Drift Tires?

[Ian]

For reference, I've already searched, and all I came up with was "ES100's are teh sux0rz!1"

So I want to know, "What specific brands and sizes does everyone use?"


I like a 215/45/17 on 17x9, but I've been having trouble finding a cheap tire to burn. I personally like having a brand new set to burn up, so I don't have to keep switching up tires and retire early because I've run out of rubber.

So far I've used:

-Kumho Ecsta 712 (**half way used** crap, burned pretty decently but chunked up at the end)
-Kumho Ecsta MX (**basically brand new** burns pretty well, lots of smoke, resists chunking a little better then the 712 but once again, chunked up a bit. They're also pretty pricey to drift on brand new)
-Goodyear Eagle F1 (**Barely Used when I got them** I loved these, held up all the way down to the cords! Smoke pretty decently too)
-Michelin Pilot Sport (**50% tread left** junk. They got REALLY greasy, literally fell apart. I could hear large tread blocks flying off into my wheel well and ended up having to quit after 3 runs because i was slapping my car w/ cords)


What have you used, what did you like? I'm looking at Falken Ziex 512 because i've heard good things about them.

[S14DB]

Pirelli P Zero Neros are a great drift tire.

[Ritz S14]

Dunlop FM901.. but they wear out fast.
Falken ST115s pretty stiff sidewall and doesn't chunk.

[Brian]

I swear by Falken ST115.
Best tire I've ever used.

[mr_240sx]

Nankang BABY!!!!! :rawk:


bahahahhaha who am i kidding? those things suck!

[A Spec Products]

I swear by Falken ST115.
Best tire I've ever used.

Indeed. I knew before I opened this thread Brian would have chimed in about the ST115.

Good tire good price.

Some people say 512's have the softest sidewall ever, but I've used up front 215/45 and its okay, price is the biggest factor, its more of a street daily drive tire.

[kuruptR]

Hi grip tires for drifting, kuhmos suck..cheapest tire id go is an es100.

I used BFgoodrich Kdw's 2...but i also get them for free... :boink:

[North240]

like mentioned above the fm901s are a tire of choice for many. Falken Ziex512s hold up to a decent beating but they deffinitly have a much softer sidewall.

[s13srmadness]

st115 that's all
just look at what the big guys without tire sponsors run. you think anyone actually wants to run cooper tires???
and i've been told by many to try and run the same tire all around. same size if you're not making RETARDED power.

[mr_240sx]

what about the falken grb 451? are they decent?

[HyperTek]

The GRBeta series tire is cool if you don't honestly drive hard, the situation (in my opinion) is the tread wear rating, which is around 260-80, not bad, but falkens heat up very quick & die out even faster, so I don't recommend that tire for someone who wants to drive home on them, after a good course run or drift. .. . other than this, the Falken Betas are very smooth road couse types, I wouldn't recommend them over the Ziex 512's either, cause those cater to the Bimmer class, those who show & only somtimes go. .. . canyon type tires, they provide an adequate amount of control as well as traction under specific conditions for wheel break driving styles. .. .I think they would be beautiful time trial tires. .. .

This is NI_YON_Zenki. .. .

[sideview_180sx]

as said by someone who crashed........??? 451s are alrite they are decent for up fronts with 280 treadwear they will last up front. ES100s I think are considered sux0rz is because of the squared edge, from contact patch to sidewall. st115s are the sex because they are cheap, grip nice, and have a treadwear of 360 and z-speed rating. I feel its a matter of coincidence that st115s have bested most other tires in an all-around setting.

[RedSuns]

I swear by Falken ST115.
Best tire I've ever used.


same here...they are really cheap too

[S13 Charlie]

as said by someone who crashed........???
:keke: :Ownedd:
j/k

st115s are the sex because they are cheap, grip nice, and have a treadwear of 360 and z-speed rating. I feel its a matter of coincidence that st115s have bested most other tires in an all-around setting.

I've talked to a contact I have at Falken when I got my tires, and she told me that despite the 360 treadwear rating, most people only get about 20,000 miles on their ST-115's, which isn't much for a 360. I had a set on my 16's, and now I have kumho 711s on my 17's, and as soon as these kumho's are done (soon) I'm going to get some ST-115's, they really are a great tire. Anymore comments on FM901's?

Cheers,
C

[upSLIDEdown]

I'm running ST-115s, but I don't drift on em. So far I think they're an awesome tire. Really impressed me in the rain too. I would recomend them to anyone looking for a good street tire, but unfortunately I don't have any input for drifting.

