Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08R
After lengthy research I finally decided on a new set of tires for bowtie6. Out with the old Kumho’s and in with a brand new set of Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08’s. As usual, I internet ordered my new tires from The Tire Rack, delivered via brown truck in only a couple of days.
The decision to go with these tires did not come easy. Given bowtie6 is not driven on a daily basis, I did not want to spend a ton of money on a set of high-mileage tires. Instead, this time I wanted to buy something very soft and sticky. However, soft sticky tires and “budget priced” does not pair up very well. Fortunately the good folks at The Tire Rack had just the right tires priced at the right price. Can’t go wrong with that.
As it turns out, the SCCA has changed their rules regarding the UTQG rating on these tires. Therefore the folks at The Tire Rack lowered the price on these UTQG 180 rated tires. Needless to say, I decided to order a set of four and could not be happier. They are very soft!
Yokohama Neova AD08 directional tires
The reviews on this tire are interesting…
- They don’t do well in wet weather
- They don’t do well in the cold
- They are noisy
- They don’t last very long
- However, they are very sticky and grip tenaciously (yes!)
The old tires were Kumho’s and they served me very well. I ran two sets and this last set finally reached the point where they were rather “hard”. During all these years, the rears have been 215-55/16’s while the fronts have been 205-55/16’s. This time around, I decided to get a square setup and run 205-55/16’s all around. Why? Because these are very soft tires and I wanted to have the ability to rotate them to ensure even wear. We’ll see how that goes…
bowtie6’s Panasport wheels now with Yokohama tires
I started buying tires from The Tire Rack many years ago and back then, I could find a store that would mount and balance the tires for a decent price. Then, prices started going up with a certain amount of negative feedback coming from the stores. This time, I did a little shopping regarding the install and found the best price at Costco. So this morning I took the wheels and old tires along with the new Yokohama’s. Total cost to mount, balance and dispose of the old tires: $68.00. Not bad at all.
The folks at the tire department called late this afternoon and told me the tires were ready. I’ll mount them tomorrow and see what they feel like. The plan is to go easy on them for a few miles and by doing so wear off any mold release compounds. Once they get scuffed up I’ll see what bowtie6 will be like with a set of really soft tires.
Should be fun!! 🙂
I have previously talked about tires and wheels here: Triumph TR4/TR6 Wheel & Tire Sizing
