What is a Fleva?

[ridewhencan]

Bringing this thread http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/209852-New-Yokohama-Tires-in-215-40-17?highlight=fleva back to discuss the Flevas and the AO52s. Tried to reply but it wouldn’t post. Just got my car with Conti ExtremeContact DWs. The rears were basically new (just purchased but with a 2018 date code) but I wanted to replace the fronts, which were from 2009. Went with 205/40 R17 and 265/35 R18. They have more tread pattern than the Conti's.

I've had the Conti's on another car and they are a good summer tire, although once it gets in the low 40s, they chirp from the cold when making parking lot turns etc. I've also had the S-Drives that the Flevas replaced on a couple of cars and found the S-Drives to be very good in terms of wear and in the rain. (Not Planning on driving the NSX in the rain though, lol.)
I currently have a set of S-Drives for my track day Miata for when not on the track and compare the S-Drive with the Fleva, on the left, here.

The S-Drive tread is a little heavier and deeper. As an aside, my current track day tires for the Miata are AO52s, and they are GREAT. Prior Miata tires were NT01s, which are loud as hell on the road, and before that, RE71s, which wear quickly. The AO52s are very communicative and forgiving, with plenty of stick. But with a tread wear of 200 and with me not planning to track the NSX, I went with the 300 treadwear (and price!) of the Flevas.

So far, and that's not a lot of driving, they are quiet (or at least don't roar louder than the exhaust, like the NT01s) I'll report more once I can stick them into a turn or two.

 

[Honcho]

Bringing this thread http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/209852-New-Yokohama-Tires-in-215-40-17?highlight=fleva back to discuss the Flevas and the AO52s.

I'll post my feedback here- maybe it will help. When I had my 91 I was concerned about using a 200TW competition tire on my NSX without an oil pan baffle. Tires like the RE-71 and the AD-08 (and the AO52) can generate more than 1 G of lateral acceleration on even a stock 3.0 liter NSX. This is beyond what the oil pan is designed to manage and can lead to oil starvation/spun bearings on long, right hand sweepers. I planned to drive my NSX on the track and wanted to avoid this engine-killing problem, so I called Yokohama. It took a while, but I finally got through to one of their engineers, who explained over the phone that the two summer performance lines of tires- the AD-08 and the S.Drive- were actually made from the same rubber compound. But, they added more silica to the S.Drive to give it better wear characteristics and wet performance. He said that the difference would be like the hard and soft compound of an F1 tire- the soft one (AD-08) would grip better but wear faster and the hard tire (S.Drive) would have less grip but last longer. Critically, he said that because they shared the same performance compound and structural design, both tires would behave in a similar way. It's just that the AD-08 would yield more grip and be easier to modulate at the limit. He said if my goal was to keep the lateral G's down but still have a high-performing tire dynamic, the S.Drive would be a good choice.

Once I got my NSX to the track, it turns out he was 100% right. I found the S.Drive to be well-suited for the NSX on the circuit. The turn-in was sharp, the grip was predictable and the tires were very communicative audibly. Driving at 7/10, they lasted about 6 laps before they got greasy. After a cool-down lap and 20 minutes in the pits, they were ready for another session. Plus, I could drive them on the street with no worries. They even worked below 40F. I daily-drove them and went through several track days and there was still plenty of tread life left.

The Fleva is the next-gen version of the S.Drive, just like the S.Drive was a development of the also-great EVS100. So, if the S.Drive is any indicator, I think the Flevas will be great for the NSX as an every-day tire that can work at the racing circuit. Plus, they should keep your G's down enough to protect your engine bearings. I just wish that they had a better name for these tires- geesh. I'm going to try the Firehawk Indy 500's on my current NSX, as they are just a re-branded Potenza RE-003, which is an AMAZING performance tire for the price. But if I don't like it, I'll probably go back to the Flevas.

 

[ridewhencan]

I'll post my feedback here- maybe it will help.

That is a great and informative reply. Thanks.

I'm going to like this forum.

 

[neuronbob]

Thanks for this thread. Always good to have a new tire option for the NSX.

 

[ridewhencan]

I would have bought the front Conti's if available but I don't think they make that size (or 215/40 17) any more. All in, the Fleva's were $633.72 from Tirerack, including tax.

 

[Honcho]

I would have bought the front Conti's if available but I don't think they make that size (or 215/40 17) any more. All in, the Fleva's were $633.72 from Tirerack, including tax.

Feedback on the Contis from another owner is that they have great wet grip and are very quiet, but are on the soft side in terms of responsiveness. He got rid of them in favor of RE-71's I think.

 

[BAVARIA]

Feedback on the Contis from another owner is that they have great wet grip and are very quiet, but are on the soft side in terms of responsiveness. He got rid of them in favor of RE-71's I think.

I believe the "other owner" is me unless Honcho was speaking with someone else in addition to me about the Contis. Have not yet bought the RE71s -- soon. Just haven't been driving the NSX much this season. Contis = quiet, very smooth/compliant ride, not sure about wet as only time was in rain didn't push the car but responsiveness/handling not on par with the old RE010s for sure. I dare not push anywhere near as hard on the Contis as was confident doing on the RE010s. For the record pushing hard for me is 7 or 8/10ths -- not crazy enough to take too much risk with the car especially on a public road.

The essence of the NSX is how it handles and which the switch to Contis from RE010s ameliorated the ride on the crap Detroit area roads, it came at the expense of handling prowess and the confidence I had in the car's handling. The tradeoff was not worth it IMHO.

