Yokohama S-Drive - looking for feedback

[Chris G]

The Yokohama S-drive seems to be a popular tire across a lot of different platforms, but I don't see a ton of real world feedback from Fiesta ST owners running these tires.

My OEM Bridgestones are nearing the end of their life and I'm looking to step it up to a 215/40/17. Unfortunately, there aren't many options out there for someone that commutes quite a bit and wants to keep the handling characteristics similar to stock.

Do we have anyone on here that's running a set of S-drives and if so, what do you think of them?

 

[ed_the_sledd]

i have a set in 215/40/17. I honestly dont love them. the grip is meh, especially compared to the stock tires. i dont track my car though. this is just my experience from spirited street driving. im by no means an expert, but i wont be buying these afer theyre used up. again, not terrible, but the stock tires had wayyyy more grip imo. i guess it depends what youre looking for. hope this helps!

 

[dyn085]

I have a set getting installed today but obviously that won't give you much more than initial impressions. I opted for the same size to add a little comfort, hopefully cut down some road noise, and get a bit of added tire life. Nothing else really seemed to fit with everything I was wanting in a tire.

 

[ed_the_sledd]

I think [MENTION=282]BlueBomber[/MENTION] has a set too. dunno how to link him or w/e but maybe he can give some feedback too

 

[SeanBonham]

I asked [MENTION=678]no-pistons[/MENTION] about his set and he was not super impressed

 

[BRGT350]

I use them in P215/40 17 on my ST and used them on my 2011 Fiesta as well. Grip isn't nearly as much as the stock Potenzas, but they last way longer! With 99% of my driving being commuting back and forth to work, I am ok giving up a little grip for longer life. The only bad thing about the tires is that they are noisy. My General winter tires are much quieter. All Yokohama's seem loud.

 

[Chris G]

Great feedback - thanks guys. Will definitely welcome more as well.

My biggest worry was that they don't grip like stock. I partake in spirited driving every single day on my way home from work (only about 6 miles of twisties on my 30ish mile commute). I'm hoping to not loose too much performance if I venture away from the stock tires.

 

[ed_the_sledd]

keep in mind that you're going to be trading grip for tire life. so grippier tires wont last as long (stock tires lasted me about 15k miles). i think the s-drives are meant to be for more normal driving so they may not grip as well, but im sure i'll get at least 5k more miles out of them

 

[Chris G]

Yeah - and they're a lot cheaper than some of the stickier tires.

 

[BRGT350]

The level of grip on the street isn't really noticeable. You should no way be that close to the limit of grip on public roads. Where I notice the difference the most is accelerating, where the S-Drive's will give more wheel spin. If I get really hard on the skinny pedal, the fronts loose traction sooner than the Potenzas. However, when I drove the ST on the stock tires, it was also a stock car. The Yokohama S-Drives have been used on a modified ST, so the comparison isn't exactly apples to apples.

 

[KKaWing]

I've known a few friends that use these... as their street setup. They'll have R888 or some other "extreme performance tires" that they don't want to wear out on the street or deal with the horrible wet traction on a daily drive. They're honestly nothing special. Just something for you to daily drive the car around.

 

[Chuckable]

I had this same discussion with Preston at Tire Rack when I was ordering wheels and tires. He basically that that the S Drives were decent tires, but that they weren't stand-outs in any certain area. I went with BFG Sport Comp 2s instead. it's an older design (back from 2012 I believe) but I've only heard and read good things about them. If you can find a set then you may want to consider them. Beware, though, I was told that they're now out of production.

 

[Tex ST-AR]

I have them 205/50-15 I've been happy with them so far. I have autocrossed on them twice. Once wet once dry. They have somewhere around 20-23k on them and have held up well. I rotate them every 3-5k.

 

[MitchsFiesta]

Ill have initial impressions this weekend too. Just got 215/40/17.

 

[Chris G]

I had this same discussion with Preston at Tire Rack when I was ordering wheels and tires. He basically that that the S Drives were decent tires, but that they weren't stand-outs in any certain area. I went with BFG Sport Comp 2s instead. it's an older design (back from 2012 I believe) but I've only heard and read good things about them. If you can find a set then you may want to consider them. Beware, though, I was told that they're now out of production.

Sadly, I don't think they make those in 215/40.

If not S-drives... which tires do people typically go with in this size?

 

[no-pistons]

I asked [MENTION=678]no-pistons[/MENTION] about his set and he was not super impressed

Yeah, I think the OEM tires had better traction than the S-Drives. However, the OEM tires also wore out VERY quickly. I have a long daily commute and the S-Drives are wearing very nicely, so its definitely a compromise. They're not bad tires, but not the best either (traction wise). They are much cheaper than going with a Max Performance tire, so its actually a good consideration for a daily driver tire. With all that said, I will most likely try another tire on the next go around. BTW, I run 205/50R15.

 

[ed_the_sledd]

The level of grip on the street isn't really noticeable. You should no way be that close to the limit of grip on public roads. Where I notice the difference the most is accelerating, where the S-Drive's will give more wheel spin. If I get really hard on the skinny pedal, the fronts loose traction sooner than the Potenzas. However, when I drove the ST on the stock tires, it was also a stock car. The Yokohama S-Drives have been used on a modified ST, so the comparison isn't exactly apples to apples.

This is what i meant. my car has no power mods and the tires lose traction quicker when accelerating on the s-drives versus the stock bridgestone tires. is this not the same as grip? should i have said "traction"?

 

[Izzy]

BFG Comp2's are cheaper yet better tires in every way. And although they are not 215...they will still have better grip at 205 than a 215 S-Drive especially in the wet.

 

[BRGT350]

This is what i meant. my car has no power mods and the tires lose traction quicker when accelerating on the s-drives versus the stock bridgestone tires. is this not the same as grip? should i have said "traction"?

grip is traction, so it is all good. My S-Drives are also getting older as I had them on my 2011 Fiesta in 2013 prior to putting them on my ST in August of 2014. That makes them a little less grippy, even more so in damp conditions. Not sure how many miles are on the tires since they weren't used very much in the summer of 2013 since I had the Fiesta Movement ST at the time and sit in storage during winters.

I don't know if I will go with the S-Drives again. I had run Parada's for years on my Focus, SVT Focus, and 2011 Fiesta. With almost all of my ST driving being commuting, ultimate grip isn't as much as a concern as tire life. Strange to actually say that because my focus used to be on a well priced tire that I would wear out after a summer or two of autocrossing and track events. Now I am lucky to get to a single autocross all year.

 

[Chuckable]

BFG Comp2's are cheaper yet better tires in every way. And although they are not 215...they will still have better grip at 205 than a 215 S-Drive especially in the wet.

That's basically what I've read and been told as well. But they're going out of production so if you have them and need a replacement, you may be in for some trouble. If and when it happens to me, I'll wish I bought the S Drives