Rims/tires too wide for drifting?! WTF?

[gotta240]

s14 with 17x10 plus 10 rims in front. Running 235/40/17 tires.

I had TWO people at the last drift event tell me that my wheel were too wide in front for OPTIMAL drifting(these were instructors..not newbs). They say its too much wheel mass and it takes too long to flip the wheels the other way when countering.

I usually run a grip set-up with a 245 or 255 wide tire in the front. I like this set-up and was planning on changing the 235's out for 255's. I feel this allows me to enter faster and gives an overall stable feeling to the car. Not to mention i can just throw my 275's in the rear and go grip.

Is my plan of going a 255 in front a BAD idea for drifting? Are my wheels REALLY to wide? Will this actually HINDER drifting?

thanks in advance. I just couldn't believe it when i had TWO instructors tell me, so i had to ask

[Vernal]

For drifting put the fronts in the rear and throw some SE wheels in the front.

[PoorMans180SX]

haha, I thought this was going to be a newb thread about what tire sizes they should run in the REAR.

But that's weird, I've never heard of someone saying they were too wide in the front. Doesn't make sense to me.

[fliprayzin240sx]

Who gives a crap...if you like the setup, its your setup, your car, you ultimately drive it. If you can drift it the way it is and like the feel of it, shouldnt that all that really matter?

The only thing im curious about is, HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU FITTING 10j with 255s up front?!?!

[PoorMans180SX]

^^very true

but

ummmm, wide fenders?

[McRussellPants]

lol, Optimal drifting. Tell them they're faggots and to shut the fuck up. 17x9.5 and 17x10 is super common. and with the scrub you have to run to fit that size wheel it will respond just as fast.

They might have been feeling a lack of caster or something wrong in your alignment.

235s are fine. you won't enter faster with wider fronts without wider rears, the only situation alot of front grip will do you good is braking, even then its nothing without rear grip. That being said, its not gonna change much, so if you have other reasons to do it then it really won't matter.

Super wide fronts kind of encourage bad driving though imo.

[gotta240]

Thanks for the replies everyone (except for Vernal...i cant believe you typed something so....well, nevermind)

McRussel- i agree with the "encourage bad driving" part. That it does, but i've slowly worked up to this size, learning the benefits of each increase with a bit of track time. (run 255 RS fronts and 275 Rears on grip days) Ideally i'll just run the same fronts for both grip/drift days.

Also, my castor is like 7.5, and the wheels are actually light weight(lighter than the instructors 17x8.5 rims). Should i bump up the castor more?

And to the other replies- I understand it's my car and all that bullshit. HOWEVER, i'm not asking what COLOR to paint my wheels. I'm asking what is OPTIMAL or what is hindering my current performance. If i can change something on my car to make my track performace better, then why not? My goal isn't to spend thousands of dollars on a crappy car that is "hard to drive" or fights me on the track.

thanks again for the replies.



No widefenders- The 255's are for my grip setup and are on a 18x9.5 plus 17. No pull, just roll. -2.5 camber

The 17x10 plus 10 rims i've been using for drifting with a 235/40/17. Same as above, no pull, just roll and reasonable camber. We'll see what i have to do with a 255, but hopefully it wont be terrible.

[McRussellPants]

Well the cool thing about S-chassis's is you have to really fuck them up to make them hard to drive.

If you like what your car is doing leave it alone until you get to drive a car with something you like more and then copy that.

[gotta240]

Gotcha. Just making sure i'm not doing one of those "WTF are you thinking!?" kinda things like they made it sound. Will keep with the wideness

thanks

[90KAcoupe]

^^ i dont know to much about wheel and tire combo.. but do ur wheels rub at full lock??? if not then it shouldn't matter.. but i would understand if the rubbed at full lock.

[Ian]

i run 235/40/17 on a 9 up front...i can't see the extra inch of width making the rim THAT much heavier...maybe 1 lb?

[gotta240]

no rubbage at full lock. Yet to run TIE ROD spacers though.

[Dousan_PG]

fuck em
if they are for amatuers, tell this guy

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c252/dousan/zeiks13.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c252/dousan/zeik_s13white.jpg


ichiyanagi
d1sl winner for rd 2 in 06

17x10 up front

who were the instructors?
dont listen to them anymore

hahaha

JTP runs 10j on the front of his FC3S

koguchi's 180sx is 255/275

fuck em.
and tell us names
haha

[slideways2004]

i only run tiny 17x9 on the front of my s13. with 10j in the front, is a power steering cooler recomended or is that with 18" only

[Dousan_PG]

PS is cooler is recommended no matter what size u run up front
its cheap
its easy
just do it

[xplicit240]

holy! thats some crazy ass wide tires. your badass.

ive heard its actually good to go with stretched tires. i dont know if there is any truth to that. but it seems plausable. its somewhere in this forum. it makes it easier to break loose and its more consistent. since less sidewall flex. but you can also pop them easier.

helpful thread btw. atleast now i have some kinda feedback on what to run on my next project.

