I’ve heard that some people crank that shit up to like 90psi when at the track. Is this true? I understand why, but does it really work and do you guys get premey blowouts?
What are some of you guys running? I run regular track pressures right now.
Those pressures combined with a stretch must make it hella loaded on the tire.
Hey man, just run whatever the tire says on the side, but if you want say a little bit harder(less grip) add maybe 10 over what it says, if you want a bit softer (more grip) run about 10 less then what it says)
in the end running your tire at the recommended PSI works fine because a the tire gets heated up the air expands and the PSI becomes higher (not by alot though) so take that into consideration when chooseing your tire pressure and dont be scared to play with it!
as for 90 PSI i dunno who said that but dont do it.
Thanks for the reply, I understand tire pressures and how they work in regards to heat and expansion. You have to learn about tires when you race motorcycles. 
they’re the only thing between you and dying. Lolz.
I generally run tires at what the specific tire company recommends for that particular tire. I’ve only ever set tires up for maximum grip. A good gauge of what you need to do in regards to going up or down is actuallu LOOKING at your tires after some hot laps. If you’re not using all tread available, you need to dial em down. If you’re using too much, ie, folding over onto sidewall, then you need to go up.
I thought it was way too high but meh, I know nothing about drifting. Except that its hella fun and I wanna get better.
how/where do you tell what the tire company’s recommended psi is?
Call up the local sales rep. I’m serious.
look at the sidewall of the tire it will say on there its usually 40 to 50 PSI depending on the tire make and size ect.
whats this about calling a sales person ?
but yeah pretty much play around with it as you already know what it does!
When setting up for max grip, we generally tell the new guys to take a piece of chaulk and mark 4 lines around the perimeter of the tire, from the sidewall to the tread patch. After a lap or two, look at the chaulk, and you’ll see exactly how far out that you’re pushing your grip. Obviously you want all the patch and none of the sidewall for max grip. Starting a bit below the “max pressure” on the sidewall and working your way down is a good way to start.
The heat affects r-compound tires WAY more than street tires, so keep that in mind. Once you get an approximate pressure dialed in, you’ll play with them on the day of to suit the conditions.
As far as drift pressures are concerned, I’ve only ever played around on an autoslalom course, so I have no idea…lol
Dude. Those are MAX pressures.
Fuck max pressure. I go for 60psi cold when drifting.
No, what I’m saying is that there is a huge common misconception that the psi on the outside of the tire is the recommended pressure, its not. Its the recommended MAX pressure, not the optimal pressure for grip.
That’s why you have to talk to the distributor or rep for the tire.
Case in point, on the outside of my michelin pilot race r compounds (bike), it has a max psi of 50. Recommended pressure cold at the track is 22 psi. Super low, but that’s hiw THAT particular tire was designed for max grip. I was sketched out by it and ran my regular 30 psi cold, but had no traction. Dropped it down, voila! Even went down to 20 psi cold and it was sticky as fuck.
Cal, you rin 60? For real? I’ll give it a whirl next time.
i run that kind of tire pressure cause i’m underpowered and the rear spins easier like that. Only problem being that you’ll go through tires pretty quickly.
with my car i drift with 35-40 psi
but now i have -.5 degrees of camber
prob be at 50 psi now or mabey 60 psi
keep in mine i drift with 18s and no tire smaller than a 245
When I was at Shannonville in Sept’. One guy everything from 60 psi. All the way down to 20 psi. He actually liked the 20 psi the best.
Tires tend to disintegrate at higher pressures way to quickly for my liking. Running 48-60psi you start getting tread separation and you’ll get virtually no time out of tires. I’m still running my camber for sticky track tires while drifting (uhh -2.3 IIRC) and keeping the pressures fairly low (28-31 cold depending on the tire). I get an absurd amount of time out of my tires. I was running WanLi S1088’s at ClubLoose Sunday and only went through 6 rears the entire day.
Thanks for the heads up on the tire life at high pressure.
I hahahaed at the “only” 6 rears. Yeah, this is way more expensive than racing bikes.
just FYI, the CAR has recomened tire pressures they want you to run, Its on the door sill with the VIN usualy… chek it out!
As for drifting. MEH i drive into the track, unload my tools/spares; drive onto the track.
i run most my tires at 28-34 cold. Generally they give me the most grip that way. I drift that way also.
But i have tried running my psi as high as 45 cold. It does help, but the car has slower corner entry and is less predictable.
I would say start off at 32 and go up and down and see what suits your style when u drift.
no way! i know my buddy in his supra puts 14psi and the heat from the burn out bumps up the PSI!
When i go to the track i run with 17PSI on passenger side and 17.5 on the drivers side to cause of driver weight
I assume you mean with a real slick (QTP’s), at the drag strip otherwise that’s fucking retarded.
tire pressure? you guys actually check when you drift? most of the time i dont. when i do check i usually set 18-20 go for some laps to feel it out and then go from there.
i find if i dont check then its not in my head.