Yokohama dB E70B tyres (17") and emergency braking...

[murcod]

Has anyone emergency braked and found the stock E70B Yoko tyres a bit lacking in grip?

Some blind older woman decided to turn right across my path at an intersection yesterday (I've got daytime running lights fitted, it was 10am in the morning with no adverse weather .) So I had to slam on the brakes from 60km/h and managed to stop with only around 2m clearance to her boot as she cleared the intersection. I heard the ABS cut in (from the noises the tyres were making on the road -the windows were partway open), but afterwards my first thought was the Kizashi didn't pull up as quickly as I thought it should? It was a decent dual lane suburban road, so no issues with the road surface.

[BM-Power]

Yeah I agree with you on the lack of grip with the stock Yokohama's; they're good with regards to noise and comfort, but as soon as you start cornering more aggressively you notice them losing grip much earlier than you might expect.

When the time comes to replace the tyres, I definitely wont go with the Yokohama's.

[murcod]

I've always considered buying decent tyres like a form of insurance against accidents. The extra you pay for something decent could one day save your life and certainly save you money if you manage to avoid or minimise an accident. (Not that I'm saying all Yokohama tyres are average, that's far from the case as I'd be very happy if they were AD08's instead of E70B's!)

I also had my 4yo daughter in the back at the time- she actually screamed as she had no idea what was going on. Her back pack went flying off the seat next to her and I'm sure her top tethered non ISOfix child seat (thank you archaic Australian Design Rules) moved around considerably....

[BM-Power]

Great tyres make a world of difference when it comes to any dynamic aspect of a car; when I was involved in designing and building a race car (formula ford), the very first thing we did was to make a selection on what tyre (brand and type) we were going to use and then design everything (suspension geometry, brakes etc etc) around those specific tyres.

The tyres are the final contact with the road and play a massive part in the safety and handling of a vehicle. It's beyond me how some people opt for the price over quality when they're purchasing tyres..

The best tyres I ever used (and still do) are the Continental SP3's, they're absolutely amazing in both wet and dry conditions as well as on the race track . The only downside is they are around $500 per tyre (225/45-245/40 ZR17)

I hope your daughter is ok and not too shaken up after the incident. It infuriates me when old/incompetent drivers are out on the roads endangering their own and more importantly other people's lives.

[murcod]

She's okay thanks. It scared me a bit when I realised how long the Kizashi was taking to pull up though. (Guess I was spoilt previously with Bridgestone RE11's and a 400kg lighter vehicle.) New tyres could be coming sooner than expected. Continental Extreme Contact DW are under US$600 (plus freight) from Tirerack in 235/50R17 - for four!!!

It's also making me think harder about getting one of those car mounted cameras. If nobody came forward as a witness she could have said I went through a red light if I hit her (it had just changed to green, which makes me 95% sure she ran a red turning arrow.....)

[BM-Power]

She's okay thanks. It scared me a bit when I realised how long the Kizashi was taking to pull up though. (Guess I was spoilt previously with Bridgestone RE11's and a 400kg lighter vehicle.) New tyres could be coming sooner than expected. Continental Extreme Contact DW are under US$600 (plus freight) from Tirerack in 235/50R17 - for four!!!

It's also making me think harder about getting one of those car mounted cameras. If nobody came forward as a witness she could have said I went through a red light if I hit her (it had just changed to green, which makes me 95% sure she ran a red turning arrow.....)

Oh wow that is a great price for a set of 4. I'm definitely going to get my next set of tyres online. Australian retailers are a bunch of thieves!

[murcod]

US$951 for four incl freight shipped to SA.

Now to weigh up the local alternatives:
Goodyear Excellence http://www.goodyear.com.au/dotCMS/TyreD ... m=3PerPage
Toyo Proxes 4 http://www.toyotires.com.au/all-tyres/proxes-4-41
Toyo Proxes T1 Sport http://www.toyotires.com.au/all-tyres/p ... 1-sport-43
Bridgestone ER300 http://www.bridgestone.com.au/tyres/treads/er300.aspx
Yokohama Advan dB V551 ADVAN dB decibel V551
Kumho KU31 http://www.kumho.com.au/blog/products/ecsta-spt-ku31/
Kumho 4x KU22 http://www.kumho.com.au/blog/products/ecsta-4x-ku22/
Continental CONTISPORTCONTACT-3 http://www.continental-tyres.com.au/www ... -3-en.html
Michelin nothing...
Dunlop nothing....

Nothing too exciting on there except maybe the Toyot T1 Sport?

[BarryTurner]

ive recently fitted Michelin Primacy HP tyres to my 2010 XLS. They feel quieter than the Yokohamas and the ride seems even more refined. Cheaper than the Yokohamas too.

[murcod]

Michelin doesn't make anything (sorry, I should say Michelin Australia doesn't import anything) in 235/50R17 - not sure if they do in the stock size 215/55R17? From my past experiences Michelins are usually a pretty good bet - although a somewhat expensive one!

I got a price for Sumitomos from a local tyre dealer - $350 each. Here's the same tyre on Tire Rack for $118 each !? http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... mpare1=yes

Somebody in the Australian supply chain is making some serious money by ripping us off.

[BarryTurner]

I paid $355 for the 18 inch Michies. to be honest I didnt think of buying them on line. Im very pleased with them. Did a country drive outside Melbourne today and the ride was awesome. One of the reasons the Kiz was criticised in Drive COTY was Yoko handling in the wet.

I had a couple of Mazda6 before this car. They were great except for shocking NVH levels. Kizashi is much more refined. But I guess resale will be poor because of low sales volumes. might have to keep it a few years.