Yokohama Ice Guard IG50 plus tires: owner reviews

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

The choice of winter tires should be approached with more responsibility than summer tires. After all, the weather conditions in the cold period are very harsh. This is both ice and a large amount of snow - these factors will not be an obstacle for a car on which high-quality friction or studded tires are installed.

Let's try to take a closer look at the novelty of the Japanese brand - Yokohama Ice Guard IG50 plus, and reviews about it. The most important sources of information are the responses of motorists and the results of specially conducted tests. Consider everything in stages.

A little about the manufacturer

The Yokohama company made its first undertakings in this direction of industry as much as 100 years ago. At the moment, this company is one of the largest in the world in the production of car tires for cars, trucks, sports vehicles, as well as for buses. The company also has other areas of activity - this is the production of light alloy wheels, tire tubes, rubber productsfor production needs. Yokohama supplies its products to such global brands as Mercedes Benz, Aston Martin, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Porshe, AMG. And this is an indicator of quality.

At the very beginning, products were produced only in Japan, a little later the company created branches in the USA and the Philippine Islands. Currently, the manufacturer has factories in Thailand, Australia, Germany, Canada, China. One plant exists in Russia, offering exactly the same range of tires.

History of Yokohama Brand

Holding Yokohama Rubber Company LTD was founded in the fall of 1917 in the town of Yokohama, hence the name. A little later, a factory for the production of automobile tires, called Hiranuma, was opened there. The manufactured products were a novelty of those years and had a high quality, which was subsequently well appreciated by the first motorists. The use of innovative technologies and adherence to quality standards contributed to the rapid growth of the company and the expansion of the range offered. Therefore, in 1929, another production facility was opened - in Tsurumi.

And now, by the mid-thirties of the last century, Yokohama cooperates with the concerns "Toyota" and "Nissan", and also supplies its tires to the imperial court. The registration of the Yokohama trademark will take place in 1937.

During the Second World War, the company will carry out orders intended for the needs of the army. In 1944, the second Yokohama factory, Mie, will be opened. In this war, Japan was defeated, but the manufacturer still continued to increase itscapacity: the company managed to sign a contract for the supply of tires for US Air Force aircraft.

In the 50-70s of the last century, increased growth rates of car production began. In this regard, the company has to increase the volume of production and open new factories and plants. The main office changes its location from Yokohama to Tokyo in 1952.

Since 1957, the company has been producing the first tires with synthetic rubber in its country, and since 1958 - with nylon cord. Since 1967, launches the production of radial carcass tires for passenger cars (GT Special).

Since 1969, the company has been opening branches and representative offices in other countries: USA, Australia, Germany, Vietnam, Philippines, Belgium, China, Thailand. Yokohama has been operating in Russia since 2005.

The main pride of the Japanese holding is the production and supply of tires for racing shootouts. And already in 1983 he became the official tire supplier for Formula 3 in Macau. Yokohama is the first Japanese tire company to receive ISO9001 certification in 1995.

The state of affairs today

Today, Yokohama Holding is the largest Japanese tire manufacturer, while it also occupies a leading position among global enterprises in this area. Ranked among the top ten tire companies.

Yokohama is a partner and supplier of products for numerous motor racing competitions.

Production stages of Yokohamafully automated, so the minimum number of people is involved in the work. Modern tire components, the use of advanced technologies, the highest quality control, as well as the regular search for innovative ideas allow the company to occupy a stable and confident position in the market.

In the production of Yokohama tires, the structural features of the running component, equipment, as well as the weight of each car are taken into account. Therefore, such tires significantly increase handling, maneuverability and driving comfort on any road surface in any weather conditions. As a supplier of tires for global automakers, Yokohama inspires well-deserved trust among car owners. This makes the choice clearer and the benefits clearer.

The company's management team is also an environmental activist and therefore aims for zero emissions in rubber production. Yokohama is involved in various charitable festivals and projects that aim to preserve and support the World Wildlife Fund. Since 2008, the company has launched a project to grow trees and plant them on the territory of its own plants and factories.

What tires does the company offer?

"Yokohama" is able to satisfy the desires of any car owner. The company's assortment includes summer, winter and all-weather tires for all kinds of cars. The use of the new IceGuard technology in production makes it possible to increase the stability of the tire in any weather surprises. Such a product hasexcellent moisture absorption properties, which ensures good grip of the wheel with a wet road surface.

