Making Race Tires for Formula Drift with GT Radial (Audio)

A cloud of smoke arises from the GT Radial Champiro SX2 RS tires as Formula Drift Driver Odi Bakchis brakes to a halt. The tires are hot and worn after a few laps drifting, but they’ve kept Odi on the track for the full afternoon. So, what does in to the technological marvel that is race tires?

To answer this, David Poling, Giti Tire USA’s director of tire development and product marketing, sits down with us on this episode of What’s Treading with Tire Review, presented by AAPEX. Dave not only explains the technology that goes into race tires, but also how GT Radial’s tires for Formula Drift are built for the conditions and how this racing circuit serves as a proving ground for the company’s technology at a dealer’s counter.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

How motorsports is the ultimate proving ground for tire technology (1:02);
The history behind GT Radial’s Formula Drift partnership (2:15);
What GT Radial need to consider in making a tire for Formula Drift (5:55);
How GT Radial’s Formula Drift partnership influences its brand awareness and can be a selling point for dealers at the counter (9:00);
Ways race tire technology can influence the compounding and construction of other performance tires (12:22);
Major advances in race tire technology in the market today (17:22).

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In only the past year or so, AI has opened a Pandora's box of opportunities to better care for customers and their vehicles – so much so that today's consumer has unlocked a new level of knowledge surrounding all aspects of maintenance.

Here's an example: A driver thinks it might be time for a new set of tires since their current set is looking a bit on the worn side. He doesn't own a tread depth gauge and wouldn't know what to do with one anyway. However, he does have an app on his smartphone that uses machine learning technology to analyze treadwear and creates an AI-generated recommendation on whether that tire needs to be repaired or replaced. Going a step further, though, the app communicates with the driver's tire dealer to indicate he'll be coming in for a new set of tires.