| rtking |
I was looking at these. I have the Avon M550 A/S on my former Audi A4 (225/50-16) and they're absolutely wonderful. Softer ride and much quieter than the BFG G-Force KDWS I took off the car, but the tires were every bit as capable. Handling was good (not quite as crisp as the BFGs, but close), and the little that I gave up in responsiveness for the quiet and comfortable ride of the Avons made them worthwhile. They were a bargain at $99 a tire too!
I am VERY serious about putting the Avons on the MO... I just need to wear-out the Goodyears a bit more...
Bob |
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| KSmurano |
rtking - I happen to be looking at some new shoes for my Spyder.
On the Audi, what type of wear mileage did you get out of them?
I know you don't buy a Ultra High Performance All Season tire for the mileage, but just wanted an idea.
Did you have any balancing problems with them? The price is almost worth a try, but the old "you get what you pay for" saying is keeping me away. |
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| rtking |
KSMurano,
I sold my Audi not long after I got the tires, so I can't say for sure what the wear was like. (I got the Murano and the Audi needed to go.) From what I read, the tires wear quite well. In the 1,500 miles I put on them, you couldn't distinguish them from new other than the little rubber nipples had been worn off the tread face. I put them through an afternoon canyon run and I didn't see any sort of wear at all. Sidewalls are softer than the BFGs (that's to be expected) but the performance is pretty darned close to the BFGs. The softer sidewalls and quieter tread pattern really made the ride much nicer. I had Eibach Springs and Boge shocks on the Audi and, with the BFGs, it was a bumpy ride. With the Avons, the ride was actually firm but comfortable. I felt like I lost very little in return for a very comfortable and quiet ride.
I didn't have any issues with the tires at all... but again, I didn't have them long. Balancing wasn't a problem at all. I was also worried about "getting what I paid for." I had Avon Turbospeed tires in 1988 for my Mustang SVO and they were terrible. I was very reluctant to try the Avons again, but I was very surprised at how good they are now. My only concern is that if I destroy one, my only source for the tire is Tire Rack. But that not withstanding, I I fully plan to put the Avons on my Murano as soon as I can wear-out the Goodyears.
Bob |
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| rtking |
Well, I pulled the trigger. I took my wife up to the mountains to play in the snow. The Goodyears Eagle LS were fine up until I got into slush and icy roads. The MO performed very well, but I felt that the MO could have been more surefooted with better tires. The tires have 26,500 miles on them and I've got about 1/2 tread left. I have been bothered by the road noise from the tires and noticed that the Goodyear Eagle LS is particularly bad on concrete roadways. My initial plans were to completely wear-out the Goodyears, but after my experiences in the snow and ice, I've decided to just go forward and buy the Avons.
I orded the tires from my Shoreline Motoring in Huntington Beach since they're a Tire Rack preferred installer anyway. I'll get the tires put on this coming Saturday. I got size 265/60-18 and, if the Avon Tech S/T is anything like the MS550 A/S, I'll be very pleased. I'll post a report after I get the tires installed and put some miles on them.
Bob |
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| njjoe |
rtking-
I will be very interested to hear how the MO handles with those big skins. 265/60 is approximately an inch and a half taller than the OEM Eagles. The MO will ride about 3/4" taller. That's not much, but it will be interesting to see if you notice any change in handling.
Have fun road-testing!!
-njjoe |
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| njjoe |
quote:
Originally posted by hfelknor
Actually Joe, the tire only about a 1/2" taller.
Shouldn't be any problem at all.
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
Homer
Homer-
Thanx for the correction.
I always utilize the tire size calculator on miata.net for comparing tire sizes. It's a great little tool. And I know that it told me the new tire was an inch and a half taller. But as they say "Garbage in, garbage out", I obviously entered the wrong initial figures because I can't duplicate the results.
Thanx for posting the correct info. I would hate to know that I fed someone the wrong info.
-njjoe |
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| rtking |
It took about 3 days for my tires to arrive at my tire dealer (Shoreline Motoring.) I've been buried at work and haven't had a chance to get in to get them installed. But finally.. I'm making a break from work and will finally get them put on.
