djl@fisher.UUCP (Dan Levin) (01/28/86)
I have noticed the traffic in net.auto.tech taking a disturbing dive
toward questions and answers, a modus operandi that has its advantages,
but should not be the end all and be all.
In an effort to stimulate discussion of technical and interesting topics
other than, "how do I fix my leaking whatzit" (NB: I am as much at guilty
of this as anyone else, witness my Mustang suspension article), the
following is one driver's (namely, mine) impression of the Yokohama
A008 performance tire. I hope others will take up the idea of such
reviews, although hopefully they will be less verbose than I :-)
I have driven on two different sets of A008's, one set 185/60/14 on
a warmed up '67 MGB, and one set 225/60/14 on my luke warm '65
Mustang. The B is not stock, is has a blueprinted and Weberized
high compression motor, competition valves in front and rear shocks,
and is running on factory wire wheels (the real ones). My Mustang
is also not stock, although the suspension is mostly so. The only
suspension mods are Koni shocks in front, and engine compartment
frame stiffeners. It is running on 14 inch '69 Ford wheels, and
doing about 300 bhp. Both cars are well balanced, close to 50/50.
Total miles == ~7000, much of it at speed and on less than ideal roads.
None of it was under controlled conditions, or on the track.
For comparison, the only other comparable tire I have driven on is
Comp/TA's, and those about 4000 miles on a warmed up 76 covette.
So, enough drivel, what do I think about them.
Well, first of all, the compound is soft. After 6000 miles, the wear
is very noticable, especially on the front tires, and on the B's
first drive rear tire (I forget which side gets torque first). I
would guess they will not last past 20,000 miles of hard driving.
At ~$100/tire, this means big bucks. But, that soft compound does
have its advantages. These tires grab very well. I put around
300 foot/lbs of torque to the ground in the Mustang through 3.70 gears,
and never have trouble getting the tires to hook up. Occasionally the
posi kicks in if one tire is on the wet, but even in the rain they are
*sticky*. Even trying to break them free, doing tight circles in the
rain in a parking lot, it is not easy.
This is due, no doubt, to the geometry of the tread in addition to the
compound. Like the Gatorback, the A008 is an asymmetric tire. The
outside sixth of the tread is almost slick. Unfortunately, you pay the
price for this massive traction when it comes to hydroplaneing and snow.
That slick outer tread holds water like a sponge, since there are no
grooves to take it away. Even on just a touch of snow or ice, the posi
goes wild trying to keep traction to at least one tire. Steering is
non-existant, as the front tires simply are not touching the road. The
COMP/TA's are *much* better in this respect.
Doing what counts, turning, is no sweat with these tires. The Mustang
has too much body roll to really push the tires at all, but the B
does push them, and they do very well. There is a certain feeling of
floating, due I suppose again to the outer slick portion of the tread,
but they provide very solid control and feel very good through even
hard cornering once you get used to them. Much superior to the
Michelin's they replaced on the B or the Eagle NCT's I had on the Mustang.
I would say the COMP/TA's are about the same.
One final comment. These suckers are loud. You hear every patch of
tar, every rock, every ridge on the roadway. Don't expect to
listen to your motor very closely if running with A008's.
On the whole, I have been very pleased with them. After I get the
Mustang's suspension tuned up a bit, I will have a better feel on my
own car, but on the MGB they handle very well. R&T did a more
complete technical evaluation a while back, but just from the gut
they are very sound tires for very serious driving. And if you
like to drive fast in the mountains like I do, your tires can cost
you your life. It was worth every penny to me.
--
***dan
{allegra,astrovax,princeton}!fisher!djl
The misplaced (That car sure is rusty!) Californian