Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam43
Are A050s purely an Australian thing. I don't see them over here.
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Bit late to this but, yes, Australia and Japan, actually... if you want to go fast you will get some
Basically, they are a time attack tyre, but available with more durable compounds
IPRA is the largest class in Australia and Yokies have been our control tyre for ... maybe...18 or so years. Anyway, we have a little bit of pull with Japan and as part of our tender a few year back Yokohama came up with an option that fixed the A048 problems (sharp drop off, despite long life) and offered the A050 carcass (which was initially developed only as a WTAC tyre) with some firmer compounds.
The key difference is the sidewalls and the transition to the face, anyone who cuts the two tyres will get it straight away. I say this with a bit of knowledge, as VP for IPRA
So, with the A050 we have lap records at every single track we go to, I have taken almost 2 seconds off my personal time at Phillip Island, put that in to context of a 140 hp/1100kg car on a 1.52 lap it is a vast improvement. The Lap record holder at Bathurst improved 6 (yes, S I X) seconds. Cars that are high torque have seen a much greater improvement.
The A050 is basically as good as an average slick. I will say it again, if you want to go fast on a R spec tyre, these are the best.