well, the season is here again guys..
just wondering what tires everyone is using?
so far my favorites are the falken st115 (discontinued), dunlop fm901 (very smokey), falken 452s...these have treated me well in front and rear. I was going to end up getting the dunlops again this time but wanted to try something new.
How are the dunlop direzzas? what about the new federal 595s?
Just wanted to hear everyones opinion on tires that they have tried...compare grip characteristics, how long they last, do the chunk? get slippery or greasy? etc...im really looking for the best tire that can last a while and isnt too expensive...

 

id like to know also...

 

From my experience... stay away from bridgestones... they get slippery as hell when overheated. Chunks as well.

Although I've tried Turanza's (I think it's bridgestones all season tire), they were considerably gripper and much better control for drifting (they were in the back, I was running Michelin Pilot Sports in the front.)

Michelin Pilot Sports (the ones off G35), they weren't too bad... Although quite pricey. They did get slippery when they got really hot, but much more heat tolerance than the bridgestones.

I think that's all I've tried for drifting...

I got Direzzas on my rims right now, but they're for street driving.. not taking them to track. Although I'll say that they have softer sidewalls than FM901's.

I also have some Potenza S03, haven't tried those yet, still sitting in my basement. But given the experience with my previous bridgestone tires, I'm gonna use them for lapping/grip days.

 

i loved my s03's tons of smoke and tons of grip. could put the car where i wanted.

st115's great durable tire with pretty ok grip. last hell of a long time.

es100's-piece of crap after 2 consecutive laps, gets hot and rips apart.

continentals conti sport contact 2- low grip but super smokey, sidewall is soft as well

toyo t1s- gets greasy really fast. not as much grip and very soft sidewall

 

^ maybe I'll try on the S03's. Or lap them first til low thread and finish them off in drifting.

yeah my friend tried ES100, they got ripped and owned not even a 1/4 of the day, the were in the fronts too...

 

I ran Nexen N3000's last time out, and they took a lot of punishment. They didn't chunk or get greasy, lasted all day, wore evenly, and maintained a reasonable level of grip. Best of all, they were cheap.

 

Dunlop Direzza DZ101 - Good & Cheap
I go through a lot of these babies. For the non-pro drifter this is the exact tire you're looking for.

 

my favorite were also the falkens. i have run on the toyo t1's and had no problem though.

this thread is just like every other drift thread tho... ride on what you like, some people prefer a slicker tire some dont.

personal preferance ftw!

 

From the experts:

Yokohama ADVAN Neova
Bridgestone RE01-R
Kumho Ecsta MX

 

If you don't have a lot of power, go for one of those less grippy tires like the Dunlop Direzza. If you've got the powa, go for the real extreme performance tires that the real drifters use...I'm sure they are some toyos and falkens, but I don't know jack about them bc we don't sell them at Tire Rack.

 

Federal 595...done and done.

 

I just did my 1st drift event on my old OE bridgestones...they started to chunk and then the cords would come out:





*I had done a few track days on them, then let them sit for about 1 yr...

-Peter

 

Toyo T1R's...love them.

 

falken 615s are my favorites, but i've been through hundreds, and i have falken stickers on my car, so i'm biased.

 

Funny, I like the Maxxis Tires - MA-Z1 drift..... I am sure that Chris will agree....

www.maxxisdrifttires.com

 

want to lend me some so i can see for myself? i just need a few dozen to form an independent opinion, and then i can report back here..... wait, why am i still on this forum? i got rid of my z already : (

 

I run Wanli's when I want something to last a long time and when I want grip and a little less "life" I run Federals

 

when i used 19s my favourites were dunlop SP sport maxx, but only because they let me drift the bank at irwindale, I've got some 452s i'm gonna try in a couple weeks, word is they are about the same as st115s. I've run basically every dunlop performance tire and they are all pretty decent. Federals are complete crap, the only thing i've had worse than federals are the es100s.
both fell to pieces way too fast and easy



the experts run what their sponsors give them

 

+1 on federal chunk-o-matics. don't waste your money.

dz101's are fantastic

hankook RS2's are also good- comparable to RT615's but better wet traction

if you need cheap tires, hankook HR2's hold up fairly well

 

really? ive been running federals for most of my drifting experience, and i love them. never had chuncking problems ever. on 17 or 18. i would never switch to anything else. but thats mainly cuz of the price.

but then again brandon is more skilled than i, and puts his rubber thru super high speed drifts compared to me.