Writing about the
Avon ZV3 given
33% (185-60-14-H)
Driving on
mostly motorways for 6000
average miles
I replaced some Kleber Dynaxer tires on the front of my vehicle with these Avons believing that going for the better known name would prolong the life. Now, an Escort Estate 1.8TD is hardly a performance car, is it?! Needless to say, it is not physically possible to accelerate quickly in this vehicle; indeed my cat invariably beats me to the end of the road when I exit the cul-de-sac. I am an advanced driver and I regularly check the tire pressures on my vehicle; thus erratic driving and poor maintenance can be eliminated from the equation with regard to exactly why this tire performed so dismally. On average I commute 500 miles each week, plus a bit of work mileage and on the whole I drive steadily on the dual carriageways (which if you know the A12 usually entails driving at speeds of around 15 mph on a regular basis!!!). Initially the tires seemed to make the steering somewhat light, which I expected whilst they bedded in; however, this light feeling has now turned into a vague, disconcerting, scary feeling whenever there is more than a morning dew on the road, if you drive over the slightest surface inclusion or attempt to navigate a roundabout and find your bottom twitching as the things understeer like crazy. The tires have always been noisy, provided a hard ride and for the money I paid do not equate to good value. They have worn excessively at the shoulders and have lasted only 6,000 miles!!!!! Yes, you are reading this correctly, 6,000 miles!!!!! Needless to say, the only Avon I shall be purchasing from now on will be some shower gel from the catalogue that comes through the door!!!! I shall be trying Firestones in the future, or maybe just a compound of porridge and grit as this would probably exceed the performance of the Avons, would be cheaper to replace and may even glow that lovely orange hue that is so prominent in the adverts. Avoid these tires like the plague; indeed plague would be preferable.