Yokohama Avid Ascend GT Review: Super Comfortable Touring Tire

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Dry

95%

Wet

95%

Snow

85%

Comfort

95%

Noise

95%

Treadwear

90%

Overall

93%

Pros

  • Very good responsiveness in the corners
  • High levels of grip and traction in dry conditions
  • Outstanding hydroplaning resistance and wet traction
  • Supremely quiet and comfortable, even at higher speeds
  • Cheaper than premium rivals

Cons

  • Most premium competitors offer better treadwear warranties

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Driving down the road for several hours at a time can be pretty exhausting, especially if your car isn’t very quiet. The science backs this up – noise can really mess up with our brains and make us tired. Most importantly, noise can also make you lose concentration, which is certainly not something you want in a car. Mostly, the noise that you hear while driving on the highway comes from the tires.

Obviously, then, choosing a quieter set of tires will make longer journeys much more bearable. Such a tire is the Yokohama Avid Ascend GT. Specified as grand-touring all-season tire, the Yokohama focuses on outstanding comfort and all-weather traction. But is it really any good? Check out in this detailed Yokohama Avid Ascend GT review!

The Avid Ascend GT is one of the newest additions to Yokohama’s lineup, which means that it also incorporates the latest tech available from the manufacturer. That’s great because the competition constantly improves their grand-touring tires and especially premium manufacturers. The best thing about Yokohama is that they try to produce high-quality tires at a slightly lower price point than other premium competitors and often succeed in doing that.

Available in sizes ranging from 15-20 inches, the Avid Ascend GT covers mid-size sedans, coupes, minivans, and even crossovers. In other words, if you own a car that’s family-oriented, the Yokohama should fit the bill. Price-wise, the Yokohama is over 10% cheaper than its closest competitors from Bridgestone, Michelin, and Continental, which means that you can save up to $100 for a set of four tires. That’s certainly not bad given the fact that this Japanese manufacturer is known for producing durable and safe tires that work as advertised.

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Valid through January 13, 2023
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What are the features of the Yokohama Avid Ascend GT?

This tire has a lot going on when it comes to features. It incorporates almost every technology that Yokohama introduced to the world to this day, with the most obvious one being the TriBLEND Compound Technology. This all-season compound combines a low Tg-polymer and high-silica content which brings higher levels of grip in both dry and wet conditions. The tread compound is also optimized for tread life – Yokohama offers 65,000-mile treadwear warranty. This might not be the best result in the category, but it’s still close to the best and very good for the price.

The Avid Ascend GT also comes with an asymmetric tread pattern optimized for grip and traction in all weather conditions, and also for stable contact with the road, something that most touring tires aren’t associated with. Upon close inspection, the tread has a lot going for. The Outside Adaptive Shoulder Blocks are here to give the Ascend GT a quieter drive, which was obviously one of the main factors when designing this tire.

Then, the four deep circumferential grooves with asymmetric widths prevent hydroplaning and evacuate water better, while the open shoulders in the inside notches allow the water to pass through. The tire also has multiple sipes, which should help in light snow. Not a lot of tires have tread designs that are so comprehensive. On top of that, the polyester casing is designed with ride comfort in mind, while the full nylon cover work provides predictable handling and excellent high-speed stability.

The Avid Ascend GT is also equipped with Yokohama’s BluEarth technology for reduced rolling resistance, which reduces fuel consumption and emissions.

Yokohama Avid Ascend Gt Review

What are maintenance indicators?

The Avid Ascend GT comes with the same maintenance indicators as all other Yokohama tires. Just look for the treadwear indicator bars inside the tread – if you don’t see them, the tire is still okay for use. If the tread is flush with the indicator bars, though, then it’s time for a replacement.

As for the warranty, Yokohama offers limited 65,000-mile treadwear warranty or 5-years. The uniformity warranty is eligible for the first 2/32″ of wear, while Yokohama will happily replace your tires for the first year or 2/32″ of wear, then prorated to 2/32″ remaining depth. Unlike other manufacturers, Yokohama offers a 30-day test drive.

Is it good for off-road driving?

If you own a crossover and want tires that will work in harsh off-road conditions, I’m afraid that the Yokohama Acid Ascend GT is not the best choice out there. This is a tire that’s designed to be used only on paved surfaces, not in off-road conditions. That said, thanks to the comprehensive tread design, you can use these tires on some gravel roads if you insist. Just do that carefully because grip and traction will be limited.

How does it behave on the dry tarmac?

