Ordered some Yokohama AVID ENVigor ZPS tires today...

[chrispitude]

Well, I was going to order some Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS RFT tires in 225/45RF17, but they're backordered through May. Instead, the Tire Rack salesman recommended that I try the Yokohama AVID ENVigor ZPS:

Yokohama AVID ENVigor ZPS

This is a brand new tire, just released in Feburary 2012. The Tire Rack salesman claimed that it's supposed to be slightly better than the RE960AS RFT, but will probably not quite be at the level of the upcoming RE970AS RFT.

I ordered a set, and will hopefully have them installed by the end of the week. They're getting mounted on a set of BBS RK 17x8 wheels. I'll share my experiences as I use them.

Stay tuned!

- Chris

[NFerber]

Why did you stay with RFT?

[chrispitude]

Why did you stay with RFT?

The car is used for kid-hauling (my son is 1) and errands. I don't need the absolute best performance, and I'm not looking to carry around a loose spare or a mobility kit. Honestly, if I have my kid with me and I pick up a nail, I'm quite happy to be able to get him home and deal with the tire later.

[chrispitude]

Well, I got the tires mounted and balanced. I'm off to a bit of an interesting start.

I always use a shop with a Hunter GSP9700 road force machine. The tires initially road-forced at 30, 29, 18, and 5 lbs. The limit is 25 lbs, so two tires did not initially pass. They used the machine to measure the runout. The wheels measured true, but the tires were marginal. They rotated the first two tires on their rims according to the machine's instructions. The first one only dropped to 23, but the second dropped to 6. So now, I have 23, 18, 6, and 5.

As I get some miles on them, I'll post back here with my thoughts!

[chrispitude]

We took a short trip today. First impressions of these tires - fantastic!

Let me back up a bit... Initially, I actually received the wrong set of tires. Instead of receiving the Yokohama Avid ENVigor ZPS tires, I received the Yokohama Advan ZPS tires. I didn't catch the mistake until the tires were mounted and balanced. Since the ENVigors were backordered, I drove on the Advans for a couple of weeks until the ENVigors showed up.

The Advans are a much more performance-oriented tire, with a treadwear of 180. They have been around for a couple of years, and use Yokohama's older ZPS (zero-pressure system) technology. In contrast, the ENVigors are an all-season tire with a treadwear of 560. They were just released in early 2012, and offer Yokohama's latest and greatest ZPS technology.

The Advans had terrible road manners. The ride was harsh, and there was a great deal of road noise on some types of road surfaces. If I drove over anything other than a smooth road, I knew it through my ears and my butt. The car was basically unpleasant to drive.

The ENVigors are a night-and-day difference from the Advans. They glide over all types of road surfaces with little or no noise, gracefully soak up the small bumps, and damp the larger bumps. The car is now a pleasure to drive! Yokohama has come a LONG way with their ZPS technology with these ENVigors.

I'm actually looking forward to putting more miles on the car now, just to take in that smooth, quiet ride!

[chrispitude]

Just following up with some additional impressions of these tires after some miles...

I couldn't be happier with them, and I would definitely order them again. These tires ride softer and quieter in 17" RFT form than my OEM Turanza did in 16" RFT form. They handle potholes reasonably well without crashing over them. They are confident in dry and wet. I was particularly impressed in one case where I overcooked it into a corner, and they stuck where I fully expected them to slide.

I don't have any experience with the new third-generation Potenza 960AS RFTs, but I am completely satisfied with the Avid ENVigor ZPS.

[rambalu80]

Just following up with some additional impressions of these tires after some miles...

I couldn't be happier with them, and I would definitely order them again. These tires ride softer and quieter in 17" RFT form than my OEM Turanza did in 16" RFT form. They handle potholes reasonably well without crashing over them. They are confident in dry and wet. I was particularly impressed in one case where I overcooked it into a corner, and they stuck where I fully expected them to slide.

I don't have any experience with the new third-generation Potenza 960AS RFTs, but I am completely satisfied with the Avid ENVigor ZPS.

Thanks for the review. I'm not due for tires yet, but may be by the end of the year and I am considering these as my first choice.

[chrispitude]

I've had these tires for about a year now. In the winter, I run a set of 16" wheels with run-flat Blizzak snow tires. I just swapped them out to put the ENVigors back on, and was quite surprised how much more compliant and comfortable the ride of the 17" ENVigors is versus the 16" Blizzaks. I am very pleased with these tires.

[masq]

I've had these tires for about a year now. In the winter, I run a set of 16" wheels with run-flat Blizzak snow tires. I just swapped them out to put the ENVigors back on, and was quite surprised how much more compliant and comfortable the ride of the 17" ENVigors is versus the 16" Blizzaks. I am very pleased with these tires.

After 2 years, how is it holding up? Did you have to replace them yet?

I'm looking for run flats for the 535 that are really for daily driving. This means good wet traction, low wear, and quiet. Don't need to be going after tires that can grip 10g's while swering through the grocery store parking lot. Given that these tires are 170 per on TR, it's sitting at the top of my consideration list.

[chrispitude]

After 2 years, how is it holding up? Did you have to replace them yet?

I'm looking for run flats for the 535 that are really for daily driving. This means good wet traction, low wear, and quiet. Don't need to be going after tires that can grip 10g's while swering through the grocery store parking lot. Given that these tires are 170 per on TR, it's sitting at the top of my consideration list.

As they've aged, they've gotten noisier. I blame this on the fact that they're directional, and therefore I can't cross-rotate them to minimize cupping of the tread blocks. In addition, they sometimes develop noticeable flat-spotting after sitting overnight in cold weather. It works itself out after several minutes of driving, but it is an annoyance.

I've got about 17k miles on them. I am considering replacing them early with a set of Bridgestone DriveGuards, which supposedly ride so nice that you can use them on a car not specifically designed to use run-flat tires.

[runnr548]

I am considering these tires myself. Any recent thoughts?

[chrispitude]

I am considering these tires myself. Any recent thoughts?

They got way too noisy later in life. I sold them on craigslist and switched to Bridgestone Driveguard run-flats. Even smoother ride and still quiet, and I'm at about the same mileage on them now as I was with the Yokos.

I *highly* recommend the Driveguards. It rides so nice, you'd never know it's a runflat. Then again, I suppose that was their purpose...

[MIKYZZ4]

Continental Extreme DWS 06 All-Season Tires