Deemed by several journalists and auto enthusiasts as one of the best street tires on the market, the Yokohama Advan AD07 set the standard for tire performance. It was a tire you could drive to and from work but one that would also instill confidence and offer incredible grip on weekend track events or if you encountered a stretch of twisty canyon roads.
The AD07 was everything you could ask for from a street tire, yet Yokohama saw fit to introduce its successor at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show - the Advan Neova AD08.
Could we expect even more greatness from Yokohama's flagship street tire, or were some sacrifices made?
If you're unfamiliar with the Advan series, it probably means you haven't paid much attention to the performance of your tires. There's a distinguished history behind the Advan brand and this year marks the 30th anniversary. The company supplies tires for OE fitment to Porsche, Audi and Mercedes, among others. They also support teams in the World Touring Car Championship and American Le Mans Series. Research and development of its tires isn't only conducted in its science labs either, with many Advan tires prototyped and driven on racecars in professional motorsport arenas.
So after four years of the AD07, the AD08 has arrived and we were offered a first-hand trial of the new rubber. And Yokohama supplied us with an interesting fleet of vehicles and Las Vegas Speedway for the test. These included a Stasis Audi A4, the Evolution Racewerks BMW 135i, Porsche 911 Carrera, Mitsubishi Evo, Mazda RX-8 and Mercedes C63.
Our first test was an autocross using RX-8s equipped with AD07 and AD08 tires. The difference wasn't night and day, but the cornering grip of the new AD08s felt more forgiving and had quicker steering response. After several sessions, lap times were averaging 0.9sec faster with the newer tires.
We already knew it was going to be a solid dry-traction tire, but we were surprised by the AD08's wet weather performance. After hosing down a section of the course, the comparison became clearer and lap times were nearly 1.5sec faster compared to the AD07s.
Unfortunately, the keys to the ER 135i were absent, so we entered the road course in the Evo, Carrera, A4 and C63. After four hours of driving, the AD08 had proved to be predictable, with impeccable grip and easy maneuverability. We were impressed by the cornering speeds as we pushed harder each lap to find the threshold of the corners. Each car remained solid and stable, especially the AWD Evo and A4. In fact, we barely got the tires to squeal unless we felt like drifting the corner in the Carrera and Mercedes C63.
Of course, a tire like this has its drawbacks, but we weren't too worried. Comfort and noise weren't the AD08's top qualities, but were acceptable. The price of these tires is also higher than most, but if you're looking for a fast street tire with the ability to tackle weekend track events, the AD08 is for you.