Yokohama AD08R vs Hankook RS-3

[froop]

Hi all,

I was wondering whether anyone had any experience running both of these tyres. Right now in Australia Yokohama are having a sale so I can get a set of 225/40/18s and 265/35/18s for about $1050 which is an incredible price for us. Normally it would be at least $1400-1500. I can't get 235's because they're out of stock until late July unfortunately.

However, I can get a set of RS3s in 235/40/18 and 275/35/18 for about $1250 fitted and balanced.

These are my dual purpose daily and track tyres since I only have 1 set of wheels. I don't really care about NVH or even wear ratings, only really about performance and maximum grip, especially in the dry. I have RBs and 838nm of rwtq according to the dyno I took after the installation so I need grip badly. Right now on my used Federal 595 RSR (255s) I can hardly get any grip in 3rd gear.

Is it worth saving the $200 and getting AD08Rs or am I much better off in terms of performance getting the RS3s? Does 10mm of extra tyre tread make a huge difference and are the RS3s much gripper compared to the AD08Rs in the dry? I've also read that RS3s tend to drop off after a 2-3 track days however the AD08Rs tend to stay nice and grippy for much longer, >8 days.

I have 8.5" front and 9" rear wheels btw.

Thanks in advance!

Alex

[MPoweRo]

Good questions I'm in the same position!

[Kgolf31]

Are you getting the RS3s Version 2 or Version 1? It should be defined.

The AD08Rs are better suited for daily cars, personally I haven't driven a car fitted with them, but more so rode with a couple people who have them. Decent tires, not as noisy and offer some considerable grip...although I don't think they can achieve grip like RS3s

The RS3s are the tire to beat right now. They are absolutely stunning in the dry with mediocre performance in the wet. Well, when I have Version 1s on my Z4M it was damn scary on a sealed track because it was like being on ice. Daily driving though they offer plenty of grip in the wet.

The RS3s have a considerable life. Mine lasted 2 year with flipping them during the offseason. They saw around 5 hours of track and 40 or so autocrosses. I ran them down to the cords...towards probably around 2/32nd the tires were heat cycled out.

IMO, 225s on 8.5" are way too small. I run 245s on a 8.5" wheel.

The 235s for RS3s are optimal on a 8.5". You'll be stuffing 275s on the 9" though

[froop]

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

Are you getting the RS3s Version 2 or Version 1? It should be defined.

The AD08Rs are better suited for daily cars, personally I haven't driven a car fitted with them, but more so rode with a couple people who have them. Decent tires, not as noisy and offer some considerable grip...although I don't think they can achieve grip like RS3s

The RS3s are the tire to beat right now. They are absolutely stunning in the dry with mediocre performance in the wet. Well, when I have Version 1s on my Z4M it was damn scary on a sealed track because it was like being on ice. Daily driving though they offer plenty of grip in the wet.

The RS3s have a considerable life. Mine lasted 2 year with flipping them during the offseason. They saw around 5 hours of track and 40 or so autocrosses. I ran them down to the cords...towards probably around 2/32nd the tires were heat cycled out.

IMO, 225s on 8.5" are way too small. I run 245s on a 8.5" wheel.

The 235s for RS3s are optimal on a 8.5". You'll be stuffing 275s on the 9" though

Thanks for the reply Kgolf31!

I believe they would most likely be the 200 treadwear versions which are V2 right? Is there much difference between the V1s and V2s? I didn't realise that the V1s were still available as I thought they were superseded and no longer in production.

I would definitely prefer 235s on my 8.5" fronts if possible. If I go the Yokohama's I'll probably wait for them to come off backorder to grab them rather than going the 225s.

Unfortunately I don't think I can run 245s due to clearance issues. I only have about 5mm of space from the inside of the tyre to the spring perch running 225 Federal 595 RSRs and I need 12mm spacers in order to do that. Also with that setup I'm poking at least 2-3mm from the fender already. It's not optimal. I'm really hoping that 235s won't cause any issues...

