Yokohama AVID Ascend GT Tire Review: How It Performs?

Yokohama AVID Ascend GT might not be the most highly acclaimed grand touring tire in the market, but its decent traction and good tread design land it among the best sellers. 

Our COR Wheels team has evaluated its performance and handling in real-life tests to determine its ranking compared to other rivals. Scroll down to find out! 

Yokohama AVID Ascend GT Specifications & Features

Yokohama AVID Ascend is a grand touring tire designed for minivans, coupes, crossovers, and sedans for all-season driving. It promises refined riding quality, great noise comfort, and consistent grip with the following features:

• Its asymmetric pattern optimizes all-weather grip.
• The tread profile is engineered to stabilize the contact patch and improve wear/traction.
• Outside Adaptive Blocks and the tread pitch variation attenuate noises for a quieter driving experience.
• Deep circumferential grooves with asymmetric widths evacuate standing water, supported by the open notches on the inside shoulders that let water pass through more easily.
• The silica-blended compound with low-Tg polymer promotes a stronger grip in harsh weather.
• Notched blocks and triple three-dimensional sipes create more biting edges on light snow.
• The polyester casing and double steel belts aid riding comfort.
• The nylon cover with a square profile reduces tire deflection when you carry heavy loads. They also enhance dry/wet handling and higher-speed capability. 

Yokohama AVID Ascend GT Review & Performance Test Results

Our team installed the 225/50R17 tire size version of the Yokohama AVID Ascend GT on our 2018 Honda Accord during the Summer and Winter evaluation of the 2023 COR Wheels Tire Test. 

1. Dry Performance: 8.9/10

Dry Traction: 9.1/10

The AVID Ascend is stable and predictable on dry roads. We began our test ride at 40 MPH, and the car encountered little to no problems, easily navigating roadblocks and overtaking vehicles when necessary. Acceleration and deceleration also settled in well. So, you can rev to 70-75 MPH in seconds without sacrificing stability. On rougher surfaces (e.g., cobblestones and light mountain passes), the Ascend GT also controlled its tire flex well to guarantee no slippage. 

This confidence continued onto highways, evident in the powerful yet smooth tire rolls once the Accord exceeded 75 MPH. Minor shudders might occur when you enter tightly spaced curves, but they are brief and easy to control, even if you are a beginner. As heavy drag and traction loss are rare, feel free to carry light cargo (200 to 300 lbs) during longer trips.

From 80 MPH onwards, the Ascend GT glided on the road more often. But since it is still a touring tire at the end of the day (and not a highway all-season tire), that is still very impressive. 

Corner Stability: 8.8/10

Yokohama should have equipped the tire with more stable on-center ribs for higher-speed endeavors (beyond 60 MPH) since our car struggled and often slipped even at gentle curves. 

Fortunately, that is the only significant drawback worth mentioning; the Honda Accord was composed and maintained traction well at any driving rate between 25 and 55 MPH. Understeering and oversteering only happened during sharp turns but quickly recovered; thus, just like on straight roads, you can easily carry 300 lbs of cargo without significant power loss.

Around blind curves and off-camber bends, the AVID Ascend GT took a bit longer to stabilize its sidewalls and shook slightly mid-corner. Advanced or seasoned drivers should have no issue navigating them, but if you have limited experience, we suggest avoiding aggressive handling or sudden revs at all costs.

Steering Response: 8.8/10

We were pleased with the Ascend GT’s fast and responsive steering at low to moderate driving speeds (below 55 MPH); delayed response (if any) was hard to notice and barely dampened the tire’s overall control. As the steering inputs and feedback closely align, you will have no trouble hard-braking, changing directions, approaching tight angles, or experimenting with various steering techniques any time you wish – an impressive feat for a touring all-season tire.

That said, its steering response is naturally not as crisp once you speed up past 60 MPH, but the lag feels predictable and not at all intrusive. Transitioning from a smoother to a rougher road (or vice versa) does not affect the steering as much as we expected, either.

2. Wet Performance: 8.8/10

Wet Traction: 8.8/10

The Ascend GT did not provide wet grip as strong as dry traction. It still satisfied our team regardless, thanks to the deep grooves and sipes that adapt well to cold temperatures and rainwater. We experienced occasional chokes in higher-speed rides through tighter corners, but other than that, driving on straight paths or at moderate speeds was effortless.

On another note, the tire still needs better control in deeper water (beyond 7 inches); the slippage was not too dangerous but got annoying over time. Heavy cargo or full passengers seem to drag the tire more often than usual, so keep your loading/towing as minimal as possible.

