---
title: "Watch How Your Tires and Suspension Handle an Autocross Event"
description: "There's a lot going on where the rubber meets the road."
date: "2017-07-24"
modified: "2017-07-25"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/12819/watch-how-your-tires-and-suspension-handle-an-autocross-event"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "The Garage"
  - "Tires"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "autocross"
  - "Honda Civic"
  - "Suspension"
  - "tires"
---

# Watch How Your Tires and Suspension Handle an Autocross Event

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/07/screen-tires.png>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Two things you should never skimp out on maintaining—and [people absolutely do,](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/9211/canadian-man-fined-for-driving-toyota-tercel-with-wooden-suspension>) because they're both pretty expensive at the higher end—are [your tires](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/10036/heres-why-you-shouldnt-use-winter-tires-in-the-summer>) and suspension. You can have all the horsepower in the world, but that doesn't matter if the car can't keep it together thanks to bum tires or a busted tie rod.

A video posted on YouTube and [shared on Reddit](<https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/comments/6p8eqx/i_pointed_a_camera_at_my_rear_tire_at_the_last/?st=j5iwqno4&sh=79cbed84>) today illustrates exactly *why* that is. User Muffin Racing pointed a camera at the rear driver's-side tire on his fourth-gen Honda Civic hatchback during a recent [autocross run.](<https://www.thedrive.com/start-finish/10525/hey-you-you-should-try-autocross>) He states in the description it was originally his wife's idea to catch the tire lifting off the ground, which they did, but they also managed to capture a fascinating look at how the tires and suspension respond to the extreme forces involved with a competitive driving event.

He's reportedly running on 205/50 R15 Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R tires, Enkei RPF1 7" wide wheels, and Koni Sport dampers. Watching the wheel lift is a hoot, but its the camber changes and tire flex that really get our attention. Muffin Racing breaks it down in the video, demonstrating how the wheel locks up when lifted, then hits the ground again in a puff of smoke—the intense friction actually liquefies a patch of rubber on tire, and the way the temperature differential on the tire evens out depends on the camber of the wheel and the size of the tire's contact patch on the ground.

And speaking of camber, it's also interesting to watch how both the suspension and tire work together to accommodate the change in camber on sharp turns. Check out the full run below:

https://youtube.com/embed/UJCIPA-n5_0

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)