Did you find that the performance of the RS3s hold up well? I've read a few posts where people say that they go off after maybe 2-3 track days.

[M3 Adjuster]

I have used both. I currently have the AD08s in 19s as my " vanity... car show " wheels... and I have had RS-3 (version 1) in the past on my 18" autocross/ track wheels.

First off. the RS3 is absolutely a better tire for competition. I autocrossed the AD08s once and find no reason to do so again. That funky tread doesnt do anything for an autocross lap times.

both tires are directional so they have to be flipped for better wear...

The RS-3s are an excellent tire for track duty. The turn in of these tires is nothing short of amazing. They literally have better turn in than An all out R tire. Grip is impressive and feels like an R tire for the first 10-15 minutes of a session and then they get a little looser.. They don't really overheat... don't get " greasy" at least not like most street tires. Just keep in mind.. that they are not R tires... you just might forget.

On the street.. RS-3s are fine. Great in the dry of course... I have heard many rumors of them being bad in the wet. When mine were at or below the wear bars I drove 75 miles to and from an autocross with rain on the way home. It was a little bit of a white knuckle ride.. (mostly mentally).. but not bad. So if you get caught in a rainstorm ** slow down ** ... but it's not like the car will slide off any road.


The AD08s are a good street tire that can be tracked. While I got them for vanity use... Inevitably there came sime times when I was being lazy at the track and not wanting to swap wheels so just went out on the street tires, I have run them several sessions on different tracks. These tires are surprisingly sticky and they seem to get stickier with more and more track duty.... And probably more so as the tread wears down. They will even pick up rocks and gravel in a parking lot after you have been on track.. perhaps for the next several days! They are ok in the rain... but realistically not a lot better than the RS-3s in the wet. Unlike many other street tires that can be tracked (PS2 and PSS come to mind).. they do not over heat.. they do not CHUNK.. and they do no delaminate, which cannot be said about the michelins. While I never overheated my own michelins.. I have been in cars on track where they were pretty much torn up.


I think the biggest (read: pretty much only) advantage of the Yokos over the RS-3s is going to be a small amount of wet grip and probably more life overall. I would never expect to get more than 8-10K of street miles from a set of RS-3s whereas you could probably get double that or more from the Yokos.

If you truly need a summer/ track only tire... go for the RS-3s. However.. Saving $200 bucks on set of tires is not an insignificant amount.. (at least it isnt to me!) so no shame in your game if you go with the Yokos.

[froop]

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

I have used both. I currently have the AD08s in 19s as my " vanity... car show " wheels... and I have had RS-3 (version 1) in the past on my 18" autocross/ track wheels.

First off. the RS3 is absolutely a better tire for competition. I autocrossed the AD08s once and find no reason to do so again. That funky tread doesnt do anything for an autocross lap times.

both tires are directional so they have to be flipped for better wear...

The RS-3s are an excellent tire for track duty. The turn in of these tires is nothing short of amazing. They literally have better turn in than An all out R tire. Grip is impressive and feels like an R tire for the first 10-15 minutes of a session and then they get a little looser.. They don't really overheat... don't get " greasy" at least not like most street tires. Just keep in mind.. that they are not R tires... you just might forget.

On the street.. RS-3s are fine. Great in the dry of course... I have heard many rumors of them being bad in the wet. When mine were at or below the wear bars I drove 75 miles to and from an autocross with rain on the way home. It was a little bit of a white knuckle ride.. (mostly mentally).. but not bad. So if you get caught in a rainstorm ** slow down ** ... but it's not like the car will slide off any road.


