Yokohama Avid Touring S Review: The All-Season Tire That Balances Performance and Comfort

Don’t know the correct size tire to purchase? Start here!

The Yokohama Avid Touring S is an all-season touring tire designed for drivers seeking a balance of performance, comfort, and value. Engineered for sedans, coupes, and minivans, this tire aims to provide a smooth, quiet ride with dependable traction in various weather conditions.

Yokohama positions the Avid Touring S as a versatile choice for daily commuters, family vehicles, and those who occasionally encounter light off-road or winter driving scenarios. With its blend of capabilities, it targets drivers seeking a reliable, long-lasting tire that can handle the diverse demands of modern driving without sacrificing ride quality or budget considerations.

The Avid Touring S boasts a symmetric tread pattern and advanced compound technology, promising a confident driving experience across dry, wet, and light snow conditions. Its design strikes a balance between responsive handling, even treadwear, and a comfortable ride, making it a suitable option for drivers seeking an all-around performer in the touring tire category.

Tire Design and Construction

The Yokohama Avid Touring S tire is designed with a focus on delivering a well-rounded performance across various driving conditions. Its symmetric tread pattern features a continuous center rib flanked by intermediate and outer shoulder blocks, providing a balanced combination of dry and wet traction, handling, and wear resistance.

The tire’s casing is constructed with two steel belts reinforced by spirally wrapped nylon for enhanced strength and durability. This construction helps maintain the tire’s shape and provides a smooth, comfortable ride while also improving high-speed stability and handling precision.

The tread compound is a silica-enhanced all-season formulation, which helps improve traction on wet surfaces while maintaining good dry road performance. Additionally, the tread features circumferential grooves and lateral notches that effectively evacuate water from the contact patch, enhancing hydroplaning resistance and wet traction.

The tire’s sidewall design incorporates stylish and modern elements, with the Yokohama branding prominently displayed. The tire’s internal structure includes twin steel belts and a polyester casing, ensuring a high level of durability and resistance to impacts and punctures.

Overall, the Yokohama Avid Touring S tire’s design and construction aim to strike a balance between performance, comfort, and longevity, making it a versatile choice for drivers seeking a reliable all-season touring tire.

Treadwear and Durability

The Yokohama Avid Touring S tire boasts an impressive 700 AA treadwear rating, indicating excellent longevity and resistance to wear. With its advanced silica-enriched tread compound and optimized tread design, this tire delivers exceptional treadlife, often outperforming competitors in its class. Owners can expect to get around 60,000 to 80,000 miles out of the Avid Touring S, depending on driving habits and conditions.

Yokohama backs up the durability of this tire with a generous 65,000-mile treadwear warranty, providing peace of mind and protection for your investment. The tire’s internal construction features two wide steel belts reinforced by spirally wrapped nylon for enhanced strength and uniformity, contributing to its impressive durability and longevity on the road.

With its combination of long-lasting tread compound, optimized tread pattern, and robust internal structure, the Yokohama Avid Touring S offers outstanding treadwear and durability, ensuring a reliable and long-lasting performance throughout its lifespan.

Dry Road Performance

The Yokohama Avid Touring S delivers impressive dry road performance, offering a confident and responsive driving experience. The tire’s advanced tread compound and asymmetric tread pattern work in tandem to provide exceptional grip and traction on dry pavement.

During cornering maneuvers, the Avid Touring S exhibits excellent stability and responsiveness. The tire maintains its composure, allowing for precise steering inputs and minimal body roll. Even when pushed to its limits, the tire remains planted, inspiring confidence in the driver.

Braking performance on dry roads is equally impressive. The Avid Touring S demonstrates strong bite and consistent stopping power, allowing for shorter braking distances. The tire’s tread design effectively evacuates water, ensuring optimal contact with the road surface, even during sudden braking scenarios.

Straight-line tracking is another area where the Avid Touring S excels. The tire maintains a steady course, minimizing wandering or tramlining tendencies. This characteristic contributes to a relaxed and comfortable driving experience, particularly during long highway journeys.

Overall, the Yokohama Avid Touring S delivers exceptional dry road performance, combining responsive handling, reliable braking, and stable tracking. Whether navigating winding roads or tackling daily commutes, this tire offers a reassuring and engaging driving experience on dry pavement.

