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Yokohama AVID Ascend Review

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by F8L, Mar 21, 2012.

  1. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Thank you for yOur input. Hopefully you will keep us informed as you put more miles on them. The Ascend is a very new tire so we have very little real world data or opinions on them.

    The Ascend has a high max pressure rating compared to almost every other tire in this class and size except the Goodyear Fuel Max. I originally thought this tire would require high pressure to handle well or roll easily but that didn't turn out to be the case. At 51psi these things are rock hard. I used to have not issues with running 50+psi in any of the 185/65/15 tires I used on my GenII. I find that right around 44/42 or 42/40 is where I like the pressure with this tire. When I go higher the ride becomes more bumpy and steering becomes more twitchy at freeway speeds. Most tires will exhibit these same issues as pressures go beyond max psi. They do make a bit of noise on expansion joints. My dB Super E-Spec tires were really bad in this respect. My Primacy MXM4 215/45/17s are actually quieter than both of my Yokohama tires. On the flip side, the MXM4 is not great on mpg and it is only warrantied for 55,000 miles.

    I have about 6,000 miles on them. They have not changed much since I first purchased them. I am able to squeeze out near 60mpg tanks if I stay on flat highways and keep my speed at 60mph. My normal commute makes this tough so I usually end up with a 49-51mpg (calculated) tank.

    These are a very long life tire so I would never suggest them if comfort is your number one choice. Most long tread wear tires exhibit a louder and/or harsher ride than a softer low tread wear tire. This is a trade off for having a tire that could last twice as long as a conventional tire with an average 45,000 mile warranty.

    For the price I think they are a great purchase if you are trying to find that middle of the road or jack of all trades tire. They are priced near the top of midrange, they offer a good ride and good to great traction in their class, excellent tread wear and good mpg. The only othe tire that could give them competition is the ProContact with EcoPlus and only because they are $10-$15 cheaper per tire!
     
  2. Oboedroid

    Oboedroid New Member

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    GREAT! Thanks for the quick reply. I will definitely keep everyone updated as I put more miles on the tires. I can relate to people wanting to know more info as I had to base my purchase off of minimal information.

    But yes, I agree that this tire is a jack of all trades. The grip is excellent and as far as comfort goes, if you are fine with sacrificing mpgs then they can actually be very quiet and comfy. If you want high mpgs then bump up the psi. I can vouch that the traction in dry and wet is very good. Currently live in Oregon and it definitely rains a lot here. I deliberately tried to make them lose traction (on a deserted road) and had no luck...very predictable tracking and lots of grip available. It does take about a half a second for the compound to heat up and the grip to peak, but the progressive grip on the tire is very effective. Also, the roads here are TERRIBLE. Lots of potholes around town, and all the highways and freeways are torn up from people running studded tires. So I think a lot of the road noise is just from the road quality (or lack of).

    I am happy with the Ascends and will be going on a road trip (short) to Portland this weekend, excited to see the results and economy.

    Another question...this may be sort of dumb, but you said that you get around 60mpg highway on these. I know you have a prius and I have a corolla, but do prius' use a combination of electric and gas on the highway as well? Never been in one so not sure how it works on highways...I thought that the electric motor was mostly used at low speeds...?
     
  3. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    Justin how would these compare to the Ecopia 422? I know you have a review on that but I wanted to see what you'd recommend - my mom needs new tires on her Gen II, it's currently @ ~50k miles.
     
  4. Oboedroid

    Oboedroid New Member

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    Also, if anyone has ANY questions about the Ascends, please ask! These really are awesome tires and I researched basically everything out there before purchasing. For the price I believe these are the best buy currently on the market (for my vehicle).
     
  5. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    The Prius hybrid system provides electric assist at all speeds but when cruising it is not used much. It doesn't take much horsepower to maintain speed (about 15-19 HP at 55-60mph) so the Atkinson Cycle Prius engine can work very efficiently and only requires small energy input from the hybrid battery. It's acceleration that taxes the low HP engine and uses quite a bit of electrical energy. It's a pretty neat system. Some people incorrectly assume that just because a hybrid does so well in the city that the highway mpg is not good. That is obviously not the case. It is great on the highway. It simply doesnt lose as much mpg as non-hybrids do in the city. :)

    My best friend has a Corolla so I use him as a guinea pig for tires. :)

    I have never owned the Ecopia EP422 but other than low price I do not see them as being a better option than the Ascend, ProCntact, or Energy Saver A/S. I would prefer the Ascend for my mom's car. Max mpg is sweet but I'd prefer to it my loved ones in a potentially safer tire that lasts a long time. Ths means they will spend more time driving with deep tread. We all know tires start to really suffer in wet traction after the tires reach 4/32 tread depth.
     
  6. Oboedroid

    Oboedroid New Member

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    ah so then there's no questions that I will definitely be getting lower hwy mpgs. Do you know what your friend gets in his corolla? What year is it? What tires? Is the psi increased?

    I'm upping my tires back to 40 after work tonight and seeing what the hwy mpg will go up to. Today even at 60mph I was getting 42mpg TOPS but that was on a really smooth new road and I think it may have been slightly downhill...on I-5 (very rough in Oregon) I couldn't get it to 40, it was maxing out at 38-39 which is barely over EPA :mad:
     
  7. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    I'm going to guess that your mom drives gently - so go with a set of Energy Saver A/S. It's a bit pointless to put tires on a Prius that will prevent it from fulfilling its intended mission.

