Mastering the art of drifting in Forza Motorsport 7 requires more than just raw power; it demands a deep understanding of car mechanics, a precise tuning setup, and consistent practice. This guide will walk you through the comprehensive process of how to make a drift car in Forza Motorsport 7, covering everything from selecting the right vehicle and installing essential upgrades to fine-tuning its performance characteristics for optimal slide control. By following these steps, you’ll transform any suitable car into a formidable drifting machine ready to conquer the track sideways.
Understanding the Fundamentals of Drifting in Forza Motorsport 7
Before diving into specific builds, it’s crucial to grasp what makes a car suitable for drifting in Forza Motorsport 7. Drifting is fundamentally about intentional oversteer—maintaining control while the rear wheels lose traction and slide around corners. This requires a delicate balance of power, grip, and steering response.
In FM7, the physics engine simulates vehicle dynamics with considerable detail, meaning that every upgrade and tuning adjustment has a tangible impact on how your car behaves. A successful drift car isn’t just powerful; it’s predictable, allowing you to initiate slides smoothly, control their angle, and transition between corners with fluidity. Key elements include the car’s weight distribution, drivetrain type, and the responsiveness of its suspension and differential. Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) vehicles are almost exclusively preferred for traditional drifting due to their inherent ability to send power directly to the wheels that initiate and sustain the slide.
Choosing the Right Base Car for Drifting
The foundation of any great drift car is the vehicle itself. While virtually any RWD car can be made to drift, some are naturally better suited due to their chassis characteristics, weight distribution, and upgrade potential. When selecting a car in Forza Motorsport 7, consider these factors:
- Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD): Absolutely essential. AWD cars can be converted to RWD, but starting with a native RWD car simplifies the process and often yields better results.
- Power Potential: Look for cars with engines that can handle significant power upgrades. More power means easier slide initiation and sustainment, though too much can make the car uncontrollable.
- Weight Distribution: Cars with a relatively balanced front-to-rear weight distribution (e.g., 50/50 or slightly rear-biased) often feel more predictable.
- Wheelbase: A longer wheelbase can offer more stability, while a shorter wheelbase can make the car more nimble and eager to change direction, though potentially harder to control for beginners.
Popular Car Choices for Drifting in FM7:
Many experienced Forza players gravitate towards specific models known for their drift potential. These often include:
- Nissan Silvias (S13, S14, S15): Legendary drift cars in real life and excellent in FM7 due to their balance, upgrade potential, and extensive aftermarket support within the game.
- Nissan 240SX, 350Z, 370Z: Similar to the Silvias, these offer great RWD platforms.
- BMW M3 (various generations): Powerful European options that can be tuned into fantastic drift machines.
- Ford Mustang (newer generations): Muscle cars with strong RWD platforms and immense power potential.
- Mazda RX-7 (FC, FD): Rotary-powered legends, lightweight and agile, requiring a different approach but highly rewarding.
When choosing, don’t be afraid to experiment. Sometimes, an unexpected car with the right tuning can become your favorite drift machine.
Essential Upgrades for Your Drift Build
Once you’ve selected your base car, the next step is to equip it with the right performance parts. These upgrades lay the groundwork for a successful drift tune. Focus on these key areas:
Engine & Power
The goal here is ample power, but not excessive. You need enough horsepower to break traction easily and sustain slides, but not so much that the car becomes twitchy or impossible to modulate with the throttle.
- Engine Swap (Optional but Recommended): Many drifters opt for an engine swap to gain significant power and torque. Look for V8 or powerful inline-6 options that offer a good balance of power-to-weight.
- Forced Induction (Turbo/Supercharger): Essential for boosting power. Turbos generally offer more peak power but with lag, while superchargers provide linear power delivery. Choose based on your preference for throttle response.
- Performance Parts: Upgrade all engine components (intake, exhaust, camshafts, valvetrain, displacement, fuel system, ignition, intercooler, flywheel) to their highest racing specifications. This maximizes horsepower and reduces weight.
Drivetrain
The drivetrain components are crucial for how power is delivered to the wheels and how the car behaves in a slide.
