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Are there two different Yokohama AD07 models?

1K views 10 replies 10 participants last post by  milehitom 
#1 · (Edited)
Are these different tires or is it a Lotus specific FU charge? Discount Tire's website has the same oddity.

I thought section width was dictated after the tire was mounted, and thus is a factor of the wheel and not the tire itself? Any input would be appreciated, thanks.
 
#7 ·
+1 Yep. I seem to remember that the cord construction is different too. In any case, the LTS (Lotus Tuned Suspension) version in lighter and designed specifically for the light weight of the Lotus.
 
#4 ·
The Lotus version is more expensive too. When it was time to decide on replacing my rear tires, I went the non-Lotus rout to save money. No issues in street driving through two sets now (I've just about worn through the third sets of rears to date - 40K miles on the car)
 
#8 ·
Yep, the construction is specific to the Lotus engineers requests. It's also lighter and has a different shape. That's why the section width is different. I rounded sidewall usually has more lateral stiffness and vertical compliance. Disclaimer - I used to work for Yokohama many years ago.
 
#10 ·
I recall seeing the weight difference per tire was about 1 pound. Of course, that is a rotational mass, which makes a much bigger difference than 1 pound elsewhere on the car.

It was the sidewall construction and cord material (polyester vs. nylon, I think) that was the real issue, not the weight of the tire. In addition to the handling characteristics related to sidewall stiffness, Lotus wanted enough flex in the tire so that it heat up enough to make the rubber to be sticky on the track and aggressive street driving. The standard AD07s didn't meet Lotus's standards (handling characteristics plus proper temperature to make the rubber sticky).
 
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