In October last year, Ford presented an original performance handbrake add-on for its Focus RS hot hatch with the only idea to make it easier for customers to drift like Ken Block. The mechanism is described by the automaker as the first-ever “electronic handbrake” and uses only software to control the rear differential clutches and the ABS to apply the brakes. It has nothing to do traditional hydraulic handbrakes, which require new brake lines, calipers, etc.
More Focus RS Action:
Given that, it’s really easy to install the so-called Drift Stick. To make it even easier, Ford has released a new step-by-step video guide to installing the device. Watching the clip, we have to say you don’t have to be really handy to mount the electronic handbrake, just be sure to watch carefully and pay attention to the small details.
The handbrake is designed to be installed between the driver’s seat and center console, adjacent to the factory parking brake lever. It needs to be wired to the car’s OBD-II port with cables, hidden underneath the carpet. If done right, that connection also allows some extra functionality: a USB port on the Drift Stick allows owners to download diagnostic data or upload new performance calibrations.
Before you go on the track to use it, don’t forget to navigate through the menus and put your car in Drift Mode. Also, make sure to hold the ESC button for five seconds until it’s turned off (you’ll get a notification on the instrument cluster’s display).
And if, for some unknown reasons, you still believe the Drift Stick is not cool, here’s what Block has to say about it. “I think it’s really cool that Ford Performance is offering customers a way to create large-angle drifts in the Focus RS. It definitely makes the car even more fun to drive.”
Oh, and one more thing. Don’t use it on public roads. Please.
Source: Ford Performance on YouTube
Gallery: Ford Performance Drift Stick