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View Full Version : ADVAN DB tyre review: Yokohama's quietest tyre ever joins the ADVAN range



matespace
02-06-2011, 12:26 PM
Drivers, it seems, are more passionate about low tyre noise than high performance handling. Strangely, Yokohama receives hand written letters of thanks from drivers who have bought the Silent Tyre known as the AVS dB Decibel (http://www.yokohama.com.au/ourtyres/tyre.aspx?tyreid=64). This is odd because tyres are considered a “grudge purchase” and not many drivers write love letters to tyre companies.

Compare the reviews on the Yokohama website for the AVS dB decibel against the high performance tyres like the S.drive (http://www.yokohama.com.au/ourtyres/tyre.aspx?tyreid=206) or ADVAN Sport (http://www.yokohama.com.au/ourtyres/tyre.aspx?tyreid=58) and you’ll notice some drivers are seriously passionate about quiet, comfortable driving. One driver wrote the following passionate review:
“A beautiful tyre, can't be faulted in any way. I've driven with this tyre on my Commodore for many years. This is my second set of AVS dB decibel tyres and I just wouldn't have any other tyre”.
Could it be that it takes a skilled driver to judge a tyre’s performance? It’s difficult to separate what a tyre does from what the car’s suspension and driving aids like stability control do. The driver’s opinion usually comes from a rather unscientific source; the seat of their pants. It’s entirely subjective and may be at odds with another person’s experience, or how the tyre performs on a different car.

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Any Tom, ***** or Harry can rate a tyre on noise if they have a back to back comparison. Replacing a set of old, worn and poorly maintained tyres with a fresh set of Yokohama decibel tyres feels like driving into the tyre store on a tractor and out again on a magic carpet.
When it was launched in 2002 the AVS dB decibel was ahead of its time. An engineer at Yokohama Tyre Company in Japan realized that having the same size tread blocks all the same distance apart caused an annoying rhythmic hammering noise. So they varied the tread block sizes to reduce and cancel out as much noise as possible. It worked a treat, and this design has been applied to almost every Yokohama car and four wheel drive tyre since. Now the AVS dB decibel is being superseded by the ADVAN dB decibel which is quieter again.
ADVAN (http://www.advanwheels.com.au/) is Yokohama’s flagship brand. Launched as a global brand in 2005, ADVAN (http://www.advanwheels.com.au/) is the name given to Yokohama’s best high performance road tyres, race tyres and light weight racing wheel range.

The tyre engineers who designed the ADVAN dB (http://www.yokohama.com.au/ourtyres/tyre.aspx?tyreid=240)decibel have closed up the tread block grooves to reduce wind noise and rolling resistance. The result is a quieter and more fuel efficient tyre. The biggest difference between the two decibel tyres is the orientation tread design. It’s hard to tell without reading the sidewall, but the AVS dB decibel is a directional tyre (It can only roll in one direction) and the ADVAN dB decibel is an asymmetrical tyre (It has an inward facing side and an outward facing side).
Arguably the asymmetrical design is better for achieving even tread wear. That’s because the tyre can rotate in both directions to counteract wear caused by lots of braking like peak hour traffic. Achieving even tread wear keeps the tyre noise low and helps the tyres last longer.
Statistics suggest tyres last about 2 years. That’s a long time to put up with noisy tyres. If you’re passionate about quiet driving head down to a Bob Jane T-Mart or Tyres & More store and ask them to fit your car with a set of Yokohama ADVAN dB decibel tyres. When you get home you may be compelled to write a letter of thanks. In that case you can go to Customer Reviews on the Yokohama website or post a letter to Yokohama Tyres PO Box 6002, Silverwater NSW 1811.

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