Quick Review of Yokohama ADVAN Apex V601

[cuzin.danny]

It was about time to install a new set of tires after 14,000 miles of spirited driving and one track-day on the factory Michelin Pilot Super Sports (worn down to wires). After browsing the limited tire options for 19-inch wheels, I decided to give the Yokohama ADVAN Apex V601's a try in the factory sizes 255/35R19 and 275/35R19.

Though Yokohama hasn't done any major advertising for this specific tire, I saw it displayed on the GR Supra on their website, so I figured it'd be a great choice.
I also read Sam Du's review on Motor Trend and it turns out he tested this tire on their A90 project car. After doing a bit more research on this tire, I've found that Yokohama produced this tire specifically for U.S. roads. This sort of thing isn't seen often, so it's nice to see that we have a sporty tire made for California's crappy roads. Also, bear in mind: I understand this is technically a downgrade from the Michelins, but the price point and characteristics rank it as a solid alternative.

I'll begin with the good:

• The Yokohama ADVAN Apex V601 does an excellent job at adhering all four wheels to the street during spirited driving. The rear end doesn't kick out as easily as the stock tires normally would.
• I also noted less wheel-spin when using launch control.
• The level of road noise is comparable to the stock Michelin Pilot Super Sports, but the V601 takes the win in this category. The softer compound the V601 does a great job of keeping tire noise down in the cabin and wheel wells during highway driving. This compound also improved ride quality and comfort driving throughout rougher roads in the city.

TL;DR - Excellent grip, nice tread pattern, softer ride, and minimal road noise.


...and the bad:

• Although this is a grippy summer tire, the V601 fails to deliver proper feedback to the driver during spirited driving. This was especially notable when going through certain on-ramps or longer curves on a twisty road. There's an uncertainty that these tires create when going through turns and ultimately results in a lack of confidence while driving.
• The first characteristic that I noted was an increased stopping distance. More brake pedal force is required to come to a complete stop with these tires. This is probably the most significant downside of this tire. This wasn't something I would expect from a summer sports tire.
• The V601 likes to squeal. This was noted even under medium braking. These like to squeal through turns as if they're at their limit of grip, but this isn't necessarily a bad trait.

TL;DR - Muted on-center feel, noisy under load, lack of feedback, increased stopping distance.

I wish I had some numbers like 0-60 times and stopping distance times for a more technical review. However, at the end of the day, this is a street tire and not really designed for track use or hitting any sort of records either way. Thanks for taking a look and I hope this helps you make a decision for the next set of tires on your A90. I didn't see many reviews for this tire and thought it was worth doing a quick write-up for those who are overly-particular with stuff like this.

What are your thoughts on the V601's?

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[Hasan]

They are a great tire, especially for the MT supras. The AT might be better off with more sticky rubber.

 

[Deleted User 191538]

I only use the V601's And I've done track days, autocross, spirited driving. Love them.

 

[cuzin.danny]

I only use the V601's And I've done track days, autocross, spirited driving. Love them.

How's the braking performance on the track? I feel it was heavily degraded compared to the stock Michelin Pilot Super Sports. Unless my brake fluid needs to be swapped. My Supra's at 22k miles so far.

 

[FLtrackdays]

How's the braking performance on the track? I feel it was heavily degraded compared to the stock Michelin Pilot Super Sports. Unless my brake fluid needs to be swapped. My Supra's at 22k miles so far.

Absolutely time to fully flush that brake fluid out. Toyota recommends you change it every 20k miles. If tracking, you’re going to want to do it more often. Ideally, I’ll bleed mine between track weekends to get the dirty fluid out. Keeping it fresh makes a world of difference on track.

As far as pads go, there are a multitude of them available for this car. From low dust daily driving ones to full blown track pads that will spew dust everywhere but stop on a dime. That’s where your time and money should go. To those things alone. As for rotors, you can pickup really affordable rust prone ones on RockAuto.com, when the time comes.

 

[swrdply400mrelay]

Do you daily drive on the V601's? If so how many miles did you get out of them?

 

[Deleted User 191538]

I don't daily drive. I mainly do track days, auto cross, club drives, car meets, and occasional drives here and there. so I would say around 15k

 

[cuzin.danny]

Do you daily drive on the V601's? If so how many miles did you get out of them?

I daily drove on the V601's and only got 15,000 miles out of them before my rear tires got to 1/32nds. The front tires made it to 2/32nds. This is was a good mix of highway, city, and spirited driving.

I recently swapped to the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S ★ (BMW OE Tire) and what a world of a difference. Definitely worth the extra $$ and I wouldn't go back to the Yokohamas for a street tire.

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