Pros
- Reliable longitudinal traction and cornering grip on dry surfaces
- Good braking on dry roads
- Exceptionally smooth ride quality
- Outstanding treadlife and very long treadwear warranty (85,000 miles)
- Fairly priced
Cons
- Wet traction, grip, and braking could be better
- High-pitched noise on the highway
I think we can all agree that safety is the single most important thing you should look for when searching for new tires. However, when the push comes to shove, tire buyers usually value the price and durability more than safety.
This is not a wrong way of thinking, sure, but you should definitely know what you are getting into. Namely, to give you outstanding treadlife, tiremakers usually sacrifice dry and wet grip and traction.
Fortunately, the modern rubber compounds can give you both (to a degree), and that’s a mantra that the Yokohama AVID Ascend LX follows. It’s a touring all-season tire that comes with an 85,000-mile treadwear warranty while costing less than the premium competition.
Yokohama also promises safe traction on dry, wet, and snowy roads and a comfortable and quiet ride. So, does the tire deliver on its promises? That’s exactly what you are going to find out in my in-depth Yokohama AVID Ascend LX review!
Contents
What are the Specifications and Maintenance Indicators?
The Yokohama AVID Ascend LX is a standard touring all-season tire designed to fit compact cars, mid-size sedans, compact crossovers, coupes, and minivans. It comes in 39 sizes, ranging from 15-inch to 18-inch wheel diameter.
Yokohama didn’t employ some special wear indicators to give the driver a granular way of determining the tread depth left.
Meanwhile, Continental employs its excellent QuickView indicators on the TrueContact Tour, which are a great way to show you the state of the tread.
Still, the AVID Ascend LX does have the industry-standard TWIs (tread wear indicators), which are narrow rubber bars that sit recessed in the grooves of the tire.
The TWIs are actually protruding 2/32-inch from the bottom, so when the tread reaches that depth, they will be flush with the surface.
At this moment, you should immediately replace your tires or risk severely worsened wet traction and hydroplaning resistance.
It’s also not legal to use tires with less than 2/32-inch of tread depth in some places. And if you planned on driving through the winter with that much tread depth, please note that the minimum required for that time of the year is 5/32-inch.
Fortunately, the AVID Ascend LX is one of the longest-lasting tires on the market. The treadlife is exceptional, and you won’t even think about replacing them in the first 4-5 years.
The manufacturer also offers an exceptional 85,000-mile treadwear warranty, which is one of the best in the industry, period.
Features and Performance of the Yokohama AVID Ascend LX
The AVID Ascend LX is Yokohama’s latest all-season touring tire, and it is made from the latest and most advanced tread compound.
Notably, Yokohama focused on delivering safe traction in every weather while providing outstanding treadlife.
Did it deliver? Let’s comb through each feature and see if it made a difference in the real world!
1. Dry Grip and Traction
Passenger (touring) all-season tires aren’t usually designed to give you the ultimate driving experience on dry roads.
For fast driving and shenanigans, you’d need to go for high-performance summer tires.
However, most of us spend the majority of the time on dry tarmac, making the tire’s performance in such conditions crucial.
The AVID Ascend LX uses a run-of-the-mill symmetrical tread pattern and Yokohama’s advanced L-2 tread compound to provide the driver with safe and reliable dry traction.
However, the Japanese tiremaker mentions that both work more toward improving the wear characteristics of the tire (an 85,000-mile treadwear warranty), which usually has a detrimental effect on performance.
Fortunately, the tire performs quite well on dry roads. There is enough cornering grip to keep you safe, and more importantly, the tire doesn’t surprise the driver with a sudden loss of traction.
Meanwhile, the stopping distances are pretty short, although not class-leading. Overall, though, I was completely satisfied with the performance of the tire, especially considering the category.
2. Handling and Steering Feel
The Yokohama AVID Ascend LX is a regular passenger touring tire, so I didn’t expect much in terms of responsiveness and steering feel.
Still, some tires in this category moved the bar in a positive direction, giving the driver a more enjoyable drive.
The AVID Ascend LX is a mixed bag in this category. It feels very slow to react and almost numb, and it doesn’t provide a lot of feel from the road.
However, it’s also very linear, so it’s very easy to put your wheels where you want, and ultimately that’s what it counts.
All in all, I wouldn’t say this is a big drawback since people buying touring all-season tires don’t expect razor-sharp responses.
