Warning: Long, hope you enjoy it.
I bought a set of Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S tires today and took them out for a test drive in the mountains of Colorado.
My goal is a tire that enables my CX-5 to drive on muddy dirt and gravel mountain roads confidently while still maintaining the driving comfort, road feel, safety and mileage of All Season tires when I'm on asphalt. I use Nokian Hakkapelliitta snow tires, so I don't care how these do in the winter.
My impressions of these new tires today are against my old OEM worn tires, so let me first describe how my CX-5 felt recently as a baseline:
* My OEM Yokohama A/S tires were pretty worn down, but not flat and still had some tread on them. I was expecting to replace them in the next 30-90 days.
* Road grip on asphalt was INCREDIBLY GOOD. My commute from mountain to city involves 10 miles of twisty, asphalt switchback road with lots of curves and an elevation change of about 2500 feet. I would regularly pass people going down by driving quickly but safely. I would rev the engine hard driving uphill to return home at night making it growl and sometimes squeeling on corners.. It was really fun to drive and made me very happy I choose the CX-5.
* Driving the CX-5 really felt like a car because I had a year to get comfortable with it, the tires were acting more like performance tires, and I was repeating the same challenging but fun road each day. The CX-5 has been comfortable in the city and pleasant on the highway, but you need curvy roads, snow, mud or something to really get it to show off just how fun it can be to drive.
* I had plenty of road noise on average asphalt driving. Always a low rumble with some bursts of louder sounds. I'd gotten used to it and turned up the radio. I made a point to listen to it while driving through town today and it was noticable.
Day one of the new Geolandar A/T-S:
* They look really good. Aggressive enough to feel confident and proud but not ridiculous like putting mud tires meant for a Jeep on a Crossover.
* They don't seem stiff. Road comfort got softer and smoother as the new tires absorbed many small road bumps and issues for a more relaxed ride. I don't think I'd be able to say the same about many other models of A/T-S tires, but these are a good fit for a crossover.
* They are quiet! I had some fear about moving from All Season to All Terrain because stiff, knobby tires might make more road noise than what I already knew. Turns out my worn OEM tires were pretty loud and now I'm back the normal low noise of a fresh tire with soft tread.
* They grip really well on gravel. I drive pretty quick on a twisty, gravel covered dirt road sometimes and the old tires would slide like snow. You turn the wheel and the car still slides forward on a bed of lose gravel. These new tires dig through the gravel, grip into the dirt road and put me much more in control. This is not rally car, but I was able to rev the engine and get aggressive going uphill on this problem road today with confidence and security.
* They increased sway on curves. The performance feel that the worn out tires provided recently is totally gone. Driving on a road that curves gracefully left then right produces a noticable 'boating' sway that is fairly uncomfortable. Maybe I'm just used to the car feel too much?
The road sway was a surprise but it reminded me of how the CX-5 felt when I first bought it and drove it on windy asphalt roads in the mountains. Some of you remember a 30-day review post I wrote (in 2013) during my break-in period where I said the CX-5 felt like Grandma's Buick.
What I think now is that the CX-5 will handle a lot like a Mazda 3 or 6 or similar fun car if you put performance tires on it. But if you go heavy tread and soft rubber you're going to get a feel that is less in control, less confident and more unpredictable. Not necessarily bad, but not what I've had in the last few weeks. For me, this means slowing down and getting used to a different driving experience.
Today's test drive was from Boulder, Colorado via asphalt highway 72 winding up canyons to a 4WD gravel road known as Rollins Pass. You can see video of here:
Rollins Pass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVm2C6NXn64
I drove on Rollins for about 1.5 miles. These tires are going to enable me to go places and get into trouble. I decided it was too late in the day and that I'd like a full size spare before getting into that trouble. So I turned around and headed home.
The portion I drove on is the last of the rocky portion at the end of the video, before it hits some relatively smooth dirt roads.
It's been a wetter year than most but it's still a pretty dry summer here in Colorado, so I didn't find any mud to play in. I'll post pictures, video and a report about that when I encounter it. I'm really hoping these plow through mud and grip well on rainy days on dirt roads.
So after one day of driving, I'm happy with the new Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S tires. I'm optimistic about their ability to let me play in the mountains and really use the AWD and high clearance features of the CX-5. While not as much fun, it seems, to drive on normal asphalt conditions, I feel like I'm about to learn that the CX-5 can be excellent on the highway in summer, fun in the mountains in summer and fun in the snow in winter.. IF you put the right tires on it. And, that it can't do all perfectly at the same time.
These long posts are for the curious, the lurkers, the shoppers who want a personal testimonial about something and can't find it elsewhere. I found lots of people talking about Geolandar A/T-S on Jeep and Truck forums with lot of positives, but not any for the CX-5.
