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There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to choosing tires for going sideways. It depends on your car, its power, and how you set up your rear-wheel-drive manual drift missile. For example, the best drifting tires for a beginner in a stock Mazda Miata might be an OEM size tire with a hard compound. On the other hand, if you drop a powerful V-8 between the fenders, you’ll need a stickier and more expensive tire with a wider section width.
Chris Forsberg chases Fredric Aasbo
How Drifting Works
Any drift is initiated by unsettling the car and breaking traction. With a low-powered car, it typically happens with a pull of the handbrake, followed by a tug at the steering wheel to apply lateral force—sending the tail sliding sideways. With more powerful cars, a clutch kick or clutch drop often will break the traction at the rear enough to initiate a slide. Precise application of throttle keeps the tires spinning.
Nitto NT555 G2
Maintaining drift, rather than spinning out, takes skill. Wide performance tires provide the most control, but you’ll need enough horsepower to make it work. Also, the amount of grip needed (while spinning) varies from tire to tire.
If you’re not comfortable burning through a lot of tires, drifting might not be the best motorsport for you. Of course, good tires for drifting aren’t always cheap. You’ll want an A-rated tire for temperature and A- or AA-rated for traction.
Cheap Tires for Drifting
If you’re looking for cheap drifting tires to start, a good set of previously owned rubber is the first choice. You’ll find several used tire specialty shops on eBay Motors. When buying used tires, you’ll want to buy in pairs to ensure even wear from side to side. A tire more worn on one side than the other can cause unpredictable handling and premature differential wear.
The top used tire dealers include free shipping. EliteUsedTires offers thousands of tires from its Florida HQ, with a stellar feedback rating. Chicago-based UTG Tires takes it up a notch with detailed descriptions and tire-depth info.
Is Drifting Bad for Your Tires?
You may wonder if drifting ruins your tires. In a word, yes. But it all depends on your definition of ruin. After all, drifting is all about controlled sliding, which means tire wear. The more you drift, the faster you’ll wear out that rubber.
So consider your tires consumable, just like gasoline and engine oil.
Hard Compound Tires
If your car only puts out a modest amount of power, you might opt for a set of inexpensive, hard compound tires for drifting. Hard compounds provide lower rolling resistance and are easier to break loose. Conversely, the more powerful the engine, the softer and more sticky the tire, the better.
The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) traction ratings have four classifications—AA, A, B, and C, with AA the stickiest compound and C the hardest compound.
What Tires do Professional Drifters Use?
Over the years, many tire manufacturers have sponsored the Formula Drift PRO series. Five manufacturers sponsored the 2021 season of Formula Drift: Falken, GT Radial, Nexen, Nitto, and Federal. These are the drift racing tires you see the pros use.
Falken Tires
Justin Pawlak’s Falken Tire Ford Mustang
A division of Sumitomo, Falken Tire focuses on Ultra High Performance (UHP) Tires. The AZENIS RT615K+ has a distinctive asymmetrical design featuring twin zig-zag center channels.
Falken AZENIS RT615K+
Falken Tire-sponsored Formula Drift drivers include Odi Bakchis, Matt Field, Justin Pawlak, and Dai Yoshihara.
Falken AZENIS RT615K+ specs:
UTQG Treadwear W Speed-Rated
UTQG Treadwear: 200
Traction: A
Temperature: A
GT Radial Tires
2013 Formula Drift Champion Michael Essa
The GT Radial Champiro SX2 RS is the official tire of Formula Drift’s PROSPEC series and is a popular PRO series choice.
GT Radial Champiro SX2 RS
GT Radial drivers include Dan Burkett, Michael Essa, Chris Forsberg, Dylan Hughes, Jeff Jones, Ryan Litteral, and Kazuya Taguchi.
GT Radial Champiro SX2 RS specs:
UTQG Treadwear W Speed-Rated
UTQG Treadwear: 200
Traction: A
Temperature: A
Nexen Tires
Dean Kearney’s Oracle Lighting Dodge Viper
While Nexen might not be a household name, its N’Fera SUR4 is the factory tire on the Dodge Challenger SRT.
Nexen N’Fera SUR4
Nexen-sponsored Formula Drift drivers include Jhonnattan Castro, Ken Gushi, Taylor Hull, Dean Kearney, and Faruk Kugay.
Nexen N’Fera SUR4 specs:
UTQG Treadwear Y Speed-Rated
UTQG Treadwear: 100
Traction: AA
Temperature: A
Nitto Tires
Ryan Tuerck’s Gumout Toyota Corolla
The Nitto NT555 G2 is the drift racing tire of choice for many of Formula Drift’s top contenders.
Nitto NT555 G2
Nitto Formula Drift sponsored drivers include Fredric Aasbo, Chelsea DeNofa, Vaughn Gittin, Jr., Adam LZ, and Ryan Tuerck.
Nitto NT555 G2 specs:
UTQG Treadwear W Speed-Rated
UTQG Treadwear: 200
Traction: AA
Temperature: A
Federal Tires
Kyle Mohan’s Renewable Lubricant Mazda RX8
The Federal 595RS-RR is at the front of the pack for affordability.
Federal 595RS-RR
Federal Tire Formula Drift drivers include Rome Charpentier, Kyle Mohan, and Jonathan Nerren.
Federal 595RS-RR specs:
UTQG Treadwear W Speed-Rated
UTQG Treadwear: 200
Traction: AA
Temperature: A
Warning: Take It To The Track
Drifting should only be attempted on a safe, closed course. Never drift on the street.
