Tire: ADVAN S.4.
Category: Ultra High Performance All-Season
UTQG (treadwear): 400 AA A
The ADVAN S.4. from Yokohama is one of the ultra high performance all season tires that they make, in addition to a few others in their lineup. Out of all of Yokohama's tires in this performance segment, I'd say this is their top performer. If you're looking into this tire, that means you want some great performance in three seasons out of the year, with the ability to traverse on snow when needed. To get to your destination, Yokohama uses a silica-enhanced treat compound that has Aqua Tusk lateral grooves built in to help deal with water and keep you from hydroplaning. Also, their in house Variable Pitch Technology should mean that this will be a quieter tire than other competitors. This is a highly engineered tire, which is why it ranks towards the top of the segment. I won't call it the best ultra high performance all season tire on the market, but it is very good.
A good thing to keep in mind with these tires is that drivers who run them on their vehicle tend to buy another set. Most people tend to get about 55,000 miles out of a set, which is pretty good overall since this is a more expensive tire to buy. This tire gets very high marks for it's wet traction ability, and it is passable on snow, though I wouldn't recommend going on too many unplowed roads unless you have 4wd or AWD. Either way, it is an all season tire, so it's rated for light snow use. Put it to you this way, good for Oregon or Maryland and maybe not so good for Colorado or Michigan. So while this may not be the best tire on the market, it is really solid choice if you like to drive hard and still want to be able to go on snow from time to time. Many people run this tire on high horsepower vehicles and sports cars, so be comfortable knowing that if that's what you drive.
