yo,

any info on the AO32R's from the enthusiasts around here? Mucho appreciation ahead of time....

the yokohama avs Intermediates are no longer in production. I have to get a great replacement tire...sticky as hell...I dont drive in rain, I dont drive in snow, I want something that hooks and I want something that corners.

Tread wear is not as important as sticking like crazy glue on a construction workers helmet.

I would prefer a less noisy tire for normal driving...but I will do what I gotta do.

as I said..input is mucho appreciated. the reviews on the net are mixed. Im curious as to what you all think.

I am running 245 45 zr16s now


Jason

 

If you are looking for a streetable R-compound tire, I don't think too many would argue against the Toyo RA-1. It is more streetable than the A032R and is only slightly less sticky. After several dozen heat cycles, it will probably be the equal of the A032R.

But, if you are coming from AVS Intermediates, there are several pure street tires that will be a huge improvement: Toyo T1-S, Bridgestone S-03, Yoko AVS Sport, Pirelli P-zero, Michilin Pilot Sport, etc.

 

Yo,


Don't forget the Kumho MX...everyone seems to be raving about it.

Kevin
1989 GTUs "But...the sidewall..."

 

Jason,

I had a set on my car a few years ago and they were great.

Cheap, sticky, loud and surprisingly good wearing.

Get'em. You won't regret them if you can get over the droning.

David

 

thanks guys...i will take a look at the toyos.

 

i doubt i could hear the drone over my n1 dual with the midpipe.

its that ****** n1 dual i cant get over. I should have picked up the m2 dual tip years ago.

It seems the main issue with the yoko ao32r's is that they have high road noise. I will have to think on that. I am going to look at the toyos too.

the yokos look badass..I can definitely say that.

j

 

The a032 is definitely a great tire. I ran two sets on my stock rims on the street, and loved em. They are noisy, but you get used to it and they aren't that bad. Great when they heat up. Also grab well out of the shoot. Overall a decent street tire, as you will only get about 10k miles max, closer to 5k high quality miles depending on how you drive.

 

That's a good point that you brought up.

A stale (10k street mile driven) race compound tire will not match the stick of reasonably fresh hi-performance tires.

David

 

You'll DEFINATELY hear the drone over most any exhaust, its LOUD. Like 4x4 mudders.

I've stood trackside when people go by at high speed on those things, and they sound like F1 motors until you realizer its the tires.

 

I've heard A032R's on small cars and they sound like friggen 4x4 Jeeps with huge mud tires! They make so much noise I couldn't believe it was just the tires at first!

People seem to like their stick, but if I drove on the street other than to and from events I would definitely pass on them.

 

Hope this isn't too late, but they've released the A-048's here in the states which is a new tire in the spirit of the A032's. Much improved.
Michel

 

Where can you get info on the A048, or the actual tire? Its not a tirerack or the Yokohama site yet.

 

Jason, I used to run A032R's on my race car for about 3 years. Here are my impressions if you are still interested:

Overall, a pretty decent tire for the track. Cold tire traction was very poor, but fortunately, the tires warmed up quickly. Once hot, they gripped like nobody's business. Also, tires were extremely loud (although, not really noticible on a track), and obviously had poor wet condition abilities. VERY poor durability and lifespan. As said before, you may get 10k miles out of them. But the rubber will become hard and loose it's grip within a year. NOT a good tire for use on the street for this reason.

If you drive the car on the street at all (even just to/from track events), do NOT consider these tires. Street driving will only accelerate the already short lifespan of them.

I have since moved on to Toyo RA1 for the track. Slightly less traction, but it's barely noticable. Less noise, vibration, and better longevity.

Need anything else?
Rob

 

A048 Review

 

It is good to hear the A048's aren't as loud as my old A032R's. I switched to Toyo RA1's for that reason.

p.s. The 48's come stock... as in the O.E.M. tire, on the Elise I just ordered (with the Lotus Sport Suspension)

 

Moot point for me... looks like the 48's only come in tiny (elise) and ultra low profile 18" (for porsche) sizes.

 

The A048s are great tires. All of the light weight Brit sports car guys love them except for their weight. Then again they are weight obsessed.

Here are the sizes available according to Yokohama’s Japanese website include 17s with widths up to 255 and 18s with widths up to 285s.

Something to consider is the compound. There are five types of compounds. Super Soft, Soft, Medium, Medium Hard.

Lots of guys in Japan and Caterham and Westfield guys in the UK run the medium compound for the street. I have read that wear is similar to the A032r even though the A048is far more grippy.

Wet weather driving is another thing altogether however.

If you want the stickiest street tires with FD tire sizes look no further than the BFGoodrich KD’s. If you don’t believe me just look at what nationally competitive autocrossers use…Falken Azenis and KDs.

Cheers,

Andrew

 

I guess my question is (and i've never really heard a straight answer), At what point does using an A032 on the street diminish its performance to the point that its less than the best street tire (KDs).

Does it EVER get worse?

Is it only worse until you get it warm at the track?

Will the A032 actually be LESS grippy than a KD on the street?

All I ever hear is that using an R-compound on the street will diminish it's performance. But compared to what?

Or even better: will i get more grip from 275/40/17 KD's on my Fikses then i will from installing 245/45/16 A032Rs on a set of stock wheels??

 

Take this with a grain of salt. After too many heat cycles an R compound will begin to harden, even though there is plenty of tread left. Once it is hard it will give less grip than the better street tires UNLESS you are able to actually work the tire hard enough and long enough (be on the track) to get some temp in it; then some grip will come back and it will probably be better than a street tire again.

Hard race tires take much longer to heat than new ones, and until they get hot they are pretty mediocre. A hardened race tire on the street will not offer as much grip as a decent street tire because you won't be able to get any heat into the R tire by driving it on the street.

 

Don't buy a loud tire. They totally suck, and then you are stuck with it until it is worn out.