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- 2015 Soul Red 6 Sport Auto 2016 Accord EX Auto
I was originally planning to get a set of Kumho's new PA31 tire as they tested well on the Tire Rack's website and had mostly favorable reviews and were available at an incredibly low price:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=179
(Seems the impressions from the test were pretty accurate to how I feel about the tire as you read on below.)
I have been satisfied with Kumhos in the past but I was not comfortable with these being made in China so I then looked at Kumho's LX Platinum which was also priced well but decided it may be too mild of a tire for the MZ5. So I went up in price to a more aggressive tire, the Yoko Avid Envigor:
http://www.yokohamatire.com/tires/detail/avid_envigor
These replaced the absolutely worn OEM Toyo Proxes A18s that came on the car. Walking up to the car the tire looks a lot wider than the stock Toyos mostly due to the built in rim protector and partly due to the tread pattern. These also start out at 11/32" tread depth versus the 10/32" Toyos. Pulling away from the store, the steering is a lot lighter, with less feel, and the tires seem more isolated, giving the impression the road is lined with felt.
At low speeds over expansion strips and bumps the tires feel both softer and harder at the same time. They are louder with a pronounced thump over bumps, and then the softer sidewall gives resulting in a slightly springy sensation. These tires also weigh 2 lbs more than the Toyos which brings the unsprung weight up a tad.
Once up to speed it is clear these have lower rolling resistance than the Toyos as the car coasts quite a bit easier off the throttle. The soft feel at low speeds is very noticeable as the wheel now has a lot less feel and somewhat delayed response to input. The tires are quiet emitting a soft high frequency hiss, and feel very smooth and soft over smooth pavement. On expansion joints and bumps at speed they do still emit an audible thump making the ride seem a little harder than what you feel in the seat of the pants. At speeds of 70+ all you hear now is wind noise and a distant hiss.
I drove 60 miles today in dry, wet, and snow at cold temperatures (10-15F). Overall grip is good in the dry and even better in the wet. Just so-so on packed snow and ice, a little better in slushy and deep snow. Overall I think it's a decent tire for the money but I am disappointed in the steering feel. This is my wife's car so I don't drive it too much but if it were my primary I might think about taking advantage of the 30 day trial guarantee and go for something a little firmer with better steering feel. She drove it today and is happy to have the old worn, loud, vibrating Toyos off the car. I will most likely go with a 16" wheel/snow set next fall.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=179
(Seems the impressions from the test were pretty accurate to how I feel about the tire as you read on below.)
I have been satisfied with Kumhos in the past but I was not comfortable with these being made in China so I then looked at Kumho's LX Platinum which was also priced well but decided it may be too mild of a tire for the MZ5. So I went up in price to a more aggressive tire, the Yoko Avid Envigor:
http://www.yokohamatire.com/tires/detail/avid_envigor
These replaced the absolutely worn OEM Toyo Proxes A18s that came on the car. Walking up to the car the tire looks a lot wider than the stock Toyos mostly due to the built in rim protector and partly due to the tread pattern. These also start out at 11/32" tread depth versus the 10/32" Toyos. Pulling away from the store, the steering is a lot lighter, with less feel, and the tires seem more isolated, giving the impression the road is lined with felt.
At low speeds over expansion strips and bumps the tires feel both softer and harder at the same time. They are louder with a pronounced thump over bumps, and then the softer sidewall gives resulting in a slightly springy sensation. These tires also weigh 2 lbs more than the Toyos which brings the unsprung weight up a tad.
Once up to speed it is clear these have lower rolling resistance than the Toyos as the car coasts quite a bit easier off the throttle. The soft feel at low speeds is very noticeable as the wheel now has a lot less feel and somewhat delayed response to input. The tires are quiet emitting a soft high frequency hiss, and feel very smooth and soft over smooth pavement. On expansion joints and bumps at speed they do still emit an audible thump making the ride seem a little harder than what you feel in the seat of the pants. At speeds of 70+ all you hear now is wind noise and a distant hiss.
I drove 60 miles today in dry, wet, and snow at cold temperatures (10-15F). Overall grip is good in the dry and even better in the wet. Just so-so on packed snow and ice, a little better in slushy and deep snow. Overall I think it's a decent tire for the money but I am disappointed in the steering feel. This is my wife's car so I don't drive it too much but if it were my primary I might think about taking advantage of the 30 day trial guarantee and go for something a little firmer with better steering feel. She drove it today and is happy to have the old worn, loud, vibrating Toyos off the car. I will most likely go with a 16" wheel/snow set next fall.
