Given
97%
while driving a
Mitsubishi EVO 8
(265/35 R18) on
a combination of roads
for 300
spirited miles
I bought my Evo in November, and it came with AD08r's. I know these tyres are highly rated in the Jap scene with a lot of people running them, as they are known to be a track tyre for the road. The thing is, they made my car feel extremely nervous and gave next to no confidence in the bends (which may surprise a few people but I'm being honest, as a racing driver I'll be upfront about if something sucks no matter what it is). I did a lot of research before deciding to buy a set of Asymmetric 5's, and let me tell you they are amazing. After I'd scrubbed them in, it felt like a whole new car. They inspire so much confidence and I've yet to break grip with them. Sometimes where I'd expect them to start slipping, they just refuse to let up.
They work from much lower temperatures than the AD08's, which are like an ice rink until they get a decent amount of heat (classic characteristic of a track tyre). The thing is though, the amount of heat that AD08's need to give you the grip you want is beyond what you can safely achieve on the road without getting into trouble, hence why they're more of a track tyre. You'll get them lukewarm at best. For the Asymmetric 5's, they are pretty much ready to go from the start, and throughout the drive they just get better. The sidewalls have some give to them, but it's honestly just the right amount for my car. The geo setup makes my Evo quite light on its feet and agile, so coupled with the AD08's it was honestly just WAY too sensitive. One little movement on the steering and it would dart, just felt very unstable and crap (coming from someone with very smooth hand movements). The Asymmetric 5's dial the steering sensitivity back to exactly where I want it, still nice and direct, but it's perfectly stable unlike the AD08's. They're also more comfortable due to the softer sidewall (what you want on the road) while still giving you a good amount of feedback. In my opinion the feedback level could be slightly higher, but it's definitely enough (the sidewalls are not solid like a track tyre after all). Also due to the softer sidewalls, they allowed me to set my coilovers to a stiffer setting to get the car handling even better, while still being more comfortable than the AD08's were on a softer setting (win win).
I've driven them in the wet once, and they honestly had more grip than the AD08's did on a dry road (which again may surprise some people but again I'm being honest. It highlights how much the AD08's don't work at road driving temps, and the importance of having the correct tyre compound for what you're doing). I gradually built boost towards the exit of a roundabout for instance, and when I floored it at the exit it just gripped! For reference if I tried to exit a corner like that in the wet with the AD08's, I'd probably be dead lmao. My Evo has over 400 hp and torque so it's not slow either. I can't comment on the wear at present because it's only been a few hundred miles, but my Evo is not a daily driver at all, so time wise they're gonna last a while.
I would 100% recommend these tyres, but just remember that all cars will act to the same tyre differently, and that goes for all tyres. It's a lot to do with the way they're setup more than anything. P.S. I'm not trying to make the AD08's sound terrible, they're just for the track not the road. I'm sure once you wake them up on a track they're completely fine, but for the road there are many better options. Many people think getting a track tyre will give you an advantage over other people on the road...it doesn't. They're called "track" tyres for a reason.