Best,
Jeff

 

[docjohn]

The conti 6 on my CTR are a fine tire...solid in the rain and quiet with good dry grip.

 

[BAVARIA]

The conti 6 on my CTR are a fine tire...solid in the rain and quiet with good dry grip.

Hmmm, a bit too big for our NA1 NSXs -- 19-22" -- my how we have grown! LOL.

I'm not a super aggressive driver but the Conti Extreme Sports do not inspire anywhere near the confidence that the stiff as hockey pucks RE010s did, albeit at the expense of ride comfort.

Best,
Jeff

 

[danny49]

Just put flevas on my car ,Took it to the dragon great tire!

 

[docjohn]

Fleva Flav.....

 

[Honcho]

I believe the "other owner" is me unless Honcho was speaking with someone else in addition to me about the Contis. Have not yet bought the RE71s -- soon. Just haven't been driving the NSX much this season. Contis = quiet, very smooth/compliant ride, not sure about wet as only time was in rain didn't push the car but responsiveness/handling not on par with the old RE010s for sure. I dare not push anywhere near as hard on the Contis as was confident doing on the RE010s. For the record pushing hard for me is 7 or 8/10ths -- not crazy enough to take too much risk with the car especially on a public road.

The essence of the NSX is how it handles and which the switch to Contis from RE010s ameliorated the ride on the crap Detroit area roads, it came at the expense of handling prowess and the confidence I had in the car's handling. The tradeoff was not worth it IMHO.

Best,
Jeff

Yep, Jeff that was you.

Just put flevas on my car ,Took it to the dragon great tire!

Glad to hear it! I think it is very under-rated.

Fleva Flav.....View attachment 167090

I think of this too every time I hear the name. Why not go with a cool-sounding name like "ADVAN Corsa"? Or "ADVAN GT"?

 

[JLCoolman]

Definitely a winner in the name game.

Have a set waiting to go on the '94 with stock 16/17 wheels.
Had to go with 205/45R16 as hardly anybody makes a matching 215/45R16 anymore.
And then probably got two of the last 245/40R17 available, as that size may be going the wayside for the Flevas (as they're not listed on TireRack's website anymore).

Had the same issue with 225/50R16 for stock rear 16" wheels on the '92 and my '00 S2000 when trying to get AD08 Rs.
TireRack does not list that size from Yokohama anymore, but was still able to order them directly from Yokohama.
TireRack said they're not sure if Yokohama will keep producing that size, as the reason for not listing the size on their website anymore.


Am excited to try out the Flevas, as I've previously enjoyed the S.drives.

 

[ridewhencan]

Update and shout out to Discount Tire Direct.

This is an update on the tires but also a “buying a 30 year old car, sort out” story. Bought the car last June and although it was local to me I wasn’t able to test drive it due to Covid. When the seller dropped it off, I took it around the block with his plates and although I felt a slight shimmy in the steering wheel, I was very excited to take delivery. The front tires looked good but the date code was 2009 and I decided to replace all four tires. This is where the saga begins.


In July I bought the Fleva’s had them mounted and Hunter Road Force balanced. Unfortunately, that shop reported that the Rays Volk 2-piece wheels were bent and the shimmy continued. I had an apparent dent in the driver’s front repaired but that didn’t do the trick. Took the wheels/tires to a different shop that also had a Hunter Road Force balancer. They found wheels AND tires out of round. I love the Volks but couldn’t tolerate the shimmy so I got new OZ Ultraleggra wheels. Took those to the second shop for mounting and balancing. Shimmy was better, but still there!


While all this was going on I got under the car to look around and make sure there was nothing materially wrong. All looked good except that the passenger side tie rod had a slight amount of play in it. So I replaced both tie rods and took the car to an Acura dealer for an alignment. The verdict; the new tires are out of round. Damn!!


Called up Discount Tire Direct with the above history and on the same call the customer service rep (Izzy) agreed to send me new front tires (all that I asked for since I hoped that would cure the problem.) Had the second shop mount/balance the tires for the third time . . .. Problem fixed!!! The car drives as it should, which is a joy, as you know. The Fleva’s themselves are a nice tire for street driving. Nice ride, not noisy, stick as expected through the turns. Will update further if I take the car to a track. But very impressed with Discount Tire. Not sure the experience would have been the same with Tire Rack.

 

[docjohn]

Yep I've been there too over the years...chasing down front speed related shimmy shimmy bang bangs...but when the steering wheel is perfect boy is it sublime...lets see some pics.

 

[ridewhencan]

Little bit of a cloudy day but overall, and even though I liked the Volks, I think the black rims go well.

I was hoping to meet up with you guys for the River Run on 6/12 but have a wedding to go to. Oh well, next time.

 

[docjohn]

I always had a soft spot for a sebring black roof....the wheels work...

 

[nis350]

so the new front tire was the culprit for the shimmy? Perhaps your Volks were fine.

 

[ridewhencan]

The thought occurred to me but the shop's notes seemed pretty clear.



Nonetheless, with the tires off, I may take the rims to a wheel truing specialist. If I can get them straight for a 100 or less a pop, I may do it. One thing holding me back is that the Ultraleggra's are about 2 pounds lighter per wheel. Rotational weight and all that. Still, I like the Volks.



Just not sure what I'd do with them if fixable.

Also, going to put up the Fleva pics that disappeared when picturetrail went defunct.

Fleva compared to contisport.


Fleva compared to S-Drive