These tires are relatively brand new, not too many reviews of them yet on Tire Rack. It took me about 2 weeks deciding what tires to get, lol, literally comparing pros and cons of all brands. I decided to go with the Yokohama tires, they are the ADVAN Sport A/S ultra-high performance all-season tires. I went with all-season because of tread life, and that ultra-rare occasion that it'll snow where I live, and don't feel like swapping wheels. But anyway, so far here is what I think of them:
Ride comfort - So I drive an 09 A5, non-S-Line, so the ride is generally really nice. I went from OEM 18s to aftermarket 19s too. The ride is just the same as the 18s as far as comfort, and for reference I'm comparing them to the OEM Pirelli P6 Four Season tires. Over bumps and imperfections, not bad, and driving in general is actually nice and pleasant. Road noise only present under the harshest of road surfaces, but for the most part I have no complaints. Now I don't know if they'll get louder as I put more miles on them, but for now they are good. The Pirellis got extremely loud, and I still had about 6mm of tread left. 8.5 out of 10.
Dry traction - Since tires mostly perform their best when dry, I didn't think anything less than stellar from these, and they don't disappoint. I had a wheel alignment just to make sure everything was as perfect as it could get suspension wise, making the car drive straight, no tramline, no off course unless I make the adjustments through the steering wheel. Which leads me to steering response, which as far as I know is good, slightest adjustment and the car moves in that direction, so very nimble these tires are, ready to go whenever. 9 out of 10.
Cornering - This category was probably the most looked at when I was looking for tires. These tires have a pretty rigid sidewall, not rock solid like Michelin PSS tires, but good enough for the price you pay for them, and not soft either like Continental DWS tires. There are a few spots in my city that have nice curves that I usually attack, and the Pirellis worked well, but if I pushed it they would squirm a bit. With these Yokohamas, I actually find myself accelerating through the curves rather than being cautious, but in safe manner though. If you've been driving your car for awhile you'll know when it's reached its limit or close to it, so with these Yokohamas I was able to push it a bit further while still remaining in control. The crown still goes to Michelin PSS( I had them too ), but for an all-season tires, I can deal with this. 8.5 out of 10.
Wet traction - No significant downpour since I've own these tires, but it has rained and the roads have been pretty wet. Straight line traction is legit, no issues there, and cornering is actually not bad, though I do slow down more so, but still, they perform very nicely. 8.5 out of 10.
Some other minor stuff, this is an attractive tire, not so much the tread pattern, but the sidewall, I like tires that are simple, small lettered. Another thing is that they balanced up really well. With the combination of my new 19 wheels, there are no vibrations from going 75+mph, which I'm quite impressed. Also, no flat spotting, the Pirellis had a tendency to flat spot overnight which would resolve itself after driving a bit, these don't.
Would I buy again, likely yes, for the price in 255/35-19 size they can't be beat for all-season tires, and the performance is comparable to Michelin and Continental tires of the same series/category. I'm anxious to see how they perform once it heats up a bit more, but for now they are impressive.
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