[bentheswift]

I'm not yet an owner -- so go easy

I'm looking at a few Elises in my area. However my area happens to be Oregon. We get a lot of rain here, not very much torrential downpours, but it's wet for more than half the year.

I'm thinking of tires. I doubt the A048s are great for rain. How then are the AD07s in the wet? I commuted 1 or more hours a day on the highway for the past 3 years of college in a 1985 MR2 on Falken Azenis, and it really wasn't that bad. My commute to work may end up being about 15 miles of highway driving each way, which won't be so bad, however it will still be wet much of the year.

Also how is tire longevity on either of the OEM tires? I'm not much into replacing the tires every year. The Azenis lasted in the 20k mile range, which wasn't so bad (1-2 years of spirited driving) and they were cheap for tiny 14" wheels.

My brother-in-law has a C5 Corvette and he doesn't drive it much because I think he's afraid of the tire bill. Understandably. Will the Lotus be comparable here or should I be prepared for the same bill?

Thanks from a newb-
Ben

 

[CrusaderTBC]

if they have treads on them.. they're fine. I've driven in countless downpours with my stock A048's.

 

[advanracing62]

mine worked pretty well in complete pouring rain. Then again on semi-dry pavement not so well.. could have been they were cold though.

 

[mrcarcrazy]

Base tires are comparable to Azenis 615's in rain and ice (bad idea in ice!!)

Rear tires get replaced about 2x as fast as fronts (at least mine seem to.)

I never got 20k out of Azenis...but I drive sportscars like they are sportscars. I think I got 13k out of mine on my 01 miata....maybe it was 15k can't remember

 

[Reinhart]

I have ADO7s on my car and have an hour of highway driving each day in Oregon. My tires have been just fine in the rain. Rears have been replaced every 11K miles. Fronts are original with 37K miles. Mine is a daily driver, but not as often December through February.

 

[bentheswift]

I have ADO7s on my car and have an hour of highway driving each day in Oregon. My tires have been just fine in the rain. Rears have been replaced every 11K miles. Fronts are original with 37K miles. Mine is a daily driver, but not as often December through February.

Cool. That's good news. I suppose having driven my MR2 on the highway in the rain for years and years is probably the best way to prepare for a lotus

Doesn't sound so bad for tires either. Now, how come Tire Rack has one 225/45/17 AD07 for $199/ea and one 225/45/17 AD07 marked "LOTUS" for $271/ea?

 

[Reinhart]

Now, how come Tire Rack has one 225/45/17 AD07 for $199/ea and one 225/45/17 AD07 marked "LOTUS" for $271/ea?

While the size is the same, I read somewhere that they are a Lotus specific design (stiffer sidewalls?). The sidewall says "LTS".

 

[Notorious L.R.G.]

You guys are very generous to Yoko...these tires hydroplane like crazy!

I replaced all 4 Advan Neovas with Toyo T1R's for less than the cost to replace the rears only (which had gone to bald with the fronts still 50% tread...for sale if anybody wants them, despite my review).

There are many threads on replacement tires, but I am more than happy with my replacements, and now I can drive in a Georgia downpour with confidence.
(Georgia rain is at least 2X as hard as New England rain, it's really beyond belief!)

 

[bentheswift]

In the Tire Rack's test, they found the AD07 beat out the MX, RS-A, and T/A KD in every wet and dry test. I have done some driving on a set of MXes on a couple of different cars, and they have a lot of dry traction at least, but haven't had a chance to beat on them in the wet.

Yokohama's ADVAN Neova AD07 Stakes Its Claim in the Extreme Performance Summer Tire Category

We really don't have THAT much rain in Oregon, it rains frequently but rarely very hard. Compared to places like Phoenix or LA where it only rains occasionally, but torrentially.

Has anyone ever used the regular AD07 on the rear? Seems like they can't really say the AD07 is the "OEM" tire for the Lotus if you have to use a special AD07.

 

[brgelise]

The AD07's are a great tire esp above 70 degrees but they are ridiculously expensive. Max performance is a marketing hype for a tire that does well in higher temps, but as a compromise they suck in cooler conditions. Good in rain like all tires for first 50% of treadlife, but get quite sketchy later in life and especially below 60 ***scary below 50.
There is more car than you'll ever be able to drive on a public road with any level of sanity. If you live in rain country, you be amazed at how good the General Exclaim UHP's are even in puddles, the scariest thing about our cars!! Best part is the price $69 for fronts and ~96 for rears. I tried them for a lark and won't get anything else for street and wet track days till something better is made.
Saying this nicely, most folks from California esp the south don't know what its like to drive on cool-->cold roads when its really pouring, like you experience almost daily. I drive in the 40's for much of April into May and again from later September thru sleepy time by Thanksgiving. AD07's fail miserably in these conditions. That's what you get for a 200+- tire

 

[Pengineer91]

My experience with A048's is that they can work in rain if you understand and follow their limitations. The difference in wet vs. dry performance is much larger than with more street-friendly designs. That is, the dry performance is much higher than typical for a street tire; the wet performance is mediocre. Therefore, you need to slow down in heavy rain more than you would otherwise. Having said that, I've had them in wet conditions all last summer and as long as I stayed within their limits, had no trouble.

