Formula Drift Racing Heritage
Motorsports and racing is tough on performance tires, so it’s a great way for manufacturers to test new rubber formulations and tire designs. Every week Falken Tire engineers are in pit lanes around the country gathering data to improve the performance of their high performance tires. One of the motorsports that Falken uses to test their high performance tires is Drifting. No other form of asphalt racing is as hard on tires, so Falken has learned a lot over the years. In fact, they helped pioneer the sport in the brand’s native Japan and have sponsored Formula Drift in North America since the very first season. Today, hundreds of teams in Formula Drift and grass-roots Drift racing events run exclusively on Falken tires thanks to their expertise in this very specialized form of Motorsports.
Formula Drift and High Performance Tires
Drifting is basically a driving technique of navigating a closed course of multiple turns with two or more wheels losing traction. Drifting, when done on pavement, produces a lot of tire squealing and smoke. Even when performed on other road surfaces such as dirt, snow or ice, a drifting car often looks like it is out of control. This makes for a great show, but it is incredibly hard on tires. A professional driver can burn through a new set of tires in just a couple of sessions. What the tire engineers learn from the extreme conditions of Drifting goes into their DOT approved Falken Azenis tires, as well as other tire lines. Even tires like the all-season Falken Sincera SN211 for every day drivers of standard sedans profit from what is learnt about tread-life and sidewall durability on the drift tracks.
Other Motorsports Activities
Over the years, Falken Tires has been active in various other forms of motorsports to make their tires faster, stronger and last longer. Like Drifting, Off Road racing is punishing on tires, and King of the Hammers is one of the most extreme. This is where Falken Tires really excel. The Falken WildPeak A/T was named Four Wheeler Magazine’s Off-Road Tire Best Buy, and received its first off-road win at the King of the Hammers in 2011.
Falken’s approach to racing is much more than just flying the corporate colors. The race track truly is Falken’s laboratory for testing, and pushing the limits of what a tire can do for the benefit of improving their tires for racers and everyday drivers alike.
