After reading all the posts I could find on quiet, long lasting tires I bought some Avon 550s and I could not be happier. I liked the performance of the original Pilots and the GS-D3s that replaced them but never liked the noise or the ride quality. I bought the car because its great looking and above average in most categories (but not excellent at any) and not neccesarily as a high performance sports car. I would have gotten a Z if I wanted my fillings lossened. With the Avons it rides MUCH quieter and significantly smoother with just slightly diminished performance. One highway entrance loop that I could do at 45mph with the GS-D3s without screeching I can now do about 43mph with a little more tire flex. It does seem the sidewalls are much softer but it makes up for it in a much more luxorious ride. Plus, now I dont have to worry about a little snow and I should get a much longer tread life. Highly recommend them to anyone not concerned with getting 100% of the suspension performance. Great tires!

 

I totally agree..i bought the AVONS for the same reason as you...and I love em. Very quiet on the highway and very little noise overall...day and night difference from the pilot sports. I wished they gripped as good as the pilots for those "heavy foot" moments..but those are pretty rare for me.

 

You can increase the tire pressure a bit to get rid of the soft problem. Mine is actually M500s...love them.
Performance wise, I think the difference is marginal compared to the Pilots in the real world situation of course. But the ride quality and noise of Avon Techs are much better. Not sure yet about the thread life, but theoretically, Avons should last longer. I think the trade offs are sensible. And plus, they're much cheaper!

 

Yeah, I am still playing with the tire pressure now to get the right balance of cushy ride and sidewall firmness. I think 35psi is working for me pretty good right now.

 

How is gas mileage with these tires? I have junk tires on, which I swear is contributing to my poor mileage....

 

I have had them on for about 3 weeks and I always check my mileage when I refill. Last two times I checked I got right at 21.5mpg with combined highway/city driving which is about what I got with the GS-D3s I used to have. They are on the heavy side so you might expect a little worse mileage but I have not experienced that. I am always at 75-80mph on the highway and hit the gas pretty good in the city so I never get great mileage. Oh, and I do have an AT.

 

I barely get 20 driving like you do, I got 21 doing 60 cruise control for an entire tank, so anything will help

 

Not sure if you have the stock filter or what but I notice a big difference in mpg with the JWT popcharger (and Z tube) when it gets dirty. Obvious suggestion but worth a try. Lighter tires and wheels would definitely help performance (including mileage) but I doubt many people go with Avon tires for that. Do you use the econo switch with the A/C? I dont know if it really does anything but I dont notice any difference in the A/C performance. Besides that try to drive only downhill with the wind at your back.

 

Sometimes on the eco switch. Factory intake.
I have 2 different tires on the car, basicaly everything moving in circles is ****. Bad tires, warped rotors, and a few pumped up rims. Time to trade it back in I guess

 

I get the same gas mileage which is 22-24 mpg coming from Michelin Pilots.

 

anyone try the avon tires in 235/35/19 and 255/35/19 on the oem 19s?

 

I have mine on 37psi.

 

Getting a set of 235/50-17's mounted tomorrow (I hope) by a local dealer that has connections with Tire Rack. Hope they are all the majority of folks say they are. I'm not the "speed racer" type, and only occassionally drive aggressively at all, so the "not as precise as Pilot Sports" won't apply to me. If they get better performance, and are quieter than the RS-A's I'm replacing, and wear as well (40,500 miles) then I'll be a happy camper.