Jim in Tucson

iTrader: (3)

I'm considering a set of Yokohama S.drive tires. These are the replacement for the ES100 series which came on my (used) car.

Are the S.drive tires a viable option for a DD street-only EVO?

Is there a better choice tire I should consider? I'd like to stay in the <$150/per tire range.

Thanks,
Jim

search90020

I roll on them, can't really complain good for everyday driving. But if I had to compare them to the advans for spirited driving they won't be as good. Then again the advans cost around 280 per tire.

edmundo

How about Toyo Proxes-4?

bigric09

iTrader: (37)

yep... i use them as well.... they are pretty good and hold the road very well. Theres nothing like stock advans, but then again, there is nothing like not replacing them after 7000 miles either

Warrtalon

iTrader: (6)

Jim, if you're not interested in handling at all and just want to get long life with minimal performance, then tires in this class will suffice. If you want your car to handle the way it's supposed to, which is the reason for which it was built, then consider the Z1 Star Specs, RE-01Rs, or lastly the RT-615s. My Z1s were under $150/ea for 255/40-17, and they really can't be beat as far as extreme handling plus wet traction performance. They won't last much longer than the stock Advans, but that's worth it for me.

Jim in Tucson

iTrader: (3)

Will do. Thanks for the suggestions. Since it is basically summer all year round in Tucson, I don't have a good excuse for not using a better tire.

bigric09

iTrader: (37)

i think it would come down to ratings as well....

im almost positive the S drives are in the Ultra Hi performance summer category ratings something like 300 AA A . You dont really get much higher then that and you dont have to deal with the terrible wet road driving the 615's give you. On my S drives, there was never a corner i tried to take and couldnt or felt like i was out of control. Then again, my power level isnt the highest either lol

Warrtalon

iTrader: (6)

Yes, it gets MUCH MUCH higher than "ultra" with a 300 rating. RT-615s have a 200 wear rating and don't even compare to the other tires I listed. 300s won't even compare to an RT-615. Also, the Z1s I mentioned have superior wet handling for an extreme performance tire, so they are a far better value than the S drives UNLESS tire wear is the most important purchase factor.

Bigric, you haven't taken any corners if that's the case. If you push even the stock Advan to the limit of the car, it will break loose - the car can outhandle the stock Advans. These tires can't even hold a candle to the Advans. Until you've actually raced an Evo to its limit in turns, you can't really get a grasp of what tires are good or not. Then again, for those who never plan to, then maybe a weak-handling tire is fine.

bigric09

iTrader: (37)

warrtalon, you crack me up.... some people have evo's that are daily drivers and dont road race them everywhere they go. Also, some people dont get into road racing competition either. As i scroll up and read what the OP posted, he asked about the S drives... since im assuming you have never driven on them since you recommended the tires you did, you cant really say how they compare. Since i have ridden on 2 out of the 3 sets you recommended as well as the S drives, im pretty sure i can give a comparison. And since the OP didnt say hey guys, im thinking about road racing, what tires do you recommend... and only asked about the S drives, i dont really see the class on cornering like you stole the car being needed. But as always, thanks for your input...

Neal@tirerack

iTrader: (25)

I was quite happy with them overall as well. Drove on them for a week in CA with Yoko in BMW's and had no complaints. Like that tire a lot more than the original ES100.

PeteyTurbo

iTrader: (9)

Not for nothing but in warrtalon's defense,when you can take the max performace class tires to the limit regularly without trying, you really have a better understanding of how tires work and how the budget tires measure up. Most people have no idea what the limits of they're evo's are, and thats one of the biggest reasons why people lose control of they're cars..There is no comparison other then price, your car will handle worse then stock, and FYI yoko advan es100 were one of the most horrible tires I have ever driven on, and I know theese are the new versions of that..If you can only afford this type of tire for your evo I would stay away from the yoko and get something like the Pzero NEro, or continental extreme contact..Theese tires will not help you look like a ricer with mohawk tread but for what you will be using the tire for they are great choices.
Tires are expensive, I myself will be stepping down from the RE01R's next time around for something cheaper and longer lasting since I drive my car almost ALLhighway it is a waste.

92gsxbaltimore

iTrader: (1)

the stock yoko's are hard to beat, but if you dont mind giving up a touch of dry handling for amazing wet and icing handling, then look in the Goodyear Eagle F1 All-Seasons

savaho

iTrader: (10)

Yokohama S Drives a great tire for the price. Most people DD their cars and these are real world tires. If you lose control of your car on these tires then you were most likely driving like an idiot and deserve what you get. I've driven on Z1's and yes, they are spectacular IMO however since I am not tracking my car the S drives suit me just fine. Just get them!

bigric09

iTrader: (37)

i would hardly call these budget tires at over 200 each. I do see your point, but honestly, in my experience with using these tires, they offer a wonderful experience in both hot weather, cool weather and wet weather driving. Not once did i ever have a traction issue. Given, flooring it in 1st, 2nd and 3d with 500whp you are breaking tires loose, but i never once lost traction when i wasnt expecting it.

Warrtalon

iTrader: (6)

$200 each??? These are $125/pc for stock size, and the OP said he wants tires under $150 each.

You don't have traction issues if you don't drive the car hard. These could not hold up to one autocross run or one road course run at anything near the Evo's limits. Yes, many people don't ever use their Evo for anything remotely close to its purpose, but do you really like it handling way worse than stock? I race my car, but I use race tires!! I'm not even using these for racing, but rather daily driving. I mean you bought the Evo for its performance, but tires like this purposely reduce that performance in the way that matters most - handling. Jim has asked about my Z1s in another thread, so that's why I have been giving these comments.

Also, here is a test comparison - they do not stack up well even in their own class, which is a class that's not even comparable to the stock tires:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=104

FWIW, "Ultra" is _2_ levels below our stock tires, which is "Extreme." Between the two is "Max," which includes the tires Petey mentioned, yet you can get these tires for similar prices in which case longevity is the issue. I would hope that world class handling is worth some longevity unless you put lots of miles on your car. Even then, I'd continue using higher-level tires just because I don't want to degrade my Evo.