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Originally Posted by dimab0
Has anyone found a place to play with the drift mode? I had a quick session on the track in SC at the perf center, but since then I'm struggling to find a safe place to play with the drift mode or with DSC off in general. Feels like too proper of a car to take to a Target parking lot in the middle of the night...At least the track I reached out to said they don't have opportunities for individuals to use their skid pad.
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Tracks and small airports are probably your best bet to do it legally and safely. Those places are going to have the maintenance on their tarmacs and be familiar with the process in place for ensuring their liability is waived (they may be able to sell you some insurance for it as well). Of course, depending on the size of the place, it's unlikely they'll entertain an individual's request as you experienced... unless you're explicitly stating you're going to rent the entire place out for a day. The closest "nice" track near me has a skid pad and the ability to rent portions of their facility out, but it's the kind of place with a 6 figure initiation fee, and the private events cater to manufacturers and the like:
https://www.monticellomotorclub.com/...venue-rentals/ I'm thinking a small puddle jumper type air strip might be a little bit more palatable price-wise if this route is the one you're most comfortable with.
The more low key route without asking for trouble would involve making friends with the police and/or business owners. The only issue here is that most business owners that would be okay with you playing around on their private property likely don't keep up with lots enough. Depending on the location, it might still draw some unwanted attention as well. Obviously there are some unicorns out there who are business owners and also car enthusiasts with a 9-5 type workforce that's large enough to have a nice clean lot, so you might get lucky networking within a respectable car scene (cars and coffee type meets).
Aside from those situations, I wouldn't go the Target parking lot route myself, but you might find luck with an underdeveloped commercial or industrial park. I have a newer area near me that never really took off, so they still have some decent roads and lots with only 2-3 occupied businesses within. I'll make a quick trip there on a damp day while not going too crazy on occasion, so if you're not looking for a full session, something like that might fill your desire. Obviously you're still talking about trespassing, destruction of property, etc., so without getting permission at these places, I wouldn't advise it by any means.
Regardless of what you choose, be safe, responsible, and respectful. With the new drift analyzer, someone might as well start a "Drift Analyzer Gone Wrong" thread for inexperienced drivers to post pictures of their blunders.