gpallem

Okay...probably will sound like a dummy, but I just found out that you shouldn't believe all marketing hype. Let me explain. A year or two back, I bought a set of Yokohama Nexus ZR for my 84 911. Oh, the grip! Simply amazing how much more sure-footed and planted the car felt compared to its previous Goodyear Comp T/a ZR's. Off-ramps with the Nexus tires easily allowed 20 mph more than the Comp T/a's did. All is well then. That is, until 10,000 miles later, when I am starting to notice a serious amount of noise coming from the tires. At 15,000 miles, and steady 70-ish miles per hour (speedlimit IL), I am betting myself that I am at the helm of a nuclear sub. Simply non-ignorable droning to the point that I am having to shout at the occasional passenger. Now, a year or two later, I have to put some new tires on my C-2 Cabrio. The Dunlop Sport X,000 (not sure which one) that were on the car is no longer produced. Despite the satisfaction I had from the Dunlops in the grip department, I found them also noisy in their worn state. Looking things over on the internet, I come across Yokohama's ads and reviews (Tire rack) of the AVS db. The tires are proclaimed to be grippy, sporty, and most of all quiet throughout their life--even after several thousand miles. Given my experience with the Yoko Nexus' grip, and seduced by the thought of a quiet sport's tire, I ordered a set and had them put on. A 1,000 mile drive from Illinois to Florida the next day was going to be the test. On that trip, the noise suppression and the lack of droning was remarkable. Ride comfort excellent as well. However, once in Florida, and having time to drive around on isolated roads and a variety of them, it is becoming crystal clear that this tire is not meant for a sportscar. In the performance department they are a disappointment. Sudden steering inputs will severely upset the driving line, and long sweeping corners are all but to be taken at normal speeds. I suspect the side walls on this tire are simply too soft for any kind of sporting aspirations. And that is sad, because Yokohama does pretend these to be a sport tire. In short; good on noise, bad on performance, and really unacceptable on a sportscar. Hope this may keep some else from making the mistake.

Geert

P.S. Have max tire pressure in them to try and stiffen them up, i.e. 41 front, 44 rear.

pbs911

Humm, I've had good luck at DE events with the AVS for the past two sets both in 16 and 17" sizes. I do think they are less forgiving on improper air pressure than other tires however. Regardless, they don't make the AVS anymore.

gpallem

Are you sure we are talking about the same AVS type? Mine are the "db" model, and I think there are two other models.

Geert

Carrera51

Did someone recommend the AVS db for your 964??? Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't the AVS dbs for sedans. I think my dad put them on my mother's Mercedes 190E. I wouln't think that the db would be recommended for a sportscar. The sidewalls are too soft.

You would have been better off with either the AVS Sport or the AVS ES 100s.

pbs911

I thought that by referencing "db" you were referring to decible levels since you post was initially focused on the noise level of the tire. I was talking intermediates. Sorry for the confusion.

gpallem

Well, from all the literature put out by Yokohama and the website of the Tire Rack (the website lets you do a search for tires that will fit your vehicle), one is led to think that these will do well as an all-season sports tire. My local tire dealer who ordered the tires thought they would do well also. I was not looking for flat-out performance, but I did expect to get a tire fit for a sportscar. You are right in that the side walls are way too soft. I posted my experience hoping that someone else wouldn't make the same mistake.

johnfm

How are you getting 15,000 miles out of a set of tyres?????????????????????????

At 8,000 miles, my rears are down to 8mm!

Christer

When I purchased my tyres they were 8 mm! Weird.

johnfm

Christer, is that 8mm to thread wear indicator??
Mine were measured when I got hte alignmnet done & I'm sure they said 8mm. I may be wrong!!

Melv

I put Yoko AVS's (NOT db) on my 964C4 after thinking how fantastic they were on my Audi A4 V6 -quieter in particular, and good level of grip.

However........on the C4 they were cr*p grip and stability wise and I couldn't wait to wear them out. Kinda bears up yr tale!!

Mel

gpallem

Quick response to two questions asked:

JohnF, I drive quite a bit of highway so I guess that prolongs the life of the tires. I do have to add that the rears were pretty much gone by the time I replaced them. In Illinois, as opposed to most EU countries, there is no yearly inspection on condition of vehicle other than an emissions test. In Belgium, where I am from, my tires would certainly have been illegal at about 10,000 miles.

Mel, I do know the feeling you described! I can't wait for the darn things to wear out either. Having just spent $600 even, I can't justify simply chucking them. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />