Drift Tengoku, a leading Japanese drifting magazine for enthusiasts, featured an article in its February 2005 edition on a highly publicized drifting event held in Japan. In this competition, 71 heavily modified cars and coupes participated, of which 8 racers, via their own choosing, used Federal's SS595 on their vehicles. One came in 2nd place in the competition - an amazing result considering the competition. This article prompted Federal to redefine the tire for the purposes of drifting, a sport which is growing tremendously in popularity in Asia, Australia, and the United States. Over the last couple of years, drifting has evolved from what was once considered an underground backyard sport for tuners to what it is today - national events with large cash prizes, sponsorships and high public attendance.
"Competition oriented ultra high performance tires. The ideal choice for tuners - soft and hard. Engineered to withstand excess heat from wheel spin and allow maximum transfer of braking/acceleration to pavement. The SS595 provides responsive performance at high speeds and exceptional level of adhesion and control when needed." - the exact words in our new ad, rephrased for drifting, the SS595 enters a new playing field. Federal has had an outstanding reputation as a performance tire specialist. The SS595 has made it clear to drivers everywhere that high performance can be attained without foregoing comfort, handling ability and durability. With the SS595's new positioning, Federal has surpassed even its own high standards, entering the world of "drifting", where tire performance, especially braking/acceleration, and ability to withstand heat is of utmost necessity. In this sport, drivers use their tires to the extreme as they spin, "drift" and "surf" their cars around the track. Racers are not judged for speed but given points for each turn. Before the take-off, racers often display "smoke" shows that are always a fascinating display of rubber burning and wheel spinning. The smell of rubber in the air and the smoke created never fails to get the crowds' attention.
"Abuse" is often the word used by drifters to describe what they do to their cars and tires in a drift event or practice laps and the SS595 is ready to take all the abuse it can get. The aggressive v-shaped pattern, compound, tread and structure proves to be able to take all the abuse. The article in Drift Tengoku not only proves the SS595s performance, but the competition results of the cars using SS595s show that these tires were formulated not only to participate in drifting events, but also to win them.
We are sure to see SS595s in much more drifting events to come, and because of its affordability compared to some of the bigger name brands, there is nothing better than the SS595 for drifting practice laps.