[Agent_S13]

I've talked to a contact I have at Falken when I got my tires, and she told me that despite the 360 treadwear rating, most people only get about 20,000 miles on their ST-115's, which isn't much for a 360.
Cheers,
C

I picked up a set of Falken Ziex 512's recently, mostly for their really cheap price but when I took 'em to the wheel shop to get mounted, the guy wasn't thrilled to see another set of 512's in his shop.

He was telling me that they used to sell that tire but then people complained about getting only about 12k miles out of them before needing replacement so they stopped carrying them. I figured that since they were catering mostly to SUV's and trucks, that they weren't working with people with smaller cars, sedans and such.

His response was that the complaints were from a variety of car owners. I decided to start reading the reviews about the Ziex online and they were all over the place --- good reviews with people claiming to get 60k miles out of them and others who only got 8-10k miles out of their tires. I was wondering if anyone could comment on it? Then again, if they're drift tires... they meant to be abused and used up within a few hundred miles.

And finally something on topic...

Why not get a set of 15" wheels to drift with instead? Tires are much cheaper than 17" tires. Doesn't matter what brand you're running, smaller diameter tires are always cheaper and that means more money for more tires/drifting.

I figure for drift events, I'll go back down to a stock 15" for events... just need to find some 5-lug steelies or something. :doh:

-Aaron
'91 240sx coupe

[Dousan_PG]

ST115 for realz

[hi.im.kaji]

yea i used to run the falken st115's on my e36.....it made O.K. tire smoke but they are a really good drift/autocross tire, the only thing is the tread wears a little fast

[SHIFT_control]

lol people were complaining about getting 12k out of their 512s? I got about 3500 out of mine...... I drive even harder now on my potenza RE950's, much better grip then the 512s, and they have lasted well over twice as long.
They burn really nice too, very little chunking at the very end of tire life.

EDIT: AgentS13, i have a set of 5 lug steelies off of a max sitting im my garage. They aren't mine, but he doesn't have the car anymore so I'm sure he would part with them.

[SpeedMonkeyInc]

you think anyone actually wants to run cooper tires???


I do. Cooper Zeon 2XS are the best tires I have ever driven with, lots better than ST115s ( which are great tires ) I found really good prices here:
https://www.tiresavings.com/tireShop.php?action=findMan2&tirename=ZEON+2XS&season=Regular

[AndysAutoSport]

+1 for the ST115's! Inexpensive, great sizes, and excellent for drift/autocrossing.

Right now I'm running 225/45/17s up front and 245/45/17s in the back. I was worried about how well the fronts would grip but I got no complaints here!

[HyperTek]

ziex 512 is the suck for me
had tons of thread, never really "played" on the tires.. then the sidewall decided to blow.. cant claim warrantee on it cuz the guy i got em from got em off ebay.. oh well
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v72/streetphase/100_0703.jpg

trying out hankook ventus hrII now cuz they are cheap.

[sideview_180sx]

I hope you realize they are H-rated, that would suck for road noise. why not get the Ventus V4 Es H105 cost a lil' more 420 treadwear rating and W-rated.

[North240]

i'm curious why people are worried about milage out of a drift tire, or any summer tire on a 240. My street tires get destroyed every summer, and the following spring i have to buy a new set. 5-7k tops no matter what the tire. I'll worry about getting the most mileage out of my tires when i'm 65.

[MakotoS13]

jeez, im not even gonna get 3K out of my azenis sports and i dont even drift.

[HyperTek]

I hope you realize they are H-rated, that would suck for road noise. why not get the Ventus V4 Es H105 cost a lil' more 420 treadwear rating and W-rated.

Tires dont last forever.. esp on a rwd car with stretched/negative camber..

[DARKEST_HOUR]

random


How about them ADVAN Neova AD07's

[NZO]

I think people are trying not to spend a fortune on their drift tires.

[DoriftoSlut]

awesome tires, those AD07s, used them before, drift and grip
amazing
just waaaaaay too expensive!

[Johny5]

brand new st115s every event. worst comes to worst, new fm901s up front new st115s rear.

[s14brent]

st115...225/45f 235/40r.

[nistech]

i m using ES100 s rigth now i m gonna try ST115 next

[santacruisin]

i'm gonna use the st115's this weekend at Thunderhill for drifting. I'll let yall know how long they lasted. I've used Toyo FZ4's in the past at DDNorcal. Hard to comment on the longevity cuz the road surface was so shitty.

[revat619]

I hope you realize they are H-rated, that would suck for road noise. why not get the Ventus V4 Es H105 cost a lil' more 420 treadwear rating and W-rated.

Road noise?!? What is that?

hahaha you cant be serious. When was the last time you cared about that?! Please explain this phenomenon of "road noise" that you speak of! NOW! :rofl:

Back on topic....