Wet Road Performance

The Yokohama Avid Touring S tire delivers reliable performance in wet conditions, thanks to its advanced tread design and construction. The tire’s circumferential grooves and lateral notches effectively channel water away from the contact patch, enhancing hydroplaning resistance and ensuring a confident grip on slick surfaces.

During our testing, the Avid Touring S demonstrated impressive traction and stability when driving through heavy rain or standing water. The tire’s compound and tread pattern work in tandem to maintain a firm grip, allowing for controlled cornering and responsive handling, even in challenging wet conditions.

Braking performance on wet roads is also a strong suit for this tire. The Avid Touring S provides consistent and predictable braking, with short stopping distances that inspire confidence. The tire’s water evacuation capabilities and strong tread compound contribute to its impressive wet braking performance, ensuring your safety during sudden stops or emergency maneuvers.

Overall, the Yokohama Avid Touring S tire delivers reliable wet road performance, offering drivers peace of mind and enhanced control when navigating through inclement weather conditions. Its hydroplaning resistance, traction, and braking capabilities make it a dependable choice for those seeking a tire that excels in wet environments.

Winter and Snow Performance

The Yokohama Avid Touring S is an all-season tire designed for year-round use, including light winter conditions. However, it is essential to note that this tire is not a dedicated winter tire and may not provide optimal performance in severe snow or ice.

In light snow and slush, the Avid Touring S performs reasonably well. The tire’s tread design incorporates grooves and sipes that help evacuate water and provide some traction on snowy surfaces. The compound used in the tire is also designed to remain pliable at lower temperatures, which can improve grip on colder surfaces.

However, as snow accumulates or conditions become icy, the limitations of an all-season tire become more apparent. The Avid Touring S lacks the aggressive tread patterns and specialized rubber compounds found in dedicated winter tires, which are engineered specifically for optimal traction on snow and ice.

If you live in an area with frequent heavy snowfall or icy conditions, it is recommended to consider dedicated winter tires for maximum safety and performance during the colder months. While the Yokohama Avid Touring S can handle light winter conditions, it may struggle to provide adequate traction and braking performance in more extreme winter weather scenarios.

Comfort and Noise Levels

The Yokohama Avid Touring S tire delivers a remarkably smooth and comfortable driving experience. Its advanced tread design and optimized construction work together to minimize road noise and vibrations, resulting in a serene cabin environment even at higher speeds.

One of the standout features of this tire is its ability to absorb road imperfections effectively. Whether you’re cruising on well-maintained highways or navigating through rougher urban streets, the Avid Touring S provides a plush ride quality that insulates passengers from harsh impacts and jarring bumps.

Additionally, the tire’s noise-reducing technology ensures a quiet ride, making it an excellent choice for those who value a peaceful driving experience. The tread pattern and specialized rubber compound work in harmony to minimize the generation of tire roar, which can be a common issue with some all-season tires.

Overall, the Yokohama Avid Touring S strikes an impressive balance between comfort and performance. Its smooth ride and low noise levels make it a compelling option for drivers seeking a refined and enjoyable driving experience, whether embarking on long road trips or tackling daily commutes.

Fuel Efficiency

The Yokohama Avid Touring S tire is designed with a focus on improving fuel efficiency and reducing rolling resistance. Its advanced tread compound and optimized construction help minimize energy loss as the tire rolls, resulting in better gas mileage for your vehicle.

One of the key features contributing to the tire’s fuel-saving capabilities is its low rolling resistance. The tread compound is formulated with specialized polymers and silica, which reduce the amount of energy required to keep the tire rolling. This translates into less engine power being consumed, leading to improved fuel economy.

Additionally, the Avid Touring S features a symmetric tread pattern with continuous ribs and optimized siping. This design helps maintain even pressure distribution across the tread surface, further reducing rolling resistance and maximizing the tire’s energy efficiency.

While exact fuel savings can vary depending on your vehicle, driving habits, and driving conditions, Yokohama claims that the Avid Touring S can provide noticeable improvements in fuel economy compared to some of its competitors. This not only saves you money at the gas pump but also contributes to a lower carbon footprint, making the Avid Touring S an eco-friendly choice for environmentally conscious drivers.

Pricing and Value

The Yokohama Avid Touring S tire offers an excellent value proposition for drivers seeking a high-quality, all-season touring tire. While not the most affordable option on the market, its pricing is competitive and in line with other premium tire brands.

