Yokohama Advan A052

Ran 141 Autocross ish laps over 21 events. (on 3rd set of A052s)
Corded the pass side last event.
-295/30R18s on 18x11s, fit perfectly
Even nearly bald, the A052 had tons of grip left.
After 50 runs the tires lost about 0.5 seconds vs new.
After 100 runs they lost about 1 second but leveled off. No grip was lost from about 100 to 241 runs.
Tires need 1 good heat cycle before they really start griping well.
Note: THESE ARE NOT TRACK DAY TIRES!
they will overheat and grease off within 2-3 laps at a track.


Wet:
in damp ground these tires are KING at the Autocross or road course. The wet grip is unbelievable.
BUT, deep standing water defeats them like any other tire.
The A052 excel at low temps. I ran a damp rain event at 37F and the Yoks had zero issues.


Dry: again, 2021-2024 Solo nationals showed the A052 dominating the field. The dry grip as of 2024 is #1.
They warm up FAST. 1 run is all you need and the other 3 runs are all 100% flat out.
BUT, you can overheat the tires easily.
Start the run at 110-115F tire temp, and you'll have a good lap. Start above that and the tires will grease off before you finish a 50sec lap.
Tires loose a TON of grip over 135F.
Copious amounts of water Spraying is needed for hot days or dual drivers. I've used a 2 gallon sprayer and ran out before I got 8 runs in

Wear:
I got 141 ish runs over 21 events.
These tires need TONs of camber.
They have soft side walls and EAT shoulders without good camber
A minimum of -2.0 and ideally -3.0+
I know guys running -5.0 camber.

Used on a clio 182
These tires gripped from cold, way better than any tire I’d tried before in the 1b tire list, but I could see the tire wearing after the first session!
Worth every penny if your looking for outright grip on the track.

I've had these tires on my BMW M2 for approximately 5,000kms. It's modified with circa 450whp and most tires including cup2's struggle to put the power down. These have phenomenal grip in both the dry and wet (considering the type of tire they are). They've been on my daily driver which sees some spirited driving but it has been mostly relaxed highway driving with the exception of a (wet) skidpan day and circa 15 launches during initial testing. The grip has also been consistent throughout their life, unlike other tires which seemingly drop off, especially with daily driving through various weather conditions. They also don't need a lot of temp in them to function well. Unfortunately wear is pretty average. Where I previously got 30,000kms out of a set of Cup 2's with the same driving conditions, I'll struggle to hit 10,000kms with these based on the treadwear so far. Brilliant tires for grip (though the cups have better feedback and turn in) but the wear lets them down unless you get them strictly for spirited driving / track work (which to be fair is probably what they are marketed towards) I don't think they are worth it.

After going through a set of Bridgestone RE-71RS, I had to go back to Yokohama A052 as I couldn't source a set of the former. The A052 are a fantastic track tire. Amazing grip and consistency through multiple heat cycles. For a novice track warrior, these are all the tire you'll need. I do prefer the Bridgestone though. I find it suits my driving style better and the stiffer sidewalls give me more feedback longer into a session whereas I find the Yokos get a bit spongy for me after about 4 hot laps. Both tires are street legal in Australia, and both are great in the dry. The Yokohama is slightly more noisy in my car than the Bridgestones, but they are both very noisy. I find the Yokohamas slightly more comfortable on the street as well. The Yokohama is NOT good in heavy rain and standing water though. I really struggle with it whereas the Bridgestone provides way more confidence in standing water. For track days, the Yokohamas are perfect, but I would not daily them again.

I use these as essentially a rally tarmac tires for street use. Trundling around traffic they are extremely well behaved for a semi-slick, hardly any tread noise even half worn and surprisingly comfortable, not worse than an UUHP sports tire.

When there is no traffic and free view, I love them for their amazing grip and even more amazing feedback on the limit which is just a delight. Beats the OE P Zero, V107 and AD09 I've had on the car with no comparison. Just so progressive dry or wet. And effectively quiet, no 'someone is having an accident' tire squeal firmly on the limit.

That grip comes in immediately and, against prejudice, is also there in the wet and when cold with just a few turns even near freezing.
When not used on track, heat related excessive wear hasn't been an issue, although I haven't yet used them above 20°C, will go to 285 width for that.

Downsides:
- The tread pattern and depth isn't made to counteract aquaplaning, these are not tires for the unaware, only for seasoned experienced drivers that know what they have under the car intimately. Once aquaplaning comes in the breakaway from high grip levels isn't forgiving.
- While wear isn't catastrophic even on my heavy car when not tracking, they will barely last 10"000km driven enthusiastically and only because I rotate them and run appropriate extra neg camber. Hoping 285 width will last a tad longer next. This is essentially a competition tire that only last one street summer season for me tops, if not from wear, probably from heat cycles. As such a very expensive tire, but for a driver enthusiast, tires are just as important as the car itself....

If you need a Semi Tire with wet performance, then the 052 is the right one. Maybe another Semi is better in the dry but I am very sure that the wet performance is lower! If you need a semi that also performs in the rain, then the 052 is the right choice for you. There may be other semis that are better in the dry, but oh I'm sure the performance in the rain is worse.

I have these tires on an S2 Lotus Exige for trackdays. The dry grip is very good. True to the reviews, it is a very friendly tire to drive at the limit, as it breaks away predictably and regains grip smoothly which is useful on a car without stability control! Braking distances are very short, which is further evidence of the great grip that they have, I haven't used them on track in the wet, so I cant say how they feel in those conditions. I drive my car to the track, and although the car is not exactly a luxury cruiser, the ride is improved on the broken UK roads over the Avons it had before. I have done 3 trackdays on the tires so far. The wear issue that I am having is that the shoulders of the rear tires seem very worn. The centre of the tire is fine with plenty of tread left (even though it only started with 5mm!). However, the tires are still providing plenty of grip. I'll try them on one more trackday and see how they fare!

I have this tire for a year and 8 months. The grip is phenomenal on dry but on wet not that great. But they are expensive tires.

I have this tire for a year and 8 months. The grip is phenomenal on dry but on wet not that great. But they are expensive tires.

These are the best MSA 1a 1b or 1c Blue book tire, they are labelled as a 200 treadwear but seem to wear more like a 100 semi slick but have twice the grip of any R888r, AR1, Direzza or Trofeo R in the wet and that's a big deal in the UK! I've used them all on various cars and now these are my Go-To track/race tire, especially for cars that I drive to and from the track. The main downside is the quick wear in hot conditions, especially if the car does not have enough camber. I had to add about a degree compared to Toyo's so please bear that in mind when switching. Stiffer springs helped too as the grip is closer to a slick! They don't get slower after many heat cycles so you can use them until the cords show through. Then there is the cost but these sort of tires are getting fitted to expensive cars and at tracks like the Nurburgring, saving £200 on a set of tires can cost thousands in barrier repairs when a light dusting of rain occurs!! So overall, the best Semi-Slick around, just don't cry when they only manage a handful of trackdays. People will think you or your car are much better than they are! haha

Hi everyone,
don't take the wet grip, wear, and comfort scores seriously. After all it's a track tire for dry conditions. As such it does a beautiful job. I haven't come to the point of registering any fading despite driving a 330hp FWD track car. That's also why the front tires are over after 150 miles, though the rear tires have done way more and are still at 50%.