Decided to try the Newer Yokohama ADVAN A052 tires.

Same size as the Bridgestone RE71s I have been using

225/45/17s

With the new MarioKart ECU Tune...Racing Dynamics 2.75" Catted Downpipe that has been Swain Ceramic Coated (White Lightning)...I hope The MINIs new tires can handle
the extra power!

 

Good luck and have fun!

Cheers,

Charlie

 

New Tires are in...mounting them tomorrow.

Had the Mini Alignment changed a bit on stock tires/rims...got rid of some TOE OUT. My old alignment had changed a bit and
explains why the Mini was VERY TWITCHY. The front toe was -.10 Drivers Side and +.09 Passenger Side with -.18 Steering Angle (WOW)

New Alignment is -.04 Toe Out both sides and 0.00 Steering Angle.

Combo of New A052s and Proper Alignment should do well this Saturday. The A052s are very light...20.6#s or so

 

We also had issues with alignment slipping, checking the car out with toe plates just to make sure it hasn't gone whack is now part of the ritual.

 

Following

 

DARBYS MINI won STU Sat 2/22/2020

All other vehicles were AWD

Ran HEAT 1 which HAD NO HEAT...

Very Cool weather and dirty dusty track

Brand New Tires took 4 runs to scrub in and adjust tire pressure. Top 4 places were all within .4 seconds

Runs 5 and 6 after scrubbing tires and deciding on 35psi front and 32psi rear...separated from 2nd place by .699 seconds
1 STU 57
Wally Darbyshire…... Mini Cooper S JCW...... 42.376...... STU 57
Mark Scarnato……... Lancer Evolution X...…. 43.075...….STU 41 +0.699
Derek Starnes...……. Volvo...………………… 43.243...… STU 24 +0.867
kevin Rotge…………. VW Golf R...…………... 45.871...… STU 11 +3.495

The new Yoko ADVAN A052'S are a bit pricey but they work great...definitely grip a bit better than RE71s which I still like...

Classes than also ran in Heat 1

CAM(Corvette) 42.193
AS(Corvette) 42.646
CS(MX-5 Miata) 43.545
STH(AWD Suabaru) 43.255

 

Oh, Oh, Oh....
I want those tires, too.

But I want them for the track and hoping they wear better than the RE71Rs. Any idea about wear?

Any other experiences you can give about them as compared to the ‘Stones? Like turn-in, response to steering input, forgiveness etc...

 

I've heard they wear well on track, better than Bridgestone. Feel a little sloppier but make up in longitudinal grip iirc which will be nice for minis with some boost.
But I haven't tried a set yet, need to try out my BFGs and wear through my Stones first to free up a set of wheels.

 

I've heard they wear absolutely terrible on FWD, there was a set at the nationals corded in a day

I'm following along to see how many runs you get out of them

 

Meh darbs has over two degrees of camber, that mythical car had less than a degree and was overdriven to hell.

 

My experience is that the ‘Stones over time on the track get hot and greasy. And they wear fast especially at first.. They work well on the short track I go to, but the sessions there are also short so they don’t get overheated. Don’t get me wrong, they are a great tire. If I didn’t have the option for the Yoko Advans, I would be buying the RE71Rs for my JCW. I have considered the Hankooks. Based on what I have read that they are well liked by the Lemons racers as they wear well. But Tire Rack says that they have a handling issue with non-linear turn-in response that I didn’t like the sound of. The BF Goodrich Rivals see to be a bit Mah and not good in the rain. They are expensive for what you get. Whatever I get will need to handle rain as these will be driven on the street as well as the track. The Dunlop ZIIIs are an option, but I am hearing they wear more like the ‘Stones, unlike the ZIIs I have used that I can’t seem to wear out. So, I thought I would try something new... The Yokos were well liked by TR and seemed to have characteristics I like. Expensive, yes, but I though they would be worth a try.

 

I LOVE the hankook Rs4, they break away smoothly vs sudden with RE71R. Tire wear is easily 3-4 times longer for track use

unfortunately I'm not alone, they sell out in 6 months, I'm waiting for them to be back in stock :(

 

Interesting...