    Also, in my recent report in the other thread, I am seeing an 8% increase in fuel economy over the OE tires with the Energy Saver A/S.
     
  8. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    I threw a set of Avid Ascends onto a friend's 2009 Fit. She too, previously had the Pilot Exalto A/S. In the 90 miles I drove the car after the tire install, I found the Avid Ascends to ride rougher but deliver about 10% better fuel economy right off the bat. It was quite evident that these tires roll significantly better than the Pilot Exaltos. Grip was about 90% of what the Exaltos were, IMO.
     
  9. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    He has a 2006. He used to run Ecopia EP100 which were great for mpg but he didn't like the traction and they wore out at about 45,000 miles or so. He switched to the ProContact with EcoPlus and loves the traction but the mpg dropped to low 30s. He drives like a maniac though so mpg was never his thing and tire wear will be higher than an average driver. :)

    Rolling resistance becomes less of an issue at higher speeds so higher pressure may not provide a big boost in mpg like it could at lower speeds. It is sort of like an inverse relationship with drag. Drag has a small affect at low speeds and much larger effect at high speeds. They sort of switch places. :D
     
  10. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    Thanks for your input.

    I'm not sure I understand that. You're saying Ecopias are not energy efficient? I thought they were designed for hybrids. Oh and good guess. She does drive gently, a little too gently. It drives me nuts sometimes. Haha.
     
  11. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    I was referring to the Avid Ascends with my comment, but the Energy Saver A/S still do a better job than the Ecopia EP422 in terms of fuel economy. At least I think so...;)
     
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  12. cinder

    cinder Member

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    Got the 422's installed on the '11 base model FIT with the 5 speed auto yesterday at Chevy service department for total of $414 . The $100 Visa card from GM will bring it down to $314 . There also was a $35 credit from the service center towards a rotation or any other need . These are quieter than the Dunlop SP 31 A/S that came with the FIT . The handling and ride seems just as good with a setting of 35.5 p.s.i.. The gas mileage seems to be as good as the SP 31s' . There's still plenty of the hairs on them and hopefully the F.E. will get more of a bump up . Here are pics of the gas mileage and miles on the tank of the FIT before going into the garage and when we got home . The trip after was some city driving (15%) and interstate speeds of 68 for about 15 miles . It was the 2 of us and 60 pounds of groceries . There were a few steep hills too . Plan to refill it today and take it for a drive and fill it up again since it's going to be a nice day .
     

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  13. cinder

    cinder Member

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    After :
     

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  14. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    You posted in the wrong thread. This is not the EP422 thread. :p
     
  15. cinder

    cinder Member

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    They are mentioned in post #31 by the Critic . So , kind of the proper thread ;) .
     
  16. cinder

    cinder Member

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    We went for a trip and got 39 m.p.g. ( 356.9 mis. / 9.151 gals. @ 1 click ) , display 38.9 . That tank was Dunlop SP 31s' for little over first 1/2 and the 422s' for rest . The other is arriving home on new tank with the 422s . While getting gas at the Valero a woman getting gas for her 2010 Prius on the other side of the pump asked if the FIT was a hybrid and what the gas mileage is . Told her that it's not a hybrid and would give her the gas mileage . She was impressed with the 39 m.p.g. and all the room the FIT has . Asked her gas mileage and said it's over 50 . Nice to see a few good people at the pump . Last , seems like there's little effort to maintain steady gas mileage and less loss of it when accelerating ( reach desired M.P.H. quicker ) . There's 221 miles on them and the hairs are dwindling . Hoping to see more gain in F.E.. Will get back on wet performance .
     

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  17. Oboedroid

    Oboedroid New Member

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    Update!

    So I went up on a small road trip this weekend to Portland and am really loving the Ascends. I averaged 43.8mpg for the trip total. Very impressive! A reminder that I'm driving a 2006 Corolla, not a Prius, so I am very happy with these results. I have to say that I agree that with the warmer weather these tires seem to perform really well. It may just also be that they're finally breaking in a little. In any case, they were quiet, comfortable, and my mpgs have definitely increased since installing them! So far I'm very happy. Anyway, just a short update, but thought I'd share!
     
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  18. Oboedroid

    Oboedroid New Member

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    Also, pretty much all of those miles (about 225miles) were highway, driving no faster than 65.
     
  19. cinder

    cinder Member

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    Is the Corolla a 5 speed manual or 4 speed automatic ? Very nice gains . Keep us updated . We'll do so for comparison . Thanks .
     
  20. jellybug

    jellybug Junior Member

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    How would these Ascends compare to the ENVigors? I'm probably going to order tires tomorrow and I like the aggressive tread pattern of the ENV's but I've heard such great things about the Ascends.

    Can I expect to take a hit in mpg with the ENV's? How would they both compare for mpg? I have some weird Mastercraft Strategy tires from the previous owner on it right now. They are non-LRR tires. I am getting 44 mpg average. Also considered the Ecopia's but from what I understand they are an inferior tire, am I correct?

    ENV's are a little cheaper than the Ascends. Sway me one way or the other. Thanks!