A new tire has hit the street. Yokohama's ADVAN Neova AD08 will replace the AD07 for 2009. The Neova first appeared in the U.S. market as original equipment on the Lotus Elise. That honor alone qualified it as a tire to be considered by the demanding automotive enthusiast. The new tire improves dry grip, wet grip and mileage. It's street civil, but track approved. For the performance inclined, the AD08 improves on the AD07's lap times, by a half second for every minute, says Yokohama. The improvements are achieved with a new micro silica compound, steel sidewall inserts and revised tread pattern. The result is quicker steering response, improved stability and a larger contact patch while cornering. The tire maintains its treadwear rating of 180 and will be offered in a wider range of sizes than its predecessor; 32 sizes, ranging from 205/50-R15 to 295/30ZR-19.

For evaluation purposes, Yokohama fitted the new tires on a variety of street cars for a group of journalists to evaluate. In a wet and dry autocross in a Mazda RX-8, the AD08 proved to be better tire than the AD07. Not only was the steering precision of the already sharp RX-8 increased, but it's improved wet traction gave greater control and stopping ability. The AD08 was the clear winner in lap times over the AD07, in both the dry and damp conditions, but most notably in the slippery wet.

Lapping a section of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway gave me a taste of the tire at speed. As would be expected of a tire bearing the ADVAN name, the Neova AD08 strutted its stuff. Most impressive was the time I spent in the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG - rear-wheel-drive monster that (with the traction control off) is easily able to over power its rear tires. Even the AD08s couldn't make all that power stick, but their forgiving nature, sharp steering feedback and ability to handle the abuse turned the C63 into a gentle giant. With the AD08's, not only was the car fun to drift, but it was controllable and predictable. The best feature of the Neova isn't the outright performance, it's the forgiving nature at the limit—something that pays for itself when pushing the limits on roads where the next corner can have a puddle, or a severely decreasing radius.

Sure there are cheaper tires, and more expensive tires. But in some cases the right tire isn't the most extreme, just the best for the job at hand—driving pleasure. And at that, the new Yokohama AD08 is a winner.