MX6_2_RX8

It is a nice feeling when you can go out on a day that it might possibly almost maybe snow; and not feel panicked.

I’ve had mine on a few weeks through one light snow.
1) They are quieter – I might have mentioned that.
2) They feel like a regular car in the snow. = Not snow tires but not a hocky puck
3) You feel slightly more disconnected from the road. Not in a really bad way but they aren’t quite as crisp, of course that helps the loudness.
4) They don’t seem to tramline as much. (See #3)
My overall impression is they are the right tire for me but not a maximum performance tire. Life is full of trade offs and this is a good one.

msrecant

Thanks for the feedback. What you say makes sense based on the nature of the stock tires and the Avons. It will definitely help the rest of us when it come time to replace the stock tires.

CarAndDriver

Thanks for the informative review. Supports the reviews on Tirerack.com. Sounds like they have good but slighltly less dry traction than the OEMs, but significant increase in quietness and ride comfort.

I think it's a good tradeoff for daily drivers not doing hardcore or frequent track activity.

icyur2

OEM tire size is 225/45 - 18...anybody tried 225/40 - 18? If so, any difference, besides the height of the tire? Asking because @45 it is $136/tire, but @40, it is $115/tire....

Aseras

it will be smaller. probably through the speedo off a bit more. get a 235 or 245/40 if you want to keep it the same.

otoh the 225/40 will have better handling and the car will be a bit quicker accelerating.

MX6_2_RX8

My Avons are done. They have lasted about 24,000 mi, about 2x the OEM potenzas. They weren't great in the snow but . . . well, they weren't great in the snow.

About 2/3 the way through their life they started to get loud just like my old ones. I never got an alignment the whole time they were on the car and the wear is starting to show it. They were rotated but since they are directional they only went front to back. I probably could have got a few more miles out of these if I was a little more careful and got an alignment in their lifetime.

I'd give these an overall rating of B.

I'm moving to a set of Cooper Zeon Sport A/S

RWatters

iTrader: (5)

I have these on my winter wheels for the RX-8 and I am very satisfied with their purchase. They have helped my RX-8 get through everything this winter and without issue. I only had issues once and that was around 4 inches of snow on an uphill road. I just did a donut in the middle of the road and took it downhill to a backroad and then made it to my destination without fault.

Outside of that they did just what I ask, and that was make it through winter without me hitting anything and they performed flawlessly. In total I think they have around 10,000 miles on them now and still look brand new. Noise is picking up a little bit but they are absorbing bumps a lot better.

For those complaining about feedback in the steering wheel, this is an all-season tire. What did you expect going from a performance tire to this? It's a night and day difference because they're designed for two completely different purposes.

For those who live in areas that have mild winters (some ice and some snow but nothing insane like up north) I think these tires and well worth the money.

Revvittupp

I have been lookign for more impressions liek this...

I live in MD, which is cold enough in the winter to make these Hockey Pucks moderately unsafe in dry conditions, and unusable when wet AND cold.
BUT, it is rarely cold AND wet, so I think snow tires would be overkill, and wear out in a single winter, or two, as the roads will be clear 90% of when they are on the car(DEC - MAR).

Is it worth the effort and money to get a second set of wheels and swap to A/S's in teh winter and keep a summer Wheel/Tire combo for the majority of the year?

RWatters

iTrader: (5)

I'm a firm believer in "better safe than sorry" when it comes to a rear wheel drive car like ours in the winter. My summer tires are Michelin Pilot Sports which are NOT going to make it around in anything even remotely cold or slippery come winter time.

Even if it snows only once or twice and you get some ice I believe it's worth the money spent in safety alone. My car trucked along just fine in the stuff we got here in Kansas and it was a HUGE confidence boost as well knowing that.

The tires only cost me around $450 since I bought them in 17", and I found some clearcoat-peeling 17" Motegi wheels for a whopping $100 to mount them on so for $550 I think it's money well spent!

Chris in MD

I have about 23K on my Avon tires now. I got rid of the OEM Bridgestone's at about 30K when I couldn't stand the noise anymore. I had to crank up the stereo pretty loud - should have probably got noise cancelling headsets and maybe could have squeezed a few more miles out. Anyway, I agree with first comments on the Avon's. MUCH quieter, better traction on wet roads, a little "softer" if steering hard. We haven't had much snow in MD the past couple winters so I have only driven a few times with a light "dusting" but they seemed reasonable (I didn't expect to go 4 wheeling anyway). There is still a lot of tread left and they have started to "whine" a little but well within exceptable limits. I also couldn't beat the price - also purchased from tire rack. I would purchase these again without hesitation and would recommend them to anyone (unless you wanted tracklike performance). For everyday driving and those of us with 4 seasons these are pretty hard to beat.