Any experience with Avon Tires?

[Razl]

The 215/55R16 Conti-Extremes on my Saab 9-5 will need replacing. Since I wasn't that impressed with these High Performance All-Season tires, I'm in the market for a true summer tire. I was pleased with the Yoko AVS ES100s (great bang for the buck factor) I had on my 9-3 Saab, but they don't come in the size I need for the 9-5. I noticed tirerack now carrys Avon, which appear to in the same market as Yokos and Kuhmos. Excellent value, but not top tier. Anyone have long-term feedback on Avons, specifically their summer slicks, M500?

 

[JHZR2]

I believe avon 'tyres' are a UK brand that is related somehow to cooper. All positives thus far, and it looks like they have some pretty aggressive summer street tires. JMH

 

[tdi-rick]

Avon are indeed a UK tyre manufacturer that was bought out a few years ago by Cooper Tire. They specialise mainly on race tyres, and supply many different classes around the world. They also used to be the tyre supplier to Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, etc back in the seventies and eighties. My only experience with them was as race tyres, and they were very good, with consistent quality from batch to batch.

 

[rjundi]

The best high-perf. all-seasons (ultra to be exact) toted by many as essentially a summer tire is the Pirelli P-Zero Nero M&S. The conti's you have are not very good in dry compared to all the other ultra-high performance all-season's.

 

[Razl]

Thanks guys for the skinny on Avon, I think I'll bite. Rjundi, You are right about the contis. I was hoping so much more from them. I have 27,000 on them, but they fell out of balance at 15,000. I had 4 shops try to correct the balance without success. The last 12,000 miles has been tourchure! I would love to try out the Z Neros, but tirerack doesn't have them in my size. As for the other Ultra-Perf All-Season category, they only carry the Avons, Kumho ECSTA ASX (not sure if these will be any better than the contis), and the Pilots (too much for me!).

 

[Brikhead]

My Wife's VW Golf will be due for tires this Spring, and I was also checking out the Avon M500s. The only thing that concerns me are the few reports of repeated flat-spotting in the Tire Rack's consumer reviews. I may pay a few more $$ and get the Kumho KH11s instead.

 

[drive it forever]

My car has the avon M500's on it now. The tire sidewall says made in u.s.a. on it, 215/45/17 size. overall, I wished I picked another tire from the tirerack. The avons dont quite have the steering response and dry traction I was looking for. My car came stock with contisportcontact tires from the factory, and they were a bit better dry then the avons, while the avons are indeed better on wet pavement with a better ride at the expense of steering response (I prefer stiff sidewalls).

 

[Razl]

I'm very surprised the Avons weren't better in the dry than your stock contis and with a solid center rib, I would think the steering response would be right-on. What's your ride? I still haven't bought summer tires because I switched over to my Nokian WRs for the remainder of the winter. I'll have to rethink the M500 and possible go with the Kuhmos

 

[drive it forever]

My car is a 02' nissan ser specv. In one auto magazine, car and driver tested the car on lateral g's and it pulled .88, stock. The avons are made by cooper tire and they arent the english avon "tyre's" people might think they are getting. Go to the tirerack.com and look at the tireracks own test results between the yokohama, avon, and two other tires. The winner of the steering response is yokohama. A center rib promotes strait line stability. Stiff sidewalls, if a tire has them is what will give you good steering response, and the yokohama has the others beat in this test by having steel-wire reinforced sidewalls the other tires lack. The contisport contact tires come in two speed and treadware ratings, and one is better then the other.