I recentally purchased the Avon tech M500 from tire rack. I read the tests and talked to luke to make the purchase.
I have E1's and wanted to stay with the 215/50-16 size. The Avon's have to be one of the widdest 215's, they just clear the strut, I can't get my fingers in between the tire and strut but no rubbing issues.
The are a summer uhp tire with a 280AA A rating so they will wear a little faster than other tires, I don't put alot of miles on my car and it's stored winters, so not much of an issue with me.
When I first got them, I was really happy how they look in person, hard to get that looking at pics, but the side wall is very nice along with the tread. They are very stiff and seem well constructed.
I have only put on about 50 miles since they got mounted, but I wanted to give some type of review so I did some highway and spirited back road driving. keep in mind that they are brand new so the mold release has to wear off and there will be some tread squirm.
I started out on a twisty back road and found the tire to respond rather quickly to steering inputs and with confidence, I started to pick up the pace and the tire just kept begging for more, no houling or drauma, just kept providing grip. My car has the stock se suspension and the tire handled the body roll very well and actually felt like it compinsated for this.
At this point the ride was very nice and not really rough, but you can tell they are a uhp tire, they are a little stiff. When I came to a long straight area and no one was around I did some very quick back and forth turns of the steering wheel to see if they would give up some grip, nope, they kept wanting more
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I made it to the interstate and hauled butt up the ramp, it has a nice arching appex, tires just loved this. On the highway the ride was very nice, and the noise level I though was respectable for an uhp tire.
WHen I came to the exit I wanted, I drove in hard, the exit ramp is very wide and again no one was around, so I dove in hard to the inside to see if the tires would give up any grip and slide the nose. They kept holding the road and at that point I didn't want to see what it would take for them to give up grip.
I made it through the appex of the ramp and did some late braking to see how the compound help in braking, no real way to measure this, but I think the soft compound helped out.
I took some more back roads home and was pretty much more of the same. When I got home I checked the tires out, no sign of any marks on the sidewalls, so they didn't appear to roll over much if at all. The compound is very sticky and your fingertips stick a little the tread. They did however have some sand stuck to them that brushes off, but is also a good indicator of the compound. If they grip this well new they are going to only get better with som wear. The tread squirm will dimminish some and that will allow for more grip, although they may get a little louder. They look really nice, and have a wide stance and go really well with the car.
I'll post wet weather drive when I get the chance. I'm not saying they are the best tire, which if I did would be debated to death, but I found that it would take some pretty high speeds or some really rough driving to break these loose. We all have had tires that right away you could tell weren't what you wanted, my self included, but I had a smile on my face after running this little test. I think for $87each and having another 215/50-16 tire to choose from, any ceger who also gets these will be very happy.
Chris