The AD08s are a good street tire that can be tracked. While I got them for vanity use... Inevitably there came sime times when I was being lazy at the track and not wanting to swap wheels so just went out on the street tires, I have run them several sessions on different tracks. These tires are surprisingly sticky and they seem to get stickier with more and more track duty.... And probably more so as the tread wears down. They will even pick up rocks and gravel in a parking lot after you have been on track.. perhaps for the next several days! They are ok in the rain... but realistically not a lot better than the RS-3s in the wet. Unlike many other street tires that can be tracked (PS2 and PSS come to mind).. they do not over heat.. they do not CHUNK.. and they do no delaminate, which cannot be said about the michelins. While I never overheated my own michelins.. I have been in cars on track where they were pretty much torn up.


I think the biggest (read: pretty much only) advantage of the Yokos over the RS-3s is going to be a small amount of wet grip and probably more life overall. I would never expect to get more than 8-10K of street miles from a set of RS-3s whereas you could probably get double that or more from the Yokos.

If you truly need a summer/ track only tire... go for the RS-3s. However.. Saving $200 bucks on set of tires is not an insignificant amount.. (at least it isnt to me!) so no shame in your game if you go with the Yokos.

Wow thanks for the great comparison of both M3 Adjuster!

It's good to hear that the RS3s have good turn in and don't get too greasy and last the distance.

Can I ask, have you tried the new AD08R compound? Reviews on the Yokohama website suggest that it's 1-3 seconds faster in the dry on a 60-80s lap time. I'm wondering if this will make it much more comparable to the RS3s as well.

[sparoz]

Originally Posted by froop

Wow thanks for the great comparison of both M3 Adjuster!

It's good to hear that the RS3s have good turn in and don't get too greasy and last the distance.

Can I ask, have you tried the new AD08R compound? Reviews on the Yokohama website suggest that it's 1-3 seconds faster in the dry on a 60-80s lap time. I'm wondering if this will make it much more comparable to the RS3s as well.

May be check with the guys who used them in the timeattack last year to see what they think.

[Kgolf31]

Originally Posted by froop

Thanks for the reply Kgolf31!

I believe they would most likely be the 200 treadwear versions which are V2 right? Is there much difference between the V1s and V2s? I didn't realise that the V1s were still available as I thought they were superseded and no longer in production.

I would definitely prefer 235s on my 8.5" fronts if possible. If I go the Yokohama's I'll probably wait for them to come off backorder to grab them rather than going the 225s.

Unfortunately I don't think I can run 245s due to clearance issues. I only have about 5mm of space from the inside of the tyre to the spring perch running 225 Federal 595 RSRs and I need 12mm spacers in order to do that. Also with that setup I'm poking at least 2-3mm from the fender already. It's not optimal. I'm really hoping that 235s won't cause any issues...

Did you find that the performance of the RS3s hold up well? I've read a few posts where people say that they go off after maybe 2-3 track days.

Sorry, long weekend and I missed this.

The V2s tend to get to temperature alot quicker. This is good for us autocrossers as we don't basically waste 1 run trying to get the tires to temperature.

V1s are still floating around, but in odd and limited sizes.

I thought the RS3s were awesome. I really do regret getting the Dunlop ZIIs over the RS3s. Completely different driving style tire, but I needed tires before Hankook had the V2 RS3s and was forced to go with the ZIIs.

I had no issues with grip after the track days. I actually thought the grip increased after about 4/32nds worn away on the tire. Of course this was on the V1 tiers so I cannot comment on compound changes within the V2s.

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by froop

Wow thanks for the great comparison of both M3 Adjuster!

It's good to hear that the RS3s have good turn in and don't get too greasy and last the distance.

Can I ask, have you tried the new AD08R compound? Reviews on the Yokohama website suggest that it's 1-3 seconds faster in the dry on a 60-80s lap time. I'm wondering if this will make it much more comparable to the RS3s as well.

i don't have any personal experience from compound changes.. Most people that I know that have used both the Dunlop Star Spec or RS-3 compounds have liked both versions. It's been a long time since I have seen a tire get WORSE with a new compound... but by the same token the new compound seems to be largely similar to the previous version, typically improving one attritbute in some way. I would not expect that a new compound would get more than 1 second faster for a lap..well. unless the previous compound was that bad...