Tires for drifting

[lv240s14]

Well i have been looking for some good tires and i have heard alot of different stories from different people. I know i want a good "sticky" tire upfront while have a ok tired to slide in the rear. While i don't think the tire in the rear is that big of a deal i want a good tire upfront with decent treadlife and good grip. I have heard of the fallowing tires. Falken rt215 "azenis sports" st 115 which is a step down but still grip with better tread life. Fm901s which are soft and have good tread from what i heard. es 100s and others. If anyone has some stories or experiences please share with me to help make my choice.

[Toahk]

I <8 my yoko avs es 100's, great all around tire.

[s13irdie2]

hows the falken ziex's for drifting? i used them in the front and shitty tires in the back last dday and since it was my first time i couldnt really make a comparison. how much more are the sports to the ziex's?

to answer your question though, most of the people at dday were running es100's and azenis which are mucho expensive. i dont have the kind of money to spend it on those tires.

[BlackZenkiS14]

I am going to use Falken Azenis Sports up front,m or maybe even some new Advan tires that recently became available. But i was curious about the rears as well, like said above, i am not too worried about the level of traction, i just want a tire with a stiff-ass sidewall and a long(er) treadlife. What do you guys think?

[citizen]

azenis sports all four corners~

[DocTaDrifT]

just buy anything that arnt kuhmo 711s or 712s

[Brian]

just wait until you NEED that grip in the back...
then you'll be sorry that you went with shitty tires for the rear.

[s13irdie2]

im thinkin about getting the kuhmo ecsta mx's after doing some searches.

lv240, search around the site and youll find lots of info on which tires would suit your need.

[sideviewcivic]

im using some michelin energy's lasted great at the land-ho event, great wear rate, using some goodyears N2(IIRC) treadwear 180 great grip up front.

-Aaron

[Flybert]

Here is the breakdown for tires in the rear and why they are good.

ST115 = grippy, smoke nicely, get grippier as they get warmer, wear out a little quicker
ES100s = pretty grippy, easy to spin, get a little greasy when they get hot, like to chunk
FM901 = less grippy, easy to spin, take temperatures well, last long

As for the front, make sure you get good tires that are the same or slightly more grippy than rear depending on size choice. And make sure that your front tires have more tread than the rear, especially if you are running a staggered setup because you will tend to understeer.

[BlackZenkiS14]

Originally Posted by Flybert

Here is the breakdown for tires in the rear and why they are good.

ST115 = grippy, smoke nicely, get grippier as they get warmer, wear out a little quicker
ES100s = pretty grippy, easy to spin, get a little greasy when they get hot, like to chunk
FM901 = less grippy, easy to spin, take temperatures well, last long

As for the front, make sure you get good tires that are the same or slightly more grippy than rear depending on size choice. And make sure that your front tires have more tread than the rear, especially if you are running a staggered setup because you will tend to understeer.

That is exactly the comparison i was looking for, thank you very much for the info. I really appreciate it. where can these tires be purchased for the best price?

[toraji]

used tires for drifting > *

[wootwoot]

This is why its great working with automotive. I get to go through alll the used tires we take off cars and keep what I deem appropriate. Now I just need to get the money for my car to get it going good. I have about 3 pairs of tires for my rear!

[JaeTea]

I would NOT recommend Yokohama Avid V4S.

I was over-driving the fronts (they were turning blue) doing just basic 2nd gear J-turns. Plus they chunk like hell. Totally unpredictable, go from grip to drift in a split second.

Worst tire I ever driven on. I wanted to punch myself in the face for buying them.

[Var]

I tore up my FM901's. I didnt like how they were behaving for some reason. They chunked and didnt smell good. i wont use them again. ES100's smoke nice, and ST115 arent available in too many sizes. Overall i think ES100 would be my choice until i got the correct size rims to run the St-115's

[Sil Beer S13]

I like my ES001

[Flybert]

The thing with ES100's that I've noticed is that all of the tires seem to react differently. When I was running 195/55/15, I didn't have a problem with chunking. Then I started using 205/50/16 and they started chunking. One important thing to do to make sure your tires last is to check the tire pressures after every run to see if they are within spec. If they go above 40psi, they will tend to chunk and turn blue and do all that other stuff that ends your day quickly. I have friends that have run 235/40/17 and other 17 inch sizes and have noticed that they like to chunk. I've been losing faith in ES100s but I haven't completely given up on them.

I just got a set of DZ101 for the next event. They are 215/50/16 and I've heard nothing but good things from experienced guys in Japan. I'm probably going to be one of the first people in America to try them out so I'll definitely be letting people know how they work. Hopefully they live up to the hype. Only problem I see is that they only have this one 16in size that is worth trying. The 17in sizes all blow. We need more choices from this tire.

[s13irdie2]

what company makes the fm091's? sorry the the newb question

[Var]

dunlop......

[s13irdie2]

thanks...

[lv240s14]

that is some good advice on tires but i got it down to either falken azenis sports which cost more or st 115's which cost less but i have heard last longer than the sports but how much longer is the question. I have also been told that they are pretty sticky too. If anyone has experience with these tires please share.

[TurDz]

well if you're not a hardcore track/drift guy...st115's are made to be silent...read some reviews on those.

[revat619]

Well, i have used several tires in the front on my car and so far my favorite is the Falken Azenis Sport. It grips very well in dry whether and they get better as you heat them up. And they last pretty long too. Yokohama es100s are also very good too. Supposedly michelin pilot sports are very nice for front tires too, but i tried them and didnt like them at all. The thing with tires is, everybody has their own preference. Some people hate es100s others like them, some people hate falken azenis st115s others swear by them and so on. So in your case, i would just pick one of the popluar ones and go from there. If you dont like it, switch to something else. It may take a bit to find the tire for you, but its well worth it once you find it. Dont forget, tire pressure plays a big part in how a tire performs so you may have to mess with those a bit to get the feel you want. Good luck.

[lv240s14]

yeah i a pretty stuck on azenis sports but i want my tires to last a while and not go in a week that is why i was considering the st115's.

[sideviewcivic]

***reminder to not put falken azenis on the rears, once they heat up, unless you have power to overcome the grip once they heat up, it will screw up your learning curve***

[JaeTea]

Originally Posted by Flybert

If they go above 40psi, they will tend to chunk and turn blue and do all that other stuff that ends your day quickly.

Hmmm...for track and drift wouldn't you want your tires around 40psi cold?

Any less you're just gonna be rolling over on the sidewall.

[Brian]

when i check mine when i first get to the track, they are usually around 32.
thats it.

[citizen]

you underinflate tires when driving hard, cuz ya know, when they get hot the air inside them expands~
people that inflate their tires to 40psi+ when cold aren't getting the most out of them.

[orion::S14]

There is no set inflation pressure...it depends on YOUR tire size, rim width, and the sidewall stiffness.

You have to make a run, check for rollover, then add/remove air to get the most out of your contact patch.

FYI...

- Brian

[revat619]

Originally Posted by Brian

when i check mine when i first get to the track, they are usually around 32.
thats it.

hahaha i swear dude, we run almost the exact same specs when it comes to wheels and tires!

Anyway, for the track, i start out with my tires at about 32 psi as well. Like whats already been said, when the tires heat up, the hot air causes them to expand. Hence the reason why, AT THE TRACK, you shouldnt start out cold with them set at 40psi.