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Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD07 - Extreme Performance Summer
Vehicles used:
2003 BMW 330Ci Coupe
ADVAN - Derived from Advanced. Meaning to move forward.
Yokohama has been racing tires with the ADVAN family name for 25 years, developing the grip & endurance needed to compete at the highest level of motorsports around the world. Among other successes, the ADVAN-equipped Alex Job/BAM Team Porsche 911 GT3 RSR scored the GT2 pole position & class win at the 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. Sharing more than just the name, Yokohama has applied the technology & experience gained on the racetrack to the family of ADVAN Extreme Performance street tires already available in Asia & Europe.
As part of the ADVAN family of performance street tires, the Japanese market has had the ADVAN Neova AD07 for a short while, but it was not available in North America until it debuted as an Original Equipment fitment on the Lotus Elise in the late fall of 2004. The summer of 2005 sees the ADVAN Neova size lineup exp& with a complement of additional sizes for the variety of true performance sports cars. Motorsports enthusiasts may know that the ADVAN name has quietly been in the US for some time, found on the side of Yokohama's racing slicks & their DOT-approved track-day tires, the ADVAN A-032R & ADVAN A-048. While these tires are road-worthy, they are not really intended for regular street duty.
To find out just how capable the ADVAN Neova is, Tire Rack team conducted a Real World Road Ride & Performance Track Drive to compare the ADVAN Neova with several popular Extreme Performance tires that focus on max h&ling & dry traction, the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KD & the Kumho Ecsta MX. The g-Force T/A KD became the dry performance benchmark in the Extreme Performance Summer category since it was introduced a few years ago. The Kumho Ecsta MX is a more recent addition to the category, designed to offer dry performance comparable to the g-Force T/A KD, with a slight increase in wet traction. While there are a number of other, very capable tires in the Extreme Performance tire category, these two are most closely aligned with the objective of the ADVAN Neova - to offer ultimate (dry) traction.
Our evaluation used 2003 BMW 330Ci coupes, with new, full tread depth 225/45R17 tires mounted on 17x8.0" wheels. We also included a fourth, 2003 BMW 330Ci fitted with the Original Equipment (OE) 205/50R17 Goodyear Eagle RS-A High Performance All-Season tires mounted on factory 17x7.0" wheels. We have included this vehicle/tire combination in other tire evaluations, & have found it helpful to have an OE-equipped vehicle in the test to evaluate the impact of installing the other products.
Our 5.6-mile loop of expressway, state highway & county roads provides a great variety of road conditions that include city & highway speeds, smooth & coarse concrete, as well as new & patched asphalt. This route allows our team to experience noise comfort, ride quality & everyday h&ling, just as you would during your drive to school or work.
H&ling is what this group of Extreme Performance Summer tires is all about, & none disappointed. The Yokohama ADVAN Neova scored highest with our team for its blend of responsiveness & cornering, feeling like it carved its way around the corners & sweeping expressway ramps. The overall h&ling of the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KD wasn't far behind, delivering immediate steering response, but without quite the poise of the ADVAN Neova. The Kumho Ecsta MX was rated a close third in road h&ling, still a long way ahead of the OE Goodyear Eagle RS-A.
Coming as no surprise, the BMW Original Equipment Goodyear Eagle RS-A offered the best ride & noise characteristics on the road. While Extreme Performance Summer tires normally trade off ride quality for improved steering response & h&ling, the ADVAN Neova was somewhat firmer over nearly all road surfaces than the OE Eagle RS-A, but not objectionable. The ADVAN Neova felt firm only when driving over larger impacts or potholes. The ride quality of the Kumho Ecsta MX was rated a bit behind the Yokohama, while the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KD felt the harshest of the group.
Among the Extreme Performance Summer tires in this test, the Yokohama generated the least amount of tread noise of the trio, despite the aggressive appearance of its large tread blocks. Our team heard several distinct pitches from the Ecsta MX on the smooth concrete & asphalt portions of our road route. The g-Force T/A KD was noticeably louder than the others, generating a distinctive growl from even relatively low speeds, & all the way up through the speed range.
What We Learned on the Test Track
Our 1/3-mile per lap test track course includes 90-degree street corners, lane changes & simulated expressway ramps. Run in both dry & wet conditions, the test track allows our team to experience the traction, responsiveness, h&ling & drivability normally only encountered during abrupt emergency avoidance maneuvers or competition events.
The Yokohama ADVAN Neova dominated the dry track test, feeling absolutely hooked up with very little slip, slide or brake lock up. This tire helped our test BMW 330Ci coupe use all of its capability, & as a result, the ADVAN Neova's average lap time was the fastest of this test. This is the fastest we have seen to date among the street tires tested on the E46 BMW 330Ci on our track. The BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KD & Kumho Ecsta MX battled for second-fastest overall. While the Ecsta MX generated slightly more cornering grip around the skidpad portion of our track, the quicker steering response & slightly better h&ling balance of the g-Force T/A KD made this tire a bit easier to drive at the limit, & secure the second-fastest average lap time. The overall lap time of the OE Goodyear Eagle RS-A was unusually quick in this test, but subjectively was nowhere close to the overall h&ling & responsiveness of the other three Extreme Performance Summer tires.
During our measured stopping distance test in the dry, the ADVAN Neova stopped the car from 50 mph on average in a very impressive 77.8', over 19' shorter than the OE High Performance All-Season tire.
While wet traction is not the primary focus of this group, all three of the Extreme Performance Summer tires in this test performed well with water on our test track, posting quicker average lap times than the Eagle RS-A High Performance All-Season OE comparison tire. Again the ADVAN Neova lapped our course the quickest, while also proving well-balanced & easy to control at its grip limit. The Kumho Ecsta MX was next, but a full 1.3 seconds behind the ADVAN Neova. The Ecsta MX felt a little edgy when approaching the limit, building grip & then breaking away a bit abruptly. The BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KD did not feel as if it had quite as much actual grip as the Kumho, but displayed better balance making it easy to drive, just at a lower level. This ease of control could not overcome the shortfall of wet grip, finishing third behind the Ecsta MX.
Product Details
BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KD (Extreme Performance Summer): The g-Force T/A KD is the Extreme Performance Summer tire member of BFGoodrich's family of g-Force T/A tires. The g-Force T/A KD is designed to deliver BFGoodrich's Traction/Advantage in order to increase the performance capabilities of sports cars, sports coupes & performance sedans by providing extreme dry road performance (hence the "D" in KD) while providing satisfactory wet traction. The g-Force T/A KD is not intended to be driven in snow.
Goodyear Eagle RS-A (High Performance All-Season, Original Equipment Comparison): The Goodyear Eagle RS-A is a High Performance All-Season tire produced with several speed ratings & in a wide variety of sizes. Its design is heavily influenced by its use as an Original Equipment tire by BMW, Volkswagen, General Motors, Chrysler & others. The Eagle RS-A features a subtle asymmetric tread design with larger tread elements in the outside shoulder intended to deliver more responsive h&ling, cornering, & steering. Smaller tread blocks on the inside shoulder combined with wide tread & lateral grooves are intended to enhance wet & snow traction.
Kumho Ecsta MX (Extreme Performance Summer): Kumho's family of Ecsta (x' ta) performance tires is designed to enhance every vehicle's capabilities. The Ecsta MX member of the family elevates Kumho right into our Extreme Performance tire category which is reserved for the technologically advanced tires that combine highly developed materials with state-of-the-art design & advanced manufacturing methods to provide superior performance.
Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD07 (Extreme Performance Summer): The ADVAN Neova AD07 is the Extreme Performance Summer tire member of Yokohama's global family of ADVAN performance tires developed for sports car, sports coupe & performance sedan enthusiasts who love sport driving. Used as Original Equipment (O.E.) on the Lotus Elise, the ADVAN Neova is designed to provide high levels of traction, responsive h&ling & driving control in dry & wet road conditions. The ADVAN Neova is not intended to be driven in cold temperatures or in snow.
Unlike less highly tuned tires, Yokohama's care instructions specify that due to its compound characteristics, ADVAN Neova must be used & stored at temperatures above -10° Celsius (14° Fahrenheit) to maintain its performance & avoid tire damage.
