Yokohama AVID Ascend Review

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...?

 

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.

 

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).

 

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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...

 

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 .

 

After :

 

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

 

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 .

 

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!

 

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

 

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

 

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!