Drifty Daily Tire
 

Hi all,

I'm looking for recommendations on a tire that I'll be using for daily driving in South Carolina. I'll might have to make the occasional run to upstate NY to see family in winter sometimes (but these won't be planned, just emergencies...)

Anyway, It seems most tires that have great steering feel/feedback are sticky summer tires. I want slidey fishtailing fun with low limits, but I want to keep steering feel/feedback. I'd like to hear if any of you have advice.

Ideally, I'd like a harder compound than the stock tires, but with all season-ish capablity, stiff sidewalls and solid center tread circle for steering feel, and quiet.

I'm looking to upgrade to 17x8 in front and 17x9 in the rear (I understand this isn't good for slidey fun, but I hate how undertired the car looks).

TIA!

Rich

17x9 may need wide tires for them to not be overstretched. Drifting may need very high camber values that would worsen grip on low grip pavement. And summer tires? Hard compound at that? All of these bits will work in direction to make car's grip/handling/safety as bad as possible, if you put them alongside "winter". Get loaner car if you don't want to prepare yours to winter weather yet drive it at such.
Understeery staggered setup doesn't go alongside drifting too. And wide tires doesn't go alongside drifting with car still NA.

If you still want uncombinable into one .. get staggered setup with wide as possible tires, then intentionally worsen a lot rear grip with overpumping rear tires, use some worn bald chinese tires in rear, turn as stiff as possible rear coilovers .. but for safety in winter, get towed to NY when visiting old folks. Hey, you still will be in your drift mobile?

I understand it's a pretty much impossible request, but wanted to see what tire experiences others have had.

To clarify I won't be doing drifting events, just want a little slideways fun at low speeds on the roads.

I'll be getting some RE71s for the stock wheels for DS AutoX events. I don't think they would be much fun on the street.

Just get two wheel sets with specialized tires. Hmm, or make that three sets. Wide RE71 for autox, low grip tire set for drifting, stock or narrower winter or all season tires for winter driving, mounting them according use. And i would advise against using staggered setup in all three cases. Please read OP post of this thread.

DS limits tire/wheel width to stock width, so the RE71s will be stock width.

Is there a go-to low grip tire for people that enjoy drifting?

Yeah. It's called driver skill. Not tires.

1) don't go for staggered wheel/tire set
2) go for reasonable tire widths, and don't get lame bug of widest possible to fit tires bite you. Many that go for widest care about (questionable) looks only over handling. If you are among such, your choice, but don't expect them to fill roles they are not meant to. Nobody fits monster truck tires on kart because they think it looks undertired. Especially if it will make intended use worse.
3) RE71 will be far from reasonable choice for both drifting (too gripy, needing more power & more pushing to limits, harder for learners & and bad wear/not lasting long) & cold/winter (as most summer tires though)
4) choose what matters to you most at specific intended use and best tool for a job, not jack of all trades, especially if those "trades" are at opposite ends.
5) if you are considering sporty uses, i also advise to think of performance alignment.

There is no tire that will fit everything you described in OP. Hence suggestion to get two sets that will fit most important roles (none of which in my eyes are "looks of wide tires". As "winter" from your mentioned places is not exactly very cold, i'd get stock width or less all-seasons like eg. michelin a/s 3 for that season, and for rest, something like 225/45/r17 MPSS or AD08R or conti extremecontact sport. You'll give up handling sharpness in winter instead gaining more reliable & safe grip, and get well performing tires for summer, including autox/track/drift use. If initially you wanted to get one tire set for everything to lessen spendings, then 1) you should worry less, as it's only initial purchase price will go up, due not using tire set off season they should last longer, 2) drifting use by itself eats tires like nothing. Tire set when drifting may only last a day. Or an hour :). About the only way to save on tires when drifting, is to drift only in ice/snow, and for that one will need proper winter tires anyway, as anything else will provide insufficient grip for control. It might sound counter-intuitive, but grip in drift is essential.

Pretty much everything you said works against what you want. You want a bigger wheel and tire combo, but less grip. You're going to be autocrossing in a competitive class, and will likely have an aggressive alignment, but you still want less grip. You want to run a staggered setup, but more tail-happiness. Oh yeah, and you want a summer tire wide enough to sit on a 9" wide rear rim, but still drive to New York in the winter.

Drift tires aren't low grip. They're not autocross specials like Rival S or RE71, but they are far from being low traction tires. Drift cars slide around because of suspension settings and driver input. What you're asking for are basically the shittiest all season tire in a 225/45 and 245/40 combo to fit on the wheels you want. Go to Wal Mart. Or get these online: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AOJN2DE..._t1_B01N0GJ3PC But my REAL suggestion would be to improve your skills so you can slide the car around on the stock tires first, which are pretty lame in the hierarchy of performance tires.

Upstate NY in the winter, you will want to be on winter tires for that...

You can get plenty sideways with any tire. I'd just get some MPS4's or Conti Extreme Contacts for DD. If you need a winter tire, get a dedicated set.

ZDan: sure about that? Weren't average winter temps in NY ~ +5-10C? If so, then imho allseasons should do well.

Hmm, I always thought "Upstate NY" was the northern part that juts upward to Canada, but TIL that it's pretty much the entire state except for NYC and Long Island...

For sure in the vast majority of "Upstate NY", winter tires should be considered a requirement in the winter months. But depending on where OP is actually talking about, maybe not...

All parts of NY get temps well below freezing during winter, and the upstate regions can get a LOT of snow. Only a fool would plan to drive around there without dedicated snows.


Yeah, to the rest of the world, 'upstate' would logically mean the upper half of the state. But to a native New Yorker, 'upstate' is anything north of NYC proper. In their mind, there's nothing worthwhile outside the city limits...lol.

Thanks all. This would be near Syracuse NY I may have to run to in the winter.

I'll be putting RE71s on the stock wheels for DS class in autocross. That deal is done.

I'll be getting a second set of tires/wheels for daily driving. That's where good steering feel and feedback, long life, low grip for back roads fun comes in. I'm not looking for all out drifts, just to get a little squirrelly on corner exit on back roads.