Things that I wanted from a tire:
1) Good ride
2) Quiet tread pattern
3) Reasonably sticky/good handling
4) Hydroplaning resistance
5) Light snow traction
That's a lot to ask of a tire. But I was pleasantly surprised when I tried the Avon M550 A/S on my Audi A4. I couldn't believe how quiet they were and how well they handled. I didn't put a lot of miles on those tires before I sold the car, but I did drive it enough to be very impressed. I hope to be just as impressed with the Avon Tech S/T. I'll post pics and opinions after I get it installed.
I will have a set of original Goodyear Eagle LS (26,500 miles on them, about 1/2 tread remaining) available. I hadn't planned on taking them from the tire shop, but I thought I'd offer them up to anyone on the board in the Orange County/LA area that's willing to pick them up from Huntington Beach. One tire has a slow leak that I've never bothered to fix because I wanted to change to the Avons, but the other tires are just fine. If anyone is interested, just let me know. I'll check on the forum before 1:00 PM Pacific Time to see if anyone wants them. After that time, I'll have left the office and, if there aren't any replies, I'll just have the tires discarded. Just let me know!
Bob |
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| Murano_driver |
| Can you take a couple of shots of the Avon tires? I am just curious how they look on Mo. |
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| rtking |
| Here's pics of the Avon Tech STs. I'll write-up my 35 mile impressions of them (so far) after the pics... |
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| rtking |
It's too early to tell much yet since I've only had them on for 35 miles or so. But they were high speed miles as I had to rush to get my wife to her doctor's appointment on time. Shoreline Motoring did a great job for me and I paid less than $600 out the door for these tires. The guys filled the tires up to 33 PSI, torqued the lug nuts, applied tire dressing, re-torqued the lug nuts, shined the wheels and I was off in a flash.
First thing I noticed right away was that the tires were very quiet. Granted it was a little slippery since I'm still riding on rubber covered with mold release compound, but it was very quiet. It was actually a bit stunning as I could actually hear the air around the A-pillars driving at 45 mph. I could never hear the wind noise over the road noise before. I didn't realize the Goodyear Eagle LS tires were that loud.
The second thing I noticed is that the MO actually feels a lot more stable around turns. I had to whip around turns pretty quick to make lights (trying to rush home to pick-up my wife, then a quick dash off to the hospital for her appointment.) The MO actually felt a lot more sure-footed.
I got the MO up above 70 mph on Pacific Coast Highway and I noticed that road noise was barely perceptible and most of the noise came from the A-pillars. The shimmy in my steering wheel went away when I changed tires which tells me that the Goodyears were unbalanced before.
Ride quality is actually very close to stock. If I had to guess, it's a hair softer than the Goodyears. But I'll know more as I put more miles on the MO.
One thing I noticed (which is actually pleasing to me) is that the tires sit almost flush with the fenders as you look down the side of the car. The 265/60-18 size really does help to visually widen the stance of the MO. (In actuality, the tires are 15mm wider on each sidewall than 235/65-18s.)
I had to fight with my own indecision to replace the Goodyears. I didn't like them very much, but I didn't hate them either. Pretty much was ambivalent about them, but they had 1/2 tread remaining and I wasn't sure if spending $600 to replace perfectly good tires was worthwhile. When 1 tire developed a slow leak, I decided that was good enough reason to replace the set. After 35 miles, it is premature to say this with any certainty, but I really don't have any regrets having switched to the Avons.
I'll post more as the miles accumulate...
Bob |
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| KSmurano |
rt - I'll be interested to hear your updates on these tires as you get some mileage on them.
I've been looking at their high performance tire for my Spyder.
I agree with you that going up a couple of tire sizes, although technically not that much bigger, does wonders on the tire image & wheel well fill. :cool: |
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| nissanlove |
| could you take some pics from the rear to see how wide the tire's actually look??? thanks. |
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| rjardine |
| ..........and if you head up to the mountains again to play in the snow, your impression of how they handle in the snow, slush and/or icy roads |
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| rtking |
I'll get some pics from the rear in the morning. We had some rain today in SoCal and, even though the tires are still a bit slick from the mold release compound, I found that the MO was very sure-footed and stable.
