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View Full Version : Tire Review: Toyo Proxes 4 Kicks Ass


edevinney
01-17-2008, 03:01 PM
I had a meeting in Berryville today and, discounting the usually panicy weather reports (buy bread! buy milk! buy toilet paper!) I took the 911 and figured the swanky new Proxes 4 tires would handle anything that came alone. They've been good in the dry, about like the Yoko ES100s they replaced, and pretty good so far in the winter.

Saw a couple flakes on my way out, same in B'ville. No worries.

Well, of course it snowed pretty good this morning. When I left Berryville around 11:45 there was about 3" on the ground and it was coming down good. No worries, got plenty of traction in the snow and slush. All fine on Route 7 til I got over the river and started going up the mountain - traffic was light but slowing. Nope, now stopped. The road hasn't seen a plow yet.

Cars in the grass, cars on the side, trucks on the side but I got traction: M&S tires, a limited slip diff, ABD, ABS. I'm going up, me and the 4x4s on what amounts to wet ice with snow on top. Then we get stopped where it starts getting steep, there's a trash truck across the road and hooked into the ass end of an 18 wheeler. Maybe I should pull over, don't know if I can get going again. While I ponder, some clown decides to go up the right next to me and shuts the door for an exit. Guess I'm going up.

We start moving after 10 minutes or so, some sliding but I get going. The ABD light never goes off, so I must be losing traction equally side to side, how nice. A little dicey as traffic slows but I'm still going up. Pass more stuck cars. Moving along until I get within sight of the summit and it gets the steepest. Ooops, back end's too loose, I don't want to head inside to the rail so I take the out to the right and ... I'm stuck in 4 inches of snow. Each attempt to move inches me to the ditch so I relax and go put on the tow hook to wait for a truck. The tires are churning up nice chunks of snow but there's nothing underneath to grab. Some cars go by, including a Prius with Florida plates (I bow in his direction) and a 535 being towed by a friendly pickup driver. Get a lot of looks from the stopped westbound traffic, no shortage of schadenfreude I'm sure.

Then no traffic. Nothing to lose so I reverse down the incline and back onto the ice & slush. Careful with the gas (damning the lightweight flywheel now!), brake and handbrake and .... I'm going up! Then to the top, then safely down & home. Schadenfreude this, Mr Plumbing truck driver.

All that and a full set for my 993 was only about $530 installed over at Radial Tire. Just thought you should know that these tires kick ass.

hoophead
01-17-2008, 03:11 PM
Thanks for the review Ed - maybe I'll get a set of those for the BMW.

jsilverm
01-17-2008, 03:43 PM
I ran them on my GTI. They have lots of stick for an all season tire and work surprisingly well in the snow we gte here. Once they get worn they arent very good in the snow, but thats truew for just about every all season tire Ive driven. I never got stuck with them. I was only getting about 12k miles per set though, but that was when I was using those tires on track as well.

Jase007
01-17-2008, 04:14 PM
Jeff S:

I have them in 205/55/15 on my iX. :)

Highly rec'd.

Will get to test conti extreme contact ___ on the wagon this afternoon as well as the super dooper "DSC, ABS, DST+T, #$#%, #$#%#$" crap BMW stuck on 2 wheel drive versus the simple and efficient iX.

Should've driven the iX today :(

Charlie Stylianos
01-17-2008, 04:21 PM
I had the Proxes T1-S's (now T1-R) on the 82'. Was caught once with less than an inch of snow on the ground and could only manage a whopping 30-ish MPH on I-66 before the rear would start dancing. To be expected for a directional performance tire. They did, however, kick ass in the dry and rain and were a great street tires for DE. They beat the snot out of the ES-100's. BTW: They were THE rain tire of choice for some Mazda series.

BlackTalon
01-17-2008, 04:45 PM
BTW: They were THE rain tire of choice for some Mazda series.Careful there -- normally the tire requirements for racing series are due to a sponsorship deal, and are not actually based on performance... Speedvision WC used to have to run T1Ss for the same reason, then eventually were upped to RA-1s.

Charlie Stylianos
01-17-2008, 07:10 PM
Careful there -- normally the tire requirements for racing series are due to a sponsorship deal, and are not actually based on performance... Speedvision WC used to have to run T1Ss for the same reason, then eventually were upped to RA-1s.

Even if PepBoys were a sponsor, I betcha they wouldn't use these:

http://www.pepboys.com/images/tires_4thfree.jpg

turbo23dog
01-17-2008, 08:53 PM
Nice writing. I could see it as if I was watching the news.

slbates
01-17-2008, 09:17 PM
Ed,

At least I wasn't the only 911 on the road today. I left work right before 5 and had to knock about 4 inches of snow off the car. Man that stuff was wet! My garage floor is flooded with all of the snow that was packed under the car. Glad you made it home ok.

BlackTalon
01-18-2008, 10:20 AM
Even if PepBoys were a sponsor, I betcha they wouldn't use these:

http://www.pepboys.com/images/tires_4thfree.jpgI think that's the 944Cup spec tire... :lol:

edevinney
01-18-2008, 10:25 AM
I think that's the 944Cup spec tire... :lol:

So the rumor is true that the series will be renamed the 944 Pep Boys Definity Four For The Price Of Three With Mail In Rebate Cup?

Potomac-Greg
01-18-2008, 10:52 AM
Jeff S:

I have them in 205/55/15 on my iX. :)

Highly rec'd.

Will get to test conti extreme contact ___ on the wagon this afternoon as well as the super dooper "DSC, ABS, DST+T, #$#%, #$#%#$" crap BMW stuck on 2 wheel drive versus the simple and efficient iX.

Should've driven the iX today :(


I've managed to avoid driving the C32 in the snow for 2+ years until this week. I've got Michelin Pilot Alpins (good winter tires), and about 75 lbs in the trunk. I've been pleasantly surprised. With traction control and stability control, the only weakness is outright traction. The electronics keep the car going straight no matter how much fun I want to have, and the tires keep things moving in MOST instances. But when you are stopped on an uphill with low traction, all the electronics in the world will not get you rolling. That's where AWD pays for itself. I suspect that a good RWD or FWD car with good winter tires is better off than a 5,000 lb. Escalade on all-season hockey pucks.

BlackTalon
01-18-2008, 11:42 AM
The electronics keep the car going straight no matter how much fun I want to have, That's what the hand brake is for :lol:

edevinney
01-18-2008, 12:00 PM
That's what the hand brake is for :lol:

Word.

Potomac-Greg
01-18-2008, 12:25 PM
Word.


Tragically, even in the so-called sporting AMG version, Mercedes equips the C-class with a Buick-style foot-operated parking brake.:?

BlackTalon
01-18-2008, 12:40 PM
Tragically, even in the so-called sporting AMG version, Mercedes equips the C-class with a Buick-style foot-operated parking brake.:?Wow, that is sad! You can still 'nail it' to break the back end loose, but you'll have to be quick on the release so you can get back on the gas. Practice, practice, practice!

Potomac-Greg
01-18-2008, 12:51 PM
Wow, that is sad! You can still 'nail it' to break the back end loose, but you'll have to be quick on the release so you can get back on the gas. Practice, practice, practice!

Or I can push the "ESP-Off" button, which I do automatically anyway. The ESP is so touchy, it will cut throttle at the first sign of wheel spin. That can be downright dangerous when pulling into traffic. I turn it off routinely unless the roads are wet or snowy. With it off, fun is possible.