Compared to its direct competitors, such as the Michelin Defender T+H and the Continental TrueContact Tour, the Yokohama Avid Touring S is priced slightly lower, making it an attractive choice for budget-conscious consumers who still want a reliable and well-performing tire.

What sets the Avid Touring S apart is its impressive combination of performance, comfort, and longevity. Its advanced tread compound and design ensure excellent treadwear, with many owners reporting outstanding mileage before needing a replacement. This long-lasting tread life effectively offsets the slightly higher upfront cost, providing better value in the long run.

Additionally, the Avid Touring S delivers a smooth, quiet ride and reliable all-season traction, making it a versatile choice for a wide range of driving conditions. Its well-rounded performance and durability make it a worthwhile investment for those seeking a tire that can provide a comfortable and safe driving experience without breaking the bank.

Overall, while not the cheapest option available, the Yokohama Avid Touring S offers an excellent balance of performance, comfort, and value, making it a compelling choice for drivers seeking a high-quality, all-season touring tire at a reasonable price point.

Fitment and Sizing Options

The Yokohama Avid Touring S is available in a wide range of sizes to fit most passenger cars, minivans, and crossovers. Sizes range from 15-inch to 20-inch wheel diameters, with various width and sidewall options. Load ratings include standard passenger (SL) and extra load (XL) variants to accommodate different vehicle weights.

For optimal fitment, Yokohama provides detailed sizing guides and vehicle fitment recommendations on their website and through authorized dealers. These resources help ensure you select the proper size and load rating for your specific make, model, year, and trim level.

Some popular OE (Original Equipment) fitments for the Avid Touring S include Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, Nissan Altima, and Chevrolet Malibu. However, the tire’s versatile sizing allows it to be fitted on a wide variety of vehicles beyond these common applications.

It’s essential to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations and your vehicle’s placard or owner’s manual for the correct tire size, load index, and speed rating. Improper sizing can negatively impact ride quality, handling, safety, and fuel efficiency. Consulting with a tire professional is recommended if you’re unsure about the ideal fitment for your vehicle.

Comparison to Competitors

The Yokohama Avid Touring S faces stiff competition from several other popular all-season touring tires. When compared to the Michelin Defender T+H, the Avid Touring S offers similar dry and wet road performance, but the Michelin has a slight edge in terms of treadwear and overall durability. The Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus is another strong competitor, with excellent fuel efficiency and a comfortable ride, though it may not match the Avid Touring S’s handling capabilities.

Another close rival is the Continental TrueContact Tour, which boasts impressive wet traction and a long treadlife. However, the Yokohama tends to be quieter on the highway and may provide better winter traction. The Goodyear Assurance ComforTred Touring is also worth considering, as it offers a smooth, comfortable ride and good all-season performance, but it may not be as responsive or sporty as the Avid Touring S.

Overall, the Yokohama Avid Touring S holds its own against the competition, offering a well-rounded blend of performance, comfort, and value. While it may not excel in any single area, it delivers a consistent and reliable driving experience across a wide range of conditions.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Excellent dry and wet traction, providing confident handling in various weather conditions
• Impressive treadwear and durability, ensuring long-lasting performance
• Comfortable and quiet ride, enhancing the overall driving experience
• Fuel-efficient design, helping to maximize fuel economy
• Affordable pricing, offering good value for the performance delivered

Cons:

• Limited winter traction, making it less suitable for harsh winter conditions with heavy snow and ice
• Slightly longer stopping distances on wet surfaces compared to some premium touring tires
• Tread life may not be as long as some competitors in the same category
• Availability and sizing options could be more extensive for certain vehicle fitments

Final Verdict and Recommendations

The Yokohama Avid Touring S is an excellent all-season touring tire that delivers a well-rounded performance across various driving conditions. Its strengths lie in its comfortable ride quality, impressive treadwear and durability, and reliable dry and wet road traction. While it may not excel in severe winter conditions, it provides adequate performance in light snow and can handle moderate wintry conditions.

For drivers seeking a tire that strikes a balance between comfort, longevity, and all-season capabilities, the Yokohama Avid Touring S is an excellent choice. Its value proposition is further enhanced by its competitive pricing, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious consumers.

Overall, the Yokohama Avid Touring S is highly recommended for sedan, coupe, and minivan owners who prioritize a smooth, quiet ride and long treadlife without compromising on safety and all-season performance. It’s a reliable and cost-effective option that delivers on its promises, making it a solid investment for your vehicle.