Photography Credit: Anna Overman
Many of us focus our tire desires on the hottest, shiniest models–the ones that deliver the fastest laps at the pointy end of the field. But what about the masses who value streetability as much as durability and ultimate pace?
You’re in luck.
[Grassroots Motorsports ultimate track tire guide]
There’s a subset of the Endurance 200 category that can provide exactly that: performance yet reasonable life. And a newcomer from Kenda might add some extra value to that equation.
To find out, we pitted the Kenda Vezda UHP Max KR20A against the class benchmark, the Yokohama Advan Neova AD09, as well as the new Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02.
We acquired all of our test subjects in the 245/40R17 size and mounted them on 17x9-inch Kogeki wheels from Flyin’ Miata. Our Triple Threat ND Miata again served as our test mule.
We heat cycled each set of tires with a round trip to the track plus six laps at ever-increasing pace. Once home, the tires were removed and allowed to cool, effecting a finish cure on the rubber. During this time, we took notes on the subjective handling characteristics and ride quality of each. This is especially important data for dual-duty use.
Our test day at Harris Hill Raceway featured very little traffic to work around, so it was easy to get clean data. Morning ambients were in the 60s, with late-afternoon highs topping out in the 80s–ideal for comparison testing of street tires.
While the AD09’s aggressive tread pattern and wide, square shoulders announce its high-performance intent, the ECS02 is a true wolf in sheep’s clothing, looking more like a typical touring tire. From left to right: Yokohama Advan Neova AD09, Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02, Kenda Vezda UHP Max KR20A. Photography Credit: Andy Hollis
As a veteran of several of our recent comparisons, the Yokohama Advan Neova AD09 served nicely as a baseline to properly rank the acquired data from our two newcomers. It’s the latest in a long line of category-leading products that began with 2005’s launch of the AD07.
On the Road: The AD09’s focus on street performance was immediately apparent, as it was the most athletic-feeling of the bunch here. Responsive but not overly so–very natural. And while some washboard surfaces did elicit harshness, elsewhere the ride was typical of a 200tw tire.
On the Track: The AD09 required a lot of steering input and was edgy at the limit–but recovery was quick and intuitive. Taking a full lap to come in, ultimate grip was strong, but that edginess made it hard to hit all of our marks every circuit. You can see this in the lap time progression as we dialed in our driving over the session. Still, the tire itself hung in there, losing no performance throughout.
Audible feedback was ever-present once the tire was up to temp, clearly announcing pushes to the limit. Toward the end of the session, the intensity of the feedback increased as energy built up in the tire.
Continental has been making one of the best do-it-all tires for many years now. It all began with the ExtremeContact DW back in 2009. The DW stands for Dry-Wet, with its unique molded tread void design featuring an indicator that wears away to signal when the tread is at a depth where wet performance is no longer optimal.
The original DW found a home on performance cars for street duty with occasional track or autocross use. It was also perfect for competition wet use, either on track or around cones. All that excess traction meant it was the tire we chose to install on our kids’ cars to keep them safe in a variety of conditions.
Twice now, Continental has revised that tire with new technology to improve its weak points relative to the competition–most notably, the Michelin PS4S and its predecessors. Renamed the ExtremeContact Sport in 2017, that update delivered improved dry grip to match its category-leading wet performance. However, over time Michelin still garnered the lion’s share of that market. Now with the latest revision, the ExtremeContact Sport 02, Continental gives us even more dry grip but also enhanced handling dynamics.
On the Road: Compared to the outgoing ExtremeContact Sport, the new ExtremeContact Sport 02 produces much more direct steering, with only a small dead zone straight ahead–just enough to keep from having to constantly react. Movement beyond that zone causes an immediate and very satisfying response. Initially we found ourselves turning in too much and having to adjust, but we learned to love this trait soon thereafter.
And the ride quality? Of all the high-performance tires we’ve ever tested, this one is the smoothest on the street with zero road noise. It’s a great solution to mitigating a stiff suspension on a dual-use vehicle.
On the Track: Those handling traits were magnified on the track, with responsiveness ramping up the more we loaded the tire. Even as the edge of adhesion approaches, the tire says, “Give me more!” Breakaway was smooth and predictable, aided by moderate audible feedback.
Our first lap was the quickest, but some heat soak soon set in, lowering the overall grip level a bit. Subsequent laps were very consistent. Note that the ExtremeContact Sport 02 is molded to a much deeper tread depth than the others, so the heat soak characteristic caused by tread squirm should be less of a factor as the tread wears down. Remember that DW mark? As the W goes away, the D improves.
Kenda’s motorsports involvement has mostly centered on off-road and drifting. In 2023, the brand announced a new compound, KR20A, to make its Vezda UHP Max drifting tire more compatible with amateur circuit and autocross use. Premium performance at a value price is the goal with this model, as a set here will save you more than $400 over the Yokohamas.
On the Road: Our highway drive with the Kenda was surprisingly pleasant considering the low price point. Response was somewhat dull, but not vague, and was progressive in nature. It’s not nearly as sporty as either the AD09 or ECS02, but still quite good. Our only complaint was the whirring noise that got louder as speeds climbed on the highway. This is typical of V-shaped tread designs.
