Yokohama ADVAN APEX: Making a Good First Impression
Latest ultra-high performance tire from Yokohama impresses from day one with outstanding performance and relatively modest cost.
What tire should I get? It is one of the most common questions asked on the Rennlist forums. It is understandable as tire choice can have a dramatic effect on the performance of any vehicle. Slap a set of snow tires on a 918 Spyder on a hot summer day and I may be able to set a better lap time with my Cayman. Well, that might still be a stretch, but proper tire choice is important.
Yokohama has recently rolled out a new ultra-high performance tire, the ADVAN APEX V601. I had a set installed on my 2016 Cayman S to put them through their paces. Over the years I have had several brands of UHP tires on my Cayman which splits miles evenly between road and track. On track, I run a different set of wheels and dedicated track tires, but on the street, I run the stock 20-inch setup, 235/35 up front and 265/35 out back. I tested the APEX on the street setup running factory recommended pressures.
Specs
Here are the exact specifications, courtesy of Yokohama:
235/35ZR20 92Y XL
Tread Depth: 9.0
Overall Diameter: 26.5
Overall Width: 9.3
Approved Rim: 8.0 – 9.5
Maximum Load: 1389 lbs @ 50 PSI
Weight: 26.5 lbs
265/35ZR20 99Y XL
Tread Depth: 9.0
Overall Diameter: 27.4
Overall Width: 10.5
Approved Rim: 9.0 – 10.5
Maximum Load: 1709 lbs @ 50 PSI
Weight: 29.3 lbs
Tire Design and Features
The look of a tire may not be the most important factor when it comes to choosing performance rubber, but there is no doubt that having a cool tread pattern does not hurt. The APEX isn’t fancy in this respect. However, with ribs with minimal grooves and a wide outside rib block it does convey the fact that this is a performance tire.
‘For backroad barnstorming the Yokohama ADVAN Apex V601 is a fantastic choice, and all the tire you would ever need.’
The construction of the tire also has about a quarter of an inch of rim protection built in. It isn’t much but can be just enough to avoid scuffing an expensive rim in a moment of carelessness.
On the Back Roads
A backroad is the bread and butter of the UHP. This is where these tires need to shine to be worth their cost and to do justice to one of the best handling cars out there. This is precisely where the V601 impressed me the most. My previous street tires were the vaunted Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, so Yokohama had a tough act to follow.
I blasted along some of my favorite back roads with several tight bends with a 15-mph suggested speed limit, elevation changes and a couple negative camber turns. The weather was sunny and warm. The tires were confident and sticky. Pushing as hard as I felt safe to do on public roads the APEX allowed me to carry serious speed through the tightest corners.
Turn in was crisp and sharp. I immediately felt confident on the tires and if this were a closed road course, I am sure they would allow me to push even harder. For backroad barnstorming the Yokohama ADVAN APEX is a fantastic choice, and all the tire you would ever need.
My very first day with the tire we were experiencing the remnants of a tropical storm with driving rain all day long. Flooded roads with standing water was on the menu that day. While this may not be the forte of any UHP tire, it is a street tire after all and does need to have the ability to get you safely through the rain. Again, the APEX showed its mettle and provided the same confident feeling that it did in the dry, albeit at much lower speeds.
Ride & Comfort
My car is equipped with aftermarket headers, and the Porsche Sport Exhaust. I almost always drive in Sport or Sport Plus mode and have the windows down so I can hear the wail of the lovely flat-six engine. If my tires were made from metal garbage can lids, I would still would not hear them.
However, in the interest of this test, I went into quiet mode. Windows were up, A/C and radio were off, PSE was turned off and I was in normal driving mode to get the cabin as quiet as possible. During acceleration, cornering, and steady state cruising, I did not hear a peep out of the tires. Maybe if you had these on a Rolls Royce Phantom you could pick up some tire noise, but in my Cayman all I heard were mechanical noises and some wind.
The ride itself was smooth and comfortable. I try to actively avoid potholes, but even when I did hit some minor bumps in the road or ride over a course surface, I found the ride to be pleasant. I can’t imagine even an all-season tire being more comfortable, and I certainly didn’t think that it was any harsher than my PS4S set.
Launch Control
In the real-world launch control really does not have much practical use, but it is a great tool for testing tires, and it’s a blast so in the name of science I did a number of launches. I use an AiM Solo lap timer to gather my data. PDK and launch control make acceleration runs a no brainer and are a perfect combo to test a tire.
The APEX hooked up well, although I felt that it slipped just a tad more than would be optimal for the best times. I was consistently getting 0-to-60 MPH times in the low 4.3 second range. This was on little used public roads, not a closed course drag strip. I am only about two-tenths quicker on my track tires on smaller diameter wheels, so I think the V601 acquits itself of being “slower” you are looking to drag race your Cayman for some reason.
Price
This is perhaps the biggest selling point for the APEX. A set for my Cayman will run about $1,000. The leading competitive tires from Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone, and Pirelli will cost you between 10 – 40 percent more. The PS4S will be at the higher end of that spectrum, especially if you chose the N-spec version. The V601 represents a solid value in the UHP segment. If you drive like me and go through a couple sets of tires a year, the savings can be substantial.
Final Word
In my garage right now, I have several sets of tires to chose from, and I see no reason to switch out from the Yokohama ADVAN APEX that my car is currently wearing. They offer all the performance you can reasonably ask for in a UHP street tire. Can you pay more and shave a few tenths off lap times, and figure eight tests, etc.? Perhaps, but this is a street tire that in 99.9 percent of your driving you will never approach the limits of on a public road. If you are racing on a circuit chasing tenths, you do not want to be on a UHP tire anyway.
Tires live and evolve over time, and I can only test so much in a couple hundred miles. My plan is to put these tires through a long-term test and include some track and autocross work to see how they measure up in those conditions. I will report back later with my updated findings. In the meantime, if you are running a set of these Yokohama tires, let us know your thoughts in the forums.
Photos: Joe Kucinski
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