I'll be running st115s very soon. I've never tried them before, but i've heard nothing but good things. Federal 555s (or something like that) are good drift tires though. The hold up forever and smoke really good. ES100s suck. They chunk like nobodies business. Pirelli P 6000s are OK, but they kinda chunk after a while too.

[OMGWTFBBQ]

coopers !

[SoSideways]

Road noise?!? What is that?

hahaha you cant be serious. When was the last time you cared about that?! Please explain this phenomenon of "road noise" that you speak of! NOW! :rofl:

Back on topic....

I'll be running st115s very soon. I've never tried them before, but i've heard nothing but good things. Federal 555s (or something like that) are good drift tires though. The hold up forever and smoke really good. ES100s suck. They chunk like nobodies business. Pirelli P 6000s are OK, but they kinda chunk after a while too.

Road noise sucks when you have no interior and you drive around daily in the car, including visits to parents' house 60 miles away and back often.

For that reason alone, I haven't tried the Dunlop FM901s.

The Falken ST115 is supposed to be virtually silent, so that's a good thing.

Also, there are a few people saying good things about Hankook H405 HRii tires, which I currently have in the rear. They grip pretty awesome so far, and I've put about 3000 miles on them so far, with 1 night of street drifting on them, and a few runs at the 1/4 mile track, and there has been virtually no wear on them, so... And did I mention they're cheap? $48 a tire for 205/50/15 from Tires.com, and free shipping...

[KiDyNomiTe]

FM901 - Suck, sidewalls are way to soft, wear too quickly, not very grippy, suck in the rain
ES100 - Used them a few times, I liked them compared to FM901s, wore fine, good in rain.
Azenis Sport - Best grip up front, in the rear they aren't that great, get greasy, and chunk up, but last a decent amount of time
Azenis RT615 - Used only in rear, great grip, lasted a decent amount of time, but for the price not worth it, but overall fealt great
Potenza S-03 - Great tire, especially in rain, only used in the front.
Kumho Ecsta MX - Use them up front right now, great grip, havent used them in the rear (need some 17s to put mine on)

ST115s I have yet to try but everyone I know who uses them loves them, and they last a good amount of time and nice and smokey
Ditto on Hankook Ventus (forget the exact brand)

[94cc0rd]

What's so bad about the ES100's? I have no experience with different tires but I was looking at ES100 and ST-115's... I guess the St-115's are better and cheaper??

btw: i'm looking for a daily driving tire... for drifting I will put my stock wheels on the rear...

[hellion240sx]

so who drift's on the stock 15's? or is it better to do it on 17 or 18's??/

[SoSideways]

so who drift's on the stock 15's? or is it better to do it on 17 or 18's??/

It's good to learn on 15" wheels for the fact that you can buy cheaper tires.

But as your skills improve and power of the car increases, it's good to increase the wheel diameter to 17" or 18" depending on preference.

[hellion240sx]

also doesn't anyone one like toyo's anymore?????

[hellion240sx]

so sideways, but why increase size if your good on 15? i don't know, thats why i am asking

[2iv0 sx]

so what are good daily drive tires? i was goin to go with 512 for 15s

anyones tried yokohama ADVAN? for 15s

[Irukandji]

"drift tires"?

Umm... I just run Falken Ziex 512's on front and free used tires on the rear.

Theyre 15's because I don't have the funds for 17's.

[gonzoes14k]

Dunlop fm901s !

[NI_YON_Zenki]

Any type of tire besides Bridgestones for the front of my car at 225 cause they keep poppin' off the wheel, It's consistant, annoying at that.. .. I am a big fan of the hankook series HRII setup for the back, although they are difficult to break, tho have been broken much. .. .

I will be a part of the Dunlop// ADVAN family come 06' baby ! ! !

[s14brent]

What's so bad about the ES100's? ..


they chunk like no other once they're heated...they seriously like fall apart its pretty shitty. maybe use ES100 up front, but still i rather use st115 since its in the same price range.

[SoSideways]

I heard you were supposed to run those ES100 backwards, that way the tread don't just rip right off or something.

If you have a set of ES100, you should try it out, and report back on here.

[KiDyNomiTe]

so sideways, but why increase size if your good on 15? i don't know, thats why i am asking
For the same reasons real race cars use bigger tires. You can carry more speed with bigger wheels and tires (to a point).

A perfect drift setup is not the smallest and shittiest tires int he rear, its somewhat the best you can find in the rear. Grip = good in drifting.

[JDMark]

i run dunlop direzzas on my 15s, theyre schweet
pretty good wear and smoke, good grip, good price
im gonna run these all around until i find somethin better or go 5 lug/17s

[santacruisin]

i'm gonna use the st115's this weekend at Thunderhill for drifting. I'll let yall know how long they lasted. I've used Toyo FZ4's in the past at DDNorcal. Hard to comment on the longevity cuz the road surface was so shitty.

