Those Pirelli's are for "real" trucks that plan to do at least some offroading.They don't even offer correct sizing for the Outlander.

I'm getting Yokohama YK520's installed this Friday. I'll be sure to post my impressions later. This is the blurb about the tire from Discount Tire Direct:

"Building on the success of its heritage, the YK520 is a new evolution in performance, offering today's drivers all-season handling, long mileage and a comfortable ride. With a size line-up including 18" and 20" fitments, the YK520 is ideally suited for sedans and cross-over SUVs."

Link to reviews:

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...&tc=YOKHHM

 

I think I'm going with the Falken Tires again!

 

Howdy,
Firstly, nice holidays to all of you!

I wouldn't call the new 4WD selector in the 07 Outlander "a joke" at all, the engineers certainly meant this to be more than just a gadget! namely to improve the efficiency by powering only the front differential when the driver doesn't need the AWD.
I haven't read the technical details of this electronic-engaged AWD system yet, but I suppose you should be well aware of the modus your AWD-switch is in while driving.
I wouldn't feel safe driving in snow or on icy roads, or even in heavy rain when the switch is in "AUTO", because the reaction time of the system will probably be too high to avoid sudden loss of traction on the front wheels... I think the "AUTO"-mode doesn't make the car safer in this aspect...
Although I'm certain that the 2WD-mode will be useful to save energy and push more power to the wheels, I wish there was a switch like that on the 04 Outlander too! I would be setting my car only in AWD-lock in the above mentioned weather conditions.

Regarding tyres, I'm to replace mine in the future with Pirelli Scorpion STR (looks like a good deal, and I have good experiences with the scorpion S/T), when the Yokohama G035's have worn enough.

Regards

 

realistically speaking, the 2WD mode is the most useless... all the componants are still spinning! the only difference is that the propshaft is 100 percent disconnected from the rear differential. However, the differential is still being spun by the rear axles.


the system is pretty much what everyone has been using for years (toyota, honda, hyundai, etc). it's a large electronic clutch on the rear differential that engages/disengages the propshaft as told by the electronics.
in 2WD, its totally disengaged. In "auto", its engaged about 50 percent, and adds more as it sees slip. In 4WD, its pretty much fully locked up.
its simple and effective. In my opinion, its rather silly to have the 2WD option even there, as I cant think of a time that you'll want only power to the front wheels. You arent gaining milage in 2WD. The only options should be AWD or 4WD.

 

It's been a few weeks now since we switched to the Yokohama YK520's. So far we've had the chance to drive the Outlander in a bit of snow/ice as well as on a 2 hour road trip.Indry conditions,grip is much improved. I am now able to take freeway onramps/interchanges at a much higher rate of speed with a greater feeling of stability. The noise level is pretty much the same as the Goodyears yet the Yoko's havenoticably improved the ride quality, especially over freeway expansion joints or broken pavement. Driving in ice/snow I was very suprised by the amount of traction these all-seasons provide. When braking, the wheels are much less inclined to lock up/slide and engage the ABS. Therear will still slide out if you take a corner too quickly and do not excercise proper caution. Overall, I feel much more secure driving in winter conditions than I did with the OEM Goodyears and am even more impressed with their dry weather performance.

Note to Mitsubishi: Please ditch the OEM Goodyears!

 

how about locking your 4 wheel?? thats going to help a lot. it will laid down grip for snow / mud. now for lo 4, it will engaged @ un-even road. (potholes, bumps etc...)

 

i, agree....

 

My 2007 Outlander LS 4WD came equipped with Yokohama's M+S tires standard. M+S means "mud+snow" tires, and are required in CO when snow begins to fall and pile on the roads. I have not yet driven the car in snow, so I don't know the quality of the actual tire, but the rating seems about right for mild snow and sleet, NOT major snowstorms. I don't have the 18-inch tires, so maybe that is why mine feel better... ?

As for for the 2WD/4WD issue, I have read the car manual almost from begining to end (skipping, of course the boring 'do this to change the light bulb' or 'how to turn onthe DVD player' or 'how to row windows up or down'...these are no brainers). >_< But after reading this whole bum manual (while people sat watching Deal or no Deal, thinking "what is wrong with him reading a car manual"), I understandmy first SUV ever a bitbetter. Anyways...

My understanding of the 4WD Auto is that the car merely "reacts" to slippage. That is why you can leave this engaged 24/7, even on dry pavement. If I had gotten a Nissan X-Terra, I would have to be on Rear-wheel drive all the time, until it rained (a lot) or snowed, so I could engage the 4WD mode. ON the Mitsu the 4WD Auto gives the car the "authority" to decide if the rain warrants going 4WD for a bit and getting you out of that puddle that is hydroplaning.It basically means once you begin to slip a bit on the front wheels, it shifts 15% of power to each rear wheel, so at that point, you are running 70% torque on front wheels and 30% on rear wheels. Now, do the rear wheels carry 30% of the torque if there NO slippage? I am not sure, the manual is silent on that. I am writting and sendingMitsu a certified letter asking the questions and asking for a reply (the certified letter bid seems to work better at getting a responsethan regular mail). I will update on this.

As for the 4WD Lock mode, this one engages the rear wheels and puts the car in an ALMOST 50% - 50% front-rear torque distribution. I say almost because the manual uses the word "up to 50% to the rear") This leads me to believe it will push almost 50% of the load to the rear. Again, the manual does a HORRIBLE job of explaining such a cool system to consumers. The manual is also silent on how fast you can drive on switching from 2WD to 4WD (so I currently only do it while I am completely stopped on either D or P).

Now, what Mitsu SHOULD have done is to have a low-gearing mode, so this car could go a bit more off road. That way the car would have a LOT more traction in the "lock" mode. The way it is now, this car is pretty much city-driving only and occasionally dealing with snow/ice/rain and doing a better job at it than if it was a standard 2WD vehicle. Disapointing... I guess that is why the X-Terra is doing a better job of capturing adventure-seeking types than this car is (although the Outlander is 100x cooler than the X-Terra).

Finally, I LIKE having the switch and I think it's more than just a toy or for decoration. I have not yet used the 4WD Lock, but hopefully soon. My impression of the car, even with factory tires, is that in the rain, the 4WD Auto seem to help push through puddles of water on the road. If I felt the rain was super intense, I would have gone 4WD Lock, but didn't need it.

Please remember: The traction control and anti-skid ARE useful and are active as previous posters have added. They are, however, REACTIVE systems, and therefore, your car must slip or lose traction before it kicks in. That means your hands will break a mini-sweat and your heart will race a few miles faster for 10 seconds because of the slip and fear you lost control. I think the Traction control helps and it is very fast, but again, it will not go on until it senses a skid or lost traction. But again, isn't that better than having a car/SUV without the ESC/Traction control??

 

I put studded tires on mine...OH MY GOD at the difference...where the wheels are pointed, you will go...hugs the road like it is on a rail. I don't remember which brand I bought and I'm not going to look as it is warm at my computer and cold and snowing outside. Other than a little slippage as you first start out, it really hugs the road in pretty much all condtions except for really deep powder...which affects all vehicles anyway.

Hubba

 

Well I live in Nj and we got that rain/snow/sleet/hail/wind storm last night. I drove the outie to this morning in all-wheel drive and I couldnt get the damn thing to slide or spin once. I was steering hard to get it to slide out and nothing. I gave it some gas and didnt spin. Ran through the snow and ice like it was nothing. I would say it was just about 3 inches deep.First some storm impressions [sm=smiley20.gif].