new yoko's

[ice/solo racer]

As noted in the latest grassroots mag,yokohama will be updating the AO32R with a softer compound which should improve its performance.If anyone sees a test or comments by someone that gets their hands on one please post on the forum as I for one would be interested in the results.
Its well known that the current 32R is a great rain tire,now if the softer compound improves its dry performance without giving up its wet weather performance that would be impressive.The small pic in the mag shows the new tire to have the same "aqua tusk" tread pattern.

[Chris91GT]

When are they scheduled to be released?

[roooo]

Maybe they will make it in sizes that actually fit my car!
I am camber-challenged ... how does the Advan hold up to having very little camber?

[ice/solo racer]

Not sure on release dates,grm just says that yokohama will announce sizes and pricing soon.As far as Rooo's question regarding camber and tire wear,I've never used 32R's but I haven't seen them wear the outside badly(likely partly because with less grip than hoosiers/khumo's they don't cause as much camber gain due to body roll?).
I haven't checked the yokohama site yet(www.yokohamatire.com)if anything is there I'll post whats up.

[Chris91GT]

One comment I can make regarding the Yokos vs the Kumhos. I had the V700s on the Stang at Cayuga in August, and then the Yokos at the same track in October. Even with ~3 degrees out front I was still using up a lot of outer tread. I also noticed that when entering turn 2 the car moved around quite a bit on the sidewall flexing. It was somewhat disconcerting. The Yokos showed neither trait. They wore evenly and felt much more rigid and responsive.

That said, as noted above, they may simply not have the same level of grip, but I could not quantify timing differences when I was at the track in October... and the track conditions were very different anyway.

[ice/solo racer]

Thanks for the info Chris,since I don't have much time on r-tires every comment is put in the back of my mind to help me make an informed tire choice.I hope the new yoks pan out,I get yoks at cost(winter(ice race tires)summers and R's)but since I only use them for solo 2 32R's aren't competitive.(unless it rains eh Andy/Dave!!)

[Dave]

yup, love them Yoks in the rain! Same with Toyo RA-1s. They are fantastic in the rain as well, and have better dry grip than the Yoks and similar tread longevity. Both are very resistent to heat cycle degradation, so they will last a long time. I got 16 Solo 1 events out of 1 set of RA-1's when running my nearly 3,000 lbs Prelude...I can't seem to wear out the Toyos with my 2,000 lbs Civic but I did finish off a set of Kuhmo Victoracers in about 6 events with the Civic. In defense of my Kuhmos, I do have a tendency to over-drive my tires, something Jay Fram can tell you all about :P The Toyos seem to like severe slip angles and are forgiving of my WRC lust, while the Kuhmos seem to prefer a more traditional driving style so I suspect I wore them out a bit prematurely because I was throwing the car into the corners at too severe an angle, something I found to be the fast way around the track on Toyos (the r-compound I learned on).

If the new Yok compound rivals the Toyos in terms of dry grip I'd definitely buy a set since they sponsor our series and I can get them from Andy at Wheel & Tire Zone (another series sponsor). I love the Toyos because they're so damn predictable in a wide variety of conditions, but having used the 32R's during the OTC I have to say they are equally predictable.

One thing you'll notice if you put a 225/50-15 Yok 32R next to a 225/50-15 Toyo RA-1 and a 225/50-15 Kuhmo Victoracer is that the Yok is narrower than the Toyo and the Toyo is narrower than the Kuhmo. In other words, even though these tires are all supposed the exact same size, they aren't. The extra width is definitely useful, and although the Kumhos don't last as long they definitely have more ultimate grip when they're at their sweet spot. And of course if you want the ultimate in grip and short tread life, try the Hoosiers (which are wider than all the other 15'' 225's including the Kumhos). The Hoosiers DEFINITELY like negative camber and lots of it...otherwise you will cord the shoulder of the tire long before the inner half wears down.

[roooo]

Can't wait to see available sizes and pricing ...
I've been scared off the Kumhos by now. And can't dial in much negative camber so anything more forgiving would be great.