On the Track: That steering dead zone became much larger, with more and more steering angle required as load increased–pretty much the opposite of the ExtremeContact Sport 02. Grip limits were similarly vague, but breakaway was very smooth and predictable.
After one solid lap, though, the Kenda quickly heat soaked and performance dropped off drastically. At the same time, the tire went from moderately talkative at the limit to a howling squall at every turn of the wheel or application of the brakes.
With lunchtime approaching, we remounted our baseline AD09s for a bracketing session to measure any track evolution or driver improvement. As it turns out, there was none. Lap times were very similar from start to finish. Satisfied, we put the car on the trailer and returned home to study the data.
Photography Credit: Andy Hollis
If you’re working to a budget, the Kenda could be your tire, especially if street use is primary. It certainly can tolerate the track, but it’s not going to set any records in that venue. As Kenda’s first foray into this segment, we expect it will continue to improve as it has in other markets.
For those favoring longer sessions and more consistent lap times, the Yokohama AD09 is your clear choice. We’ve run this one for 30 minutes straight, consistently putting in laps all within a tenth of each other. In fact, it’s an ideal candidate for endurance racing, where it can last a full weekend of abuse. Quick, durable, consistent on track and athletic on the street, the AD09 delivers.
Our big takeaway from this comparison was just how good the Continental has become. Its handling characteristics are a standout, and dry grip is substantially improved. While we didn’t test it here, its wet performance is known to be among the best. Add in the silent treatment on the road, and you have the perfect tire to mount on every car you own, especially ones that see some occasional track time or cone dodging.
It’s no wonder that the ExtremeContact Sport 02 is one of the most popular tire choices for the Tire Rack One Lap of America presented by Grassroots Motorsports, where durability and consistency are just as important as wet and dry performance. Your move, Michelin.
Great comparison for those of us that do casual track days and aren't looking for the 10/10th.
I've ran the AD08s for the last 2 years and I'm really happy that the AD09s keep that consistency. I like knowing that the last lap of a 20 minute session almost always feels the same as the first few laps. That's helped me get better everytime I'm out on track.
In reply to bmw88rider :
Glad you found the review helpful. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get excited when a new tire test gets announced...
I keep landing on the Conti and the Hankook RS4 for the best balance of wear, grip, enduro performance and value.
The pace of the ECS02 really makes me wonder if it's a true 300TW class tire. I'd really want to see where it stacks up directly against your typical Endurance 200 and Super 200. Because these results almost make it seem like the unicorn tire for dual duty.
Vaoh said:The pace of the ECS02 really makes me wonder if it's a true 300TW class tire. I'd really want to see where it stacks up directly against your typical Endurance 200 and Super 200. Because these results almost make it seem like the unicorn tire for dual duty.
While not direct same-day, the lap times generated by the ECS02 are about 1-1.5 seconds off of the best Super200's (A052, RE71RS, CRS V2), all of which I can turn the same lap times with at Harris Hill. This also jives with what I've heard from others who have tested.
In particular, the RE71RS and ECS02 are the two tires of choice for the One Lap of America. The former being the obvious choice when the forecast looks mostly dry and the latter when Noah shows up. Each is the best at one condition and really good at the other. But it's also why there is so much comparative data out there, as plenty of those folks test both.
In reply to Andy Hollis :
Honestly that's extremely impressive for a tire that's a PS4S competitor. They seemed to do pretty well after getting heat soaked, they might not be as resilient to heat as your typical endurance 200 but I feel like you wouldn't regret taking them out for a fairly long session either.
Hmmmm, a tire test involving a Miata, you don't see that everyday.
In reply to Vaoh :
The ECS02 was made to directly take aim at the PS4S, that is why it received the very similar treadwear rating, tread pattern, etc. A comparison of those two would be interesting. Currently I run the PS4S on a mostly daily driver and occasional track day car. I don't swap tires when I go to a track day, and I run whether it rains or not, so its the perfect tire. If it is a second or two slower than a super 200TW tire, so what? Roger Penske isn't scouting me, I don't time myself - I just enjoy the laps.
In reply to Vaoh :
The ECS02 was made to directly take aim at the PS4S, that is why it received the very similar treadwear rating, tread pattern, etc. A comparison of those two would be interesting. Currently I run the PS4S on a mostly daily driver and occasional track day car. I don't swap tires when I go to a track day, and I run whether it rains or not, so its the perfect tire. If it is a second or two slower than a super 200TW tire, so what? Roger Penske isn't scouting me, I don't time myself - I just enjoy the laps.
In reply to Vaoh :
The ECS02 was made to directly take aim at the PS4S, that is why it received the very similar treadwear rating, tread pattern, etc. A comparison of those two would be interesting. Currently I run the PS4S on a mostly daily driver and occasional track day car. I don't swap tires when I go to a track day, and I run whether it rains or not, so its the perfect tire. If it is a second or two slower than a super 200TW tire, so what? Roger Penske isn't scouting me, I don't time myself - I just enjoy the laps.
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