Winter tires Yokohama ice Guard F700Z: reviews. Yokohama ice Guard F700Z: specifications, price

Choosing automotive rubber, each driver turns his attention primarily to those characteristics that are important for him and suitable for driving style. Therefore, manufacturers are trying to make universal options that could attract everyone. This requires a lot of effort on the part of developers, since it is difficult to combine everything in one bus. However, to know these characteristics and the real opinion of drivers can only help reviews. Yokohama Ice Guard F700Z will become the hero of today's review. First, we'll look at the detailed specifications from the manufacturer, and then analyze the reviews of drivers who already had the opportunity to test these tires for at least one season.

General information about the model

This rubber, as you can see from its name, is a winter variant designed to cope with loose snow, ice and other manifestations of bad weather. The manufacturer has tried to make it as universal as possible. Achieve this was due to a wide range of sizes. Thus, the diameter of the disk can vary from 13 to 20 inches. On Yokohama tires the price varies depending on the size and on average ranges from 2 to 7 thousand rubles. For each of the diameters, a choice is made of variants with different widths and profile heights. Thus, the intended purpose is the installation of rubber for all types of cars, as well as large SUVs and some types of minibuses.

Since not all drivers can decide on the spikes, whether their presence is good or bad, the manufacturer has taken care of the choice in this regard. Most of the standard sizes have spikes from the plant, but some versions are only available with holes prepared for them.

Development of the tread pattern

If we consider the protector Yokohama Ice Guard STUD F700Z in detail, it can be noted that it is made of large separate blocks with a V-shaped structure of the arrangement. This format has long proved itself as one of the best, because it allows you to effectively cope with the difficult weather conditions of the winter season.

So, the edges formed at the edges of the blocks have excellent rowing characteristics, which makes it possible for the tire to show itself well when driving along a road with loose snow, or over a soiled dirt road. If this snow is rolled or glaze on the road, then the edges play a role in braking, providing significant resistance. At the same time, the coupling with the surface increases, thereby decreasing the probability of falling into the drift.

However, despite the fact that the V-shaped structure is familiar, its implementation in this tire is truly unique. In general, the protector received only four longitudinal ribs. None of them is a solid ring that could increase the strength of the tire, and yet the wear is minimized. Two ribs are located on the shoulder zones. Their task is to fix the vehicle when maneuvering or overcoming longitudinal obstacles, for example, when leaving the track for overtaking.

The central ribs of the Yokohama Ice Guard F700Z, on the other hand, are designed to maintain the stability of the road when driving along the highway or making maneuvers on a flat surface. Each of the central blocks has a complex structure. Their lateral faces are cut with small lamellas, which increases the number of working edges, and, as a result, increases the quality of the coupling with the surface. Large blocks allow you to make the contact patch with the track larger, which has a positive effect on the dynamic characteristics.

Lamella system

All blocks are divided among themselves by large lamellas. They are thought out so that they can efficiently remove water, dirt or loose snow from the contact spot. At the same time, due to the fact that each unit is a separate element, during the movement there is a constant cleaning, and the lamellas are not clogged.

Smaller slits can also divert water and direct it to large slats, with which it is already diverted to the edge of the wheel. However, their main purpose is to create additional effective edges. Thanks to this functional addition, the wheel can achieve maximum stability and slip resistance.

Another feature of Japanese winter rubber, the price of which is not particularly high, is that at the time of contact with the track, the protector blocks are connected together due to the special shape of the slats and their arrangement, which makes the area maximally large. How strong will this effect depend on the level of pressure in the wheel.

Rowing characteristics

All the work done was aimed primarily at ensuring that the winter tires Yokohama Ice Guard received good parameters relative to the dynamics. They are intended for high-speed traffic (within reasonable limits), even in the winter season.

The location of the blocks of the tread and lamellas, as well as their large structure, makes it possible to hold confidently even with deep snow and severe frost. As for ice and pressed snow, the manufacturer also took care. Models with spikes are well prepared for such weather conditions. A competent arrangement of more than a hundred tenons, making up ten separate rows, allowed the rubber to cling to the ice almost as confidently as it was for pure asphalt. In addition, even rows have made it possible to reduce the level of noise, and in fact it is one of the main problems of studded winter tires.

S-shaped lamellas complement this design, forming edges that cut water or snow. Therefore, when the top layer melts during a thaw, and there is very slippery ice from the bottom, there should be no problems with the movement of problems. The main thing at the same time is to be careful and not try to get rid of it, because even the best rubber under unfavorable conditions does not give a 100% guarantee.

