Updated Tire Guide!

With winter nearly over, and a surprise Public Expo session already under the 2013 belt... an update!

Tires, tyres, tires. No matter how you spell it, they're mostly round at the beginning and smell great smoldering and spinning. On my 1:1 car, tire shopping is a joy; hundreds of comparisons, reviews and data points to get the right tire for my application.

I couldn't find those same points for scale drifting.. so I started ordering tires. Lots of tires... the cheap ones, sure.. but I wanted to start small, after all the original goal was to save money!

All testing is measured against our secret indoor home base. This surface is classic polished concrete, maintained by a rigorous staff that constantly attempts to battle back the imperfections to a mirror polish. It 's main purpose is for people to walk around on, and occasionally there's a bombardment of sugary treats when we get there. We drift around them, mostly.

Follow the link, or hit the top bar for the permanent home.

http://raincityrajikon.blogspot.com/p/tire-reviews.html

RCRK @inMotion Car Show

It was an epic finish to the summer season - outdoor drifting just 100ft from the long drift sweeper @Monroe Speedway where 1:1 drift cars provided an epic sound track. inMotion claims to be the only indoor car show in Washington... seems about right - it's been years since HIN graced us with their lifestyle event. Admittedly, I've become jaded to car shows over the years - but the metal on display struck a chord and I found many favorites.

After a lengthy sweep session, we setup one of the largest tracks we've ever run. A slight elevation gain as you exit the McDonalds (to the right in the pic), with amply fresh sealed asphalt providing the backdrop. Surface was typical for a fresh, low traffic lot - we were very pleased, having done no pre-Recon. For asphalt surfaces, I default to R2hobbies t-drift clones. These are nowhere near the grip of branded HPI tires, but the price more than makes up for it on a mildly grippy surface.

RCRK @Desirable Car Show

RCRK hosted the track at the Desirable show at Hotel Murano in Tacoma, Wa. The skies were clear and temps were still up this late September weekend. We didn't expect much from our early recon; painted concrete with mixed sand and rough patches throughout. After a few tries we settled on a layout close to the D1 that hits Monroe Speedway.

Bodies were dragging by the evening as tires wore thin. I preferred R2hobbies High Pressure Cast drift tire for this event. The surface provided gobs of grib, albeit inconsistently, as it shredded through tires due to the sand grit that was embedded in the surface. These tires are very hard, and just don't work for me on asphalt or smoother - but on this surface they gave great speed and control.