavy, so going sidways is not what is capable of doing.
What exactly does aerodynamics have to do with drifting? :roll:

Gotta take good care of our babies.

Base Focus vs xA??? Hehehehe. . . how curious I am.
I really like the setup on The Foci. . . independent suspension, WIDE OEM tires/wheels. The newest year has an updated engine. I had a chance to run a 2002 Focus, which I beat in a straight line. Dunno which engine he has tho. If it didn't have Ford resale, and the weird interior (yes I actually think it's weirder than the xA, I don't dig the slanted center panel), and if there weren't 5 million of em on the road, I'd be very tempted to buy one. One of the best low end domestic cars I've seen yet. But a manual xB with a nice spring setup would be able to put up a good fight, and with a good driver, you never know. . . auto? But then again, if you mod a Focus. . . they have that euro version with the V8. . . the lambo killer that was featured in Motortrend/RoadandTrack/CarandDriver? Forgot which mag. . .

I have no intention of flaming you or your car, but I'm 99% sure that guy didn't know how to drive his '02 Focus.

That '02 Focus had either the 130hp 2.0l Zetec or the 149hp 2.3l Duratec/PZEV. The xA/xB has a 109hp motor. Both cars are around the same weight, give or take a few lbs. The stock Focus is most definately faster than an xA/xB due to the power/weight advantage. But the Scion does have a bit more aggressive gearing, so it may take an automatic Zetec Focus off the line. ;)

Again, I'm not bashing the Scion. I just know its place and what its capabilites are/aren't. Directly comparing the xB to the Focus...the Focus comes out on top. Focus has superior suspension design/geometry, better center of gravity, and more power. These three facts alone make the Focus a superior cornering vehicle compared to the xB.

Now I know the xA supposedly has a different rear suspension setup than the xB (am I correct...I thought I read somewhere it actually had an independent rear suspension setup). It also has a slightly lower center of gravity compared to the xB. I'd say the xA has more of a chance against a ZX3.



On a side note, I'll have my Tein s-techs in next week. I'm eager to see/feel the difference. Hopefully that minivan-like feel will be reduced/eliminated. ;)

I did tray slides in my xb the other night get the 20 ounce bottle tray and your local gas station roll on them whit your back tires and lock the e brake turn the trac control off and have fun!!!

I don't know about the Focus deal but, my girlfriend has one and to tell you the truth I like the xA overall. I've taken a 25 miles limit highway exits at 50 in her Focus and it feels like is goint to spin or flip. I've done it with the xA at 65 and it only has a bit of understeer. You compare, 50 to 65.

dunno about top end, but I drove the Focus as well, and didn't have the same kind of punch to it. . . probably because of the transmission as you mentioned. I don't know how the weight compares either. . .

Heres a site of a FF drifting it was in the Formula Drift series. ITs a honda EF9
http://www.fdori-style.com/ also goto falkentire.com n theres a small vid clip of it drifting!!

I used to think FF can't drift.... until I came across this vid:
http://www.alr7al.net/matrix/mqa63/HG5/al-mustshar/1.wmv

A stock Toyota Camry no less :o :o :o :o There was another vid of these arabs stunting with a KIA SPECTRA. Too bad I can't find that vid now....

a buddy of mine did that to his xB, more or less, his drift was more though like losing control. becareful. if you do. i woulden't recommend.

A properly set up xB will own a Focus on the Auto-X...

HAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAH

HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHHAH

HAHAHHAHAHAHHHHA

HHAHAHAHHAHA

HAHA

HA

Uhhhh...wtf are you smoking? The xB doesn't even have a true independent rear suspension like the Focus or Mazda 3. The top heavy design of the xB also makes it an inherently bad handling vehicle. Remember cars with a higher center of gravity always have a disadvantage.

Don't get me wrong, I love my xB...but the car's handling prowess doesn't hold a candle to the Focus. I'd be more than happy to rent a Focus and meet any of you out at the track. I guarantee you'll change your mind. :)


Just so you know, the SVT's suspension is/was nothing special. It had higher rate dampers, slightly revised spring rates, and a slightly larger sway bar. You put coilovers and an Eibach rear sway bar on a SVT and a ZX3, both will handle equally.

Top heavy??? What a joke... Focii suck. I drove a modded ZX3 last night... it had h&r springs and low profile kuhmo's... it was nothing like my Tein S.Tech'ed xB...

You don't need full independant to handle well, use your head... tell that to the old MKII Vdubs...

Now I know the xA supposedly has a different rear suspension setup than the xB (am I correct...I thought I read somewhere it actually had an independent rear suspension setup). It also has a slightly lower center of gravity compared to the xB. I'd say the xA has more of a chance against a ZX3.

I'm quite sure they have the exact same setup... and the xB is only 40lbs heavier.

A properly set up xB will own a Focus on the Auto-X...

HAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAH

HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHHAH

HAHAHHAHAHAHHHHA

HHAHAHAHHAHA

HAHA

HA

Uhhhh...wtf are you smoking? The xB doesn't even have a true independent rear suspension like the Focus or Mazda 3. The top heavy design of the xB also makes it an inherently bad handling vehicle. Remember cars with a higher center of gravity always have a disadvantage.