- Race Differential: This is non-negotiable. A race differential allows you to adjust the acceleration and deceleration lock settings, which are vital for controlling slides.
- Race Transmission: While not strictly mandatory for drifting, a race transmission allows for fine-tuning of individual gear ratios, which is incredibly helpful for maintaining optimal RPMs through a drift. Manual transmission with clutch is almost universally recommended for drifting for maximum control.
- Race Clutch: Improves shift times and power transfer.
- Race Driveline: Reduces drivetrain loss and improves responsiveness.
Tires & Wheels
The right tires and wheels balance grip and slip, which is the core of drifting.
- Tire Compound:
- Street or Sport Tires: Often preferred for drifting over full Race tires. They offer less grip, making it easier to break traction and maintain slides at lower speeds. Race tires can make it harder to initiate a slide without excessive power.
- Drift Tires (if available): Some cars or updates might offer specific “Drift” tires, which are designed for optimal slip characteristics.
- Tire Width:
- Front Tires: Often kept slightly narrower than stock or at a moderate width to reduce front grip, aiding in initiation.
- Rear Tires: Can be wider than front tires to provide enough grip to propel the car while still allowing for controlled slippage. Experimentation is key here.
- Wheel Size: Primarily aesthetic, but very large wheels can add weight and affect suspension geometry. Stick to reasonable sizes.
Suspension & Brakes
These systems dictate how the car reacts to weight transfer and steering inputs.
- Race Suspension (Coilovers): Absolutely essential. This allows for adjustments to ride height, springs, rebound, bump stiffness, camber, toe, and caster—all critical tuning parameters.
- Race Anti-Roll Bars (Front and Rear): Allow you to adjust the roll stiffness, significantly impacting how weight transfers during cornering and initiation.
- Race Brakes: Crucial for fine-tuning brake bias and pressure, which can be used to initiate drifts or adjust angle mid-slide.
- Race Roll Cage & Weight Reduction: Installing a roll cage adds chassis stiffness, which improves predictability. Full weight reduction is also highly recommended to improve the power-to-weight ratio and agility.
With these upgrades installed, your car is now physically capable of drifting. The real magic happens in the tuning menu. For reliable information on general automotive care and performance tips, you can always visit maxmotorsmissouri.com.
Tuning Your Drift Car for Optimal Performance
This is where you transform a powerful car into a precise drift machine. Every setting influences how the car slides and recovers.
1. Tires
- Front Tire Pressure: Start around 28-32 PSI. Higher pressure reduces the contact patch, making it easier to break traction.
- Rear Tire Pressure: Start around 20-25 PSI. Lower pressure increases the contact patch and grip slightly, which can help with acceleration out of a slide and provide a more predictable feel. This is a common starting point, but some tuners prefer higher rear pressure for easier initiation.
2. Gearing
The goal is to have gears that allow you to stay in the powerband during a drift, without constantly shifting or running out of revs.
- Final Drive: Adjust this first. A shorter final drive (higher number) will provide quicker acceleration and help with breaking traction. Tune it so you can use 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gears primarily for drifting.
- Individual Gears: Fine-tune individual gears if needed to avoid significant RPM drops between shifts or hitting the rev limiter too quickly. Gears should be relatively close together.
3. Alignment
Alignment settings are paramount for drift initiation and control.
- Camber:
- Front Camber: -4.0 to -5.0 degrees. This provides a larger contact patch when the wheel is turned, improving steering grip during a drift.
- Rear Camber: 0.0 to -1.0 degrees. Keep it close to neutral or very slightly negative. Too much negative rear camber reduces grip, making the car overly loose.
- Toe:
- Front Toe: 0.2 to 0.5 degrees out. Toe-out on the front wheels helps the car to turn in aggressively and initiate the slide more easily.
- Rear Toe: 0.0 to -0.2 degrees in. A slight toe-in on the rear can add stability during a slide and make the car more predictable.
- Caster: 6.0 to 7.0 degrees. Higher caster values increase steering self-correction (the wheel wants to return to center) and provide more steering feel, which is crucial for counter-steering.
4. Anti-Roll Bars (ARB)
ARBs influence body roll and weight transfer.
