I run Yoko A032R's on my GTI for street/track and I LOVE them. The grip like crazy on the street and they have great wet weather performance. I've even driven them in a light snow w/o any problems. My next tires for the 951 will be A032Rs if they are available.

 

A032R in the snow, I suppose anything is possible once. I acutally like the A032R but they are jet engine loud. Seriously, incredibly loud. I cant imagine them on a long trip.
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If you have an extra inch in one tire and not on the other, then the ABS will stop working. anyways my ABS does not work.

i had 032's on a turbo '84 GTI and never had issues in the rain, until they were very worn out, of course i didn't drive like a maniac either.

so noise, wear etc about D.O.T legal track tires is not an issue with me. i just can't buy two sets of tires right now( track/ street)

the only street tire i cosidered was the kumho MX. price was comparable and i had used them in the track in a G35 and was impresed. but can't seem to find them anywhere.

 

http://www.falkentire.com/615micro.htm

maybe this will help

 

I didn't know Falken was owned by Sumitomo. Learn something new every day....

 

And Ohtsu as well.

Toyo = Nitto since we are on the subject.
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I only have two problems with the A032:
1) they howl like a banshee
2) they turn into rocks as they get heat cycles on them
The howling problem is probably worse on wider sizes as I didn't remember that much of a problem when I ran them on my 86 951, but they were horrible in 275s on one of my Firebirds. Of course, I didn't run them long on the 86 before holing a piston and getting rid of the car, so maybe I'm just not remembering how much they howled on it.

I didn't realize Sumitomo owned Falken, but it's not suprising. There really aren't that many tire companies out there:
Firestone is a division of Bridgestone
Nitto is a division of Toyo
Falken is a divisio of Sumitomo
It seems like Dunlop is either owned or owns one of the other major brands.

 

I just got these from Tire Rack.

Brand: Kumho ECSTA MX

Front: Size: 225/45ZR17 (diam=25.0) $135 ea Weight: 22.3 lbs Width (unmounted): 9.37”

Rear: Size: 245/40ZR17 (diam=24.7) $142 ea Weight: 23.5 lbs Width (unmounted): 10.12”

No track time yet but very good grip on the twisty roads and good in the rain. Better than RE730s they replaced.

 

Previously, I used the Kumho MX for the street and the Toyo RA1 on the track. Now I have the Falken RT-615 on the rear and some older RT-215 on the front. I'm now down to one set of wheels and not planning to track the car much now, but wanted a sticky street tire I could take to the track on occasion. And wet weather is not much of a concern here.

The RA1 is a great tire, perfect if you're going to drive to/from the track...very streetable and very predictable on the track. The MX works well on the street (at least in the dry), but actually was harsher and noisier than the RA1. I can't give a fair comparsion of the Falkens since I've moved up to 245/45 and 275/40 (17s), but they seem very stiff and harsh, even more so than the MXs, but stick like glue. The rear of the car has never felt so well planted. Falken claims the RT-615 is supposed to hold up better than the RT-215 (which was primarily an autocross tire) on the track, but I'll have to wait until I replace my fronts to judge that.

For a strictly street tire, I don't think you can get much better than the Bridgestone S-03, particularly if wet weather is a concern, but they are expensive (and very poor on the track).

Oh, and I think Sumitomo owns Dunlop as well.

 

If you think the A032R's grip like crazy, try another brand of R-tire and prepare to be shocked. The Yoko's are nothing but bricks compared to a RA-1 or MPSC. Michelins don't howl like the Yoko's either. See recent thread's in Racing forum.

I'd get Toyo T1-S for a 75% street/ 25% track car.

 

Not exactly true, they are both brands are part of the Bridgestone Corporation as are Dayton, Fuzion, Lemans, and a host of others
Yes.
Yes.
Dunlop is owned by Goodyear as is Kelly, Continental, and an even larger host of smaller brands.
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I have toyo proxy-4's, they are okay. Good street tire, but after running a few de's with pilot sport cups, I consider the proxy-4's pretty much a street-only tire.

 

Sorry I guess that I am not understanding something straight as far as this thread is going.

Why wouldn't you go with:

1. Michelin Pilot Sport
2. Michelin Pilot Sport PS2
3. Yokohama AVS Sport

You have spent a pretty $ to buy your car why not give it some good shoes?

In my past experience:

Goodyear tends to be hard, work them and they fail/get thin quick, they focus on AT all the way.
Yoko's tend to be soft, not a daily if you want to avoid flats and punctures. Lots of traction dry.
*Mich is somewhere in between. Yes they are pricy but IMO well worth their cost. Never a flat, got 35K road miles out of them.
Falcon's I would avoid if you want them on as any type of daily soft and sloppy side walls.
Hoosiers, well they are racing tires. You know that they sweep the track before races right? Sometimes.
Pirellis are soft on the wall to. Good thing I bought the warranty when I got those.

I would put a decent goodyear back on my truck and a Mich back on the p-car. Mich goes on the Toyota next as well.

I can say that my car has Mich MXV 4's on it but they were purchased before I bought it. If you are spending the money on the good stuff for the rest of the car why stop there?

Michael

 

Of your three choices the yoko's is what i'm running now and they are ok but they seem to harden and lose traction with time. the others i've heard great things about.

Don't knock other brands because they are not high profile brands or the prices are lower, you would be amazed

also my divorce is killing me financially

 

Oh, I forgot to mention:

BFG Comp TA's which also seemed firm in the sidewalls but lacking in normal good daily drivability, better than a lot of others though for normal daily use.
Bridgestone Potenzas, good dry, so/so wet but prone to sidewall damage and leaks from who knows where.

"Pirellis are soft on the wall to. Good thing I bought the warranty when I got those." I have never driven P Zero's so I can't really say anything about them.

I have ridden on a lot of tires in several types of cars. I would not put Goodyear Wranglers on my Alfa, nor would I put Mich Pilots Sports on my F150 4x4.

It sounds like you are trying to find a tire to fit your needs, better to ask then waste your $.

I didn't know that Yoko AVS's got harder with use. I realize that tire compounds will change with age but maybe I was just wearing mine out too fast.

I am not trying to knock other brands but, trying to share my experiences with the different brands/types that I have ridden on.


Michael