Yokohama iceGUARD G075 Review

Further expanding Yokohama’s lineup of winter tires, the new iceGUARD G075 is designed specifically for modern SUVs and crossovers.

PROS

  • Grip in snow and ice
  • Extensive selection of sizes
  • Promise of long life
  • Purpose-made for modern crossovers

CONS

  • Unproven as a new tire


With offerings already on the market for both sedans and SUVs/Light-trucks, the latter was really more of a true truck tire and not ideal for crossovers or CUVs, which are increasingly the most common vehicles on the roads today.

The iceGUARD G075 is a true winter tire and comes certified as such, boasting the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol on the sidewall, indicting that it’s built for extreme winter driving – according to the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) and the Rubber Association of Canada (RAC). That said, it performs best in cold temperatures. More than just a snow tire, however, it is built to operate ideally in slush, on ice, and even on dry cold roads.

The tire makes use of what Yokohama calls a “high density tread compound.” In other words, there’s a lot of actual rubber touching the ground at any time. In addition, the actual tread pattern is designed to deliver maximum rubber to the road (or snow, or ice), due in part to the fact that it’s a directional tread pattern.

With that up-side, the obvious down side is that you don’t have the same freedom to rotate the tires from side to side.

While most tires feature smooth circumferential grooves to help evacuate water, the G075 features zig zag shaped groves. This serves most of the same purpose, with the added benefit of creating additional edges to help grip.

And does it ever grip! It makes use of an arsenal of tire tech features including an incredible number of sipes, as well as a unique absorbent tread compound that helps soak up the layer of water that coats the surface of the snow, ice or road, allowing the tire to grip the actual surface below. (If you’ve ever done reading on winter tires before, it’s the actual layer of water between the rubber and the road that causes the lack of traction).

We don’t want to sound too impressed with this tire (at the risk of seeming biased), but rather surprisingly it even includes features to improve rolling resistance, such as an under-tread compound that helps reduce heat-soak in the tires, thereby prolonging tire life. This can be particularly beneficial in those critical weeks at either end of the snow-tire season when temperatures are higher and that added few degrees can really heat up winter tires beyond their ideal operating temperature and cause premature wear.

And finally, we’re even impressed with the selection of different sizes available for a brand new tire, with everything from 16s to 21s and a lot of selection in-between.

Yokohama iceGUARD G075 Price

The Yokoaham iceGUARD G075 retails starting at around $120 per tire up to approximately $250 per tire.

Yokohama iceGUARD G075 Warranty

All Yokohama tires are covered by a limited warranty that covers defects in materials and workmanship. Within the first 2/32 inch of treadwear Yokohama will replace the tire free of charge, including mounting and balancing. After that wear amount and down to the last 2/32 inch (or 60 months from the date of purchase) Yokohama will replace the tires at a pro rated basis. The warranty applies to the original tire buyer and is not transferrable.

Yokohama iceGUARD G075 Sizes

16-inch tires
215/70R16
225/70R16
235/70R16
265/70R16

17-inch tires
225/60R17
225/65R17
235/60R17
235/65R17
245/65R17
245/70R17
265/65R17
265/70R17

18-inch tires
225/755R18
225/60R18
235/55R18
235/60R18
235/65R18
245/60R18
255/55R18
255/60R18
265/60R18
285/60R18

19-inch tires
235/55R19
245/55R19
255/50R19
255/55R19
265/50R19
225/55R19

20-inch tires
235/55R20
245/50R20
255/50R20
265/50R20
275/40R20
275/45R20
275/55R20
285/50R20

21-inch tires
295/35R21