- Front ARB: Stiff (e.g., 20-35). A stiffer front ARB makes the front end more responsive to steering inputs and helps transfer weight to the outside wheel, promoting oversteer.
- Rear ARB: Soft (e.g., 1-10). A softer rear ARB allows for more body roll at the rear, reducing rear grip and making it easier to break traction.
5. Springs
Springs determine how the car compresses and rebounds.
- Front Springs: Stiff (e.g., 600-900 lbs/in). Stiffer front springs help maintain front-end stability and responsiveness.
- Rear Springs: Softer (e.g., 400-700 lbs/in). Softer rear springs allow more weight transfer to the rear during acceleration, helping to break traction.
- Ride Height: Set to minimum (lowest possible) for better center of gravity and aesthetics.
6. Damping (Rebound and Bump Stiffness)
Damping controls the speed at which the suspension compresses and extends.
- Rebound Stiffness:
- Front Rebound: Stiff (e.g., 10-15).
- Rear Rebound: Softer (e.g., 5-10). A softer rear rebound allows the rear wheels to extend more freely, maintaining contact with the ground and aiding in traction out of a slide.
- Bump Stiffness:
- Front Bump: Medium (e.g., 5-8).
- Rear Bump: Soft (e.g., 2-5). Softer rear bump helps the rear wheels absorb bumps without upsetting the slide. Generally, bump stiffness should be about half of rebound stiffness.
7. Aerodynamics (Aero)
For drifting, aero is typically minimized or set to neutral.
- Downforce: Set front and rear downforce to their lowest settings (minimum). Downforce increases grip, which is counterproductive for drifting.
8. Brakes
Brake settings are important for initiation and mid-drift adjustments.
- Braking Balance: 70-100% to the rear. Shifting brake bias to the rear helps to initiate drifts with a tap of the brake, or to adjust angle mid-slide.
- Braking Pressure: 100-120%. Maximize braking pressure for responsive braking, especially for handbrake turns (which are usually a separate button in game, but this setting affects pedal input).
9. Differential
This is one of the most critical settings for drift control.
- Acceleration: 80-100%. A high acceleration lock means that both rear wheels receive power equally, making it easier to break traction and maintain a consistent slide.
- Deceleration: 0-20%. A low deceleration lock allows the rear wheels to rotate at different speeds when off the throttle, which helps with stability during transitions and prevents the car from snapping into oversteer aggressively when you lift off the gas.
Practice and Fine-Tuning Your Drift Car
Building and tuning a drift car is only half the battle; the other half is learning to drive it. Forza Motorsport 7 offers numerous tracks and open areas to practice.
- Start Simple: Begin on a wide, open track like the Test Track or a large circuit with gentle corners. Focus on initiating a slide and holding it through one corner.
- Throttle Control: The throttle is your primary tool for controlling the drift angle and speed. Learn to modulate it precisely. Too much throttle spins you out; too little kills the drift.
- Counter-Steering: As the rear end breaks loose, quickly turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction (counter-steer) to maintain the slide. This becomes second nature with practice.
- Transitions: Once comfortable with single-corner drifts, practice linking corners together. This involves transitioning from one slide to another, requiring precise timing of throttle, steering, and sometimes a handbrake tap.
- Listen to Your Car: Pay attention to how your car feels. If it’s too twitchy, soften the rear springs or ARB. If it’s hard to initiate, increase power or adjust toe-out. Make small adjustments to your tune and test them rigorously. Every driver has a unique style, and your tune should complement it.
Conclusion
Creating an effective drift car in Forza Motorsport 7 is a rewarding process that combines technical understanding with driving skill. By carefully selecting a base car, installing the right performance upgrades, and meticulously tuning each component—especially the differential, suspension, and alignment—you can transform your vehicle into a formidable drifting machine. Remember that the journey of how to make a drift car in Forza Motorsport 7 is as much about the car as it is about developing your own driving technique through consistent practice and iterative tuning adjustments. Experiment, learn, and most importantly, have fun sliding your way to drift mastery.
Last Updated on October 10, 2025 by Cristian Steven
