ItalnMuslNYC

I've been looking to obviously dump the $hitty Mich. stock tires that are on my TLS and replace them with a set of Yokohama Avid V4S. Does anyone have these tires and if so, what are your opinion on them?? Tirerack.com has a good writeup on the tires, and a few people have written reviews on them and say they're great.. but wanted everyone's opinion on them here if you have them on your TL. At $101 a tire, you can get 2 of them for the price of one Mich. tire.

Thanks!

vclune

I have them on my Grand Prix GTP and think they are great. They replaced the Michelin pilot sport A/S tires I had. Mainly bought them on price because I didn't want to spend 270.00 a piece for the pilot sports again, although I put 80,000 miles on them.

derrick

Hey,

These were gonna be my 'winter tire' option for my OEM rims ... great price/performance is what ppl told me about these tires. However, I think I'm gonna run dedicated snows (Toyo Garit HT) 'cause the winters can be a little crazy in these parts and road conditions aren't so great at times.

Based upon what I've read about these tires, I would definitely go with these over OEM Michelin tires. Hope that helps. (500 tread rating, 93XL load rating ... better than Michelins!)

- derrick

ItalnMuslNYC

I just ordered them from tirerack.com for $101 each and got a $100 Marriot gift certificate too (great for me since I travel alot) - They should be here soon, just need to get them mounted - I'll let you know what happens! thanks guys

copland007

I'd be interested in your take on the tires Italn, especially if you are a spirited driver I'd love to know how they hold up in tight turns.

ItalnMuslNYC

I'll post when i get them mounted!

scandal37

I've had the Avid's for about 2 weeks now and love them. They are much quieter than the Michelins and they ride much better. I've had a tough time trying to get the tires to squeal too. They corner like crazy too. . .

Compared to the Michelins, you'll love them! The stock tires are horrendous in comparison. . .

thumpy

I've been running these for a few weeks now. Great tires! quiet, great in the rain, handle great and the price is right!

omniman

I also just got these tires mounted (Avid V4s, 215/50/17). Coming from 8 different Continental ContiExtremeContacts that would not balance and lots of calls to Tirerack, I finally have the set of tires that I paid for.

scoot20

AVID V4s being mounted as we speak. I got 40k out of the stock Mich. believe it or not...guess I'm a lucky one.....but CHUNKS have been coming out lately! scary....better not nick the lugs or rims! I reminded them....alittle nervous...

Edward'TLS

How does the AVID V4 compared with the Pilot Sport ? The Pilot Sport is among the top ranking A/S tires available. How much drop in performance is with the AVID V4 in comparison ?

ItalnMuslNYC

I've had these new Avid 4VS's now for a couple of months. They by far.. SURPASS those $hitty Michelin Pilot Sports. Almost 1/2 the price - treadwear is 500 rated vs. 300 on the Michelin's. Everyone's advice was perfect. They handle incredibly; quiet and handle amazing in the rain. I highly recommend these tires. I got them from tirerack.com too for $102 each, and had a local place install and balance them for $40 for all 4 tires.

Edward'TLS

I think you made a mistake. The $hitty OEM Michelin's are not Pilot Sport A/S, they are MXM4. The Pilot Sport is a top ranking performance A/S tire, receiving high phrase from everyone using it. Vclune knows better.

samkws

how's the sumitmoto HTR+ compare with AVID V4?

thumpy

Has anyone ran these AVIDV4 in the snow? if so, what is your opinion and how do they compare to any previous tires?

I've got them on my car but I swap them out for Winter rubber and have never ran them in the snow. I'm thinking about putting a set on my Mom's car as an all season.

Cheers

blulegend

I too am waiting for the snow to truly test these tires. But compared to the ContiExtremeContacts they almost match them in dry traction, equal them in wet traction, and have no vibrations and are much stiffer and more responsive.

