There was something I noticed today while changing tires on Matt’s new GR Corolla — The tread pattern of the Yokohama Advan Apex V601 is SUSSSpiciously similar to that of the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. On one hand, one could say that there have been tons of tires with lots of different tread patterns over the decades. Therefore, of course there will be similarities eventually. It’s the same thing as finding two songs that sound like each other. But in my opinion, this is something different!
The Pilot Sport 4S (left) stands as one of the top standards for performance summer tires that can be used on a day-to-day basis. This is based on user feedback as well as professional reviews. Even Keiichi Tsuchiya recommended the PS4S in one of this 86 videos on his Drift King TV YouTube channel. So, it’s no surprise that other tire manufacturers would like to offer an alternative to the PS4S at perhaps a less-expensive price point. Cue the Advan Apex V601 (right), which in my opinion is a mighty fine tire.
I haven’t heard any official word on this assumption (and I don’t think I ever will), but I have a feeling that Yokohama was aiming at PS4S customers with the offering of this tire. I mean… just look how similar they are.
Nevertheless, I think Yokohama’s arrow landed close to the mark. While I don’t have any side-by-side comparisons, feedback from users of both tires seems to be quite similar. And as someone who gets the pleasure of mounting and dismounting both of these tires, the Yokohamas maintain a certain softness even after age — very much like the Michelins.
