Ford Performance Drift Stick

Ford Performance Drift Stick is the emergency brake with electronic control.

The Ford company provided on November 2, 2017 the Ford Performance Drift Stick system — the first emergency brake with electronic control. The node inspired by rally race cars was developed for Focus RS.

Ford Performance Drift Stick

Driftstik who received the internal name Project Wicked Stick (Evil Lever project) became logical addition a drift mode, developed for Focus RS by the same command, noted in the company.

How it works

Driftstik represents the aluminum lever located between a driver's seat and the lever of the mechanical transmission. It influences at the same time the system of the Ford Performance four-wheel drive and the anti-lock braking system of brakes. When "tightening" the lever couplings of the drive of back wheels are disconnected and pressure in cylinders of back brake mechanisms increases. Back wheels are blocked and the car begins sliding. It allows undergoes turns in a drift just as it is done by rally racers on specially prepared cars.

As well as a drift mode, the Ford Performance Drift Stick system it is held for use only on a track.

Development

As the hydraulic emergency brake would demand considerable intervention in construction of the car, the decision to develop the Ford Performance Drift system as completely electronic technology was made. Having begun work on a system, the engineer of Ford Performance detected similarity of its electronic part to the electronic instrument which Ford already offers the clients — the tool for professional calibration of the engine. Integration of already existing technology allowed to equip driftstik with the USB connector, having connected a wire to which it is possible to obtain diagnostic data and to load settings of the power unit into a management system for the Focus RS engine.

Specific Features

Electronic construction of a brake provides the following advantages:

• The instant operation and disconnection of brakes requiring effort on the lever no more than 3 kg. It is much less than effort which the driver should put to hydraulic "bench hammer" and allows more precisely and without tension to drive the car.
• Installation and dismantling are extremely simplified: welding or drilling, as in a case with installation of hydraulic "bench hammer" is not required. Installation of a driftstik does not influence car warranty conditions.
• Driftstik is connected to the diagnostic connector of the car that allows to use it as the tool for professional calibration of the engine.

Testing

For confirmation of efficiency of the developed technology the racer Ken Blok who is professionally acting in rally who is one of the most active users of the hydraulic emergency brake by rally machines was invited. The racer supported implementation of the emergency brake with electronic control as means which will help any driver of Ford RS as fast as possible and without efforts to send the "charged" car to a drift.

Ken Blok tests Ford Performance Drift Stick, on October 31, 2017

Objectives

Our engineers will use the practices received in a work progress over the project on many future Ford Perfomance models, and then will transmit spirit of invention to colleagues from other departments — Dave Pericak, the global director of division of Ford Performance said.