June 4, 2008

Yokohama S-Drive

(Comparison from Tirerack is here )

Yokohama S-Drive - 245/40/18 - $163 each on Tire Rack

This was probably one of the best purchases for my car yet. At Liberty, as stated in my control arm post, we finally narrowed down what was wrong with the car in terms of constantly pulling to a certain side, and it was tire pull. The tread was terrible on it anyways, and the tires never really felt that good. But once these puppies were on, my perspective completely changed over all. First off, I got wider specification then stock (stock is 225, I got 245). This is as wide as you can go on the stock wheel for the RX-8. The difference in the grip and the feeling is literally, night and day. Before I would feel very unconfident in my driving ability and how I was taking turns, but with these tires, I can really push the car to limits or drive comfortably on the streets without fear of suddenly losing grip. The pressure I like to keep it at is right around 36.

I've personally compared this set to the Dunlop Direzza Star Spec (the one compared on Tire Rack) and I'd say they're right in their comparision. The Yokohama's are great for tread life while keeping the high performance, but the Dunlops, for only $180, are insane grip and just feel solid at all times. I'm pleased with my purchase of my first set of performance tires. These should take care of me when I try autocrossing for the first time.

No comments: