Yokohama Nexus

Price Paid:  $100.00

Year / Model Reviewed:
 1992 Taurus SHO

Summary:
This was a tire that I was able to buy only because the Tire Rack was trying to clear them out for their AVS Sport line. I Picked these up cheap. They are just below the A032R in dry grip, which is amazing! They have to be the stickiest street tire around. I have hed these 2 summers on my SHO and I love them. I had the car at RoadAtlanta last summer, and they performed well at the track. Not even the AVS Sport can match the grip. They are a bit more harsh than a regular street tire, however and are not for everybody. If the Tire Rack has your size (only in 18in. now) and you want the best handling max-performance tire you can get, here they are.

Strengths:
GRIP!

Weaknesses:
No longer produced, stiff ride, low tread life.

Similar Products Used:
Yokohama A032R

Year / Model Reviewed:
 1997 Mustang GT, 245/45-17 wheels

Summary:
When the owner of Hilltop Tire pulled these tires off his modified Mustang with only 5,000 miles on them, I picked up the set for $140. Although I do a lot of highway driving, I've put an additional 10,000 miles on them and they have about 2,000 miles left on them - depending on how many burnouts I do before I replace them. The tire size is 255/40-17 and this is a flawless performance tire as far as I'm concerned. I'm a spirited driver, but I get scared long before I can push this tire to its limit in cornering or speed. Tire response is excellent, dry road grip is unmatched, and wet grip appears to be no better or worse than any other legitimate ultra high performance tire. On the downside, I believe they are only avaiable for 18 inch rims, they retail for over $200 per tire, they are noisy when worn down, and treadlife will be short. So, in summary, if a tremendous performance tire is your goal, and you don't mind the weaknesses I've listed, then this tire is for you.

Strengths:
Unbelievable dry grip; excellent cornering capabilities; very stiff sidewall; like Yokohoma says, this is the closest thing you'll find to a street legal racing slick.

Weaknesses:
At approximately 10,000 miles, the tires became extremely noisy at highway speeds; as far as I know, the Nexus is made only for 18 inch wheel applications now; with a treadwear rating of 160, this tire will wear out pretty fast even under conservative driving conditions. Maybe a little costly at over $200 per tire.

Similar Products Used:
Goodyear Eagle ZR ("Gatorback"): Performance wise, the Nexus wins no contest. The Gatorback was a solid tire with slightly longer treadlife and a little more comfortable for day to day use, but I was not overly impressed by any one component of the Goodyear.
Falken Ziex: Again, the Nexus is light years ahead of this tire in terms of performance. However, the Falkens are an affordable tire, have long treadife (I got about 30,000 miles), and are definitley a solid high performance tire -not to mention M+S rated for those occasional ski trips. When compared side by side off the rims, the Nexus had a much, much stiffer sidewall.