hrmm that’s weird.
at fabi i pumped my kumho 712s to around 25-28 COLD and they lasted the whole track day with some tread left. mind you, these were only 70%. as for my federal 595s pumped to 40psi, they got eaten right thru with stops at every lap at the TMP event. These were NEW tires too. Fabi i drifted constantly and took breaks every 20mins for cooldowns. I will experiment next season, but for me lower pressures work best, and i have more grip when needed.
also,i think it depends what tire you are running. i think high end rubber is good for lower pressures and actually prolongs the life of the tire. but everyone’s experiences are different.
btw, what yokohomas were chris k using? ES100? If so, ES100s suck after 50% and they belt and chunk and get mad greasy after a while.
Some tires don’t stay together well when drifting. i think chris k’s issue may have been just the tire itself, since ES100s are known to belt and chunk. i say try another tire, and keep it at lower psi’s.
if you’re worried about sidewall flex. stretch tires. what width are your rims? and how wide are the tires?
if you got 18x9s stretch a 225 or 215.
if you got 18x8 stretch 215 or 205
try the stretch out, thats the main reason why ppl stretch tires. reduces sidewall flex to almost nil.
PS: i don’t think your getting FULL contact patch with 48-49psi if the tire is rated max 50-51. you will wear out the center of the tire before the sides, meaning the sides aren’t being fully used. im almost certain at 48-49 psi you arnt using all of the tire, because your pumping them up too much, it helps with breaking traction as well, and thats why ppl overinflate their tires. read up on different forums, most ppl drift with lower psi. i could be wrong, but i’ll look into it.