Review – Yokohama Advan Neova Tire
Size tested: 285/30/18
Type: Ultra-high performance tire
UTQG: 180 AA A
Test car: Project Evo IX
Test track: Willow Springs
Features:
· Serrated groove walls
· Heat releasing dimples
· Optimum groove position
· Rounded tread block design
· Unique casing shape
· Micro silica compound
The Yokohama PR catalog can talk all day about silica construction, block casings, and environmental designs but, when it comes to performance, tires speak for themselves. As anyone in the street tire autocross scene can tell you, the Yokohama Advan Neova tire is the best street tire on the market today.
With its high price tag and limited availability, the Neova tire scares away many potential buyers. But those owners of high performance or competition cars would be missing out if they let their wallets make their decisions. Yokohama is one of the most well known Japanese tire manufacturers, with offerings in club racing and the ALMS, and the Neova is their best.
First off, the Neova tires is difficult to track down. Not a high volume seller, the tire is, in fact, often out of stock at Yokohama Tire HQ itself. Trying to find a last minute 18-inch Neova at your local Discount Tire is going to be next to impossible. Your best bet is to shop at racing or performance shops and still factor in a wait time.
The Advan Neova is Yokohama’s current flagship tire and sports all the features that they could pack into a street tire. We tested the Neova tire on Project Evo 9, on both the street and the track. Our first impressions of the Neova tire came on the 2-hour drive from our headquarters to Willow Springs Raceway.
The Yokohama Advan Neova sports all the comforts of a true street car tire. There is more road noise transferred into the cabin than from an all-season touring tire, but very little when compared to a racing tire or event some other high-performance street tires, such as the Toyo R1R.
The Advan Neova did however provide outstanding stability, grip, and steering feedback. Through freeway sweepers, lane changes, and off-ramps, the Neova gave more driving feedback than any other tire we’ve driven on.
The Advan Neova is even above average in the wet, as we found later during a rainy stretch. Some ultra-high performance tires get their dry grip by sacrificing wet weather stability and capability but the Neova managed to retain its feedback and feel.
We also took the opportunity to test the Advan Neova tire at Willow Springs Raceway, the “fastest track in the west”. With Willow’s daunting Turn 8 and 9 complex capable of propelling Project Evo 9 over 120mph through turns, many street tires have given up the ghost during testing.
Once on track, Project Evo 9 began to push the limits of the sticker-fresh, full tread depth Yokohama tires. We didn’t do any heat cycling, shaving, or preparation. Especially in the summer, Willow Springs’ high speed and high load turns have a tendency to punish front tires.
Putting Project Evo 9 on the track in 15-minute sessions, we switched on our datalogger and flipped open our notebook. Our test driver returned with similar feedback to our street drive. The Yokohama Advan Neova tire displayed high grip and sharp steering feedback on track, especially through the very quick Turn 2 (average 87 mph) and Turn 8 (average 119 mph) areas. With consistently high grip marks (at or above 1 lateral-g in almost all corners), the Neova tire could in fact match the pace of racing tires from just a few years ago.
Like any street tire, the Neova didn’t display as much heat capacity as a true racing tire, although it was consistent throughout the entire session, not completely dropping off into complete slipperiness like other street tires after a few laps. We found our lap spread to be within 1-second throughout the session.
Our final impression of the Yokohama Advan Neova is one of surprise. It’s not very often that we run across a tire that combines the wet weather capability and noise of a street tire with the grip and feedback of a racing tire. We had heard good things about this tire but its performance truly is excellent. The Neova’s only downside is its pricetag, almost $320/tire in this size, which matches or exceeds racing tire prices.
But, remember, your tires’ contact patch is the only thing holding you to the ground. If you have a high-performance car, such as a Porsche, BMW, Corvette, or Viper, that demands the best in grip and performance, you’ve found it.
