Torque Steer

[StevesWeb]

I replaced them with Michelin MXM tires, and those were quiet and smooth.

Did they seem to grip the road better?

 

[SanDiego]

>>>>>>>>>>

I replaced our front tires with Yokohama Avid Ascend (185/55R15 = the original size).

Conclusion: We are now driving a significantly improved vehicle.

The Ecopia tires wore down to 4/32" tread after 9,000 miles. The handling got more and more mushy. Traction was reduced. There are a limited number of tires made in the 185/55R15 size. The Avid Ascend is one of them, and it's billed as a low-rolling-resistance tire. It's wear rating is more than twice the rating of the Ecopia tires. The OEM Ecopia tires have no mileage warranty. The Avid Ascend has 85,000 miles of coverage. So it looks like they will carry us for the rest of our 36,000 mile lease with no problem.

>>>>>>>>>> The most amazing thing is that I can floor the car from a dead stop and the torque steer is minimized, there is NO chirping of the tires, and no perceptible intrusion by the stability control. Ditto on taking familiar tight freeway ramps: I don't feel the constant tug of the stability control around such a curve, as we did with the Ecopia tires, nor is there any chirping, which was constant around tight curves. They also, to my ear, seem to run quieter in straight highway cruising, and definitely facilitate more precise handling in every situation.

I read an informal test that a Prius driver did, comparing Ecopia to Yokohama Avid Ascend. He concurred that the Avid Ascend provided much better handling, but he found the Ecopia to provide better range (less rolling resistance). So far, after about 500 miles, I don't notice a change in range, but I can't make a scientific comparison. What I do know is that even if we have a few miles less on every full charge, I don't care. This is SUCH a significant improvement that I wish I had done it when the car was new. http://www.yokohamatire.com/tires/detail/avid_ascend

 

[nozferatu]

>>>>>>>>>>

I replaced our front tires with Yokohama Avid Ascend (185/55R15 = the original size).

Conclusion: We are now driving a significantly improved vehicle.

The Ecopia tires wore down to 4/32" tread after 9,000 miles. The handling got more and more mushy. Traction was reduced. There are a limited number of tires made in the 185/55R15 size. The Avid Ascend is one of them, and it's billed as a low-rolling-resistance tire. It's wear rating is more than twice the rating of the Ecopia tires. The OEM Ecopia tires have no mileage warranty. The Avid Ascend has 85,000 miles of coverage. So it looks like they will carry us for the rest of our 36,000 mile lease with no problem.

>>>>>>>>>> The most amazing thing is that I can floor the car from a dead stop and the torque steer is minimized, there is NO chirping of the tires, and no perceptible intrusion by the stability control. Ditto on taking familiar tight freeway ramps: I don't feel the constant tug of the stability control around such a curve, as we did with the Ecopia tires, nor is there any chirping, which was constant around tight curves. They also, to my ear, seem to run quieter in straight highway cruising, and definitely facilitate more precise handling in every situation.

I read an informal test that a Prius driver did, comparing Ecopia to Yokohama Avid Ascend. He concurred that the Avid Ascend provided much better handling, but he found the Ecopia to provide better range (less rolling resistance). So far, after about 500 miles, I don't notice a change in range, but I can't make a scientific comparison. What I do know is that even if we have a few miles less on every full charge, I don't care. This is SUCH a significant improvement that I wish I had done it when the car was new. http://www.yokohamatire.com/tires/detail/avid_ascend

Good to know. The Ecopias are not very good performance oriented tires at all. What even makes it worse is the suspension tuning on this car....it's just too floaty and imprecise. This creates a wallowy feel and lose of traction both off the line, mid-corner, or anywhere that a good suspension would make a world of difference for grip and handling. How they could tune such a small car so poorly is beyond me.

 

[SanDiego]

The suspension tuning is fine. It's the OEM Ecopia tires that mess it up. Change to better tires.

 

[nozferatu]

The suspension tuning is fine. It's the OEM Ecopia tires that mess it up. Change to better tires.

I personally do not agree on this point. It's just too soft for good control. Hit a corner bump midway through or do a rapid direction change and this thing is bouncing around like a Cadillac.

A really good suspension system does wonders for both traction and handling. Tires make a big difference too but putting on sprinter's shoes when you can't sprint well doesn't help that much.

 

[TonyWilliams]

I replaced them with Michelin MXM tires, and those were quiet and smooth.

Did they seem to grip the road better?

Yes, significantly so. And far better tracking (stays on the track you put it on).

You will lose 3-5% range, however.