The latest wheel model of “R” chosen by the highest drifting machine
Wheels play an important role in motorsports. Especially in drifting competitions, the tires go in a different direction from the straight-ahead direction, so the wheels need to have appropriate countermeasures. Rays’ “gram LIGHTS 57NR” is a model developed to aim for the top in drifting competitions. We will introduce the particulars of this model.
High-performance sports wheels for high-power machines
The two Toyota GR86s competing in the “D1 Grand Prix” drifting championship are the vehicles of the “TEAM TOYO TIRES DRIFT”. The drivers are Masato Kawabata and Hideyuki Fujino. Incidentally, this GR86 and Fujino (car #66) are the 2023 champions.
The “R” series of gram LIGHTS 57s will support the legs of such top-of-the-line machines. 57CR, 57DR, 57XR, and other masterpieces have supported drifting machines. The current machines for drifting championships boast 800 to 1000 hp. With half-baked wheels, it is impossible to feel the grip of the tires at their breaking point or to swing them freely from side to side.
From 2024, the two “TEAM TOYO TIRES DRIFT” cars will be equipped with “57NR” wheels. These wheels feature a 10-spoke design that follows the Rays’ traditional N-series design, which provides excellent stress dispersion and can firmly receive inputs from the road surface.
The latest technology was incorporated
To increase rigidity, a new “C-FORM” design is provided between the spokes. This allows the spokes to maintain a perfect circle even when strong forces are applied. In addition, the strength of the inner rim has been dramatically improved by “H.S.PLUS” (High Strength Technology) newly developed by Raise. Knurling at the bead seat minimizes traction loss and changes in tire balance by reducing misalignment between wheel and tire, which tends to occur when large traction is applied.
The 9.5 x 18 and 10.5 x 19 sizes will also feature the “EH2” hump shape used on wheels for run-flat tires. This reduces the risk of bead drop even when the tire pressure is set low to take advantage of traction.