What is special about each season?

Yokohama Summer Tires form the perfect bond in dry or wet conditions. A distinctive feature is complete noise isolation, even if the car is moving at high speeds. It is of good quality and quite durable. Due to the presence of reinforced sidewalls and a special tread structure, Yokohama summer tires form a good grip with the road surface on various slopes.

Yokohama tires for winter have a unique tread pattern, and special compounds are added to the rubber during production. These two components create the conditions for excellent vehicle grip on slippery roads. The price range for winter tires from a Japanese company is quite wide, so you can choose an option for any wallet.

All-season tires are also in demand. This is a product that combines the most optimal qualities of the two previous models. An all-season tire has a specific and carefully thought-out tread pattern.

More about winter tires

Many car owners are changing their summer tires to winter tires at about the same time - this is the month of October. The choice of winter tires is a rather responsible matter, because such a product must be of high quality and give good grip at low temperatures.

Yokohama has a constant competitor -also the Japanese brand "Bridgestone", considered the first in the tire industry. For this reason, Yokohama's developers have to continually improve their manufacturing processes to further improve product quality. At the same time, reviews about Yokohama winter tires vary greatly.

Yokohama Ice Guard IG50 plus review

One of the latest innovations from the company is the Ice Guard IG50 plus tire. Representative of the latest era of studless winter tires. First-class grip on ice and reduced fuel consumption - all this is Yokohama Ice Guard IG50 plus.

The reviews note that one of the most common causes of loss of control over the car is a film of water that is located on top of the ice. This phenomenon is also called the effect of microhydroplaning on a plane covered with ice. A standard tire on this surface will begin to slide already in the temperature range from 0 to -6 degrees Celsius. During this period, the thickness of the water film is much greater than the ability of the tire to effectively drain water.

The company's specialists have created a unique water-absorbing rubber compound. It shows high efficiency of removing water from the contact patch. This guarantees the grip of the tire directly on the dry ice surface. This idea turned out to be very successful, judging by the reviews of the Yokohama Ice Guard IG50 plus.

This effect was achieved due to the presence of absorbent micro-bubbles in the rubber compound, which successfully remove the water film from the staincontact. In reviews of the Yokohama Ice Guard IG50 plus, experts report that the tire surface has a dense shell, due to which a micro-edge effect is formed, also providing rigidity to any tire block. Also one of the components of this mixture is an absorption white gel. A well-designed tire design prevents tire deformation, thus reducing fuel consumption. Due to this, the company receives a huge amount of positive feedback.

Yokohama Ice Guard IG50 plus has the following tread specifics: in the middle part, the contact patch is significantly expanded, more sipes than in the shoulder part. This improves grip and edge effect on icy roads. The tread is equipped with multi-core blocks concentrated in the central part, due to which braking and control efficiency on any surface in winter is increased. Micro-grooves are placed diagonally across the tread, allowing you to achieve the best effect from the very beginning of operation, without resorting to tire running.

Yokohama rightfully ranks first in the production of car tires in the eastern part of the planet. It is the sample we are considering that has become a successful replacement for the previous, thirtieth model, judging by the reviews.

Yokohama Ice Guard IG50 plus is used in competitions such as Le Mans and FIA championships and rallies. For this reason, this product will be of interest to car enthusiasts, owners of car tuning salons, as well as service stations.

Dignity:

• First-class grip on icysurface.
• Significant reduction in fuel consumption.
• Reliable connection to the road during the service life.
• Checking a car on a snowy track.

The main features of the Yokohama Ice Guard IG50 plus, according to consumers, are as follows:

• modernized rubber compound to ensure hitch stability on ice and packed snow;
• The bottom layer of the tread has become harder, thereby improving handling, reducing fuel consumption, and increasing tire life;
• optimized flexibility under different temperature conditions due to high-tech compounds used in the outer tread layer;
• The breaker is reinforced with additional synthetic cord, and the multiple tread radii add stability and predictability to the Yokohama Ice Guard IG50 plus when maneuvering in rapidly changing weather conditions;
• an increased concentration of sipes increases the number of gripping edges, which in turn reduces the braking distance on icy surfaces.