[ice/solo racer]

Does anyone know the weight of say a 205-50-15 32R against the toyo's or khumo's,I know the weight of the latter 2 from the grassroots test but don't know the yok.
Hey Dave speaking of WRC lust,I get to try out my new ice racer starting this weekend,1988 celica alltrac lightened(damn things are heavy!) and now running decent boost.About 225hp(maybe a little more?) 4wd on ice with no studs, should be good for 12 laps of sideways fun!!

[Chris91GT]

I put the Kumhos on the Stang (another heavy car...) at the 2nd Solo 1 weekend and made them last through the season with my dad also co-driving. That's about 18 events between us with a nose-heavy car and me abusing them rather heavily in true rookie form. I can't wait to see how the Yokos hold up if they are a longer-life tire.

I was very impressed with the yokos during the lapping day at TMP back in October. I did several one-hour sessions with little mercy for the tires and they never overheated or protested at all. They maintained consistent grip the all day.

I also liked them in the wet since the track was damp in the morning. I'm not sure that they had more max grip than the Kumhos in the wet, but they were much, much more predictable. The Kumhos tend to let go with a snap, whereas the Yokos give plenty of warning as they break loose.

[Dave]

Good point Chris, the Yoks and Toyos do give you more feedback (ie. screaching) before breaking loose...while the softer stickier tires like Kumhos and Hoosiers tend to let go without much (if any) warning.

Tom, your AllTrac sounds sweet! Are you still allowed passengers at the Ice races? If so, I call shotgun! :p You know, your AllTrac would make an entirely decent Solo 1 car as well...

[roooo]

just called wtz and they have the info on the new compound.

[ice/solo racer]

Yes Dave we still allow passengers at the ice races and your more than welcome to jump in for ride,I actually enjoy listening to the screaming and seeing the person next to me looking for the brake pedal that isn't there!!:D
I was intending on selling the copper corolla and using the alltrac for ice and solo's,but once the solo season ended and I started preparing the alltrac for battle I realized the alltrac is pretty soft(had to replace the entire drivers side floor).So I gave up on the celica ever seeing pavement again(r-tires would be a bad idea!)Besides the alltracs are bloody heavy,mines lightened considerably but its still heavy.
Hey Rooo,if they have the details on the new tire can you find out and post what they are?.

[Chris91GT]

LOL, actually I didn't really mean squeeling... I haven't heard the Yokos squeel. Can they squeel? The tread blocks are huge? The Kumhos howled a few times at TMP in the summer, but they have much smaller tread blocks.

[roooo]

Well .. I can't remember the exact model name but it's A032R with a couple more letters tacked on to indicate a softer compound.

Aparently they have added a couple new sizes ... nothing in 17's to fit my car though. Was told 225/50/15 = $190

[rpr]

I believe it's A032R SC. There was a small blurb in GRM this (last) month about them. I just read it last night, which is why I remember it. If I remember tonight I'll look it up again.

[7plymaple]

Ooooh! theyre available in 185/60/R14s! Yummy.

[rpr]

Just checked the article, and I was right, it's A032R SC. Also available in 215/50R13... :)

[ice/solo racer]

I knew it was to be called the SC(soft compound)but did you find the sizes?I don't know if the sizes currently offered will all be continued in the new compound.

[rpr]

No idea. I was just going by the regular ones. Guess we'll just have to wait.

[Nissan Racer]

Talked to Silvia at Yokohama today, new A032R sc's will be avaiable in March, I've already got my set on order. We'll see what they are like come spring.

[roooo]

Did you ask them to hurry up and publish the available sizes? :)

[rpr]

How about prices as well? Are they close to the regular A032R?

[Nissan Racer]

No idea on pricing, but sizes are going to be the same as the older A032R
Mine are coming in 225/50/15

[andrew1984]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the summer is soooooo faaaaaaaaar awwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!! im gonna move to florida one of these days...

[ice/solo racer]

From what I've seen they may be able to hold a ice race there next week!:)