I listened to my gut and replaced my worn PS2's with the Yoki Neova's. Although I only have about 100 miles on them I can say I have no regrets.

The grip is sensational, even in the rain. I am noticing on slippery surfaces (eg. over fallen leaves on the street) that the ABS is kicking in sooner and more frequently...does it stand to reason that the car is quicker to lock up due to more traction?

They're no R-compounds but they're a damn good compromise. Once the heat has built up in them, I do detect them picking up a wee bit of grit and sand a la R's.

The tires are super communicative...the car feels a lot more "at one" with the road, as if a small layer of vagueness has been removed.

Despite comments in reviews on the Tire Rack site, I find the ride to be superior. The car is actually a little softer over harsh bumps such as expansion joints.

I will pass final judgment on a truly dry day devoid of leaves on the street.

This will not stop me from going out in the nice, cool autumn air (it was 39F this morning) and cackling like a Hyena at the power.

Regards
VB

 

If only thay came in 235/35/19 & 315/25/19...darn.

 

good to hear, let us know what they look like in 5K

 

Nope. Quite the opposite.

 

This is great... I really wanted to hear someone's expereience with these. Great write up and keep us posted!!!

 

I just turned 650 miles on my AD07's (USA Stock suspension 01 TT) and the grip is unreal - on a totally different level than the Pilot Sport Ribs.

The tires did like to growl under hard acceleration during the first few hundred miles (never experienced or heard of a tire doing this) and seem to also have a certain "rumble" at certain speeds (even now) on certain roads, hard to tell if its a balance issue since they are dead smooth sometimes and have a tiny hint of vibration at 88-95 mph other times. They are HARD AS HELL, compared to the Pilot Sport ribs, which feel like luxury tires in comparision - I wonder if the super stiff sidewalls make these tires "rumble" at times?

Bond

 

If you think Pilot Sport Ribs feel like luxury tires then you've never tried the Pilot Sport 2's!!!

 

If ABS is kicking in sooner, you have less traction.

 

VB - glad to hear you listened to your gut. The AD07s sound like an excellent tire. I would be interested in hearing how they give way, once over the limit, in a turn. Anyone been there? Are they progressive? Thanks for the write! What width wheels are you using? What about tires?

 

Neovas have been available in my country for some time, and they are THE tire of choice for regular trackday goers.

Some disclaimers are in order:

1) very few Porsches do trackdays here (well, there aren't that many Porsches in this country, and majority of them aren't driven as they're designed to be driven);

2) tire companies like BF Goodrich, Hoosier, Nitto and others known for ultra high performance tires don't have much of a presence here. The big ones would be Goodyear, Yokohama, Falken, Dunlop, Continental, and to a much lesser extent, Pirelli.

3) my experience with Neovas is limited to japanese cars-- mainly Evo's, STi's, S2000's, M3. these are the most common trackday cars you'll see around here.

I have tried both the OEM Pirelli's on my 996 Turbo, as well as Michelin PS2's (imported via Tire Rack).

ok, having said all that, the Neovas absolutely rock. compared to other tires i've tried on my Evo/M3 (Michelin PS2, Goodyear GSD-3, Falken AVS, Bridgestone S03, etc,) they are a step above. they wear fast, and the ride can be pretty harsh. but for circuit driving, they are great. based on their treadwear rating and performance, it seems they occupy a strange slot between ultra high performance street tires (like the S03's and PS2's,) and semi slicks (like the Dunlop Formula-R's, Bridgestone RE55's, Yokohama A048's, etc). I think the Bridgestone RE01's (or whatever the trick tires Bridgestone fits to the JDM WRX STi) are comparable.

they DO "howl" a lot on the track. its disconcerting at first, til you realize that they actually stick and stick and stick, and you learn to listen to the change in the tire squeal to help gauge when they're about to let go. almost everyone i know who has switched to Neovas from their previous tires (all above disclaimers apply) have experienced improved laptimes with the switch.

I still have a good amount of tread left on the PS2's on the Turbo, but am seriously considering shifting to Neovas when i need new tires. My only hesitation is that i understand that Porsche specify particular sidewall stiffness for the car, and i don't know if Neovas are compatible.

Thanks for the feedback, and please do post further impressions.

Now having said all the above, I've been reading rave reviews of the new Nitto NT01's, and i THINK they are available in standard 996TT fittings (anyone can confirm)?

 

That's perfectly logical now that I think it through. Blonde moment there. In defense of the Neova's, this is occurring on wet, fallen leaves...not quite as safe to drive on as an oil slick. City of Vancouver = bloody well rake that sh*t up already!

The weekend is over and it's back to driving the truck tomorrow but all afternoon / evening the grip seems to have been improving and improving as the tires continue to scrub off their "new-ness." It's phenomenal.

Again, contrary to other comments, I perceive a "softness" to these tires in terms of ride / compound. Not noticing any marked increase in noise yet either. Totally subjective here. I was building myself up to tolerate a somewhat radical tire and that just hasn't happened.

I once had AVS Sports on a Lexus GS400...now those were loud and howly.

I have not pushed these tires to anywhere near track levels so the floor is open to more members with Neova laps under their belts. I will note that what ultimately impressed me about the tires was their performance in a comparison test on TireRack.com (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...lay.jsp?ttid=3). Most notably they were able to stop a 2003 330Ci over 19 feet shorter on Neova's than on OEM tires (original Goodyears being what they are, but I was impressed nonetheless).

Subsequent to an end-of-night visual inspection, I do however worry a little about how fast these might wear...if it turns out to be ridiculous I'll switch to something more moderate next time but for now I'll enjoy.

VB

 

expect ridiculous

the Neovas have a treadwear rating of 180. in contrast, the Bridgestone S03, Pirelli PZero, Michelin PS2 and Goodyear Eagle F1 all have treadwear ratings of 220. The BF Goodrich Comp T/A's come in at 200.

Bridgestone recently launched the RE01-R's, which I believe are still street legal tires. those are rated at 140 or 160 I believe. In Japan, they're pitched against the Neovas. they look tasty.

Pilot Sport Cups are rated at 80. Advan A048's are at 60. Hoosier's at 40.

as the saying goes: "the candle that burns twice as bright, burns half as long"

(now I know that treadwear ratings are subject to all sorts of manipulation by the manufacturers. but for what its worth, its some attempt at rating these things by an objective standard measure.)

 

I have AD07's on my 996tt and had switched from Michelin Pilots. Yes, grip and control is amazing, but this is a very unrefined tire - lots of strange vibration modes I.E. during acceleration, but not cruising and general vibration harshness that the Michelins never had. I have had these tires re-balanced, checked for runout and repositioned on the rims and I have concluded that they have inherent vibration issues on the 996tt (AD07 on stock rims). When I switch back to my old Michelins (second set also on stock rims), all issues disappear. Sometimes I get vibration at 88-95 mph, sometimes smooth. I tried to corrolate this with tire temp (I am So Cal, where its relatively warm though) but there is no pattern.

I really dislike the strange vibration issues, yet the handling and control is the best I have experienced. If you are sensitive to vibration, stay away from this tire on the 996tt. If you want to transform its handling and control to near race car levels, buy them...

Bond

 

I also switched from the PS2's to the Advan AD07's and concur that the turn in response and overall grip is superior.
I did notice that on cold mornings there was some initial tire vibration, but went away aftera few miles of driving. I think these tires are more sensitive to temperatures and require a warmup time for optimal performance.

They do stick exceptionall well for a street tire.

 

Yep, agreed on the "cold-wobbling."