[Dousan_PG]

holy! thats some crazy ass wide tires. your badass.

ive heard its actually good to go with stretched tires. i dont know if there is any truth to that. but it seems plausable. its somewhere in this forum. it makes it easier to break loose and its more consistent. since less sidewall flex. but you can also pop them easier.

helpful thread btw. atleast now i have some kinda feedback on what to run on my next project.

yeah .......


pop them? no
ive had stretched for 3 years if not more
and the only time i 'popped one' is when i off tracked and hit the corner hard and dismounted one
other then that, never. ever.

[McRussellPants]

fuck em.
and tell us names
haha


haha, werd.


In before Drift Girl and Milano.

[articdragon192]

My friend drifts with 17*10 with 255s up front on his S14 and he likes the feel. Much like everyone said, it's how you like your set up. Someone else might not like the way your car drives because they have a different style of driving.

[!Zar!]

Who cares.

Drifting is supposed to be about fun.

Run what you got and say fuck um.

[vvtisupra]

going from 17X9 to 17X10 i noticed slower response and a need to actually bring the wheel back versus just throwing it and letting it go. I also noticed the need to play with the wheel more and the wheel would lock up a lot sooner against the inner frame. This was like a 17X10+2. I guess all in all it comes down to driver preference.

[garagelu]

I believe that if instructors are telling you this, I think they are talking about amateurs maybe. For a beginner drifter I wouldnt run such a fat setup. Although a 235 isnt that wide at all. For beginners, a fatter tire would be harder to initiate a drift and harder to practice on. All the pros run the wider tires for better stability and control. This is just a though, not saying I am right.

[azndoc]

Mind over matter.

If you don't mind then it don't matter.

Everyone one has their different approach to everything. You say you want to run 235 with a 17x10 wheel then just run it until your heart is content.

However, those instructors I'm sure have drifted longer than you have and any chance someone of a much wiser brain power than mine gives me any driving advice that may help me out I tend to try it out to see if it works better.

Do as you please.

Was this the Federal/Dai event that you went to?

[Flybert]

Who were your instructors? Name names.

[gotta240]

no, i'm not naming names. The guys were cool and just trying to help me. I personally saw one of them drift and he tore shit up, and obviously knew his shit.

Like stated above, different strokes for different folks. I was just making sure that i'm not doing something that is a known "no-no". Was also hoping to get some feedback as to what size tires the pros run, which was stated above.

thanks for all the replies, info, and advice

[Koopa Troopa]

The only thing im curious about is, HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU FITTING 10j with 255s up front?!?!


I've got 9J's with 245's on stock fenders and they fit fine without rubbing. I could honestly see fitting 255's pretty easily with a slight roll.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b267/koopatroopa187/July%204%20at%20Nago/44070copy.jpg

Shawn was running 10J's in the front with whatever tire.. I remember him saying the only problem he had with them was knocking his bumper off...

[gotta240]

yup. 255's are just about as wide as you can go with rolled fenders, no flare. my 255's on the 9.5's BARELY clear in both directions(meaning fender and coilover). I used an eccentric bolt for to angle the coilover enough to make the tire not rub it. Prolly 3 to 5 mm clearance.

My plans were to run 265's front, but i'm pretty sure it will rub.

[gsracer]

you guys are wusses
275 up front FTW

315 rears for that matter

you can drift on what ever the hell you want, just have to have some power thats all or lots of speed.

all of these are on stock pulled fenders, i have tire rod spacers and after some fender massaging i have no rub lock to loc

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v344/gsracer/drift%20sessions%20oct%2014/IMG_6598.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v344/gsracer/drift%20sessions%20oct%2014/IMG_6598.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v344/gsracer/drift%20sessions%20oct%2014/IMG_6758.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v344/gsracer/Drift%20day/my%20car/IMG_4577.jpg


and for those that wonder

285's on 19s fit on the front too


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v344/gsracer/The%2014/IMG_5315.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v344/gsracer/The%2014/IMG_5302.jpg

[lflkajfj12123]

those guys are idiots

run whatever you want you're the one driving the car

fuck it 10's up front is straight baller

i didnt know drifting was a motorsport, pretty sure its about looking cool and having fun breaking aero.

they were probally just saying that because most people dont run setups like that and assumptions go along with it

[Matej]

Who cares, next time show up with 18x11's up front.

[gotta240]

gsracer- you dont get my point. STOCK LOOKING FENDERS. as in no pull. I'm sure you could fit 305 up front too, but not on only a rolled fender.

haha. i think they would ban me from the track if i showed up with an 18x11!!! Or just faint...lol

[EJ253]

lol, you wouldnt get banned.

just respected!
...as long as you good at driving ha

[xplicit240]

yeh im running 255 in the rear on my old volks. it rubbed a little but it was on regular roads. i rolled em and never looked back.

[EJ253]

i think its a joke to have a modified car without rolled fenders

[PoorMans180SX]

gsracers point is that he runs those tires, and obviously his car can still drift! (and not rub the frame).

[ixfxi]

Super wide fronts kind of encourage bad driving though imo.

FUCK YEAH... thats what im all about! :-)