ItalnMuslNYC

Now that I finally have the Yoko's - they are a huge improvement to the stock MXM4's. Just driving them in the rain alone was worth it. I took a turn the other day in the rain, and it was like I was riding on dry pavement. Should be interesting in the upcoming months to test them in the snow. I'll definetely find some deserted parking lot with alot of room to see what these tires can do!

thumpy

I decided on a Bridgestone tire for my Moms car, going this Sat to get them mounted. Its the Potensa G009, an H rated all season. They were slightly more $$ than the AVIDV4's but I'm thinking they will be better in the snow then the V-rated Yoko?

My AVIDV4's were to come off this week in favour of my Yoko winter rubber but its too warm here right now! I'll wait another week or so.

blulegend

The sidewalls on the bridgestone are pretty soft. It may be too squishy like the contis.

Cruise

I'm running the Avid V4s on my '02 TLS. The folks at Yoko told me to run 33 psi all the way around, but that didn't work out well at all for me. They flat spot badly at that pressure overnite. They seem to work fine at 38 psi in the front and 35 psi in the rear. This tire carries a 50 psi max load pressure where the OEM's were rated at 40. What are you other Avid v4s guys running?

Edward'TLS

If you over-inflated your tires, they seem to be more responsive because the sidewalls become harder due to the higher internal pressure. The side-effect is that they will also become very slippery in the wet.

Type S Bee

I hate to sound like a broken record, but I have to agree with most other posters, the Yokos are really nice. They have been on my ride for about two months and have 2400 miles on them. 215/50/17 and I also had to make ajustments to the tire pressure to get the ride just right. I ended up with rather firm settings. I run 38 all the way around, because I am a gas conscious fool. I decided to buy mine from tires.com because I have had better luck with there return policy than tirerack. The money difference was only $9 a tire. But I cannot emphasize enough the better qualities of the tires. They are very quiet. I mean very, very quiet. Did I mention they are so quiet. That was really important to me. I refuse to turn my radio up on the expressway for a 5 hour trip somewhere. I am going for an oil change soon, and I plan on rotatating them , because I plan on squeezing the whole 60,000 mile tire life out of them. I only got 47,000 miles out of my stock tires . Oh another cool feature is the the fact that the yokos have a more square side wall, so the tire looks wider than the stock michelins on the type s rims. Just my !

blulegend

I inflate mine at 36 front and 34 rear.

thumpy

Got mine at 40psi all way around. I've had them on the car since May and for the first while they were at 38psi but they just didnt feel right..
a few factors-> the seemed to catch groves in the road more often at a lower p.s.i AND this car needs all the help it can get with gas mileage. They seem to be wearing well at the higher p.s.i

thephantom

I have the Sunitomo's and don't get them. They are cheap price wise as well as quality. I used the Sumitomo's in the winter only and I have gone through 6 of them within two winters.

In the summer time I use the Yokohama AVS ES 100 and they are great for the $$. Cornering is much improved and in the rain it preforms like a champ!

Now I have the Yokohama V4S, had they for two days now and they are WAYYYY better than the Sumitomo's. They don't handle as well as the ES100 but they are not performance tires. For an all season tire the V4S is the best choice around. The ride is softer than the ES100, quiter than the Sumitomo's. That's all I have notice so far but I am happy with them.

As far as tire pressure is concerned I think it depends on the driving condition and road conditions. I live in MA and there are pothole as large as a the Grand Canyon so I keep my tire pressre at 35 psi.

mdavisii

Just curious, is this 35 psi warm or cold?

thephantom

Cold.

monky

I'm thinking about getting the Yokohama Avid V4S since everyone seems to be pretty happy with them. Do any of you know whats the largest size I can get without having any problems? I don't mind the speedometer being too slow.

My TL-S has only 16k miles on it and I've already replaced 3 michellins due to pothole bubbles under their discounted 50% off goodwill policy.(Boston and NYC roads suck) I just got my fourth bubble after hitting a huge pothole this weekend and am going to call it quits on the michellins.

I want to increase the profile so that it'll take bumps better and not develop any bubbles. I'd rather not deal with returns or exchanges with road hazard warranties. Any suggestion of sizes? I wouldn't want anything too big but as long as theres no rubbing or handling problems I'll be happy.