While it is certainly not a sporty tire, the Yokohama provides the driver with very good handling. Traction is very good, on par with the best premium grand-touring tires, even on more powerful sedans, coupes, and minivans. Braking performance is excellent, too. Not class-leading, mind you, but still very respectable, especially when compared to tires in the same price category.

Thanks to the upgraded tread compound, the Avid Ascend GT is also very responsive in the corners – it quickly responds to steering inputs. The grip is also pretty high for a grand-touring tire, but the most impressive aspect is the straight-line stability and road-holding. Driving with a set of these tires on the highway at 70mph is completely safe.

Thanks to the advanced tread compound, the Avid Ascend GT also works very well in colder weather, losing only a little bit of grip and traction. Aside from the very good handling performance, the Avid Ascend GT should also lower the fuel consumption and emissions of your car, thanks to the BluEarth technology.

With all that said, if you own a particularly sporty coupe with a powerful engine in the front, you might want to invest a little more for a high-performance set of tires. Yokohama has some of their (pretty good) own if you insist on this brand.

How is it over wet and slippery roads?

As far as the Avid Ascend GT is good on dry tarmac, it might be even better on wet and slippery roads. Relatively, of course. I find the Yokohama to be outstandingly good in resisting hydroplaning – the car remains controllable even in puddles of water. Also, the advanced tread compound pays dividends on damp surfaces, where the Avid Ascend GT holds itself extremely well. Overall, this is one of the safest and easiest grand-touring tires to drive in the rain.

With that being said, how is it in snowy roads?

Yokohama Avid Ascend Gt Review

Drivers that live in areas with harsh winters will still need a proper set of winter tires when the snow begins to fall. However, if you live in an area with mild winters and only a small amount of snow here and there, then the Avid Ascend GT will cover you easily. Traction levels in light snow are one of the best in the all-season grand-touring category, and so is the braking performance. That said, driving over icy surfaces is a no-go – the Avid Ascend GT completely loses traction in those circumstances. Also, forget about driving in deep snow – you might even get stuck.

Is it comfortable and refined?

You bet it is! This is one of the quietest tires I’ve tried recently, improving the refinement of almost any vehicle you put it on. That’s true even at very high speeds, and for cars that don’t have that much noise insulation. On top of that, the ride quality with a set of Avid Ascend GT tires will be sublime. Smaller imperfections on the road are almost completely eaten by the Yokohama, while the larger potholes are tempered with aplomb. This is perhaps the biggest reason why you would opt for a set of these tires – they are outstandingly comfortable over any surface you encounter.

You can see more Yokohama Avid Ascend GT Review here: videos created by Tire Rack

Should I buy the Yokohama Avid Ascend GT?

If you’re in the market for grand-touring all-season tires, I’d say that you should absolutely consider the Yokohama Avid Ascend GT. It is very hard to find any big fault with the Yokohama, really. This tire definitely shows that Yokohama has a lot of experience and know-how in designing tires.

However, keep your options open. Some grand-touring tires from premium manufacturers may offer even better handling abilities and longer treadwear warranty. For example, the Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus comes with 80,000-mile treadwear warranty and might be a better option for drivers that cover a lot of miles annually, despite the fact that it is more expensive.

That is not to detract from the fact that Yokohama designed an excellent grand-touring tire that works throughout the year and one that is supremely quiet and comfortable. Highly recommended!

New Year Sale @Priority Tire
Valid through January 13, 2023
Available at PriorityTire.com

2 thoughts on “Yokohama Avid Ascend GT Review: Super Comfortable Touring Tire”

  1. Loves these tires. Bought 4 for my honda a month ago, wow! My car rides better, and windows down, really very quiet, the road noise. From a scale from 1 to 10, only being a month and a half, I give it a 10.

    Reply
  2. I am a car guy. Not a noob. Have changed engines, etc. So I have a clue.

    I bought the Avid Ascend GT for my 2016 Accord V6, which is in near-perfect condition. I spent extra for these because of the claims of performance and low noise.

    The performance is good. The tires feel good, stick well to the road.

    The noise level is simply intolerable. I went back and swapped two of them out, thinking maybe a defect. No change. People comment the car sounds like a UFO with the wobbly, whiney noise these tires make. People walking on the side of the road turn their heads to see whats coming.

    I am taking these back. Going to demand a refund for all six tires, and if Yokohama thinks they are going to prorate them, they can explain their position to a Judge. Even with the good performance characteristics, this is hands-down the worst tire purchase I have made in my 40 years owning cars. WHAT a disappointment.

    Reply

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