- Smooth and quiet
- Good for moderately rough cross-country terrains
- Adequate price/quality ratio
- Superb traction on wet and dry roads
- Not intended for snowed or iced-up surfaces
The YK-HTX is quite an option for highway and/or city driving, as well as for mildly rough countryside driving. The tire has a rugged structure, which makes it ideal for these types of environment. It is not really good harsh off-road terrains.
The all-season Yokohama YK-HTX tire combines the benefits of a variety of tires. It should be noted that HT stands for “highway terrain”, and the X stands for “cross country.” It is great for several types of vehicles, particularly SUVs, vans, crossovers and pickup trucks. Many drivers have reported an increased comfort and low road noise on different types of surfaces, both in cities and in the countryside. Also, the Yokohama YK-HTX features rugged and rough tread blocks, which add a degree of off-road capability. These characteristics make the tire a perfect choice for those who drive in the city or on highways and from time to time off road. The conclusion is that the tire is not intended for aggressive driving, and one should weigh all individual pros and cons. If handled as suggested by the manufacturer, the Yokohama YK-HTX tire will last several years.
How good is Yokohama YK-HTX’s off-road performance?
As user feedback suggests, the tire does quite so well on sand, grass, gravel, slightly muddy roads. If you occasionally drive outside of your city, you will enjoy above-average performance, durability and off-road capability.
However, if you are an ardent off-road driver and have a respective type of vehicle, you should look elsewhere. Extreme cross-country driving requires a different type of tire. For this purpose, Yokohama Geolandar A/T will be a much better option than the Yokohama YK-HTX tire.
How will it do on a heavily snowed-up and iced-up road?
Not good. The Yokohama YK-HTX does very well on light snow, because it is a little more rugged than its H/T cousin. Therefore, it is not the right option for those who live in cold climates, where only all-terrain rubber tires can handle it. The Yokohama YK-HTX boasts a good grip on mildly snowed surfaces, but not in deep snow. In any event, you can be sure that you will be ok with this tire if you are not planning to go far outside of the city. If you are, I’d strongly recommend you to look for a M + S rated tire, which can also handle muddy and waterlogged roads.
What is so special about the Yokohama YK-HTX tire?
Being an all-season tire, the Yokohama YK-HTX boasts a combination of low tire wear and high comfort. The trick is that Yokohama has introduced its own (proprietary) silicon-based compound and applied the Orange Oil technology. The compound has characteristics, which boost wear resistance and increase the tire’s life while reducing rolling resistance. Combined, these characteristics contribute to comfortable riding and efficient fuel consumption.
Second, the Yokohama YK-HTX tire features triple 3D sipes, which provide for a sufficient grip. On the other hand, they help reduce wear and increase traction on all types of surfaces. The multi-sipe blocks ensure a stronger contact with the road surface on during highway rides. Finally, the rugged general structure is a good bonus in terms of traction on wet and muddy surfaces. Highly adaptive shoulder blocks help form an outer rib, which reduces road noise, ensures comfortable steering and general handling.
Is it quiet and comfortable on paved roads?
Although many users characterize Yokohama YK-HTX as great in terms of noise reduction and comfort, it is not the champion. This is no big problem for most users, except those who place silence and comfort above all. If you are the one, you’d better look for another set of H/T (highway-terrain) tires. In any event, if you drive at a low to moderate speed, your ride will be smooth and quiet enough with the Yokohama YK-HTX tire. You will not have problems when driving around your city. The noise will come only if you speed up well above your average limit. Given the tire’s chunky and rugged pattern, these noise characteristics should impress you very much.
How does it handle dry and wet road surfaces?
There is nothing to worry about on a dry road. The tire is renowned for its stable traction, firm grip and comfortable steering. Given the tire’s decent off-road performance, you will be ok with cornering and braking.
Wet road performance is great too. Unless you press the throttle all the way down, there will be no signs of aquaplaning. It should be noted that your vehicle may skid if you push a little harder when driving on a wet or slightly iced-up road. It is a matter of your driving manner rather than the quality of tires. Like any other tire, Yokohama YK-HTX shows good performance on wet, icy, slippery and muddy surfaces providing you follow the rules and the manufacturer’s advice.
How long does the tire last?
Over the years the tire has been in use, the only complaints have been about insufficient off-road traction and low snow performance. This is it for the downsides. The Yokohama YK-HTX is widely appreciated for all-season performance and long life, so the benefits do outweigh concerns. If you still want to be sure, the manufacturer provides a 70,000-mile limited treadwear warranty on P/E-metric sizes and a 50,000-mile warranty on LT-metric sizes.
Is the Yokohama YK-HTX a worthwhile investment?
When choosing the right type of tire, we often rely on what others say about it. Most users talk good about the Yokohama YK-HTX in general. However, it depends on your individual preferences and driving style. The tire is rugged enough for highway, city driving, as well as driving in moderate off-road terrains. It is not an all-terrain tire, so it will not work if you are an experienced off-road driver.
The Yokohama YK-HTX is a little more expensive than the regular H/T tire. In any event, buying an all-season tire with high basic characteristics and quite a number of extra capabilities would be good investment. It is more than enough for a regular city dweller, who goes to the countryside from time to time.
Tire Sizes
16″
255/70/R16
215/85/R16
235/85/R16
17″
225/65/R17
235/65/R17
235/80/R17
18″
255/70/R18
265/70/R18
265/65/R18
245/60/R18
19″
255/60/R19
20″
285/45/R22