Hydroplaning Resistance: 8.7/10

The grooves and open notches greatly contribute to the tire’s excellent hydroplaning resistance. Rainwater might still intrude at flooded corners or deep stagnant water, but consistent push-pulls are enough to make them subside. Our car confidently rolled through slippery surfaces and deep puddles, even managing sharp corners and ascents when driven at 40-45 MPH.

The tire-road connection felt less grippy once our car entered wet bridges and slippery mountain passes. But no worries, the slippage is neither dangerous nor truly disruptive; they are just a bit annoying if you drive longer than 3 hours. 

3. Winter/Snow Performance: 7.3/10

Light Snow Traction: 8/10

As a touring tire, the AVID Ascend understandably lacks specialized features that focus on winter traction. But its notched blocks and 3D sipes bite onto light snow (2 to 5 inches) quite well while working with the deep grooves to control hydroplaning. As a result, our car still managed decently without too much drama, even loaded with about 250 lbs of cargo easily on straight roads. 

Steep corners are challenging to handle, with clear traction loss at entries, but you can travel through gentle curves or slightly twistier paths just fine. Better yet, the tire becomes twice as stable if you use snow chains on four wheels, allowing you to handle ascents and descents with powerful steering at between 40 and 45 MPH.

Deep Snow Traction: 7.1/10

The AVID Ascend’s grooves and sipes only deal well with light snow and lack the required edges to claw through deeper blankets (beyond 5 inches). Low driving rates below 55 MPH still guarantee good, predictable control, but exceeding that definitely makes your car shudder. Our test ride through corners also faced a lot of troubles, forcing us to reduce our passenger counts to only 2-3. Needless to say, heavy loading/towing was entirely out of the question.

On a brighter note, when assisted by snow chains, the tire became more stable on paved roads (not necessarily on all four; just using it on two wheels is enough). You can also use shuffle steering to minimize unwanted gliding on wetter snow.

Ice Traction: 6.8/10

While the tire is still rideable, it will unlikely give you a pleasant experience. Our car already struggled at 30 MPH and only worsened when sped up; by the time we reached 45 MPH, slippage and traction loss became so frequent that we couldn’t handle twistier roads and tight corners. 

The safest range for your travels on icy roads should be about 20 to 25 MPH. Bringing 2-3 passengers with you is alright if you are a seasoned driver; otherwise, traveling alone with light luggage would be a much better choice.

4. Comfort: 8.2/10

Ride Quality: 8.6/10

The tire rolled over road cracks and bumps quite smoothly during on-road rides; occasional shudders and vibrations during acceleration were obvious but generally acceptable. You will likely only struggle more on snowy terrains – since the grooves are not exactly winter-focused and still waver whenever you apply strong steering inputs or rev aggressively.

Noise: 7.9/10

Noise control is not the Ascend GT’s best strength. The rumbling was only tolerable during casual rides (40 to 45 MPH) and grew louder as we increased our driving speed, getting almost deafening when moving onto highways at extreme speed limits. Cornering (especially tight ones) also made the car screech more than necessary; it seems the Ascend GT tire is only at its best on straight or non-twisty roads.

5. Treadwear and Durability: 8.5/10

The Ascend GT handled sharp rocks and debris well and did not weaken or shudder often in extreme heat. It might lose some confidence on cold ice but compose its grooves and sipes decently on snow, so you can still trust the tire to last long through harsh winter weather. Yokohama also introduces a very competitive mileage warranty (65,000 miles) to assist you during the first 5 years after purchase. 

Yokohama AVID Ascend GT Pros & Cons

Yokohama AVID Ascend GT Competitors & Alternatives

When competing with BFGoodrich Advantage Control and Vredestein HiTrac All Season, the Yokohama AVID Ascend GT showed both its strengths and weaknesses:

• Yokohama AVID Ascend GT rolled through road bumps smoothly and was generally predictable, even on light snow. Its road noise control was not always satisfying, though, especially when cornering. 
• BFGoodrich Advantage Control connected firmly with the roads and felt comfortable. Still, its traction on wet surfaces and snow left a lot to be desired.
• Vredestein HiTrac maintained traction well in both dry and wet weather conditions, but we would love sharper steering responses and more refinement on snow.

Conclusion

The Yokohama AVID Ascend GT does not claw well into deep snow and ice, and the loud screeching might annoy you if you are noise-sensitive. But other than that, this tire fortunately performs as expected during on-road rides and handles bumps quite smoothly. Hence, it would be your best friend in almost every daily driving situation, except for towing/loading beyond 300 lbs.