For a motorsport that lives or dies by the ability of contestants to lose traction, Formula Drift cars have a lot more going on than just a big engine and slippery tires. In fact, as it turns out, professional drift cars need especially sticky and grippy tires to clasp on to the race track. But don’t take our word for it, just listen to 2010 Formula Drift Champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. lay it all out.

In the above video Gittin takes the time to explain just what it is that a good drift car really needs, and how essential grip is to a successful drifting run.

Sure, it is easy to assume that a drift car has a stiff suspension and, in Gittin’s words, “hard trailer tires” to result in a loss of traction. But instead the suspension is dialed in so it can handle more than a g of lateral acceleration mid-drift, while allowing the driver to rapidly change direction from one way to another. That takes a lot of grip-on-demand.

That is why these drift cars call for big, powerful engines like the 5.8 liter V8 in Gittin’s Mustang. The Mustang has numerous advantages in the drifting world, including wheelbase and width, something none-too-easy to do to a production car. In a standard weekend, Gittin will go through about 40 Nitto NTO5 racing tires, which can handle the rapid change in tire temperature, by as much as 150 degrees of difference in the span of a few minutes.

It’s an interesting video, especially for drifting fans, and it will let you drop some knowledge on your friends at your next drifting event.