Zulfie

So, I was about to order my YOK's AVS Db from Tire Rack, when they guy tells me that he recommends against them bacuse after a while, they become worn on the edges and become noisy. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge of this. Thanks for the feedback, because I chose these tires based on feddback from CL, but I'm not sure if anyone ever did a follow up on how satisfied they with them after a few K's miles....

TIA for any feddback....

Ray

RON430

Zulfie - I have read about this on the db, which are on my wife's Maxima, but I can't vouch for it. At least on a 15 incher there is absolutely nothing unusual about wear or noise after 11K miles. How do I know? Well, the noise is obvious, but my wife picked up a nail somewhere yesterday so the easiest thing to do was take the offending rim off and run it down for patching. I was able to get a good look at the full tread wear pattern. We went back to the place we bought them from and I mentioned to the guy how much we like those tires and he said that Yok had stopped making them already. They are being superseded but he didn't think the replacement was out yet. Just heard that around an hour ago. I am hoping that someone like gs4will is going to read this and be able to verify or not that this is the case. I know William had mentioned another tire from Yoko that would slot between the db and the sport but the dealer seemed to be saying that there was a replacement coming for the db and that the db was already obsoleted in preparation. My answer to your question is that I haven't seen any unusual wear and the noise has not picked up yet. I am always leary when people report unusual wear because there are definitely mechanical issues that can affect tire wear. People will put a new tire on a bent rim and then complain to the heavens about a certain tire having "funny" wear. The db's are so quiet when new (especially compared to the Michelins on my GS) that even if they pick up some in the noise department, which all tires will do, my guess is that they will still be proportionately quieter than other brands/types. I have resigned myself to getting 245/50-16 db's when I just can't take the Michelin howl anymore but now I guess I have to see what the deal is with the new Yoko type. Anyone else know anything?

LexFather

Dr. Rick has em, u may wanna PM him.

Wheel Kinetics

I've used these tires on my personal car, and recommend them to my Lexus customers.

Zulfie

Ron,
Thanks for the feedback. I spoke to Will and he mentioned the AVS ES100, he said they debuted about 1 year or so ago and got really good reviews. I'm guessing this is the bridge between the Sports and Db's. They look pretty good, but there wasn't any report on Tire Rack's web site for them.

I'm just hesitant on dumping $800 on tires and then they wear like crap and last for 10K miles. I'm also getting 18's, which can also make a difference, as well as modified suspension.

I'll probably do a little more reading, and possibly decide between the ES100 or the Dunlop SP9000..

Thanks again,
Ray

lex430

just from my personal experience on my DB, it's been 5k+ miles, I had an alignment done at ~3k, and so far it wears even, still quiet, handles well. btw, I have 18's

GS4Will

Z,

the new yoko avs ES100, aka yoko DNA Grand Prix, dubted in japan 2 yrs ago...we are finally getting them here in the US(at least yoko japan decide to let us have them here in the US)..with 280 tread wear and ~$800 for 18s..you cannot go wrong..based on my japanese research...but, if you $$$ allows, SP9000 is also excellent..assuming you are looking for something lasts bit longer than the S-03s...

Nittos 555 last long, but too noisy..in my experience..for the $$ i would get the avs ES(wish they named it AVS DNA GP..sound much better)

Zulfie

Will,
I pulled the trigger and ended up buying the AVS ES100, the guy at Tire Rack raved about them, he mentioned that he drove their raced prepped IS300, which had them on it, and the tires were excellent. There aren't much feedback on them right now, as they've only been carrying them about 4 months, but he said he loved them, performed really well.
I'll post some feedback in about a month on them...

Thanks everyone,
Ray

GS4Will

Ray,

great...just checked ups site..the LS wheels have arrived...def let us know how you like the tyres...hope they have 19s late on in time...(japan has them now)

RON430

William - Can you post a quick comparison of features between the db and the ES? Have you heard anything about the ES replacing the db like the guy at America's Tire told me? Thanks.

Ron

Zulfie

Will,
Yeah, just opened up the box to take a peek.... BEAUTIFUL....and damn they are wide. I thought the 9" on my RX-7 were wide. Oh well, can't wait for the rubbers to arrive to mount on the rims...

Thanks Will.....

Ray

GS4Will

Ron,

base on what i read(from jdm car mags) and yoko japan site, avs es100(aka dna GP in jdm term), the new es100 is more towards "sports" side on the rating spectrum. BUT, as an incentive, this model has excellent treadware rating(280, AA traction), and still perform better than the avs db. so, the avs es100 received rave review from japanese media at the tokyo auto salon in 2000.

as you know, dbs are designed more for its quiet character and less on the sports/performance. but, the dbs are not even being offered in japan i think(the guy at american tyre might be correct); and i am extremely glad yoko japan decided to bring the es100/gna dp over to the US. also the prices on the avs dbs have gone up since its first intro 1-2 years ago..surprisingly the new avs es100 is quite reasonably priced(for 18s)...i am glad ray picked up a set for his new work LS wheels...

somehow i have a feeling that later on when more car dudes discover the goodness of this new tyre, the price will go up, following the path of avs dbs...

i was going to bring in a set of the avs dna gp(avs es100) in 245/275/19s for my next set of wheels, since here in the US only 18s are being offered for now...but my budget constraint held me back and i ended up ordering the dunlops....

RON430

Thanks william. Obviously, what impresses me about the db is the quiet. The maxima is not a particularly quiet car, at least compared to Lexus, and the db's are very noticeable. When I cover the same stretch of road, the Maxima is very likely quieter than my GS on the Michelins. I have 12K on the Michelins and like most tires, they are getting noisier and noisier. Any idea how the ES will compare to the db for quiet? Compared to the Michelins my wife had on previously, I can't say that the db is a slouch in handling. Obviously not up to ultimate performance but better than the Michelins she had (I believe XGT's) before. Just another senior moment, I am decidedly leaning toward quiet rather than ultimate handling. If the db is not there when the Michelins are worn out, it will probably be the ES. I think I posted before, got to really like Yoko's on the MR2.

GS4Will

Ron,

you are quite welcome. i know what you mean exactly on the noise factor.

but as far as the noise level between the db and es, i cannot comment on them as i do not have real fact. japanese ads claim they are very quiet without sacrificing the sporting character. but then again, such is not in direct comparo to the dbs as they do not have them in japan.

for the fact that the dbs are getting more expensive, if i were you, i would consider getting the new es in the future. hopefully by then there will be tons of review on the es here in the US from tirerack

Zulfie

Like I said... I'll post a review on them in about a month once I have them on the car and tested. As Will said, they are priced well, they were only $18 more than the Db's. They should be here on Friday, and hopefully mounted next week.

I'll post results....

P.S. You also get a R.C. car from Yoko, I'm excited about that too.

Later....
Ray

P.S. Will, did I mention that the rims are SWEEEEETTT!!!!
Thanks buddy....