Cheers,
I bought a set of Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S tires today and took them out for a test drive in the mountains of Colorado.
My goal is a tire that enables my CX-5 to drive on muddy dirt and gravel mountain roads confidently while still maintaining the driving comfort, road feel, safety and mileage of All Season tires when I'm on asphalt. I use Nokian Hakkapelliitta snow tires, so I don't care how these do in the winter.
My impressions of these new tires today are against my old OEM worn tires, so let me first describe how my CX-5 felt recently as a baseline:
* My OEM Yokohama A/S tires were pretty worn down, but not flat and still had some tread on them. I was expecting to replace them in the next 30-90 days.
* Road grip on asphalt was INCREDIBLY GOOD. My commute from mountain to city involves 10 miles of twisty, asphalt switchback road with lots of curves and an elevation change of about 2500 feet. I would regularly pass people going down by driving quickly but safely. I would rev the engine hard driving uphill to return home at night making it growl and sometimes squeeling on corners.. It was really fun to drive and made me very happy I choose the CX-5.
* Driving the CX-5 really felt like a car because I had a year to get comfortable with it, the tires were acting more like performance tires, and I was repeating the same challenging but fun road each day. The CX-5 has been comfortable in the city and pleasant on the highway, but you need curvy roads, snow, mud or something to really get it to show off just how fun it can be to drive.
* I had plenty of road noise on average asphalt driving. Always a low rumble with some bursts of louder sounds. I'd gotten used to it and turned up the radio. I made a point to listen to it while driving through town today and it was noticable.
Day one of the new Geolandar A/T-S:
* They look really good. Aggressive enough to feel confident and proud but not ridiculous like putting mud tires meant for a Jeep on a Crossover.
* They don't seem stiff. Road comfort got softer and smoother as the new tires absorbed many small road bumps and issues for a more relaxed ride. I don't think I'd be able to say the same about many other models of A/T-S tires, but these are a good fit for a crossover.
* They are quiet! I had some fear about moving from All Season to All Terrain because stiff, knobby tires might make more road noise than what I already knew. Turns out my worn OEM tires were pretty loud and now I'm back the normal low noise of a fresh tire with soft tread.
* They grip really well on gravel. I drive pretty quick on a twisty, gravel covered dirt road sometimes and the old tires would slide like snow. You turn the wheel and the car still slides forward on a bed of lose gravel. These new tires dig through the gravel, grip into the dirt road and put me much more in control. This is not rally car, but I was able to rev the engine and get aggressive going uphill on this problem road today with confidence and security.
* They increased sway on curves. The performance feel that the worn out tires provided recently is totally gone. Driving on a road that curves gracefully left then right produces a noticable 'boating' sway that is fairly uncomfortable. Maybe I'm just used to the car feel too much?
The road sway was a surprise but it reminded me of how the CX-5 felt when I first bought it and drove it on windy asphalt roads in the mountains. Some of you remember a 30-day review post I wrote (in 2013) during my break-in period where I said the CX-5 felt like Grandma's Buick.
What I think now is that the CX-5 will handle a lot like a Mazda 3 or 6 or similar fun car if you put performance tires on it. But if you go heavy tread and soft rubber you're going to get a feel that is less in control, less confident and more unpredictable. Not necessarily bad, but not what I've had in the last few weeks. For me, this means slowing down and getting used to a different driving experience.
Today's test drive was from Boulder, Colorado via asphalt highway 72 winding up canyons to a 4WD gravel road known as Rollins Pass. You can see video of here:
Rollins Pass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVm2C6NXn64
I drove on Rollins for about 1.5 miles. These tires are going to enable me to go places and get into trouble. I decided it was too late in the day and that I'd like a full size spare before getting into that trouble. So I turned around and headed home.
The portion I drove on is the last of the rocky portion at the end of the video, before it hits some relatively smooth dirt roads.
It's been a wetter year than most but it's still a pretty dry summer here in Colorado, so I didn't find any mud to play in. I'll post pictures, video and a report about that when I encounter it. I'm really hoping these plow through mud and grip well on rainy days on dirt roads.
So after one day of driving, I'm happy with the new Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S tires. I'm optimistic about their ability to let me play in the mountains and really use the AWD and high clearance features of the CX-5. While not as much fun, it seems, to drive on normal asphalt conditions, I feel like I'm about to learn that the CX-5 can be excellent on the highway in summer, fun in the mountains in summer and fun in the snow in winter.. IF you put the right tires on it. And, that it can't do all perfectly at the same time.
These long posts are for the curious, the lurkers, the shoppers who want a personal testimonial about something and can't find it elsewhere. I found lots of people talking about Geolandar A/T-S on Jeep and Truck forums with lot of positives, but not any for the CX-5.
Cheers,
