After obliterating the tread of my Kumho Solus TA91s in under four months and 9,000 miles (the guys at the shop were quite impressed!) and starting work in a new place without a fun mountain pass to haul through every weekend, I've shifted my priorities away from disposable tires to harder, deeper tread tires that stand a chance at giving me a service life measured in years, not months.
Thus, the 740 TW rating, 70k mile warranty, and 12/32" tread depth of the Yokohama YK-GTX tires caught my eye. Got them put on today, had a very pleasant experience at Discount Tire.
These tires are SOFT. Really mushy sidewalls on these, significantly moreso than my previous set. Corners feel Buick-esque now. I'm fine with that, as I'm mostly driving in town on Oklahoma City's pothole-ridden roads these days. I was quite pleased with the low noise level and compliant ride on the drive home from the shop.
Being a deeper treaded tire, I was disappointed by the level of tread squirm I felt as light crosswinds swayed me around on the highway. I am certain that this will improve with time, particularly as I break them in over these next few weeks, but this is definitely something to note if you're looking for a more direct feel. On-center steering response has been destroyed and inputs feel quite delayed. My previous set of Kumhos felt telepathic by comparison, even when brand new (at a measly 9/32" tread depth).
I'm most satisfied by how well these tires balanced out. I'm sensitive to vibrations and drive a car that transmits just about everything to the cabin and steering wheel, so I usually have to go back a second time to get the balance right. However, for the first time in years, this set of Yokohamas balanced out brilliantly on the first time with very little weight. Smooth sailing as far as I can tell.
It won't be useful commenting on grip without a couple hundred miles of break-in, so I'll save that for later. I look forward to seeing how long these last me and how much they sharpen up with a little bit less tread to wobble around.
Thus, the 740 TW rating, 70k mile warranty, and 12/32" tread depth of the Yokohama YK-GTX tires caught my eye. Got them put on today, had a very pleasant experience at Discount Tire.
These tires are SOFT. Really mushy sidewalls on these, significantly moreso than my previous set. Corners feel Buick-esque now. I'm fine with that, as I'm mostly driving in town on Oklahoma City's pothole-ridden roads these days. I was quite pleased with the low noise level and compliant ride on the drive home from the shop.
Being a deeper treaded tire, I was disappointed by the level of tread squirm I felt as light crosswinds swayed me around on the highway. I am certain that this will improve with time, particularly as I break them in over these next few weeks, but this is definitely something to note if you're looking for a more direct feel. On-center steering response has been destroyed and inputs feel quite delayed. My previous set of Kumhos felt telepathic by comparison, even when brand new (at a measly 9/32" tread depth).
I'm most satisfied by how well these tires balanced out. I'm sensitive to vibrations and drive a car that transmits just about everything to the cabin and steering wheel, so I usually have to go back a second time to get the balance right. However, for the first time in years, this set of Yokohamas balanced out brilliantly on the first time with very little weight. Smooth sailing as far as I can tell.
It won't be useful commenting on grip without a couple hundred miles of break-in, so I'll save that for later. I look forward to seeing how long these last me and how much they sharpen up with a little bit less tread to wobble around.
