Toyota GR Yaris Tyres

Before i begin talking about the performance of the tyre is should clarify that i use these only in warm weather, basically from April to October. For the winter, i have a set of Pirellis SF3s (Thanks, Jonathan).
Now the dry grip in absolute terms is really really high. Same level as the OEM-equipped Michelin PS4S. But the steering feel around the centre is a bit vague in comparison with the PS4S, which was very sharp. The initial turn-in falls under the same behaviour. Initially, it feels just a bit off, until the tyre gets loaded, then it is excellent. Keep in mind that we are talking about minute differences here and not actual day and night feeling. Dry braking is extremely good, it is powerful and the car feels very stable. I think i would prefer the PS4S on the dry just because of the added sharpness and response. But on the wet this is changing completely. My god what kind of wet performance this tyre has... Braking feels as planted and safe as in dry conditions and the grip is very close as well. I would say that in the wet, you can push the car safely at 80% of the dry performance and the SC7 will break no sweat. Additionally, i would say that you can improve the sharpness of the tyre by raising the pressure by 1-2 psi but still i find them inferior in this regard than the PS4S. Road noise can get very high, especially in bad condition tarmac with cracks but keep in mind that the GR Yaris has minimal sound insulation to keep the weight down. The ride comfort is better than the PS4S, even with the pressure adjusted upwards by 1-2 psi, but don't expect any miracles in this sector, as this is still a very sporty tyre. The warm-up also does not take long and the tyre gains a significant boost in grip once it reaches higher temperatures. All in all i think that the CS7 is a better all-around tyre than the PS4S in terms of peak performance but the PS4S is a better feeling tyre, at least for me in this car. Even though i would easily recommend the CS7 to anyone as they are excellent tyres, next time i will search for a tyre that masks less the car's dartiness and sharpness. As a last word, yes the wear of these tyres is worse than the PS4S but because this is a lightweight car the effect is not so evident.

I’ve been using this for this year’s track season on my GR Yaris after having previously used them on drift cars. Decided to be a bit more budget friendly after using A052’s last year, I knew there would be a trade off in lap time but at the same time a set of four 651 Xtras with one of the regular discounts they offer is the same price as one A052 which is a considerable saving.

The elephant in the room that everyone wants to know is the lap times. I have no doubt that a dedicated semi slick would be quicker than these, that’s not even up for debate. But they’re not marketed as being the fastest tyre, fundamentally they’re aimed at drifters and you can tell with how controllable they are past the limit. That limit is lower than the expensive tyres when it comes to lateral G’s but they’re also less prone to snapping on you too, choosing to slide progressively instead. For comparison’s sake when cornering I could manage 1.25G on an A052 but the 651 Xtra can only do 1.1G and I think that’s where the time is lost on a track.

My experiments with them on my GR Yaris however have yielded a new PB so far this year at Knockhill so they’re not exactly a slow tyre. They switch on quickly and with the occasional cool down lap I was doing 20 lap sessions on them, peak grip comes early but you know when it’s gone because I found myself starting to miss apexes. Cool them down and they come back to you.

I’ve taken them to Crail raceway and managed a 1.7s 60ft time on the concrete 1/4 mile track with 400hp and launch control which shows they have plenty of straight line traction, the road surface there is awful and dusty.

I’ve also been using them on the road daily since the weather has got a bit warmer. Stay away from them when it’s freezing out but when milder - say 8+C - they’re nice to drive on. Steering feels pointy and they’re progressive when you want to accidentally slide on “oil” on roundabouts.

In terms of wear I’ve done 3 trackdays and a couple thousand miles on the road and despite the 100TW fears they’re holding up well. All four tyres still have 3-4mm left, wear is pretty even except for the front left which has been the one to go first around Knockhill with the heavy right handers, the surface looks a bit melty. But still life in them.

If you just want to go to the track, drive around enjoying yourself all day and get home afterwards I can’t think of a better proposition for the money. Of course a tyre 3-4x the price will be quicker, these aren’t breaking the laws of physics. For under £100 a tyre with regular discounts they’re great for getting cheap seat time and having fun.

Would definitely buy these again.

I bought these tyres as my go to track tyre (Yokohama AO52) was out of stock and at least 6 weeks away and I needed a track tyre for my new GR Yaris. I have had these tyres on for a year now and have done 4 track days and around 7000km with the tyres still ok. They maybe have a couple of track days left. I will be buying these again as I find them much better than the Yokohama in the wet and the.perormamce on track is just as good with good wear characteristics. On track they get up to speed very quickly and I find they last for longer stints than the Yokohama as well. A lit bit noisy on rough or course chip bitumen and being a track focused tyre not the most comfortable but still ok for daily driving. Highly recommended.

This tyre copes with everything I have thrown at it, including deep mud, and wet grass! I live in a rural area, and in the winter the roads get very slippery, the cross climate 2 copes exceptionally well in these conditions. In the dry, they perform very well for a tyre in this class. Will definitely buy again.

Would be really nice to get a comparison of Semi Slicks. Drove the AR1 two times now on the GR Yaris and the Cup2 previously on the M2. Was not so impressed with the Cup2s overall. Going from stock PS4S 225/40 18 to AR1 in 255/35 18 (-3 camber in the front) is a different world. But wear is pretty high. Would be nice to see how they stack up versus other Semi slicks, like 888R, Federals or Yokohams or even slicks. There really is no up to date semi slicks track test. Tire sizes could differ from the spec sheet... what matters more is the real width in MM... i.e. Cup2s 255s are much wider then AR-1 255s etc. What matters more for track is what's available and what fits. Thanks for all the great work. Enjoying the channel :)