Okay, I'll correct you. I have driven both auto and manual version's of the FR-S. It was actually the auto version I got to test the limits of - twice.

Of course an A/T car can help you learn some extremely elementary technique but it's just not viable for actual drifting.

http://i49.tinypic.com/2h399wl.jpg

Just going to leave this right here before I put you on ignore:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3YivnuSLAI"]Club4AG's Scion FRS, Paddle Shift AT, Drift Testing - YouTube[/ame]

Is this not ”actual drifting”? I don't think anyone with AT are looking for trophies andyou making it sound like anything less isnt worth attempting smacks of elitism.

I think I jizzed in my pants.

And you're right, I'll probably use the stick instead of the paddles. I just took my car out to my parking lot (I own a huge parking lot) in the rain and did a few donuts just to test out slippage. Hard reaching the paddles while I'm steering like mad.

I was just about to say someone post Moto's drifting video. :thumbup:

i think in the 4th ken block video, he uses paddle shifters. just saying.

whats the title of Moto-P's long post that describes why he chose AT over MT?

Paddle shifters can be connected to a manual transmission, just saying.

You CAN drift with automatic but you have more control and access to more techniques ith manual.

Honestly though, I wouldn't recommend drifting anything with any tranny on a public road if you aren't experienced.

I don't plan to use it on a public road. :P Just to clarify, as I've said in my initial post, I'm taking it to a summit to goof around.

^ This. A** dragging in my FWD Civic is alot of fun to! :)

Can we talk about what happens when you mess up in an automatic? What happens when you oversteer and are suddenly going backwards. You don't have a clutch to push in to quickly go into neutral. What are the ramifications of spinning out in an automatic?

I don't have an FR-S, but I do autocross my automatic IS300. If you're spinning, you should be hard on the brakes so that you can lock all four wheels, which will be no worse on your transmission than just being stopped at a red light (engine at idle, wheels not spinning). If you don't do that, you'll stall the car when you're going backwards, and I imagine it isn't great for the torque converter or the transmission. I've stalled out a couple of times when I've spun out, and that's an awful feeling.

How was I supposed to know this 'summit' is a public road or not? :iono: I guess I jumped to a conclusion but you also didn't make that clear in the first post.

I guess it depends how you define drifting. Even in a regular pro-am competition (here anyways) that sort of driving would net you nothing but 0's and the car would be hopeless anywhere but on a tight free course like that.

So - no, that is not actual drifting. There's not a course this side of the country I can think of that an A/T FR-S could competitively drift at on any level.

Honestly - nobody needs to validate what they purchased ... AT or MT .. but it's beyond the realm of sense to argue this. I've been surrounded by drifting for years here in western Canada and never has an AT vehicle ever competed much less put on a show. There's a reason for that.

If you want to ignore me to validate your opinion as an AT owner .. oh well. 13 years of forums, do your worst.