Well, Ive had 47,000 km's out of these Yokohama C Drive 2's (orange technology).
The center tread area still has some tread but the shoulders are badly scrubbed and probably a couple of thousand k's past it. I believe this is typical of the AWD's.

Unless anyone can recommend a much better tyre for the AWD then I will go with these again. They've been very grippy in both wet and dry and I think 45k's is good.

BTW, I think that calculates out to about 16,500 km's a year. I cant believe the car has 72k's on it . I still feel like I just got it, but that was nearly 3 years ago now!

How did you find these C drives?
Also, I think if your shoulders are worn out but the center is fine it indicates the tire pressure has been too low

How did you find these C drives?
Also, I think if your shoulders are worn out but the center is fine it indicates the tire pressure has been too low
The C Drives are excellent, very grippy in both the dry and wet. Fairly quiet and soft. They have a wide tread pattern and do tram slightly, depending on the road. The sidewall is fairly soft.

I've run them mostly at 34psi, but will try 36 this time.

I agree with Spetz regarding tire pressures possibly too low if all shoulders are worn.
In my experience only the front tires need higher pressure. It is the outside of the front left tire in particular that I used to find wore quicker. Increasing front tire pressure and rotating tires is a good idea. Make sure you are getting an accurate pressure (when cold). If you have standard size tires I would have thought that 34 was enough though 36 is closer to what a lot of people (including me) have at the front.
I've got more than 50 000 km on each of two sets of tires on my TL AWD though these were Turanza ER30 which are adequate though not a higher performing tire. I currently have ER300.

47, 000kms!

I thought getting 17k out of my AU's fronts was good.

KWAWD, are yours standard tyres and wheels? If so, then the 215/60R16 tyres are too wide for the 16x6 wheels. Both Holden and Ford fit their 215/60R16 tyres on 6.5" wheels. I have reduced shoulder wear by quite a bit going to 235/45R18 on 18x8 with no sagging sidewalls and the Hankook Evo v12 lasted at 30K kms. I only changed it as I had a puncture on one of the sidewalls. They would have lasted at least another 5K kms.


If you plan to stick with 16" tyres perhaps find a second hand Ford wheel and stick the same tyres on.

If you plan to stick with 16" tyres perhaps find a second hand Ford wheel and stick the same tyres on.
There are a small number of aftermarket 16x7 wheels around with suitable offsets too - I recall seeing a BJ special on Speedy 16x7's with the right PCD and +40 offset not that long ago... $90 each...

Guys, thanks, but i stuck another set of Yokos on. Standard size. What is this about 6.5 and 7" ?
Are these legal/safe and whats the benefit?

And may I add that Bourbon rules!

The standard rim width is not ideal for the tires fitted on these cars being 6"
A 6.5" or 7" rim would give greater support to the sidewall from what I understand giving better steering etc

I dont get it. Shouldnt the tyre size match the rims? Wont incorrect size result in all kinds of undesirable impacts?
Are we saying there is something wrong with the stock wheels?
Can anyone point me to some info on the web about this?

Each tire size has a recommended rim size for it.
I don't think there is anything wrong with stock wheel size, it is just not ideal for the tire size

A chart like this is especially useful.

http://www.yokohamatire.com/tires_101/customizing/rim_wheel_width/

or this:

http://www.tyresizecalculator.com/tyre-wheel-calculators/wheel-rim-size-calculator


Choosing a wheel near the middle of the acceptable wheel range will give a balance between ride quality and handling. A wider wheel will improve handling at the expense of ride quality, while a narrower wheel will improve ride quality at the expense of handling. Consider these compromises when selecting wheels.

A chart like this is especially useful.

http://www.yokohamatire.com/tires_101/customizing/rim_wheel_width/
or this:
http://www.tyresizecalculator.com/tyre-wheel-calculators/wheel-rim-size-calculator
Thanks. For some reason they dont list 215/60R16. (Second link is broken).

The second link seems ok.

Plug in your measurements and it will calculate for you.

KWAWD, are yours standard tyres and wheels? If so, then the 215/60R16 tyres are too wide for the 16x6 wheels. Both Holden and Ford fit their 215/60R16 tyres on 6.5" wheels. I have reduced shoulder wear by quite a bit going to 235/45R18 on 18x8 with no sagging sidewalls and the Hankook Evo v12 lasted at 30K kms. I only changed it as I had a puncture on one of the sidewalls. They would have lasted at least another 5K kms.
If you plan to stick with 16" tyres perhaps find a second hand Ford wheel and stick the same tyres on.
Ah, ok this is all new to me. So 16 is the diameter of the rim and 6 is the width of the rim, hence 16x6? (Inches)
But where does the tyre code indicate 6" rim width? 215/60R16 doesnt seem to contain it so how do we know what the min/max wheel rim widths for the tyre can be? How would we know the optimum rim width for any given tyre size?

Also; if increasing rim width improves handling then whats the purpose of reducing the tyre height - eg. Fitting 17 or 18 inch rims?

The second link seems ok.
Plug in your measurements and it will calculate for you.
Yes ok now, they must have been down for a minute!

Calculates as anywhere between 6 and 7.5. What is the standard rim size on the AWD KL? 16x6? If so then Mits favoured comfort over handling.

If i simply increase rim width then how much of an increase is required to give better handling and how much would that negatively impact comfort? For instance going from 16x6 to say 16x6.5 be much of a difference?

What is this about 6.5 and 7"? Are these legal/safe and whats the benefit?
These values are the bead to bead rim widths. If you check the tyre placard near the bottom of the driver's side B pillar, you'll see that the stock 215/60R16 is listed for rim widths 6"-7" so any 16x6, 16x6.5 or 16x7 wheel (with adequate load rating) shod with 215/60R16 tyres that meet the load and speed ratings is fully covered by the tyre placard.

I had been under the impression that there may have been some 16x7 stock wheels on at least some AWDs (Sports/J series VR-X?), but if there were they seem mighty rare as others say that all AWDs except L/W series VR-X had 16x6 (the L/W VR-Xs had 17x7).

FWIW, my TW II VRX AWD has 16 x 7 rims. Even came with 5 of them.

225/55/16s work very nicely on them for what I use the car for, touring and country commuting.