UBBFriend: Email This Page to Someone!
  AutoPedia® Bulletin Board System
  Tires
  Yokohama and Dunlop-long

Post New Topic  Post A Reply
profile | register | preferences | faq | search

next newest topic | next oldest topic
Author Topic:   Yokohama and Dunlop-long
annie
unregistered
posted December 09, 2001 01:29 AM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
I have '95 Integra LSS that takes 195/55/15 tires. After quite a few phone calls I have narrowed it down to two(I think,lol).
The Yokohama YK420 which comes in the above tire size and the Dunlop Sport A2 which I was told does not come in that size but I can get it in a 205/50/15.Both are H rated tires. Is it better to buy a tire in the correct size rather than changing?
I am looking for a far quieter and smoother riding tire than the ones I have (Michelin XGT V4)I also need somethng that is decent in snow.
I realize I will be losing some of the handling by going to an H rated tire but are there any opinions(hehe)on which would be the better tire as far as snow and handling goes?
I have read the reviews on the Dunlop but have no information on the Yokohamas other than the H rating and that the tread is the same as the Avid T4.(which I read in a post down below) Has anyone tried them?

I know almost nothing about tires except what I have read this past week so I am not familiar with either one of these makers. I have only ever had the Michelins.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Why can't buying tires be like buying gas-three choices-pick a grade and go?!

IP: Logged

Diskburner
unregistered
posted December 09, 2001 07:21 AM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
I'm using Yokohama AVID T4's size 195/60-14 and I have found them to be a good tire. They don't really excel at anything but ride smooth and quiet and have good foul weather traction. They replaced a set of Michelins MXV4's and seem at least as good if not better the the Michelins. I feel you should keep running your original size tire and going to a lower profile tire, ie 50 vs 55, is really going to hurt snow performance. The best snow traction is obtained by using a narrow tire that can cut through the snow. A wide tire must plow and push through the snow. If you've ever seen rally cars when they have a snow set-up the tire are about half as wide as what they use in the dry. I also have some doubts on how well the new Dunlop A2s are going to be in the snow. The tread has that massive solid smooth rib in the center and you know thats not going to have any grip in the snow, its just like having a worn out tire. The few small tread element on the side of the center rib can't make up for this design. If you examine the tread of any snow tire none have a soild unbroken or siped center rid. I think the Yokohamas might not give you the dry performance that your original Michelins had but will give you a better snow traction and a smoother ride.

IP: Logged

Jay
unregistered
posted December 10, 2001 04:34 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
I would not change from a 195/55/15 to a 205/50/15 if I were you. The 215/50/15 is a closer match, but if snow traction is important, I would not go wider for reasons already mentioned.

The Dunlop A2 is old technology. I would look at the SP5000 if you like Dunlops. It will get through the snow, but will not be great.

Take a look at the Nokian NRW. It is H rated in your size (195/55/15) and sounds like a good match for you.
http://www.nokiantires.com/indexen.html

IP: Logged

ron516
Member
posted December 14, 2001 05:59 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ron516   Click Here to Email ron516     Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
annie, i am looking at the same two tires for my 2001 malibu ls. i called yokohama and asked them about the yk420's, i was told that the yk's are similar to the avid h4's in performance but are made only for the discount tire store chain. the dunlop's get very good feedback on tirerack's website, but they are new tires and if they are like the d60 a2's that they replace i would not buy them. i am defintely leaning towards the yoko's but i am going to look around some more before i buy. oh, and by the way buy the correct size tire for your car!

IP: Logged

annie
unregistered
posted December 14, 2001 07:58 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Thanks,guys!
I took your advice and went with the same size tires and I bought the Yokohama 420s.
Since you all said that the Dunlops were fairly new I didn't want to play guinea pig.
Ron, I also called Yokohama and got the same reply They are very similar to the H4s except for the tread design. The tread is the same as the T4s where the outside tread on one side goes in the opposite direction of the other side (whereas the H4s tread on both sides goes in the same direction)I read on tire rack reviews where the T4s do a little better with snow traction than the H4s. I am hoping this has something to do with the tread design
So far I am very happy with this choice.Thanks for your help!

