Nissan’s Leaf is first in nobody’s mind when it comes to any type of traditionally defined perform­ance. But the positioning of its heavy battery pack beneath the floor gives it a low center of gravity, a potential handling advantage. In the interest of science, we set out to measure how much roadholding (skidpad grip) we could extract from the Leaf by changing nothing but tires and wheels. Tires fall into an overwhelming num­ber of performance categories, but with a little help from Tire Rack’s online decision guide, we narrowed our replacement-rubber choices to four segments: grand-touring all-season, ultra-high performance, extreme perform­ance, and DOT-legal track and competition. We also opted to concentrate on one brand—Yokohama—because it offers a wide variety of summer and track tires in the Leaf’s stock 205/55R-16 size. Finally, to give ourselves the best possible shot at 1.0 g on a 200-foot skidpad, we also tested the grippiest tire that fits the Leaf, the BF­Goodrich g-Force R1. Without altering tire size or straying from recommended inflation pressures, could we transform the Leaf from commuter car to track star?

KERIAN

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BRIDGESTONE ECOPIA EP422

Automotive Equivalent: Nissan Leaf

Roadholding: 0.79 g

Price*: $107

Test Notes: The Leaf’s stock Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 is a low-rolling-resistance tire designed to maximize the car’s driving range. Grip is low on its priority list, but the Ecopia does provide a quiet and comfortable ride. Unlike a summer tire, the Ecopia can be used all year, even in light snow. It’s essentially the tire equivalent of the Leaf: mild mannered, sensible, and eco friendly, with no real performance or handling aspirations. Around the skidpad, the Ecopias howled in protest but managed a respectable and easy-to-achieve

0.79 g.

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YOKOHAMA AVID ASCEND

Automotive Equivalent: Nissan Leaf

Roadholding: 0.82 g

Price*: $128

Test Notes: This test’s first encounter with the Yokohama family was the new Avid Ascend, a direct replacement for the Leaf’s stock rubber. Like the original-equipment Bridgestone, this Yoko is a low-rolling-resistance tire from the grand-touring all-season segment. We didn’t test the Avid Ascends’ effect on the Leaf’s range, but on half-inch-wider wheels, we did find that they increased skidpad grip over the stock tires. The Avid Ascends also have a higher treadwear rating and greater tread depth than the stock rubber. While they have more grip and the potential for longer life, they do cost a bit more than the stock Bridgestones.

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YOKOHAMA S.DRIVE

Automotive Equivalent: Volkswagen GTI

Roadholding: 0.84 g

Price*: $98

Test Notes: Yokohama’s S.drive is what Tire Rack categorizes as an ultra-high-performance (UHP) summer tire. Like all summer tires, it’s really more of a three-season tire, functioning in almost all conditions except snow. The UHP label means the tire is designed for both wet and dry grip as well as high-speed stability and handling performance. Tread life is a consideration, as UHP tires are meant to last longer than the next-highest rung of summer performance tires. The S.drives enlivened the Leaf’s steering and woke up the handling response. The least-expensive tires in this test squealed around the skidpad but increased grip.

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YOKOHAMA ADVAN NEOVA AD08

Automotive Equivalent: Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Roadholding: 0.89 g

Price*: $155

Test Notes: Jumping to the extreme-performance category brings an emphasis on dry grip while giving up a lot of wet stick and tread life. The Advan Neova AD08 has meaty tread blocks typical of the extreme category, but the tread pattern and rubber compound keep this tire usable everyday. The amazingly grippy AD08s matched the skidpad figure of Yokohama’s own A048, a tire classified as track/competition rubber. The AD08s further sharpened the Leaf’s responses and were eerily quiet as they stuck to the skidpad at 0.89 g. Better yet, the AD08s break away more gradually than the two other track-oriented tires we tested.

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YOKOHAMA ADVAN A048

Automotive Equivalent: Lotus Exige Cup 260

Roadholding: 0.89 g

Price*: $233

Test Notes: Above extreme on the performance ladder are what Tire Rack calls track and competition tires. They are often DOT approved (street legal) but primarily intended for racetracks and autocross courses. Tread life, noise, ride comfort, and wet-weather capability are all sacrificed at the altar of dry grip. Track tires’ major advantage over street tires is that they maintain maximum grip during sustained hard cornering despite the resulting elevated tread temps. The AD08s might have hit the same skidpad number as the A048s, but the lower-priced tires’ tread was beginning to peel away in small chunks, while the A048s showed no signs of distress.

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BFGOODRICH G-FORCE R1

Automotive Equivalent: Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup race car

Roadholding: 0.96–0.97 g

Price*: $203

Test Notes: A barely disguised racing slick, the R1 sneaks by the DOT by virtue of two shallow grooves in its tread. It’s technically legal but not a tire we’d use on the street. The R1 is a hothouse flower: It demands quite a bit of heat to generate maximum hold, has no interest in gripping a wet surface, and isn’t even supposed to be stored below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. But a warm set of R1s transforms the Leaf into a corner-devouring track weapon at 0.96 g. In a last-ditch lunge for the 1.0-g mark, we took the doors off the car, further lowering its center of gravity. We almost fell out, but the weight loss helped us hit 0.97 g.

* Each, from tirerack.com; shipping not included.

KERIAN

From the July 2012 issue of Car and Driver

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