How does it compare to the A032r?



The ADVAN A048 is Yokohama's DOT-Legal Competition tire designed for the drivers of vehicles who participate in autocross competition, track schools, lapping days and circuit-type club racing. The ADVAN A048 was developed from Yokohama racing technology for applications that include the 18-inch rim diameter fitments used on the Porsche 911, Porsche 911 Turbo, Porsche Boxster and others.

On the outside, the ADVAN A048 molds a race-ready compound that provides dry grip over a wide range of temperatures into a 6/32-inch deep, "single block" tread design that increases tread stiffness and features a wide center area that stays in continuous contact with the track to enhance cornering stability, on-center feel and steering response. As the tire's outer shoulder tread wears from hard cornering, the ADVAN A048's directional tread design and symmetric internal construction allows worn tires to be remounted "inside-out" on their wheels to help prolong their life. We suggest shaving ADVAN A048 tires to between 3/32" to 4/32" of tread depth for competitive road racing.

On the inside, the ADVAN A048 features twin steel belts that are reinforced with spirally wrapped nylon cap plies and belt edge strips. The belt package is placed on top of a rounded casing design that allows the tire to predictably handle transitions from straight-line travel to high g-force cornering and back.

 

hmm interesting

 

Supposed to be grippier, quieter, and not quite as long lasting. Only comes in what I would consider "Porsche-exclusive" sizes in this country.

 

Where did you get all the info?

So, it wouldn't be any good in wet?

 

There was a review written by a guy in England with one of those open-fender Elises... or maybe it was a super 7 replica.

 

Great tire. Extremely sticky. Warms up quickly on the track. The single block design and sidewall are great. They allow extremely crisp and sharp turn-ins. IMO, it has better performance than the A032R (which I used to run on), and it's MUCH quiter. NOT for use on the street, and NOT good in wet conditions. The biggest problem I see is the lack of sizing. They're only available in 225, 265, and 285 (all in 18").

 

When you say not for the street, do you mean it is LESS suitable for the street than the A032?

I think I heard its going to be the OE tire on the new Elise...

 

IMO, neither one should be driven on the street. The A048 is a lot quieter so it's a little more suited for street driving than the A032R (which is very noisy). But, it's still not that great for street use (extremely stiff, no good in wet conditions, VERY short life span, etc).

Also, it's kind of hard to compare them directly. The A048 is only available in 18" whereas the A032R is 17" and under. Basically, if you want a Yoko R-compound tire, your rim size will determine which one.

 

is the wear, harshness, and/or wet-condition suitability any better or worse from the 48 to the 32?

Of course any R tire isn't the best choice for the street, but most rank the 32 as about 2nd best to the Toyo R1A... is the 48 in this league?

 

The 48 has slightly newer technology involved (the 32 is pretty antiquated), which is usually a good thing. As I said, noise level has been improved, so that's a plus. Due to the improved sidewall and treadblock, cornering ability is improved. I'm not completely positive about wear (haven't used them enough), but as of right now I would say that wear is about 1.5 times worse than the 32, so that's a negative. Wet suitability is probably about the same for both, although I think the 32 might have the edge here.

In that sense, I suppose I would rank the A048 slightly higher than the A032R, but still under the Toyo RA1.

 

What size are you looking for? They have more than 18's here in Japan.

 

Currently, in the states the only available sizes are:
225/40/18
265/35/18
285/30/18

That's it. They have a lot more available sizes in Japan as well as parts of Europe. But in america, that's all we get. Yokohama indicated that if it really goes over well, it will bring more sizes over here. Possibly completely replacing the A032R. But if they do that, I highly doubt it'll be anytime this year.

I'm sure you could have someone ship you a set from Japan. But for the price of that, I would highly recommend going for the Toyo RA1.

Rob

 

I'm going to get alot of scorn poured on me for this, but my big problem w/ running the Toyo RA1 as a street/track tire is that they're just plain ugly tires. They've got no sidewall styling or rim protector and just look like Joe Shmoes 1980's gatorback performance tire. Especially in 16 and 17" sizes with relatively tall sidewalls.

