Hi guys

I need 2 new front tyres for my hawkeye and wanted to know what others are currently using. I have searched google but cant find anything up to date. I have so far used the following -

Bridgestone S001 225/45/17 91Y -

I currently have these fitted and find they give good feedback through the steering and very good grip in the dry. In the wet they seem to give 70% of what i am looking for.

Continental Sport Contact 5 225/45/17 94Y XL -

I had these on the car and it dulled the feedback quite a bit and they didn't seem as stable at speed when changing direction. I have used these on German cars before and they are excellent. I have also used Goodyear eagle f1's and again these both beat the S001's hands down but the sidewalls aren't stiff enough for the Subaru in my opinion.

Yokohama ADO8R 235/45/17 90W

I have not had these fitted to the car but i have on an Evo. The sidewalls are good and the dry grip is amazing but i find as you would expect with a tyre of this spec the wet grip although good isn't great and they become over powered in the wet with 400bhp even in 3rd gear.

I was thinking of going for some Yokohama V105's and they come in 97Y XL spec. I have looked on tyre review and they seem to have a bit better feedback in all categories than the S001's, does anyone have any experience of these on their Subaru?

As with most reviews, evo etc the Jap tyres seem to lack the performance of the German rivals but the sidewalls on the German tyres don't seem to suit the Subaru in my opinion. I do understand this can be a trade off against grip but i'm hoping i can get something with a little more grip in the wet but retain the stiff sidewall.

The car is used on track and a daily driver.

Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks

 

Cant comment on track ability, but my hankook ventus v12 evo2s are excellent on road in any conditions imo. I feel confidence in them all the time. Theyre rated for heavier cars.

 

Your going to change all four right?.SJ.

 

hi thanks for the replies.

No i was going to change the front axle only. As the yokohama's are the same type as the s001's i didnt see it being a problem?

 

I got some Bridgestone re070's 235 45 17 with 5-6mm tread perfect tyre for your car with mint team dynamics 1.2 white alloys you can have @ £400 ovno collected pcd on the alloys is 5x114

 

Here's listing £400 ovno

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222392548222

 

Re070's were awesome on my hatch specC, but unfortunately unavailable in 245 40 18 for it in Europe. Probably similar to AD08'S with a stiff sidewall. European top tyres seem to have much softer sidewalls, allowing more contact when deforming during breaking. Michelin supersports XL are good

 

Michelin Pilot Sport 4
225/45 17
235/45 17

Load rating changes sidewall construction - it may, or may not, effect sidewall stiffness.

Change all 4

 

I put V105's on last summer and thought they were pretty decent with a reasonably stiff sidewall. I did put something up with proper feedback if you search for it but I would say they're better in the dry and wet than Michelin PS2's and Eagle Asym's, but not as good as either of those when it's cooler and greasier. Below 7c they're not amazing, perhaps even a bit reminiscent of older Toyo's in that regard. Not that it was a major issue for me as I just took that as time to put the Sottozero's back on for winter, but something to bear in mind. Overall I'd say they were a good all round performance tyre, if falling short of something very specific like the AD08 , as you would expect.

 

Lack of wet weather performance is expected in the Yoko Ad08R's as they're primarily used as semi-slick track tyres.

I use them on my Vx220 as a cheaper alternative to Toyo R888's as they're considerably cheaper (only £150 a corner! lol..) and have quite a bit more tread depth to get more use out of them.