Sadly I don't think there's much snow in the local mountains from the warmer rains earlier in the week, but if there's snow next weekend, I'll head up to see if I can try-out the snow traction. Here's a pic of the MO with the Goodyears still on in the snow from 2 weekends back...
Bob |
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| rtking |
| Pic of the Goodyear Eagle LS in snow (close up) |
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| rtking |
| Here's a shot from the rear of my MO with the Avon Tech ST tires mounted... |
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| rtking |
| Here's a close-up of the left rear. Overall, the tread pattern is really nice without looking like an off-road tread pattern IMHO. |
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| nissanlove |
| the width looks nice. thanks for the pics. it's crazy how the trees are green and there is loads of snow in the mountains. it's like a wonderland haha. gotta take a trip down and do some ridin in mammoth some day. |
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| rtking |
Well, I've put 500 miles on the Avon Tech STs and I've been very impressed. I inflated the tires a little higher than normal (35 PSI instead of 33 PSI) and the ride is still softer than with the Goodyears. But the handling feels flatter to me and the MO feels much more capable in turns. I put the MO through a series of twisty turns and on-ramps when the ground was dry and it was impressive. I did finally get some squeal out of the tire, but I'm convinced it was at a higher limit than the Goodyears provided.
In the wet, the MO is MUCH more surefooted than the Goodyears. Admittedly that could be because the tread was half worn on the Goodyears and I've got full tread on the Avons, but even so, I have a lot more confidence with the Avons. The Goodyears didn't communicate its limits well and I found the transition from ultimate adhesion to loss of adhesion to be abrupt in wet conditions. I drove up the 110 Freeway in Los Angeles in the rain (the narrow, twisty 3-lane portion to South Pasadena) and the Avons provided plenty of feedback and adhesion.
Today we had a very cold storm in Los Angeles (well, cold by LA standards) and the snow level dropped to 2000 feet. My wife and I went up to Angeles Crest in the afternoon and encountered snow and ice. There was pretty decent snowfall and accumulation. Lots of cars had to pull over for a loss of traction, but not the MO! Even after the CHP checkpoint for chains (I had them, but didn't put them on. It's required that I only carry them) I was able to continue on and not worry about a loss of traction. I encountered other cars on the road that were way out of their element. A Chevy Astro van couldn't get any traction and would lock-up its front tires and drift to the shoulders. I could come to a complete stop and start again (gently) without any spin from the tires. The grip was pretty impressive and I never encountered any loss of traction.
Overall (at least at the 500 mile point), I would highly recommend the Avon Tech STs. They are much quieter than the Goodyears, offer a better ride, better handling and lateral acceleration, better dry, wet and snow traction... I can't see a downside to these tires! And the fact that they're cheaper than the Goodyears at Tire Rack makes them, IMHO, an absolute winner for replacement tires on the MO.
Bob |
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| rtking |
| Pic of the Avons in the snow... |
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| rtking |
| Avon tread pattern in snow |
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| nissanlove |
| ahh i love seeing so much snow. we've been getting some heavy snow here the last couple weeks. overall in the last 2 weeks we've had at least 50 cm's drop hear. everytime i go out with the murano i am reinforced with how much i utterly hate the goodyears. i'm happy that you are so satisfied with your avons rtking. the size lookes sweet and i'm again back on the edge of getting 275's toyo proxy st's for the summer rims. i now see that they wouldn't stick that far out from the rim and would look super agressive. keep havin fun with the mo!!! |
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| rtking |
Another thread got me thinking of updating this thread since it's been 8 months since I've installed the Avons.
Admittedly my biggest fear with the Avons was reliability. Would the sidewall bubble? Would the wear be abnormal? Would there be anything that would put my family at risk? Thankfully the answer to all of the questions is "No." The tire has been been outstanding.
I've put over 6000 miles on the tires now. Over the summer, I've taken the family to Las Vegas in 110+ degree heat and followed a pack of cars travelling around 100 mph for quite a few miles and the tires (and MO) never faltered. Tire wear is imperceptible (other than the rubber nibs wearing off) and the tires have remained quiet and comfortable. Traction and road grip is excellent as proven by my frantic drive to the hospital when my wife went into contractions. I
Overall, the Avons have been great. I know there are only a few tire choices out there for stock sizes, and not many more in the 265/60-18 size, but I've been supremely satisfied with the Avons thus far. More updates after I go playing in the snow (which happens around Feb/March in the SoCal Mountains...)