Special rubber compound

In order to make the winter tires Yokohama, reviews about which we analyze at the end of the article, stronger and reduce their wear and tear, the developers used a solution that has been successfully applied for several years already. The protector is made of two layers of different rubber, each of which has its own properties. Thus, the inner layer has high strength and rigidity. Thanks to it, the tire keeps its shape even in warm weather and does not "float away" on the road. It also reduces the risk of unauthorized rubber removal from the disk.

The density of this rubber makes the tire more reliable, because it increases resistance to cuts and punctures. The same mixture is also used on the side parts. Therefore, when driving on a winter track full of ice shards and with a sharp edge of the track, you can not worry about the fact that the tire's lateral part can tear about them.

The upper, working part of the tread is made of softer rubber, which is able to remain elastic even in severe frosts. This allows the tire to maintain reliable contact with the road and perform its functions. Especially it concerns models Yokohama Ice Guard F700Z, spikes in which are not installed from the plant, because in them all the problems concerning the link with the track lie exactly on the tread.

Penetration

Considering the fact that winters in our climate are rather unstable, rubber should have suitable characteristics to cope with weather conditions during the thaw. As the test results showed, the tires under consideration behave well not only in snow or ice.

Yokohama Ice Guard F700Z, the price of which keeps within the budget line (just over 2000 rubles), is also quite high. This is due to the fact that the loose ground and snow porridge in something similar in their properties. This is especially evident on wet ground. The drainage system copes with the removal of dirt from the point of contact with the road surface without problems, so you can feel quite confident.

Movement on dry asphalt

However, in most major cities, roads are cleaned daily from snow. How does this rubber behave on clean roads?

First of all, it is worthwhile to warn those who do not like unnecessary noise. The thorns themselves, no matter how correctly they are located or fixed, are a source of strong noise and little vibration. Therefore, if you do not like these accompanying effects, it's better to think about choosing the usual "Velcro", which will be much quieter as a result.

On dry asphalt, caution should be exercised in high-speed traffic, because the spikes slightly increase the stopping distance due to their own sliding on the surface.

Of course, all of the above does not apply to those options that the plant does not have spikes, and you do not plan to do it. Models without spikes, as the reviews on the Yokohama Ice Guard F700Z say, due to the close and uneven arrangement of the protector blocks, they can prove themselves from the best side. They have the most reduced rolling resistance, due to the fact that the blocks in contact with the track are almost completely connected. As a result, the noise and fuel consumption level is reduced, which is a positive double point, especially given the current fuel prices.

Positive reviews about rubber

It's time to consider the opinion of drivers who have already experienced rubber in practice. Among the main positive points, most often found in the reviews of the Yokohama Ice Guard F700Z, we can distinguish the following:

1. Good coupling regardless of road conditions . Judging by the reviews, the manufacturer still managed to combine in one rubber the opportunity to move equally comfortably along the road, not paying attention to the weather outside the window. Some even point out that the rubber handles ice even at very high speeds.
2. Soft rubber compound. Softness allows you to overcome unevenness, which on the winter road abound, without excessive feedback in the form of vibration or jumping. And with what rubber can not cope with, the suspension can help.
3. Short braking distance . Due to high-quality adhesion to the surface, braking is not a problem even in emergencies.
4. The ability to move on loose snow . Thanks to the large protector blocks rubber tires without problems rake the snow, but it is not buried in it.
5. Good balance of tires . When installed on discs, as noted in the reviews of the Yokohama Ice Guard F700Z, additional balancing is almost unnecessary.

These are just some of the positive things. Let's look at what drivers do not like in this rubber, and then compare the analysis data with the above characteristics from the manufacturer.

Negative sides of the rubber in question

As usual, there is no product that would be perfect in everything. So, some drivers in their reviews of the Yokohama winter tires complain that even with proper running-in, the spikes still fall out quite often, so the tires have to constantly doshipovat in tire service.

In addition, the softness of the tread indicates that wear will still occur faster than other manufacturers. However, here we simply have to choose between the coupling characteristics and the number of kilometers covered before replacement.

Well, the third nuance, which concerns only the models that are mistaken, is their noisiness. From this can not escape, especially when driving on clean asphalt or ice. It should be noted that this effect is practically not felt on loose snow.

Comparison of reviews and declared characteristics

So, judging by the reviewed reviews, we can conclude that this rubber received quite good estimates regarding the adhesion to the track and the quality of the materials. However, its wear will be slightly higher than that of competing models. This fact should be taken into account when planning the budget.

In addition, the quality of the fastening of the spikes really did not come out on top. Therefore, it may be worth taking a version without spikes, and subsequently independently install them on a proven tire fitting.

Conclusion

If you are looking for Japanese winter tires, the price of which will be acceptable and which will give you an opportunity to feel confident on the road, this option is for you. Of course, you have to put up with a few drawbacks a little, but you can be sure that with careful driving with this rubber you can avoid almost any emergency situation.