ItalnMuslNYC

Get the 215/50/17. This what I have on my Yoko's. The handling is incredible. I was even tempted to go with 225's (a lower profile, but not sure if they had them).. but I'm EXTREMELY happy with these new Yoko's. Can't beat the price. Tirerack.com

monky

Hey ItalnMuslNYC,

Do you have problems with tire bubbles? Are the Yoko's better at resisting them?


To other forum members:
What other sizes work for the TL-S rims?

Thanks,
Jim

Avion

I've had the Avid's on now for a month. I find the side walls a lot softer the then stock tires. I'm running the tires at 48 psi trying to reduce the JELLO ride. This is not a performance by far. Since my wife mainly drives the car, the tread wear of 500 was more important then handling. If you want performance look else where at your typical 280 treadwear performance tire.
Avion 2002 TL S

thephantom

If you think the handling is good on the V4S you should try the Yoko ES100! It's a performance tire so you will lose the all season advantage.

I find the sidewall on the V4S better than the stock Michellin's and its overall quality is a few notches above the OEM's as well. The difference between the two tires, other than the price, is the V4S' are all season tires and the Michellins are touring tires.

The price difference between the two tires is about $110. The performance difference is noticeable and the V4S is clearly the winner.

blulegend

The reason why new Yoko's might feel squishy compared to stock is because of the increased tread over worn tires. You haven't felt squishy till you've tried the ContiExtremes

mdavisii

ItalnMuslNYC,
How much COLD air do you keep in your V4s? Do you go higher than the recommended 32 PSI? Trying to find that sweet spot for these tires . . .

thephantom

I'm not ItalnMusLNYC but I keep mine at 35 psi, cold.

ItalnMuslNYC

Hey everyone.. I keep my tires at 35psi. No tire vibration.. no squishiness.. no nothing. Just a smooth ride.

I also will say that the sidewall is much stronger than the Michelin's. I've already his numerous potholes or road bumps (anyone who has driven through queens or even through nyc will vouch) and I have not gotten any bubbles (knock on burlwood trim). I always keep a constant check on the tires, especially since my driverside front tire usually takes most of the beating on my car.. and so far.. it's great.

I'm very happy with these, as are 98% of the people who get these tires. Just read the reviews on tirerack.com.

If I were to ever replace these tires, I'd maybe go for a lower profile, but due to the roads here, it will never happen. Maybe if I move to florida or cali.

Red-CL

I love my Yokahamas.

Waaaaaaaay better than the stock shitchelins.

kennelm

I just got my Yokohama's about 2,000 miles ago. They were mounted and balanced, and never felt quite right. I just went back and got them balanced again, and I was told that sometimes a tire is just not precisely made and will not ever balance properly. Two of mine appear to be in this category. See below.

I was given what they call a "Road Force Balance" and it was determined that my tires have the following Road Force ratings: 3, 9, 15, and 17 pounds. I think the more wiights they have to add to the wheel to make the tire balance, the higher the Road Force number. I'm told that <= 10 is good, and > 10 is not good. So, two of my tires look good, and two do not. I was told that the Tire Rack will accept a return under such circumstances, provided I show them the printouts showing the poor balancing.

Anyone have experience with this?

thephantom

No, but it's very interesting. I will keep an eye out for that during my next balancing.

Cruise

I've had my V4's for about 8,000 miles now. On the road force check, the worst tire measured 10 lbs., which I was told was more than acceptable, and the best tire was only 0.65 lbs., which was downright amazing. The other two were between 2 and 4 lbs. All in all, the tech said they were an outstanding set of tires, this from a dealer who doesn't even handle the Yoko brand. I had ordered them from the Tire Rack. When it came to balancing, believe it or not, no tire even required a stick on weight. All four balanced with only the clip weights on the inside rim. The one with the 10 lb. road force reading took the most weight. The other three were pretty minimal.