Bob |
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| clarkne |
After reading through the various forums here, I decided to replace my aging Goodyears (30,000 mi) with Avon Tech STs. I got size 255/60R18s, since that was as close to stock as possible. The slight additional width is almost unnoticeable.
So far, I've been very pleased. Definitely better grip than the Goodyears, even when they were new. Much less hydroplaning. We're supposed to get some snow on Tuesday, so I'll give an update after that. But given the improved traction in all other conditions, I'm sure they'll be better.
One thing I would say, in contrast to what rking has posted, is that in my opinion they do ride a smidgen harder. I've got them inflated to the standard 33 psi pressure, and they do seem to transmit a little more of the bumps to the seat. But it might be that they are new, as opposed to having 30k on them. In any case, the difference is very slight, almost unnoticable (my wife says she can't tell any difference).
Road noise is a tough call. Again, I'm comparing 30k Goodyears to new Avons, but I do think that on some road surfaces the Avons are a bit louder. Again, the difference is miniscule (I don't have an audiometer to measure the levels :-) ).
I drove up to Washington DC on the tires (13 hours round trip) and was very pleased with the ride. Smooth, quiet, basically the same as the Goodyears in terms of being more car-like than SUV/truck, and definitely a more responsive tire. One thing I wasn't happy with was that the tire shop didn't quite get them balanced, but I took it back in when I got back and they got it right the second time. As far as looks go, as rking's pictures show, they don't have the SUV/light truck look to them, in fact they look quite similar to the Goodyears.
I'll update after some snow driving this week! |
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| GripperDon |
quote:
Originally posted by clarkne
After reading through the various forums here, I decided to replace my aging Goodyears (30,000 mi) with Avon Tech STs. I got size 255/60R18s, since that was as close to stock as possible. The slight additional width is almost unnoticeable.
So far, I've been very pleased. Definitely better grip than the Goodyears, even when they were new. Much less hydroplaning. We're supposed to get some snow on Tuesday, so I'll give an update after that. But given the improved traction in all other conditions, I'm sure they'll be better.
One thing I would say, in contrast to what rking has posted, is that in my opinion they do ride a smidgen harder. I've got them inflated to the standard 33 psi pressure, and they do seem to transmit a little more of the bumps to the seat. But it might be that they are new, as opposed to having 30k on them. In any case, the difference is very slight, almost unnoticable (my wife says she can't tell any difference).
Road noise is a tough call. Again, I'm comparing 30k Goodyears to new Avons, but I do think that on some road surfaces the Avons are a bit louder. Again, the difference is miniscule (I don't have an audiometer to measure the levels :-) ).
I drove up to Washington DC on the tires (13 hours round trip) and was very pleased with the ride. Smooth, quiet, basically the same as the Goodyears in terms of being more car-like than SUV/truck, and definitely a more responsive tire. One thing I wasn't happy with was that the tire shop didn't quite get them balanced, but I took it back in when I got back and they got it right the second time. As far as looks go, as rking's pictures show, they don't have the SUV/light truck look to them, in fact they look quite similar to the Goodyears.
I'll update after some snow driving this week!
I used to spend every summer in you neighbourhood "Blowing Rock" Nice little town, as least it was back in the early fifties. |
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| clarkne |
So we finally got some snow up here in the mountains of NC. The Avon's performed great. Normally with the Eagles I would have to lock the Murano in AWD mode to get up the hill to my house. With the Avon's, I did not even start to spin. I actually had to work pretty hard to get the tires to slip in an attempt to gauge their limits. Much greater snow traction than the Eagles, which makes getting home a lot less challenging. Of course, I don't get to "drift" as much around corners any more, but since that's only cool for 16 year olds, I'm ok with that.
