Team-BHP - Yokohama A-Drive Reviews

Dunno how this thread missed me but i have had very bad experiences with the A Drive .

My Verna CRDI is shod with 195/64/R14 A Drive i have done about 5000 KMs on them they are comfortable , quiet and all the characters they are advertised to be when you are driving belo 100 KMPH short burst of speeds in excess of 150 kmph are also fine ,even performnce on wet roads is commendable .... but ...

Its a different story altogether if you have the habit of cruising at speeds of over 110 KMPH consistantly for let say like hours , ok you slow down but then again accelarate fast to get back to your cruise speeds. In these conditions the A Drive proved to be a big let up - a disaster at that !

I noticed during once of the night drives that we had that on pushing the car consistantly above 120 the tyre heats up an probably that why on cornering the vehicle just slips sidewards and not enough traction to my liking i belive my OEM MRF ZVTS 175/70/R14s were better of in this regard. Even though powered much better than a Peted Swift running AD07s , i could not pull even close to the guy because of the lack of traction i tired again and again only to chicken out due to the lack of grip when ever a curve came up.

I was planing up for the tyre change when something went wrong on he personal front and was forced to postpone the change but now i drive slower owing to the fact that i know the weakness on my tyres....but as soon as i am back on my feet the tyres are the first things thats gonna change on my car ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008 (Post 1229007)

Ride quality on S drives is supposed to be decent. If you are looking at outright ride comfort, look at the AVS db range. The thing is, the Getz CRDI is a very powerful vehicle. I wouldnt wholeheartedly recommend the A drives. You need proper grip at the high speeds it is capable of doing.

Maybe the Michelin Pilot Precedas? They are available in 205/55-15.

Completely agree with Nikhil on this here , Michelin PPs would be a much better bet anyday than the A Drive

Quote:

Originally Posted by HimuraKenshin (Post 1232507)

I got yokohama 175/13" for my esteem! ride quality is superb! the tyre shop said that the pressure should be 30psi! but suzuki says that the cold pressure should be 26psi. i know that 26psi is for 155/13" tyres, but still.. isnt 30psi too much? please advice? And it would be very helpful if someone coul tell me the approximate price of a pressure gauge!
thanks in advance!

Got A.drives on my Esteem a few months ago. I find 30 psi a tad on the higher side and 26 is certainly too low. I find 28 just right for city riding. 29 is ok for highways... so I maintain my pressures in this range. Pressure actually depends on the kind of roads you are driving on. If roads are really good (do they exist in India??) then even 30 psi is good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellstar (Post 1232966)

Even though powered much better than a Peted Swift running AD07s , i could not pull even close to the guy because of the lack of traction i tired again and again only to chicken out due to the lack of grip when ever a curve came up.

I think you're comparing Apples to Oranges here. Trying to compare the performance against the AD07 is an unfair comparison IMO.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rippergeo (Post 1233491)

@hellstar- that is not good news. Dad's Verna ABS needs new tyres at 30k. Was looking at Yoko A drives. Now having cold feet. They are VFM at 3400-3600 for the size you mentioned. the nearest comparable tyre in performance costs almost a 1k more per piece

Note- I wont be changing the stock steel rims.

Hellstar's Verna is Peted too. Also, is your dad going to drive somewhat aggressively on the highway? If not, then you can go for the A drives.

A-Drives are the best VFM tyres currently out there. Very comfortable and silent. Just completed 500kms after installing them. For everyday normal driving they are definately worth it. Yet to test them in the wet though. For hard aggressive driving would suggest more performance oriented tyres. But for the regular city driver these are currently one of the best set of tyres out there for the price they're been offered at.:thumbs up

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008 (Post 1233522)

Hellstar's Verna is Peted too. Also, is your dad going to drive somewhat aggressively on the highway? If not, then you can go for the A drives.

My dad is worse than I am:D
He gets the ABS to work every time he takes it out. Every panel on that poor car is dented. He needs better tyres. Only saving grace is, in kerala, keeping up a constant 100-120 is not easy, unless its late night/early morning.
is this overheating, a known issue with these tyres? because when I drive the car, average speeds are like hellstar described.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rippergeo (Post 1233598)

In that case, you can say bye bye to economy tyres. Get him a set of PP2s in 185/60 R14. Best possible compromise in 14".

Quote:

Originally Posted by iraghava (Post 1233155)

I think you're comparing Apples to Oranges here. Trying to compare the performance against the AD07 is an unfair comparison IMO.

I concur but i used to be able to keep up with this kindda driving with my MRF ZVTS, and to top it that day my petes was not even hookedup !

A- drives are comfort based tyres but arent they rated to be functional at even 190 kmph ?

I had used the car on log drives to kerala, but i did notice this only when i was really aggressive on the accelarator an i trie ths out on Mysore road with its share of killer curves

But i stil maintain that these tyres would work perfect for the sedates drives and the occasional blast about 150 kmph. But definitely no on sustained harassement. I now have put the petes back in and have had a coupe of high speed runs and it even worse now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevciti (Post 1233586)

A drives wet perfomnace is really nice , i once drove down to kerala taking the Mysore - Gundulpet - sulthan bathery route and this route is extremely curvy with lots a hairpins ith sooth road allowing you to gather enough momentum, and it was raining cats and dogs , the tyres out performed themselves , in comparison to the MRF ZVTS that i had earlier.

guys was about to get A drives installed this week,but i came across this thread and now all kinds of questions are coming into my mind.should i go in for the s drives 205/55,i have a swift vxi.i dont have that 150+stints regularly,but yes once in a while i do love them,please suggest fast,upgrading in a day or two.
damn,why dont s drives come in 195/60.