Well Thunderhill was fuckin AWESOME! Low driver count meant a shitload of practice time for me. Luke's car was amazing and the tandem runs with Luke and Todd were exciting.

As to tires...
First I ran Proxes FZ4's in the rear with Dunlop Sp Sports in the front. The Dunlops made great grip for a used tire but understeer was pronounced when they wore down. The FZ4's also gripped exceptionally in manji's and clutch kick transitions and after two hours of drifting and hot laps around the track they still had enough good meat to be put in the front when the dunlop's ran out of grip. I used the FZ4's for the rest of the day up front and understeer only occurred due to driver error in drift initiation.

The ST-115's took the most abuse. At lunch time I put them in back with the toyo's up front. For another two and a half hours of consistent drifting and hot laps on the track they held up fine never sacrificing their grip characteristics. I really worked these ones too b/c when I spun out I would put the car in first and floor it just to smoke it up and have fun. At the end of my session the tires were visibly worn but still meaty enough to drive three hours home. I still gotem on now and they stay consistent in grip.

SO the FZ4 and ST115 tires are damn good for drifting in my opinion. THey're relatively cheap (runnin 225/40 18's all day) and they last under heavy abuse. Hope this helps yall. :x:

[hellion240sx]

well all i can vouch for are the toyo fz4 as well. great tires in wet or dry conditions! i feasr the rain because bad experiences with the 15's, on 225-40-18 now. i drive the shit out of them. haven't had a chance to take them to the track yet. i was thinking of buying a set of azenis or just sticking with the toyo's. think i will try a set but i will be getting some 245-40-17 or 255-40-17. haben't decided yet. ahhhh hell i might just stay with the toyo's since i feel hella safe driving on them!!!!

[vik]

I have ran Es100's backwards and they still chunked like a mofo,
best setup for me yet is SP9000 or Potenza S03's(when I can afford them) in front and St115's in the rear for life...

[SoSideways]

I have ran Es100's backwards and they still chunked like a mofo,
best setup for me yet is FM901's or Potenza S03's(when I can afford them) in front and St115's in the rear for life...

FM901s in front? Well, I guess if you stretch them they aren't that bad huh? Cause a lot of people say their sidewall is like jello.

Hmm... well then I have no clue about the ES100s. I've heard you have to scrub them and wear them down a little first, then run them backwards and you'll be fine. Obviously some people drive harder than others, and the guys that drive harder are chunking them I guess.

In either case, anyone try the Hankook HRii's in 215/45/17 or 225/45/17 sizes yet?

[vik]

dude Im talking out of my ass the Dunlops in the front were SP9000's 235/40's on a nine I always get these confused, they really felt pretty good.

[Azntypezero]

A good tire to run drift events would be something out of a junkyard. Used tires are always good while doing a drift event. But if one is looking for something that has grip while drifting a new set would be advisable but one dosent have to go all out on tires if one is using the tires for drifiting purposes. A person has to learn the subtleties of sliding before buying new tires.

Also there are alot of factors one forgets to see while researching about tires that last long for drifting and for street driving. Such as does one have the right suspension geometry, tire pressure, spring rate, speed rating, diamter, width and wheel balancing settings? Another factor one could also look at is the horsepower one is putting out in a car and driving style. These would adversly affect the way tires would last.

What do I recomend for a tire? The Falken ST-115 is a fantastic tire. They last a long time compared to the 512s. Also the Yokohama ES100 is a well manufactured tire with great grip and for the purposes of drift.

In overall it is better to research and go out and get yourself known in the local shops that have knowledge about this subject. It is better to be out in the field face to face with somebody than to rely heavily upon the internet for information. They are all pretty nice people if one is nice to them.

[vik]

Another knowlegable individual once said...
you copy and paste you go to jail bat boyeeeeee!!!!!!!!

[Azntypezero]

Me copy and paste that was my own creative writing sir.

[vik]

Im just jankin your chain man, btw dont take anything I say personal cause a lot of people do...

[Azntypezero]

Me of course not. No offense taken.

[Chasmoore04]

FM901 are not bad, i ran 205/40/16, the response was good, wore fast but it was a track tire. NO wet traction, at all, whatsoever..

The DZ101 Direzzas in 205/50/15 are awsome 15" tires. For 55 bucks a tire, you cant beat it. When they get too hot, like fontana during august, they will get somewhat greasy, and start to fall apart, but i guess most tires would under those conditions.

[SoSideways]

Another knowlegable individual once said...
you copy and paste you go to jail bat boyeeeeee!!!!!!!!

RUSSELL PETERS FTW!!!

hahahahaha, that man is so funny.

Be a man hahahaha