MST3K

I was planning to get a set of Yokohama Avid V4s tires for my 03 TL-S from Tirerack. I see they have the new W4s available as well, for a lower price. So the W4s would seem to be the better buy aside from the lower treadwear rating. However I have had an issue with my current Sumitomo HTR+ W-speed rated tires flatspotting during the cooler months. I have read that higher speed rated tires will do this more often. Since I don't particularly need higher than a V rating, I was wondering if anyone can comment who has tried these tires, whether the V4s will have a lower risk of flatspotting compared to the W4s. What have been your experiences with these?

fsttyms1

Ive never heard of any one complaining of the yokos flat spotting. My HTR+ never did.

sb65

Not sure exactly what the problem(s) is/are with my Avid V4S, but despite 6 attempts at balancing them (at 2 different shops, both using Road Force balancing equipment), I still have a shake at speeds over 65. It often seems worse after my car has been sitting for 8+ hrs, so I think they are flatspotting (in both warm and cold weather). One shop did say I had one rim that was slightly bent, so I replaced it, but it didn't help at all.

I am thinking I need to just cut my losses and replace the tires with something else. Never thought I'd miss my Michelin MXMV?? tires (stock), but they were smooth as glass vs the terrible ride I have with the Yokos.

CrazyBabyDoc

I've had the W4s for 18mo (30k). No problems at all (in NC). Great tire for the price so I'm glad I didn't spend the extra cheddar for 960AS.

djarovsky

I have the Yokohama AVID V4S tires and they flat spot horribly every morning after sitting overnight. Once they warm up, the tires round out and the flat spots go away. It is very annoying and it gets worse as the temp drops. I don't remember the original Michelins doing that and I had two sets. The Yokohamas are stiffer tires vs the Michelins. You pay a ride quality price for the extra grip and stiffness.

When balancing high performance tires, they need to be warmed up and removed quickly for balancing to avoid flat spots.

Search for the Acura Service News 5 part article series on steering wheel shimmy and vibration. Following the articles to the letter works. Just find a place with the proper equipment.....and someone who is knowledgable and patient.

99LagunaTL

I have the H4s and have no problems either.

TLer trash

I'm on my second set of v4s [225 50 17]. If I ever notice flatspotting, it's very slight, and gone in 3 or 4 minutes. I didn't get the wear I expected, but I got them pro rate warrantied. They didn't get noisey as they wore, and I thought the grip and response improved as they wore. I kept the car aligned, and I rotated every 5,000 miles.

JRod

I installed a set of V4's and I had flat spot issues after the car sat overnight. Right around 40-50mph, the tires would vibrate for about 10-15 minutes and then they were fine after that. After about 10k miles, the flat spot issue was gone. I ran them through two Minnesota winters, not the greatest tire in the snow, although they are a great summer tire, plenty of traction. I have about 60k miles on them and they will be replaced with the Michelins for better traction this winter.

Praveen

I put on a set of Yokohama Avid V4 tires for my 2000 TL. I purchased them from TireRack and had Sears mount and balance them and perform the wheel alignment. The car has severly pulled to the left ever since. Last week, after approx 5500 miles on them, I couldn't take it anymore so I had Sears rebalance the tires and redo the wheel alignment - resulting in no change. I rotated the tires from front to back to see if there is a specific tire problem, but again no change as it still pulls drastically to the left.

Looking at the alignment specs, I notice the rear left camber is the only one out of the specified range. The range is -1.0 to 0.0 degrees, whereas the actual setting is at -1.4 degrees.

It's actually getting dangerous driving my car this way. Any one have any thoughts on what else to try?

MST3K

Thanks for the replies. I ended up getting the W4s since they were cheaper, and it didn't seem that they would be any better or worse than the V4s in this regard. They do flatspot when cold, and it takes a good 10 minutes of driving to get it out but it is no different than the Sumitomo tires I took off. What was interesting is that I had to go to the dealer to balance them as two local shops (Firestone and Town Fair) could not balance them properly after repeated attempts.

Praveen, if it still pulls drastically to the left after rotating the tires I would think they just didn't do the wheel alignment correctly. I have bad luck with shops getting it right the first time. You could try going somewhere else and getting it done, and have them save the paperwork so you can show it to Sears and hopefully get a refund. I did this in my case with my repeated attempts to balance the tires (as I mentioned above). Both local shops refunded me when I showed them the dealer invoice.

sb65

I've tried to get them balanced 6 times at 2 different shops, both spin balancing and RoadForce. No luck yet. Even after they are good and warm (e.g. 1 hr at highway speeds), there is still steering wheel shake/vibration. I think I'll just ditch 'em in the next month or two and buy a different tire. Never thought I'd miss the stock Michelins.

Hooksta

My wife had a set of Pirelli's she ordered off tirerack for her 1993 Honda Accord (this was years ago)...but they pulled to the left something fierce. I rotated the tires left to right (not front to back) and then the car pulled violently to the right. I think that is simply a risk for buying them off the internet. We ran the bad tire on the back for a while and then sucked it up and bought something else. Not sure what causes a tire to pull like that.