• A tire’s circumferential grooves help to void water and maintain fore and aft stability. On the new AD08 these grooves are “wavy” on their outer edges, to further stability and provide faster steering response. Outer rib wall are also rounded so that they wear more evenly;
• Extra-wide shoulder blocks provide more constant rubber-to-road contact for improved lateral stability during high-speed cornering. Shoulder blocks also incorporate uniquely shaped lateral channels to cut through water for better wet grip in all conditions; • Tiny slits in the groove walls help distribute stress loads to minimize uneven wear.
The fast got faster The net result all of this new technology, is that a fast tire got even faster. Consider these numbers (provided by Yokohama), which reveal how the new AD08 outperforms its AD07 predecessor: • Dry braking distance decreases by 4 feet, 3 inches; • Wet braking distance decreases by 8 feet, 2 inches: • Wet skid pad performance increases by 7 percent; • Pattern noise quieter by 1.2 decibels; • Road noise quieter by 0.5 decibels. And multiplies Another advance over the AD07, is that the AD08 will be available in a much wider range of sizes — from a 205/50R15 to a 295/30R19, with 29 other sizes in between. Conclusion We had a brief chance to sample the AD08, over a small slalom and handing course set up on a runway at the Niagara Falls Airport. No chance for comparisons, or much reflection, after a series of sub-minute blasts in a Porsche Carrera and Mitsubishi Evo, but enough of an experience to know that the AD08 is completely in its element on the track, and to confirm, once again, that track time in a fast car is definitely not the worst way to spend some time… Recent Articles
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Yokohama's near-race tire, the AD07, gets remade into the even racier AD08 |
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