Tire experience: Yokohama S. Drive, (& Firestone Indy 500)?
09-14-2016, 01:02 AM
#22
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Firestone Indy 500' I'm a very big fan of the Continentals - have them on 2 of my cars - but like actrite, I've never tried the Yokos, so I can't offer a direct comparison.
Another one that might be worth considering is the new Firestone Firehawk Indy 500. Not sure which sizes you're looking at, but they look to be a bit cheaper than the Yokos, and did very well in TR's recent test of ultra high performance summer tires. They're new in the US, but have been offered elsewhere at the Bridgestone Potenza RE003 and seem to be highly regarded. And if you're looking for a cool tread pattern, I think it's got it.
Another one that might be worth considering is the new Firestone Firehawk Indy 500. Not sure which sizes you're looking at, but they look to be a bit cheaper than the Yokos, and did very well in TR's recent test of ultra high performance summer tires. They're new in the US, but have been offered elsewhere at the Bridgestone Potenza RE003 and seem to be highly regarded. And if you're looking for a cool tread pattern, I think it's got it.
At least from their charts, those tires look impressive; especially track and wet:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=217
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=217
The shove that finally put me over the edge was simply the release date of the model. Compared to the S. Drive and ExtremeContact DW, the Indy 500 is the "freshest" model by quite some time. I have to expect that tire technology changes quite rapidly (as insignificant as the changes may be); so now I know I'm at least fitted with the most up-to-date R&D as I can get in this category/price range. If anything, it's piece of mind. I hope I'm as happy as I plan to be.
EDIT: These tires have been out in the Asian markets for a few years now, I've read. They're under the Bridgestone name, and I can't remember the model number exactly (EDIT: Potenza RE-003), but they get quite positive reviews over there too. This Indy 500 is identical, just branded differently.
Anyone who's interested, here's some more info on the tires (both the Bridgestone and Firestone versions):
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1108219
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1280922
https://www.google.ca/search?q=poten...%22indy+500%22
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Last edited by wes8398; 09-14-2016 at 01:48 AM.
09-14-2016, 04:31 PM
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I'm going to be going the same way, methinks. I've been getting close to needing new tires, and just looked at my rears - looks like I'm closer than I thought! Into the wear bars, tread ribs starting to disappear. Guess that gratuitous wheel spin leaving the gas station onto a state highway the other day was a bad idea. 
Edit: Order placed from Tire Rack, 245/40 and 275/35-19s. Should have them Friday - hopefully early in the day, so I can get them mounted before I head off for a track event this weekend.
Edit: Order placed from Tire Rack, 245/40 and 275/35-19s. Should have them Friday - hopefully early in the day, so I can get them mounted before I head off for a track event this weekend.
Last edited by AAIIIC; 09-14-2016 at 04:44 PM.
09-15-2016, 12:28 AM
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1 in the spare tire well, 1 in the trunk, 2 in the back seat. You can easily fit 4 across the back seat (275/35-18s), but with the other stuff that I bring, the above method is what works best for me.
09-15-2016, 12:48 AM
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Awesome! We're tire brothers. Hope we're both happier than pigs in **** once they're on!
Mine aren't coming until next week sometime. I guess they have JUST been released in Canada, so I'm getting a fresh batch from the supplier... 1st shipment the dealer will be seeing. Unfortunately I was hoping to have them for a small autox event on Saturday - where I could have given 'em a good testing - but that'll have to wait. Since my current summers are showing some cord and are hard as a rock (5+ seasons old), I'm going to be giving my winters a run on the course. lol Not ideal, but I don't wanna miss the chance to get some more practice behind the wheel. The tires are OEM sized Blizzak LM-60's, on OEM wheels. The LM series Blizzak is a "performance winter" tire, I'm just learning. They relinquish a bit of the snow capabilities in the name of a more aggressive tread and design that's tailored to "performance" vehicles. Runs at my event wont be over 70 seconds or so, and I'll probably only get 6-10 runs in through the day, so I think they'll be fine. I figure my winter tires usually get hard and ineffective much before they lose their tread, so taking 'em out for a day of autox in 70-80 degree weather wont be the end of the world.
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09-16-2016, 09:15 AM
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I almost got the Indys yesterday, but what concerned me was that they didn't have a warranty on them since they are straight performance tires. So was looking at the Michelins super sports, little pricey and then I saw the Sport A/3s and I know they had issues with tread wear where, but on TR performance wise, it did better performance wise. Talking to a gentlemen at Discount tire, A/3s were discontinued with A/3s Plus, decided to give them a shot. Let me know how those Indys work out for you
09-16-2016, 10:39 PM
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Staggered setup cuts the tread warranty in half which makes it kinda useless. I couldn't justify the price difference. Looking forward to getting the Firestones on. I'll report back.
