Choosing a Tire/Wheel Size For Drifting?

[Linguo415]

so when it comes to choosing rim and tire size for sideways party time, is it best to stay close to stock wheel and tire diameter? Will it make a difference at all?

[boxmod]

moment of inertia - the taller the wheel (15" 17" 19") the more force it takes to turn/spin it. this means if your low power, you dont want 18" wheels to try to spin. similar with width, more weight = heavier = harder to spin. also, your "final gear" is the tire, a smaller tire will increase your acceleration and lower your top speed. a taller will slow your acceleration a little and add to your top speed. think of how far the tire's surface covers PER axle revolution.

tire size matters in width and sidewall. width 'in general' will have more grip as you go wider of similar model/brand. if you change the performance rating of the tire to a higher level, then the same width would have more grip than the lower rated tire. sidewall you dont want a monster/bouncy sidewall. but it depends on the wheel size a bit too. the bigger diameter wheels should have smaller sidewalls so the overall height of the wheel/tire combo isnt changed too much. smaller sidewalls will be stiffer and give better and more consistant feedback to the driver as well. too small of a sidewall offers little protection for your wheels from damage on a course that might have a bump/edge of pavement/rumble strip/ etc

in the end, its about matching your cars power to tire/grip.


to give a better answer, what is your setup you plan to drift with...

[Linguo415]

Well im going to be rebuilding my T2 fc so Im not sure what my power will be.This is all homework. I want to get the ksport kontrol pro kit suspension. Its the one i can afford to get but saving a few more bucks. Ive read good things about them too. i think I have 3" exhast with a 3" cat on. Its turbo back. Im still a newb so Ill keep what I have at the moment. Ive got bfg g-force sport. 225/50 16. So its close to stock. Ill keep these for the front and get some beater tires and wheels for the back. I would like work cr kai 18x9.5 all around but judging by what youve just told me it may not be good till i have more power cause i want to get federal 595 once im good enough. I think I would go 225or235/40 in the back. Ill have to double check with the wheel calculator on miata.net. My final power plan is to get to low to mid 300hp. what are your thoughts?

[boxmod]

i had a t25-sr20det only pushing 230hp and I was running a 225front on 18x8 and 235rear on 18x9.5 with nexenN3000s and felt great to me. if you are going to run beater/junkyard tires out back youll be fine with many widths, they are so low grip you can play from liek 215 up to 255s probably (depending on final power). wheels that wide could work if you have the clearance and all with the right offsets. you should be able to spin them ok, but id go with 17s maybe.

im not an 'expert' and every car/driver likes things different. but knowing what little changes (like tire pressure) will do to the cars feel, will help you figure out your own car. wheels are not something you wanna buy and need to change right away, so i dont want to tell you exactly what to get.

[Linguo415]

Ya. I agree with you all the way. Im gonna start with some xxr 17x9 for the time being and save some more bucks and move up from there. There are more options with smaller wheels. I can gowith bigger side walls and then get thinner as i imrpove. I could use some pointers on tires though. Ive heard of nexen and just today someone told me about a brand called achilles. Said they are good for newbs like me. They last a good amount supposedly and arent super sticky. Dumb cheap too. I just found them for 57 bucks!

[boxmod]

on your 17s, try to run something like 225/45 front and 235/40 out back to start. too much grip when you are learning is bad. grip needs aggression to break loose/slide on. aggression requires confidence. and confidence comes from seat time. thats why used tires to start learning on is great, but when you get better/faster/more aggressive, you need the grip to control that speed and angle you'll be getting. try to be as consistent in tire sizes once you find something you like. that way you can learn the car/techniques instead of a different tire's handling characteristics. GL

[Linguo415]

Alright! Great thank you! Your size recomendation for the back is slightly smaller than stock wheel size over all. It may be a little easier to break loose yes? Although it is a lot widerthan stock too.
I was looking through tire rack at kumoh. They are resonably priced. I think it was the ecsta ast. It gets not very good reviews. Are these ok for newbs or are they too sticky? Any exp with these?

[boxmod]

for rears I wouldnt run new tires. its going to be waste of money when you are learning. i wouldnt event run new tires for the first year or two (say after 10 events?) its really expensive to go throught 1-2 sets (2-4 tires) for a day at the track... even if its only $100 a tire thats $200-$400!

Used and itll be easier and cheaper (10-25 a tire or so usually). and you can run a step up or down in width too.

FRONTS <<---- never neglect them. this is your control of the car- dont run bald/crap tires or you are asking for trouble. besides, new tires here should last you a long time still. the fastest way to hurt them is understeering and pushing without correcting/stopping. fronts should last you at least 6months if not a full year. depends on how much track time and daily driving you do though of course.

if you have more questions in the future/after this thread dies... facebook me-> jason jiovani

[Linguo415]

Thanks man. I appreciate your willingness to help! Ill def look you up. No I wasnt planning on skimping on the fronts by any means i know those are very important for control. Well aside from suspension. Thats a whole other bag of worms. lol