General features of Yokohama Ice Guard Studless IG50 plus

They have been produced since 2012 and are intended for off-road driving and tracks in winter conditions. This model belongs to the type of Velcro tires. In translation, the name of the product we are considering means "ice guard". This explains the excellent ability of the tire, allowing the driver to maintain balance anddrive safely in icy and snow-covered roads.

Among other indicators in the reviews, Yokohama Ice Guard IG50 plus owners note the following:

• Significant reduction in braking time.
• Increased adhesion to slippery surfaces, which sometimes even avoids an emergency.
• Sustainable.
• Saving fuel consumption.
• Confident stability and maneuverability.
• Special composition of the rubber compound.

Yokohama Ice Guard IG50 plus 205 55R16 tires are produced using a special technology - gelled silicon is added to the rubber compound. This structure resembles white balls, their purpose is to adsorb water from the surface with which they come into contact. This is facilitated by the carbon molecules that are also included in the composition. And in addition - the smallest pores, they cover the entire surface, they eliminate signs of hydroplaning.

Advanced rubber compound

Similar to the previous sample, the tread of this tire has the ability to absorb moisture, which is formed as a result of contact with ice. In reviews of the Yokohama Ice Guard Studless IG50 plus, they report that this item was provided for due to the large number of tiny pores that absorb water when in contact with the road surface. In the previous sample, this technology turned out to be ineffective, because the distribution of micropores in the tread was uneven. Using advancedThe option of the White Gel absorbent element, together with advanced production technologies, made it possible to eliminate this flaw almost 100%. Result: 7% shorter braking distance on icy roads.

Two-ply tread

Another distinctive feature of the Yokohama Ice Guard IG50 plus version, the photo of which is presented above, is the tread structure. It, as before, has two layers, but their characteristics have been radically changed. The inner layer is made from an even tougher compound.

Judging by the feedback from the owners of the Yokohama Ice Guard IG50 plus tires, the coating has a lower rate of heating during the movement. These improvements were directly aimed at minimizing rolling resistance. At the same time, specialists from Yokohama managed to significantly improve a number of other properties that affect operation, ranging from faster control and ending with increased wear resistance.

The outer layer of the tread is made from a compound that is able to maintain elasticity at the required level in very large temperature ranges. Such qualities are achieved through the presence of additional silica in its composition, plus special molecular compounds that increase the uniformity of the compound and ensure the safety of the tread when exposed to different temperatures.

Grip stability in all conditions

Another distinguishing feature of this model is the stability of grip performance, regardless of the road surface and weather conditions. Thispoint was achieved due to the ability of the tire to keep its shape unchanged, and as a result, the configuration of the size of the contact patch is close to square. To create such an ability, a whole range of innovative ideas had to be applied, including the optimization of the tread profile (flat in the middle part and low-radius in the shoulder). In addition, the breaker has been upgraded with an additional synthetic cord.

It is worth noting the increased rigidity of the lower tread layer, which subsequently improved the resistance of the contact patch to deformation. The logical outcome of these innovative solutions was the confident consistency of grip characteristics in various conditions.

Increased number of gripping lips

In line with the special tread rubber compound - excellent traction on ice, which is guaranteed by increasing the number of gripping edges. In total, there are more than five thousand of them, and they are mainly built not in blocks, but in lamellas cut into them. Due to the special density, these small elements fully compensate for the lack of spikes on this model. Driving on such tires is not only safe, but also comfortable in terms of almost complete sound insulation.

Yokohama has been able to increase the number of sipes without compromising other performance characteristics, specifically handling. They used the profile of the walls of these lamellas, making it wavy. This limited the mobility of the blocks, which made them more rigid. As a result, the tire shows reliable grip on ice and excellentcontrol.

Tests of Yokohama Ice Guard IG50 plus have shown: when purchasing products from this Japanese manufacturer, you can be sure of the quality of the product. Reliability and durability of operation is ensured thanks to the most modern technologies.

All tires have positive and negative customer reviews. Yokohama Ice Guard IG50 plus gets good reviews more often and pleases its owners. The company claims that Yokohama tires will not let the car owner down even in the most severe frosts, and a huge number of tests have confirmed this. Yokohama, of course, are not the cheapest tires, but for the sake of good quality, you can open your wallet.

Which tires to choose, it's up to you. But before buying, be sure to study everything, compare the selected model with similar products from other manufacturers, and only then make a decision. We hope that this article was useful and you gathered the necessary information for yourself. Happy shopping!