The fact that Yokohama is preparing to launch a new Extreme-Performance tire has been known for quite a while: the company has repeatedly showcased sports concept tires at various motor shows. The predecessor model — Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08R with an easily recognizable tread design — was released nine years ago, and in the beginning of 2022 its successor will finally become available retail under the name of Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD09.
Under the ADVAN brand, the company produces its flagship models that are fitted to numerous premium vehicles, while the Neova line includes tires designed for both conventional roads and racing tracks, and technologies developed in motorsport are extensively used in their creation.
Featuring a new structure with a meticulous design that starts from the materials used and a new profile that delivers greater strength and agility, the ADVAN Neova AD09 achieves the highest level of casing rigidity in YOKOHAMA history. In addition to a finely optimized asymmetric tread pattern — the predecessor had a symmetric tread design — the ADVAN Neova AD09 is made from a newly developed compound that achieves an ideally balanced viscoelasticity. As a result, in addition to a dry grip performance that contributes to faster lap times, the tire provides the controllability that enables amateur drivers to drive as fast as they can while also ensuring a wear resistance that enables long-lasting performance in circuit racing conditions.
When creating the asymmetric tread pattern, the designers based themselves on the design of two previous models — the ADVAN HF Type D, which was originally released still in the early 1980s, and a few years ago was re-launched in order to satisfy the demand from the owners of classic cars (the inner section), and the ADVAN Neova AD08R (the outer zone).
The inner section has grooves of several types in it — a large wave-shaped longitudinal one, small ones in the shoulder areas, and extra sipes crossing the main groove. All of them work towards one goal, namely, that of speeding up evacuation of water from the contact area and improving wet handling response. The width of the second wave-shaped groove was reduced to increase the contact area; in addition, the outer zone features a solid rib that increases tread stiffness, while the rounded profile of the grooves ensures even distribution of lateral load, at the same time reducing the wear of the rib edges.
The walls of the wavy grooves in the inner and outer zones are placed at different angles, which, on the one hand, speeds up evacuation of water from the contact patch, and, on the other hand, increases the tire’s resistance to wear.
The engineers also increased the amount of materials used in the carcass production, which includes two plies in the center and three plies in the shoulder areas. Due to this, the thickness of the carcass increased, and its rigidity became the highest for all Yokohama tires that can be legally used on public roads.
The walls of the longitudinal grooves are placed at different tilt angles; the carcass thickness was increased
And, finally, the engineers paid attention to the sidewall design — the design of the lettering changed, becoming more contrastive, which further improved the tire’s visual appearance.
According to the manufacturer, compared to its predecessor, the new model will allow you to improve the lap time on dry and wet pavement alike.
Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD09 will become available retail in February 2022 — first in Japan, and then in other countries of Asia and North America. The line will include 20 sizes ranging from 165/55 R15 75V to 275/30 R20 97W XL; by the end of 2022, another 20 sizes will be released, including ones with a 21-inch fitting diameter.
Quick Take
Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD09
- This tire replaced Yokohama / ADVAN Neova AD08R
- Available Sizes in Line: 20
- Year Released: 2022
- Regions for sale: North America, Central & South America, Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Africa, Oceania
