Max got some new tires this week - Yokohama Avid V4's in the factory 225/50/17 size. So far I'm very impressed. They are shockingly quiet. I mean virtually silent at 70. All I hear now down the highway is the light sound of wind noise over the A-pillars. The ride is also more compliant than my either my old Potenza's or Avon's, though I will admit handling isn't as crisp as it was with the Avon's. It's the usual tradeoff here, no suprise. If you're looking for a tire that makes your Maxima feel luxurious without feeling sloppy, these appear to be a great choice. It never ceases to amaze me how much a tire can completely change the personality of a vehicle.

I had a hard time deciding between these tires and the Toyo Proxes 4's (which are finally available in factory size!), but went with the V4's for their superior treadwear (60k mile warranty vs. only around 40k of life expected out of the Toyo's). The Yok's also appear to offer better snow performance. The shop had a really hard time getting the new Yok's balanced. In fact, it took 3 visits before they finally got it right. Hard to say if it was the tires or their lack of skill. Anyway, with these new Yok's my Max has never felt better. I'm looking forward to some rain and a little snow this summer and I'll post more impressions.

I learned a few lessons from my previous Avon's M550's. They were excellent tires at first, offering crisp turn-in with a fairly smooth ride and low noise. But I overinflated them which caused cupping - a condition where the center of the tire wears faster than the the center. This made them really loud as they got older and vastly reduced their life. I barely squeezed 20k out of them before I hit the wear bars! Take away - overinflate tires at your own risk!