Drifting is one of the most eye-catching motorsports out there, with cars driving sideways and smoke billowing out dramatically from their tires. Getting a car to drive sideways around corners takes a lot of skill and the right tires. In fact, the tires are often considered one of the most critical components of the vehicle for drifters, and competitions like Formula Drift have strict regulations for drift tires. This includes a specific tire weight, size, and compound — and they must be road legal.
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According to Formula Drift’s tire regulations, tires used on the track are required to be available at retail stores, either online or brick-and-mortar. They also must cost $500 or less. Other major drifting events also specify street legal tires. This means that, unlike most motorsports, drift tires must be commercially available to the public and allowed on the road. While there are no drift-specific tires at the competition, drivers do opt for high-performance tires that have the right qualities for this kind of strenuous and intense activity.
What makes a tire good for drifting?
Drifting is all about extreme control and accuracy, making the specifics of the tire very important when following the lead driver’s exact line, angle, and pace during a tandem battle. Drifting tires must have extremely high levels of grip, often meaning a certain tread pattern for sticking to the road and a wider tire to cover more surface. The weight distribution of the car is also crucial for drifting, which is why the tires in front are small and narrow while the back tires are large and wide — not a recommended practice for commuter cars. This is also why the air pressure in the tires plays a huge role in the sport, maybe even more than the car’s mechanics and tuning. Some cars are still said to be better at drifting than others, of course.
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“Tires are designed to operate within a certain deflection envelope that is influenced externally by load and inflation pressure,” Bridgestone Americas Director of Consumer Product Strategy Will Robbins told Tire Technology International. “Too much inflation pressure causes the tire footprint to lift the shoulders. Too little inflation pressure causes the footprint to go concave, lifts the tire’s center, and causes the tire casing to over-deflect and roll. The correct pressure ensures an optimum footprint and casing support, maximizing grip, feedback, and predictability.”
The lifespan of a drift tire is only two laps in professional competitions like Formula Drift. Maintaining a consistent grip on the road while driving sideways and using extreme power to propel forward wears down these tires very fast. They can even be completely smooth after a few laps, rendering them useless for the next race.
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