Yokohama Bluearth 4S all-weather tyres.

[Jocko]

I quite like the feel of the car since fitting the Bluearth Four Season tyres on the front (it was Bluearth ES32 tyres I had there previously and they were great). I have decided that after Christmas is over, I will go and get two for the rear. Currently, I have an ES32 and a "Mentor". The Mentor was on the car when I got it so has done 45,000 miles with tons of wear left. However, it is at least four and a half years old do I don't feel too bad about ditching it.

I think this is the first time I have had all-weather tyres on a car so I expect a drop in mpg. Just have to be extra careful with my fuel efficiency if that proves to be the case.

[Jocko]

Thought I might as well bite the bullet, so I phoned  Farmer Autocare this morning and arranged to get two tyres for the rear. They didn't have any left, but they got a pair in within an hour and phoned me to go and get them fitted. It is a long time since I have had four matching tyres on a car.
These tyres are directional, with huge channels and sipes to clear water.



So that is £248 that my wife won't be spending at Christmas!

[peteo48]

Be really interesting to see how you get on with them from both a handling and an mpg perspective.

[richardfrost]

I have a set of Nokian all seasons on my car and yes, the MPG has taken a modest hit. The main thing with these Nokians is the noise at speed. Very noticeable. I didn't think about that when I was choosing.

[Jocko]

I've had the car up to motorway speed and noise level was fine. Still to try it with the four tyres though. Mentor I had on the rear wasn't particularly quiet.

[madasafish]

I have had Michelin Cross Climates for 2.5 years and 15k miles.
I calculated aprrox 0.5mpg hit.

Noise? Fine.

But some repetitive road undulations  for about 10 miles on A50 South from Stoke on Trent produce a harmonic noise and vibration at 60mph. Very unpleasant.
Wear? When new 8mm tread. Now 5+mm at front, 6mm rear. So 45 to 55k miles a set?
Handling fine.

[Jocko]

Some road surfaces are terrible. There is a short section of the A6106, between the Sheriffhall roundabout and Newton Village, which makes a terrible noise at any speed. First time I hit it I thought I had received a puncture. A quick stop showed that wasn't the case.

[UKjim]

............It is a long time since I have had four matching tyres on a car.




So that is £248 that my wife won't be spending at Christmas!

I’m the complete opposite, in 58 years of driving I bet I haven’t driven a car with unmatched tyres for more than a few months in all that time.

[sparky Paul]

I have a set of Nokian all seasons on my car and yes, the MPG has taken a modest hit. The main thing with these Nokians is the noise at speed. Very noticeable. I didn't think about that when I was choosing.

I was going to ask Jocko how noisy they were, but didn't want to sound overcritical.

Most of the directional tread tyres I've had over the years have been great, but on the few occasions I have had a noise problem, it has always been with a directional pattern. I always stick to symmetric or asymmetric patterns now.

[Jocko]

The tyres that came off were rated 68 dB and the new ones are 70 dB. More important to me when it comes to tyres is not so much the noise level (within reason) but the smoothness or otherwise of the ride. These are not quite so smooth as the previous tyres, but that will improve once the sharp edges are smoothed off.

[123Drive!]

I m a strong advocate of all seasons tyres, being a driving instructor, a tyre that can get me going in all 4 seasons is a must.

My Jazz is on a set of Maxxis AP2 for two yrs having previously used Nexen N'Prise 4S. The Ibiza was on CrossClimate/Vector 4s/N'Prise. Few months ago, I became Maxxis brand influencer and they fitted me with the new AP3 which now has the same pattern as newer All Season Tyres. Apart from being good value with strong warranty, the new AP3 's ride has been the most impressive. Obviously haven't been tested in the snow yet, but the AP2 was pretty good when the snow fell in London few years ago.

Jocko, I didn't know Yokohama did all Seasons, must investigate. Let us know how they go in proper weather.

[Jocko]

Jocko, I didn't know Yokohama did all Seasons, must investigate. Let us know how they go in proper weather.

I certainly will, though they could well be worn out before we get snow hereabouts.

[Jocko]

Today was my first real chance to try out my new tyres. The roads were dry, but it was a cold day. I covered about 90 miles of mainly motorway/dual carriageway driving with some country roads and a bit of town driving thrown in. The ride was smooth, but I was more aware of expansion joints, cat’s eyes and warning stripes than with the Bluearth ES32’s previously fitted. Mind you; I have not checked the tyre pressures yet. They may have been set a little bit too high. I was surprised to find the noise level was better, but I think that was due to the removal of the Mentor tyre I had on the rear offside. I can now hear the engine instead of just tyre noise. Previously, I sometimes thought, due to the propensity of wheel bearing issues with the Jazz, that that was what the noise was. However, I would then go over a super smooth section of motorway, and the noise would disappear completely, not something that would happen with a wheel bearing. The stretch of tarmac I mentioned near the Sheriffhall roundabout is amazingly quieter.
However, the car doesn’t coast as well as it did. According to my ScanGauge, today’s mpg was 53 instead of an expected 58 – 60 mpg.

[sparky Paul]

However, the car doesn’t coast as well as it did. According to my ScanGauge, today’s mpg was 53 instead of an expected 58 – 60 mpg.

Hope that improves, that's a fairly big hit.

[Jocko]

I hope so too though I remember having similar issues the last time I fitted new tyres. FE improves as the tyres wear. In the US the EPA tests fuel economy with tyres that have done at least 4,000 miles.