Yokohama  AVID TOURING-S

I have never done a tire review, but I have been so happy with these tires, I wanted to do it. I have owned many different tires over the years. Several brands and types. These by far have been the best I have owned. Overall, the Yokohama brand has been very good, but this particular tire has been great. I did not want to do a review until I had the tires for awhile. They have been great in the snow and rain. Traction is excellent. Great handling and quiet. Had my first rotation, and they are wearing very well. Cannot say enough about this tire. I hope they keep making them. I will buy them for any of my other cars if available. The other point to mention is the price. Very affordable; especially for what you get.

I was surprised at the responsiveness and all-around traction capabilities of these tires. They do really well in the rain and snow; hydroplaning hasn't been an issue. These Yokohamas completely trump the Goodyear Eagle RS-A's that I had on before. At first I wasn't sure what to think because they felt a little light in the steering. Then I realized that the Eagle RS-As are just clunky (it felt like I was driving on dozer tracks compared to the Avid Touring). The Yokos are a tad noisy, but for the price, you can't beat 'em! These are what a middle-of-the-road (haha) tire should drive like. I HIGHLY recommend.

I recently got a set of these for my Altima to replace the OE Continental tires which at close to 50k had been pretty dangerous in wet weather. I read through the reviews online and I am glad that I purchased these. The one thing that I saw in some reviews that made me a little nervous were references to them being really noisy. I am very happy to say that these are much quieter than my Continentals were. I have driven them on a good mix of rough and new city and highway roads and I am really impressed with them. One thing I wasnt expecting them to be better about was speed bumps. Speed bumps used to be jarring on the old tires. These handle the parking garage speed bumps with much more grace. Today was the first day we had a heavy rainfall and the tires really impressed me with traction and handling there as well. There was no slippage or unsteady feeling at all. It was the first time in quite a while that I felt confident on a wet road. For the price, these tires seem like a great deal. Overall, they are very quiet and comfortable, and yet the handling of the car has still been great. Being fairly new, I can't comment on the treadwear yet.

Quietest tire I've had on this car. Great traction on dry and wet pavement. I was very surprised how well these tires did in New Hampshire snow storms. I was not expecting much considering the tread pattern. Gas mileage seemed to be about 1mpg better that the Firestones these replaced. Wear bars started showing at about 62k miles.

I got a set of these tires a little while ago and basically I am impressed. A huge difference over the OEM and Continental tires I had. The grip on these tires are solid in my mind. I do drive a front wheel drive vehicle so it can be different for someone who drives a rear wheel drive vehicle. Two days ago we had a huge snow storm on the east coast and I finally got to test out the tires in the snow. We had a foot of snowfall but the roads are usually less. I drove about 3 hours from NYC to PA. These tires were way better then any previous tires I have ever used in the snow. My car only slipped one time on a highway because I was doing 60 mph in the snow and there was a curve but managed to regain control pretty well. I also drove these tires in the train and did not hydroplane like my old tires. Solid set of tires in my mind.

Very good tire, both of my parents did most of the shopping around and we found these to be the best rating for the price. I am very happy with them and they do make a huge difference. Handling is much improved over my old tires, and it handles rain/snow very well for an all weather tire, which is important to me living in Michigan.

The Avid Touring-S is an outstanding value! Superior ride comfort and very low noise levels are definitely the tire's strongest point-- comparable to the much pricier Goodyear Assurance ComfortTread. Dry traction is excellent, and handling characteristics are predictable and appropriate for a T (or S) rated tire-- with steering response feeling slightly numb. However, the tire falls short on wet traction. I have to be very careful to avoid spinning the wheels when launching from a stop in the rain. I drive a light-weight front drive vehicle with a manual transmission which facilitates this by default, but I did not have to be as careful with previous sets of tires. Once in-motion, wet traction is stable though not great, so automatic drivers shouldn't have quite the concern. I do not get any snow, so cannot comment on that front. I have 30,000 miles on my set, and predict a 60,000 to 70,000 thousand mile lifespan. Proper inflation, alignment and rotation is a must for any tire if you expect it to last-- it amazes me how many people neglect this. (A note on treadwear warranties: They are a marketing tool used by tire manufacturers. Your tire will most likely not last the length of the warranty. This is not cause to write a scathing review.)



Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase. This is my second review of this set, and with increased mileage, I have not been disappointed. Living in Southern California, wet traction is not a priority, and the outstanding ride comfort and quietness can not be beat for the money. It's USA made too!

These are really excellent all around tires. Our (mine and wife's) spirited driving has taken a little off the corners of these tires than would otherwise been the case for a mellow driver which proves the great mileage we have gotten with these things. There is more tread left on 40K than I would expect.

Dry traction is much better than expected for a touring tire.
Wet traction is very predicatable and stable. I am impressed with the traction.
Noise is almost always quiet.
I have rotated every 5k and there is absolutely no feathering or irregular wear.
Balance has been beyond exceptional. Build quality is excellent.