IP: Logged

annie
unregistered
posted December 14, 2001 08:19 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Forgot to add that they have a 65,000 mile tread warranty!

IP: Logged

Jay
unregistered
posted December 14, 2001 11:13 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
I was thinking of the D60 A2. If you were talking about another tire, I apologize for the mistake. Good luck w/the Yokos!

IP: Logged

ron516
Member
posted December 16, 2001 11:52 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ron516   Click Here to Email ron516     Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Hey annie, tell us what those YK420's are like. What type of steering response and road feel do they have? I still have not made up my mind which tires I am going to buy, but the YK's are up on the list. I hope you get to experience some different road and weather conditions so you can let us know how those tires respond. Thanks!

[This message has been edited by ron516 (edited December 16, 2001).]

IP: Logged

annie
unregistered
posted December 17, 2001 05:50 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
ron516, I love these tires! I have only driven them about 100 miles so far (due to the fact that I haven't had the wheels aligned yet)and I can already tell they are a lot quieter and smoother than the Michelins I had on it. The road noise is a lot lower but not as quiet as I had hoped. You can still feel the road quite a bit and the handling is just like it used to be! I thought going to a lower speed rating would lessen the handling but I really don't notice a difference. I'm sure more performance oriented drivers would though.
I do need to learn how to drive my car again! The response is a lot quicker than I'm used to and I have turned a little to soon a few times.
They stick really well in the rain ( which we have had a LOT of lately) They cut throught the water without the noticable slowing I had with the Michelins and there is no hydroplaning at all. I have a lot of wide sweeping curves and they hug the road when going around them. Likewise on the dry road. I drive mostly country back roads and they handle the different pavement types very well. I have gone over spots that I tried to avoid before and hardly even noticed them. I have not driven on any dirt or stone roads
I had a very noticable shake to the wheel with the Michelins and it is now 90% gone. Could have been due to the wear on the tires,I'm sure.I still need to get a four wheel alignment(tomorrow!) and I expect the ride to be even better.
I am not what you would call an aggressive driver and handling is not my main priority so these tires are exactly what I was looking for-lower noise,smoother ride and more affordable than what I had still without sacraficing a lot of handling.
I would hate for anyone to get the tires on my recommendation and then not like them. As I said, I am not an expert on tires.However I do know what I like and I like these tires
If you do decide to try them Discount Tire offers a 30 day trial on them. If you don't like them they will trade you for a different set. They don't do returns but they will do a trade.
Please let me know, if you get them, what you think.

annie

IP: Logged

ron516
Member
posted January 07, 2002 07:49 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ron516   Click Here to Email ron516     Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
I tried the yokohama yk420's for two days and about 200 miles, I found the tires to feel very squirmy and floaty feeling. I then switched to the Dunlop Sp Sport A2's and these are the tires I have been looking for! They have great steering response and feel very solid at all speeds, I have had a chance to test them in rain and then a light snow and they performed great. I highly recommend these tires to anyone looking for all season performance tires with few tradeoff's.

[This message has been edited by ron516 (edited January 09, 2002).]

IP: Logged

All times are ET (US)

next newest topic | next oldest topic

Administrative Options: Close Topic | Archive/Move | Delete Topic
Post New Topic  Post A Reply
Hop to:

Contact Us | AutoPedia® - The Automotive Encyclopedia

Copyright ©1995-2008 by AUTOPEDIA®, all rights reserved. AUTOPEDIA®, AUTO411™, CAR-IQ™, DEALERPEDIA™, UNILOT™, SIMULSEARCH™ and INTERQUOTE-RFP™ are trademarks of AUTOPEDIA. All other trademarks, tradenames and/or service marks are the property of their respective holders.

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Version 5.41
© Infopop Corporation (formerly Madrona Park, Inc.), 1998 - 1999.