A032's, A048's, Sport Cups, all look a HELL of alot nicer.

I know thats asking alot to want good looking tires after I'm already asking for a track tire that works on the street for a reasonable price, but i'm a pain in the *** that way. :-)

 

Is the RA1 avai in 18 as well? Are they more streetable? How about wet situation?

Thanks,

POM HB

 

Yes they're available in 18 (very limited widths though). To be honest, I think the only width that would really work is the 275/35/18... I'll check on that though. IMO they are more streetable. No DOT-Rcomp tire will be good in the wet, but the RA1s seem to be better at it than the 48s. If they haven't been shaved, then the tread is okay for wet pavement (no standing water though). They seem to handle heat cycling much better than the Yokohamas (this is my main concern and why I don't recommend using an R compound for the street. Life span isn't that great and it's further reduced by running these on the street).

ptrhahn - lol hey man, don't worry. I agree with you here, the RA1 is pretty boring and plain. Not very agressive looking at all. But, as boring as it looks, it does its job. Looks can play an important role in tires for some people, and I'm not knocking you for that. But IMO, if you are interested in an R-compound you are interested for the performance, and that's it. Otherwise, stick with a high-perf street tire. You'll be much happier.

 

Oh, forgot to mention in comparing the A048 to the A032R:
The A032R is available in either hard or soft compounds. This allows the user to custom tailor the rubber to the type of racing he/she does (track, autocross, etc). The A048 does not have this option. It seems to me that the compound of the 48 is along similar lines to that of the soft 32 compound. This would indicate why the life span is short.

 

A032r are actually quiet good in the wet due to their softer compound, as long as it's not heavy rain, but drizzle that we are talking about........

 

That depends. As I mentioned before, they are available in two different compounds. The hard is not quite as good (which is what I used to run on). I only used one set of the soft compound and never ran in the rain with them. So I really can't comment on the soft version

But, that's why I stated that the 32s are slightly better than the 48s in the rain. A048s are horrible in the wet

 

Yup, the RA1's are available in 18"... but unless you can squeeze a 275/35 up front, you're stuck w/ a 225/40/18 in the front to go w/ your 275/35/18 rear.

You could, i suppose use a 17/18 combo, and run a 255/40/17 with the 275/35/18 rear...

 

I could have sworn they also have a 245/40/18. I know I've seen that somewhere.... I'll check on that.

 

Well in my motorsport catalogue the A032R is available in every compound from supersoft to hard, but the A048R is only listed in medium and medium hard compounds.
Don't know if these are the only compounds available, or the only ones listed?

 

Definately some good info there. Here, usually only the hard and soft A032R's are readily available. You can get other compounds, but they are a little harder to find. Like I said, I've only used the soft compound one time. Mostly, I used to use the hard compound when I ran A032R's. The A048 compound is noticibly softer than that.

 

i think on tirerack.com's site they mentioned that soft are recommended for low HP cars and light cars.

a modified FD fits in the lightweight catagory, but it's a high HP car.

also, it seems that soft is good for autoX and harder is good for track events.

 

SS, S, M, MH, and H compounds are available in Japan for the A048. Incase anyone is interested...

 

I had a pair on my n/a FC a while back. I had 235/45/17 up front. A local shop hooked it up with a good pair of used A048s for next to nothing. Those were the best tires I've ever had. I went through them in about 2 weeks. The car was my daily driver and I would hit up the local mountains with my friends just about everynight. My FC only had tires with stock suspension and the car felt like it was on rails. I let one of my friends drive it (whos now a pro drifter) and he absolutely loved the way the car felt. That local shop is ran by retards now and my hookup quit his job there.

On the streets the car caught every single groove in the road . Driving on the freeway with them was an adventure in its own Other than that, I could see how using them on the track would shave off time off your lap.