 

First Thoughts on ADVAN A052 vs RE71s

RE71s are less expensive...about $650 including tax AND Credit Card Bonus
A052 are more expensive...about $846 including tax

The Tread Width mounted is fairly close...the A052s are "slightly wider" by about 1/8" a tire
The Weight of the tires is also fairly close...the A052s are "slightly lighter" by less than 8 ounces

As for handling, the A052s seem to have a bit more grip than I have experienced with RE71s and that is even after the extra power added to the Mini...
they also seems a bit more forgiving or should I say linear. That being said I have to give some credit to their performance from the alignment adjustment.

As for traction in a str8 line...the A052s definitely provide better traction

As for wear...not sure yet...did six 42 second runs with very tight turns and they did well. If I took a guess...I think they will hold their own longer when it
comes to tread life.

Both Tires are Great. From my own personal standpoint, so far I like the RE71s and I REALLY LIKE the A052s. I think the treadwear design of the A052s
more resembles the flat tread design of slicks with some circumference grooves. This makes them not "Rotation side" dependent like RE71s...Instead they
are just "Outside Only" dependent. This means you can change them front to back AND side to side for better wear life.

 

How do they work when both are cold? meaning, which one do you think works better in cold

 

With just one time testing...cant' really be too sure...but I do like the A052s better than RE71s and RE71s are great AutoX Tires.
I will be very interested how they will work in the summer heat in Texas???
Another AutoX coming up this Sunday (3-01) in Austin at COTA and then again on Saturday (3/14) at RCCC in San Antonio...

 

it would be interesting to know that since I heard the RE71s are better only in cold than the 888r

 

FYI, the Toyo 888 can't be used in street or street touring since they have a tread wear lower than 200.

 

The only good thing I've heard about 888s is that they come in a variety of sizes.

 

It was pretty cool/cold at the last AUTOx and the tires did very well after scuffed in...I would say they are good...maybe better than RE71s

 

I have been running Rivals for the past two seasons. The worked great for me in the dry: pretty good grip and lots of slip angle compliance which suits my driving style. They aren't much good in the rain though: They function similarly to slicks in those conditions. I'm hoping the A052 has better drivability in the wet. I'm really thinking of plunking extra $ and getting the Yoks for this season

 

The Rivals are also a touch on the expensive side, so the Yokos may not be that much more expensive.

The problem for me is that these tires that have a lot of grip cold (that is, designed for autocross), loose out when they get hot and stay that way for a relatively long time (that is, out on the track). I will be interested in how they actually do out on the track. I plan to give them a shot...

 

From an article posted to an AUTOx page I am in that kinda explains how I feel about the A052s vs the RE71s

Characteristics:
The 71 has lots of grip and when you get to the edge it just stops to grip but you still have control. It's not an on and off but when at the edge going over you get a steep decline of grip.
And this is where I was baffled by the A052. Its completely different. It's not peaky. It's so weird having been used to the 71. But it's so impressive. When I'm pushing it to my limit, and the car starts to slide or be outside the tires peak grip level the tires have this gradual slide where you dont really feel max grip but you dont feel you have lost it lol. It's kinda hard to explain. You dont get the oh **** max grip feeling the 71 does, but you do have a little more (255 vs 255). I suppose I can say the range between peak traction and no traction is much wider on the A052. So when you start to slide on the A052 you feel more control. Its not edgy and it not peaky. It's very intersting and help my confidence knowing if I make a mistake, chances of saving it are very good.

 

What you're describing with A052s is what I experienced when I started using Rivals. My previous experience was with Dunlops DZIIs and Hankook RS4s. The Rivals tolerate overdriving way more than the other tires I had used in the past.

 

OK...AUTOxed today on the Yoko A052s

1st three run set psi at 35Fr/32Rear...times were consistent at 53.8-53.7 I kept lowering the psi to 35/33 after each run

Decided after the 3rd run to read the psi and it was back up to 40fr/35 rear so I set it at 37/34 and ran 53.2 on 4th run

For fifth run I checked just the front drivers tire and it was just over 37psi...decided to not do anything with psi. The fifth run
I decided to tighten up my lines and run it as is on psi...52.2!!! Immediately ran 1 second faster while driving tighter on new psi.
I wish there was going to be a sixth run...sure I would drop at least another .5-.7 seconds with no problems.

I think I have figured out that the A052s like a bit more psi for the sidewalls and they grip like no other...can't wait until next AUTOx