Don't get me wrong, I love my xB...but the car's handling prowess doesn't hold a candle to the Focus. I'd be more than happy to rent a Focus and meet any of you out at the track. I guarantee you'll change your mind. :)


Just so you know, the SVT's suspension is/was nothing special. It had higher rate dampers, slightly revised spring rates, and a slightly larger sway bar. You put coilovers and an Eibach rear sway bar on a SVT and a ZX3, both will handle equally.

Top heavy??? What a joke... Focii suck. I drove a modded ZX3 last night... it had h&r springs and low profile kuhmo's... it was nothing like my Tein S.Tech'ed xB...

You don't need full independant to handle well, use your head... tell that to the old MKII Vdubs...


Hmmm...you drove a modded Focus for one night. I drove/raced one for three years. Definately an equal driving experience. :roll:

Yes, the xB is top heavy. JUST LOOK AT THE CAR!!! Higher roof line = higher center of gravity. Basics physics people. The higher car has a higher center of gravity. Even a lowered xB has a higher center of gravity than a Focus, Civic, etc. Use your head.

The newer GTI's still have the same rear suspension setup. It sucks. That is the reason I never puchased one. Thankfully the next generation (the one already out in Europe) has an entirely revised suspension setup which kicks ___.


Evidently this is a losing argument. I'm not going to attempt to change your clouded minds. This is practically the equivalent of many of the Focus guys saying all Civics sucked. Or the Mustang guys saying all Imports are slow. :roll:

So now I leave this thread with this observation. How many Foci do you see autocrossing on a typical SCCA Solo2 weekend? Usually anywhere from 2-5. Now how many xB's do you see? I haven't seen a single one. Gee...I wonder why that is....

Now I know the xA supposedly has a different rear suspension setup than the xB (am I correct...I thought I read somewhere it actually had an independent rear suspension setup). It also has a slightly lower center of gravity compared to the xB. I'd say the xA has more of a chance against a ZX3.

I'm quite sure they have the exact same setup... and the xB is only 40lbs heavier.

Yeah. I think the xA just might use a little different spring rates because of the less weight. The xA & xB use the exact same suspension set up as the Echo. That is why the white line rear sway for the echo, can be bolted onto the xA & xB. Now the xA does not have the traction control or VSC, so that point in my mind would make it a little better for drifting.

So now I leave this thread with this observation. How many Foci do you see autocrossing on a typical SCCA Solo2 weekend? Usually anywhere from 2-5. Now how many xB's do you see? I haven't seen a single one. Gee...I wonder why that is....

This isn't my debate, but I agree that the Focus is a good car. . . but keep in mind the xB has only been out a tiny little fraction of the time the Focus has been out, so keep your stats accurate and don't cloud the point.

I personally agree that the Focus is better suited towards autox, but the xB is not THAT top heavy either, as the materials in the roor are rather thin and light weight. Feel it. . . push it. . . DENT it. It's more than likely not going to fare as well as the Focus, but it isn't nearly as top heavy as it looks.

So now I leave this thread with this observation. How many Foci do you see autocrossing on a typical SCCA Solo2 weekend? Usually anywhere from 2-5. Now how many xB's do you see? I haven't seen a single one. Gee...I wonder why that is....

This isn't my debate, but I agree that the Focus is a good car. . . but keep in mind the xB has only been out a tiny little fraction of the time the Focus has been out, so keep your stats accurate and don't cloud the point.

I personally agree that the Focus is better suited towards autox, but the xB is not THAT top heavy either, as the materials in the roor are rather thin and light weight. Feel it. . . push it. . . DENT it. It's more than likely not going to fare as well as the Focus, but it isn't nearly as top heavy as it looks.

Okay. Updated stats. When I first purchased my ZX3 in early 2000 (when the ZX3's first hit the dealerships), I'd see 2-3 fellow Foci out at the course. First year of the xB, and I've seen maybe one picture of one person who has competed in an autox in an xB. I highly doubt we'll see many, if any, compete in SCCA sanctioned events. Why? Read below...

Hell, the local SCCA chapter is unsure whether or not they'd let me autox the xB. The only reason I think I could compete with mine is because I know our local head of event tech. The Echo is banned from competing in SOLO2 in many chapters around the US due to its top heavy nature and easy of tipping over (I think there were a few incidents where the Echo tipped over while being driven in a sane manner during competition). The xB has an even higher profile than an Echo. You do the math. ;)

The ride height has a lot to do with it. . . if put on nice springs, that issue is solved quickly. You'd have to be one big idiot to tip over an xB with good aftermarket springs installed.

Again, I'm sure there were more Foci out there, but remember that "what you see" is a poor judgement of what exists. It's just an observation. But within any manufacturers first year, especially for an econo-car like the Focus and even more so the xB, you won't see many cars at an autox unless they are specifically designed to be sporty/sports cars a la Mini. Remember, I AM agreeing with you, it's just that I feel you may be exaggerating a bit or are very biased (which is understandable). xB's with the right suspension modifications and wheel/tire combo are quite nimble.

I didnt read though all of the post on this but i have to drop my 2 C in
a FWD car will never be able to pull a "jdm" style drift right..

Ive been playing at drifting for about 5 years now in verous cars so i have a little back ground on what can and cant drift...basicly if it isnt a RWD car dont even try it..AWD arnt even that good..

If you have any questions on drifting PM me...Im still amazed what people are asking to do with there Ecano box FWD xBs.

and yes like the rest of you hear i love my xB but i know that all it is, is a very cool BOX WAGON..not some sort of sports car/drag car or the like...