If it’s something that bothers you, I’d recommend the Michelin Defender T+H, as it feels much more responsive and overall better to drive for a slight price premium.
3. Wet Grip, Traction, and Braking
Like in most of its all-season tires, Yokohama utilized wide circumferential grooves and lateral grooves in the symmetric tread compound.
The AVID Ascend LX is also made from the advanced L-2 compound, which promises a higher wet grip without sacrificing tread life.
So, the AVID Ascend LX must be a great rain tire, right? Well, I would say it’s only adequate, especially when you compare it to other all-season touring tires.
Regular drivers will certainly be satisfied with the overall experience since the tire is easy to regulate on wet tarmac. Specifically, it feels stable and doesn’t surprise the driver with a sudden loss of traction during cornering.
However, there is no covering the fact that the longitudinal traction and side-to-side grip are lower than its main competitors and not by a small margin.
Notably, the AVID Ascend LX needs quite a few feet more to stop in rainy conditions than most other premium touring tires, and especially the class-leading Continental TrueContact Tour.
It’s the same story with the cornering grip, which is measurably lower than the competition.
On the plus side, the tire provides excellent hydroplaning resistance, even when it rains heavily outside, so I wouldn’t worry about losing stability on the highway.
Still, that’s not enough to rescue the AVID Ascend LX from its visible shortcomings on wet tarmac.
4. Snow and Ice Traction
Although manufacturers employ many techniques and technologies to improve the snow and ice traction of modern all-season tires, they are still below average in the winter.
Particularly, I’d trust only a handful of all-season tires in harsh winter weather, and the AVID Ascend LX isn’t one of them.
Yokohama tried to improve the snow credentials of the tire by using wavy 3D sipes and notches in the intermediate ribs.
As a result, the tire does provide more traction than most all-season touring tires, but it’s still far from the class-leading products, such as the Continental TrueContact Tour. So, as the famous saying goes, “not great, not terrible!”
Crucially, at normal speeds, there is not enough traction or grip to keep you out of trouble during a snowfall, and the ice traction is far worse.
Hence, if you often encounter chilly winter weather with regular snowfall, you should at least go for all-weather tires, which are a more winter-focused version of regular all-season tires. Or, even better, go for a set of proper winter tires.
Comfort and Road Noise
Before I tell you about my “comfort” experience with the AVID Ascend LX, I first need to clarify some things.
Namely, most people associate comfort with a soft ride quality, which is not how it exactly works.
Notably, if your suspension is too soft, it would transmit more vibrations into the cabin, and due to the secondary movement of the spring, they will last long after you hit the pothole. And it’s the same with tires!
Yokohama knows this, and it designed the sidewalls so that they aren’t very soft, but also not too hard. Call it a perfect middle if you want, but it really does make a difference in the real world.
This is one of the smoothest tires I’ve driven lately, period! It provides a well-damped ride and eats road harshness while also remaining soft when you go over larger undulations.
Sadly, though, the smooth ride isn’t accompanied by a noise-free driving experience. The AVID Ascend LX isn’t loud, but it still produces a higher-pitched sound that might bother some drivers and passengers.
I wasn’t too irked by the noise, but I understand that some passengers might be.
Overall, though, if you are not a picky person, the AVID Ascend LX is a perfect companion on long road trips.
You can see more Yokohama AVID Ascend LX review here: Video created by mcbride motorsports
Should I Buy the Yokohama AVID Ascend LX?
The Yokohama AVID Ascend LX is clearly designed to be a cost-effective tire in the long run. It’s currently one of the most durable tires in terms of treadlife on the market and comes with an outstanding 85,000-mile treadwear warranty.
It’s also safe on dry roads and adequate on wet roads and provides an excellent ride quality. Hence, if this is something that catches your eye, you should definitely put it on your shortlist.
I’m Ivo Gievski, the content writer for Tireer. We built our website with over 15 years of experience and extensive research in the automotive and technology sectors. My dedication to delivering high-quality content is unwavering, and I strive to continuously hone my skills to stay ahead of industry trends and provide readers with informative, engaging, and valuable insights.
Excellent review. I just installed these on my 2021 rav4 yesterday. I have found everything you said to be true, which is a little disappointing to me.
The handling is soft and mushy, and I wish now I had spent a little more money for Michelins. I wish I had read this review before I got them but the guy at my little local tire store recommended them and I took his word for it. I should have done my research first. Oh well I’m stuck with them for 85K miles lol. I hope they will feel a bit less squirmy when they wear down a little.