Tire test introduction: Yokohama S.drive

Much like replacing a worn out set of running shoes, mounting up a new set of tires can do wonders for the feel of your existing car. Case in point, we replaced our worn out all season tires with a brand new set of Yokohama’s S.drive high performance summer tire. Normally we tend to opt for an ultra-high performance all season, because well, we tend to get very little summer here in Vermont, and lots of weather, so we get more bang for the buck with all seasons.

This time around, we decided to try a dedicated summer tire, and boy are we glad we did. Our previous tires were very good, no question. But from the moment we first installed the S.drive, we were LOVING the way they transformed our Audi A4.

With the S.drive tires, the car feels much more playful than it did with even partially worn all season tires. These tires grip like mad in the dry, and are great even in torrential rain. Surprisingly, these tires have excellent hydroplaning resistance, and phenomenal wet grip.

We expected the NVH to increase with these more aggressive tires, but were more than pleased to discover that they are very smooth riding, and quiet. They do have a very distinctive sound at times on rough pavement, but with the windows closed, they are very quiet.

Another thing we didn’t quite expect with the S.drive is how beefy looking it is. For our application, in 235/55 17 they look aggressive, a bit fatter on the wheels than the previous tires. We love the way they look, giving our A4 a much more purposeful appearance. Not that we normally look for tires to enhance appearance, but these did.

All in all we are completely thrilled with our Yokohama S.drive tires. Once we get to around 10k miles, we’ll publish an update. That will most likely end up being next summer at this rate, since we can’t use summer tires for a good 5 months coming up quickly.

Stay tuned for some quick updates in case we get caught in early snow..