These tires are a long wearing, very stable and prudent choice in tires especially if you scoot around alot running errands or put in mega miles.
Definitely would buy again.

I just put two Yokohama AVID Touring-S tires on the front of my 2003 Saturn Ion. The change in noise level was shocking. I knew my old tires were bad, but I forgot how quiet driving could be. This is the first time in this car that I actually appreciate the tires and driving with the radio turned off. I'm going back to get the back tires replaced as soon as I can. I've noticed much better handling in wet and dry conditions. When I punch the gas, I actually feel like the car is trying to keep up with the tires instead of the other way around. I just got the tires, so I hope my opinion stays the same for the 60,000 mile rating. I paid $170 total for the two and feel like they were worth every penny.

Taming the Beast..

I was pretty close to getting rid of my Pontiac Vibe, which I'm actually quite fond of, over ride and traction issues. The OEM Eagle RS-A's handled pretty well and were responsive on dry pavement. The ride though was awful under most conditions and wet/ winter traction was downright spooky.



I decided to go with the Yokahama Touring-S after looking at a lot of options. It's looking like a good move for the Vibe. The ride is radically improved and they are quieter overall. Wet traction is confidence inspiring and I have a hunch these tires will

deliver great results in snow too. The transient response is not quite as good as the RS-A's but I would still rate it as very decent. Also on any road other than smooth the RS-A's were airborne which doesn't do much for handling response either.



One further note.. My gas mileage has improved with the Touring-S to about 34 MPG overall -VS- around 31 with the RS-A's. I'll monitor this over time and didn't expect these tires to be low rolling resistance models but looking good for now.

Great difference over OEM tires. Ride like they are stuck to the road, corner surely but not darty like a sports car. Touring ride friendly, nicely comfortable and sure footed. I think I sometimes hear a little noise depending on road surface but am not sure and the tires are still new. Will update in 30,000 miles. I hope to find the same Yokohama quality and value I have had in the past.

I replaced factory Continentals with these and I must say they are a big improvement. They are much quieter and ride smoother. I got about 45,000 miles out of Contis. These tires have been to TX and back on I-20 twice to see relatives and are great. We drive around town mostly back and forth to school and they are fine there too. They seem a little soft compared to some tires though. I think it is the sidewalls. If you are a spirited driver you will probably prefer something with stiffer sidewalls. If you want quiet and comfort you will love these tires. I came through Atlanta the night before it flooded and it was raining so hard you could hardly see. These tires got me stopped for traffic that was backed up in standing water and conditions that scared me. (That is a lot, I just got out of the military). I am very pleased with the wet performance. I cannot tell you how impressed I am with these tires. Also I ordered from Tire Rack and service has been excellent. I ordered and they were there withing 3 days. Thanks a lot.

Replaced a set of AVID H-rated tires. Been happy so far. Excellent treadwear. More than adequate tires for my vehicle.

First, This was my first experience ordering tires online. This place is great!!

I ordered my tires and had them shipped to a nearby Goodyear shop. They were on my van in 2 days.

Now, about the tire. I cant say enough about this tire. I did my homework and narrowed it down to 5 that I looked at closely. The Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread, the Michelin LX4, Dunlop Signiture, General Altimax HP and the Yokohama Avid Touring S. Comparing all 4 and reading the reviews helped me with my decision. I had the Michelins on a 1998 grand caravan sport and they were real good in the summer but were bad in the snow. I liked the Generals but thought that the treadwear was a little low. Also, The Yokohamas had a better ratings. The Goodyears were higher in price and had a higher treawear. Also, some were not happy with them in snow. I had Goodyear Eagles on an old Cougar and they were terrible in the snow. The LX4's got a bad ratings and I already had them.

I purchased this tire just before a weekend trip. On the way back I got caught in what was the worst rain storm of the year( so far). These tires performed so well it was amazing. I was in control of my van at all times. The van did not hydroplane and I had great steering response. In the dry weather prior to my trip they performed just as well. The noise level was very good. The ride was great. The steering response was just as good.

The tires are new so I could not rate them for snow.

I wanted a tire with a tread wear between 500 and 600 and a traction rating of A. For the price this tire cannot be beat. I will buy this tire again and from TireRack.

Also, on another note. The OEM tire from Dodge for this van is a Bridgestone Turanza EL42. This is by far the worst tire I ever had on one of my cars. Anyone with this tire on their car would be better off with a wagon wheel.

I will update my post as time goes on. I hope this helps.

I really like these tires, they are still sitting in the garage. I plan to install them the day before the first snow. These tires will replace the second set of OEM Goodyear RAs. The Goodyear RAs were/are good tires but didn;t last too long. I'm looking forward to the reported long tread life with the Avid Touring-S. I picked up these tires when passing thru Soyth Bend, IN, no shipping charged, but did pay local sales tax. The stop at Tire Rack's headquarters was interesting and enjoyable. A BIG operation.