I have BF Goodrich Traction T/A's on the SI 195/55-15, Chicago area. Got separate winter tires and am considering a summer set for Spirited Daily Driving if they'll improve wet traction and handling without wearing away in 10k. There doesn't look like I have much selection in this size. Will the Yokohama S Drives be pretty much the same as the Traction T/A's until it gets colder? Traction T/A's are pretty stiff...

Any advice is appreciated.

 

The S Drive are summer tires. They will perform better in wet and dry than an all-season tire. Im using them now and im pretty happy with them. Good value.

 

My main concerns with the S Drives is sidewall flex. A few people have mentioned this in reviews and I used to have a set of Yokohamas back in the day and couldn't stand the spongy feeling. It's just difficult to gage whether or not they'll be softer than the T/A's

 

The S.drive is an excellent tire for those (like you) looking for performance as well as value (reasonable purchase price and treadlife). They should last anywhere from 25K to 40K miles, assuming you watch your pressures, rotate them occasionally, etc. They will give you much better grip than the Traction T/A. And the price is right, at $75 with free shipping from Discount Tire Direct.

If you want more choices, you can also check tires in 205/50-15, which will also fit your car.

 

Yea, I'm confident they can give better grip because the different compound, but my concern is sidewall flex. If I get that rubberband feeling whenever I make a turn I will not be happy.

 

i dont notice alot of sidewall flex with my S Drives and i enter turns very quickly....i noticed more with my neogens than i have with my S drives....i too hated the whole sidewall flex. as long as you kept them properly inflated im sure you wouldnt have that problem

 

After more research, am passing on these. I see too many people complaining about that and one of my previous sets was crapohamas which had the same issues.

 

It sounds like you're making the same mistake that many people do, thinking that if one tire doesn't meet their needs, all other tires from the same brand won't meet their needs either. All tires are NOT alike! Just about every brand sells different tires for those with different priorities - some for racetracks, some for winter driving, some for the ability to handle a wide variety of weather, some for great grip in warmer temperatures, etc. And Yokohama is no exception.

Seriously, if you are that concerned about this "sidewall flex" you seem to be fixated on, you should be considering stickier street tires than the "ultra high performance" category of the S.drive, and this is true no matter what brand of tire you decide to buy. Clearly you're looking for performance, so you ought to be considering the stickiest street tires on the market. I recommend that you consider one of the tires in the "extreme performance" category: Bridgestone Potenza RE-11, Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec, Kumho Ecsta XS, Toyo Proxes R1R, or Yokohama Advan Neova AD08. All of these will give you the best performance possible in a street tire. The Dunlop and Toyo are available in 195/55-15, and all five of these are available in 205/50-15.

 

I'm not sure I understand why you're lumping grip and response into one generalized feature.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but cant you have a grippy tire that has dull response? Tirerack's videos even mention this.

 

No.

 

Let's start from the beginning: you have Traction T/As. The bar is not set pretty high for handling/steering response/grip with those tires. So, in comparison, the Yokohama S.drive will feel like you driving on rails. Excellent tire.

When you say 'grippy tire', it all depends how much grip you're talking about. Is the General UHP a 'grippy' tire? Sure, by all means. Is it grippier than the Star Specs? No way in heck.

So, if you're looking for an upgrade on the tires you have now, the S.drive will do just fine. Even the new Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval Indy 500, which is W-rated for speed if you're worried about sidewall flex, would be a good option.

Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

 

Thanks cooper. I hope you understand the T/A's are pretty stiff. Very much like the new version of them, the BFGoodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S H&V, which TR testing says has very crisp handling. How the BFG SS compares to a summer tire's response, who knows, that is why I posted in the first place to see if anyone had firsthand experience. I dont want to make a knee jerk buy on summer tires and assume they're not going to roll over just because they have better hot weather grip. Some people like soft sidewalls for ride comfort and I'd assume some summer tires have as much, if not more flex than allseasons. When I google S Drive sidewall flex, I see way too many people complaining of what I want to avoid.

By Ken's logic, ALL summer tires will have less side roll and more precision than allseasons (in the summer) because summer tires have more grip. Is this correct?

 

Im using S Drive 205/50/15 on 7 inch wheels and the sidewalls are fairly stiff. I know this doesnt mean much but when the car is at rest, properly inflated you can barely see any sidewall bulge at all. Theyre one of the best summer tires you can get if you want pretty long life and good dry and wet grip.

 

i only see 91 shipped for one, was this special offer for the s.drive?

 

You're looking at 205/50-15. Look at 195/55-15, which has gone up a dollar to $77 since my post above.

 

fwiw i have s drives on my daily hatch and i enjoy the ride and the traction...but its a sohc slammer