The rears lasted 8k, the fronts are gonna be able to double that.

 

[brgelise]

Again, its all about the temps they're driven in. Yes, my A048's do fine in the rain in the heart of summer, not in spring and fall. Also, unless you truly drive them hard to get the temps up, esp the fronts, they are never up to a good operating temp!! I'd love to see a real world eval of our tire options on our cars at say 50 v.80 degrees. From a cold start to post track laps with some routine street driving in the middle. IMHOanic: I think the cold results could prove more scary than you think. I bet below the 60 degree mark the AD07's outhandle the A048's and below that I'll bet my Generals will put a hurt on both Yoko's in the real world. These results will only magnify as heat cycles degrade the Yoko's.

 

[gdpdl]

It depends on how you want to use the car. I do not track the car and try and get the most out of the season I can. (I store it from mid-December to Early March). I had a problem with the cold performance of the AD07's. They are great tires in the heat of the summer. The problem is that where I live, most times in the morning or at night the temperature is down below 50-60' degrees.

I went with the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus - Ultra High Performance All Season Tire. I think they are probably the best all around tire I could have gotten. They are about 95% of the traction of the AD07's in hot/dry conditions, but are absolutely great in all other conditions. I had them out in a 50'f heavy rainfall and was shocked at how good they are! I even went out for a drive on a dry 35'f cold morning and they were great! If you live in a colder climate or somewhere with lots of rain, they are a great tire.

 

[brgelise]

Compare the price of the Michelins and the Generals! Also, don't see them listed with OE sizes 195/50R16 and 225/45R17.

 

[Tracktimeplz]

If you drove a mk1 MR2, this will feel no different in the rain.


This car really isnt scary at all in the rain, IMO.....but my first RWD car was a 400hp RX7, so I guess Im a bit harder to shake up than most.

 

[Wexler]

I think it was about this time in 2006 I was driving in my all wheel drive X-type (manual by the way) with very worn tires on the NJ Turnpike in a down pour...doing about 65ish...maybe 70...a touch conservative...and all of a sudden this little laser blue rocket screams past me in the right hand lane...must've been doing 90...

I was in love.

 

[TypeREX]

It depends on how you want to use the car. I do not track the car and try and get the most out of the season I can. (I store it from mid-December to Early March). I had a problem with the cold performance of the AD07's. They are great tires in the heat of the summer. The problem is that where I live, most times in the morning or at night the temperature is down below 50-60' degrees.

I went with the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus - Ultra High Performance All Season Tire. I think they are probably the best all around tire I could have gotten. They are about 95% of the traction of the AD07's in hot/dry conditions, but are absolutely great in all other conditions. I had them out in a 50'f heavy rainfall and was shocked at how good they are! I even went out for a drive on a dry 35'f cold morning and they were great! If you live in a colder climate or somewhere with lots of rain, they are a great tire.

I also have a set of the Michelin Pilot Sport (not the all seasons) on my WRX. Granted it's AWD but still the tires are fantastic in wet conditions. Cold wet pavement is no problem.

 

[tpearsall]

Switched to Goodyear GS-D3's because I wasn't comfortable on AD07's in the rain. The GS-D3's do great in the rain, very respectable in the dry (even autocrossed a season on them) and price was good $98/$145 unmounted.

I'm worried now because it looks like they stopped making them in our sizes. anic:

- Todd

 

[Russellise]

Toyo R888 for the win. I've driven on A048s, AD07s, and R888s (that's what I have now). The Toyos ride better and provide more grip and better steering feel than the A048s. I LOVE them and can't recommend them highly enough. You need sport package wheels to run these, obviously.

I have had scary rain experiences on all 3 tires. I check the weather report before leaving the house and, if it's going to rain, I drive the bmw.

 

[Notorious L.R.G.]

Field tested the Toyo T1R's this week (on the wife's 350Z) in some world record Georgia downpours...4" in a little over 1 hour...let's just say I was able to go quite fast in the rain without any discomfort, except when "fording streams" which require slowing down.

Granted the Lotus lightweight is half the problem, but I don't willingly take it out in heavy rain even with good tires.

The T1R is to the R888 as the AD07 is to the A048.