Yokohama Avid TRZ

Tests show that the Yokohama Avid TRZ doesn't perform as well as the top all-season tires, especially on snow and ice. Although the Avid TRZ carries an 80,000-mile treadwear warranty, some owners report that it wears out faster than they had hoped. Some owners find it noisy. In this price range, experts prefer the Hankook Optimo H727 (*Est. $95) for long treadwear (it has a 100,000-mile warranty) and good all-season performance, even on winter roads. For better grip on snow and ice, the high-performance Continental ExtremeContact DWS (*Est. $100) gets the best ratings, although its treadwear warranty stops at 50,000 miles.

Professional review organizations prefer to test fun-to-drive performance tires rather than staid all-seasons, but we did find a thorough test of the Yokohama Avid TRZ at ConsumerReports.org. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a valuable source for treadwear, traction and heat-resistance ratings for more than 2,400 tires. TireRack.com is the best place to find owner-written reviews of the Yokohama Avid TRZ; another retail site, 1010Tires.com, has attracted far fewer reviews.