Norm |
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| DDunnMO |
| Ok guys, based on this thread I ordered a set of 255-60-18 Avon Tech ST tyres from Tire Rack. Unfortunately they are back-ordered. I got a message from TR saying that they should receive more on 2/19. I have seen them in person on a MO in my area. I can't wait to get them on. |
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| rtking |
quote:
Originally posted by DDunnMO
Ok guys, based on this thread I ordered a set of 255-60-18 Avon Tech ST tyres from Tire Rack. Unfortunately they are back-ordered. I got a message from TR saying that they should receive more on 2/19. I have seen them in person on a MO in my area. I can't wait to get them on.
Congrats! I think you'll be pleased when you put them on. The Avons have been stellar on our MO. We haven't gone up to play in the snow since our son is so young (6 months old today) but where the old Goodyear LS would begin to slide in the rain, the Avons just stick. Clarkne's account of the Avon's snow traction is inspiring. I only know from last winter that, IMO, the Avons gripped the snow far better than the Goodyear LS.
Bob |
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| clarkne |
quote:
Originally posted by DDunnMO
Ok guys, based on this thread I ordered a set of 255-60-18 Avon Tech ST tyres from Tire Rack.
Be sure to let us (and everyone else) know what you think of the tires! Like Bob, I'm sure you'll be satisfied, but it's always helpful to get multiple opinions on subjective things such as road noise and feel.
On the snow traction note again, I gave a friend of my daughter's a ride home recently. She has a pretty steep gravel driveway that used to cause my Murano to spin with the Eagles when it was snow-covered. No spinning this time around with the Avon's.
Norm |
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| DDunnMO |
| I will most definitely post when I get them Norm. Wish I had them on now, we've had snow and ice on the ground for the past five days and I have been tip-toeing around on these nearly balding GY Eagles. With my luck all the elements will be long gone by the time I have mine mounted, oh well then I'll have no excuse for not keeping them clean and treated. |
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| DDunnMO |
| Had my Avons mounted yesterday. I noticed a difference immediately, the GYs were pretty worn at 40,200 mi. and exactly 3 years of ownership yesterday 2/28. Nice anniversary gift for MO. The Avons ride very smooth and what little driving I got to do yesterday felt like I was driving a brand new vehicle again. All of our snow is gone so looks like I'll have to wait until next winter to play in the snow. But I'll continue to post updates as the milage grows. |
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| rtking |
Took the my family up to Yosemite for the weekend in the Murano. In fact, we're still here as I write this. The MO is running flawlessly and mileage is averaging just under 20 mpg (including LA traffic we sat in heading out of town on Friday afternoon, and 80+ mph cruising up I-5 and the 99.
The Avons have been serving me very well. Very stable at speed, still quiet and, as we've been driving along in snow covered roads, very sure footed. Snow traction hasn't been a problem at all with the Avons and, as an Isuzu Rodeo and Ford Explorer struggled in a shady patch of snow covered roads in front of me, the MO powered along without any problems.
Bob |
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| DDunnMO |
| After around 8,400 mi. I am still very happy with these tires. I took a curve last night at a spirited pace and my son asked me if that was a new tire test. They still handle like new, probably a little better since the "newness" has worn off. |
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| rtking |
quote:
Originally posted by DDunnMO
After around 8,400 mi. I am still very happy with these tires. I took a curve last night at a spirited pace and my son asked me if that was a new tire test. They still handle like new, probably a little better since the "newness" has worn off.
Glad you still like the Avons! I'm at a hair under 20K miles on my set, and they're still outstanding. Very happy with them and handling is still quite sure-footed. I haven't had a chance to drive in wet weather since it's bone-dry in Southern California, but I have absolutely no reservations about taking the MO with Avons up to snow or on a long road trip. I am almost certain to get the same tires again when it comes time to replace the tires... but I'm not sure when that will be. There's still PLENTY of tread left on my Avons... |
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| clarkne |
I've got around 18,000 on my Avon's now, which probably translates into over 25,000 for the rest of the world (the road compound where I live is very rough, intentionally so for added traction in ice/snow but it wears out the tires faster). Traction and treadwear is still great. I have noticed some additional road noise, which is now definitely louder than the Goodyear's were. But the tradeoff is worth it, since the noise isn't all that loud, and the traction is WAY better. Plus I'm definitely going to get more miles out of these tires than I did with the Goodyear's.
Norm |
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