The Yokohama W drive V905 is a Central European winter tyre with dependable snow traction and generally good dry grip. Noise is a common drawback, while wet grip, snow cornering and wear draw mixed verdicts.
Snow traction is the clearest reason to consider the Yokohama W drive V905: ten of 14 owners praise it, and testers repeatedly agree. Dry grip is another shared positive. Snow cornering deserves more caution, with Sport Auto placing it third of ten in 2017 but Auto Bild only 16th of 20, an unusual difference. Snow braking also varied unusually between second of ten and 14th of 21 in those tests, despite praise in both. It is better suited to drivers seeking winter traction than those expecting consistently strong performance in every discipline.
Noise is the main owner complaint, raised by six people, and also drew test criticism. Wet grip splits owners evenly between praise and criticism, while ADAC criticised it in both 2016 and 2017. Auto Bild found straight aquaplaning resistance last of 21 in 2017. Wear is a clear disagreement: several owners describe long service over multiple winters, but ADAC criticised wear twice and Auto Bild projected only 32,625 km, 17th of 20. Rolling resistance was also weak in later tests, unusually reversing ADAC's low-consumption praise from 2014.
The quick answer
Owners say76%from 17 owner reviews75% would buy againRead the reviews
Strengths & weaknessesWet, SnowValue, ComfortRelative to its rivals across every test we hold
Built from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold for this tyre - the evidence is all further down the page. Data updated January 2025.
In 225/50 R17, the Yokohama W drive V905 is projected to cost €20.33 per 1,000 km to buy and run - about €813 over 40,000 km - based on the price, wear and rolling resistance measured in the 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test.
Tyre purchase + fittingExtra fuel vs the most efficient tyrecost per 1,000 km
Assumes a typical car using 8 l/100km (with rolling resistance causing 20% of fuel use), fuel at €1.65 per litre and €70 fitting per set of four. Purchase prices are from the time of the 2017 test; financing costs are excluded.
Across the 2 wet-braking tests it has featured in, the Yokohama W drive V905 stops 1.8% longer than premium rivals, 3.5% shorter than mid-range rivals and 0.2% longer than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews wet score of 71/100, and owners rate it 8.3/10 in the wet from 17 reviews.
How good is the Yokohama W drive V905 in the dry?
Across the 2 dry-braking tests it has featured in, the Yokohama W drive V905 stops 0.9% shorter than premium rivals, 0.4% longer than mid-range rivals and 3.6% longer than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews dry score of 42/100, and owners rate it 8.8/10 in the dry from 17 reviews.
How good is the Yokohama W drive V905 in the snow?
Across the 2 snow-braking tests it has featured in, the Yokohama W drive V905 stops 1.1% shorter than premium rivals, 2.5% shorter than mid-range rivals and 26.7% shorter than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews snow score of 52/100, and owners rate it 6.3/10 in the snow from 17 reviews.
How fuel efficient is the Yokohama W drive V905?
Across the 1 test measuring rolling resistance, the Yokohama W drive V905's rolling resistance is 4.8% higher than premium rivals, 6.1% higher than mid-range rivals and 13.2% higher than budget rivals.
How many miles does the Yokohama W drive V905 last?
Based on test and owner data, the Yokohama W drive V905 is expected to last around 20,272 miles (32,625 km).
More questions about the Yokohama W drive V905(8)
What treadwear rating and mileage warranty does the Yokohama W drive V905 have?
Yokohama gives it no mileage warranty.
What do owners say about the Yokohama W drive V905?
Across 17 owner ratings the Yokohama W drive V905 averages 76%. Owners rate Dry Grip highest at 8.8 out of 10 and Ice Grip lowest at 5. 6 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 80% of owners score it 70% or better.
How much does the Yokohama W drive V905 cost to run?
In 225/50 R17, the Yokohama W drive V905 is projected to cost €20.33 per 1,000 km to buy and run - about €813 over 40,000 km - based on the price, wear and rolling resistance measured in the 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test. The cheapest to run in that test is the Michelin Alpin 5, at €19.29.
How comfortable and quiet are the Yokohama W drive V905?
Owners rate the Yokohama W drive V905 7.5 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 16 reviews.
How well do the Yokohama W drive V905 wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Yokohama W drive V905 8.6 out of 10 for wear across 16 reviews. 6 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 5,000 miles.
Would owners buy the Yokohama W drive V905 again?
75% of owners say they would buy the Yokohama W drive V905 again, based on the 16 owner reviews that answered the question. 31% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
What do owners say about the Yokohama W drive V905's snow traction?
Of the 14 owner reviews analysed for the Yokohama W drive V905, 10 mention snow traction: 10 praise it (strong snow traction) and 0 criticise it (weak snow traction). One owner wrote: "In the snow showd no problems, in deep fresh snow (10cm) I drove like I had 4x4". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Yokohama W drive V905's road noise?
Of the 14 owner reviews analysed for the Yokohama W drive V905, 8 mention road noise: 2 praise it (quiet) and 6 criticise it (noisy). One owner wrote: "they are too noisy like have siren still turned on". Read those reviews
Snow traction is the clearest strength of the Yokohama W drive V905, praised by ten of 14 owners, and 12 of 16 reviews score above 70%. Dry grip is generally liked, while several later-life accounts describe low wear or useful service over several winters. Noise is the main complaint, raised by six owners despite two finding it quiet, and wet grip divides opinion evenly. Two owners describe poorer behaviour in warmer weather, so the positive grip accounts should be read in a winter context. One repeat reviewer found snow cornering worse in the fourth season despite ample tread, but the other remained positive and there is no shared ageing pattern.
What owners mention most counted across 14 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 17 ratings
Owner score76%
Dry Grip88%
Wear86%
Wet Grip83%
Handling83%
Road Feedback82%
Comfort75%
Snow Grip63%
Ice Grip50%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 80%
“Some doubts to use winter tyres on the snow monster there were, but the space lost by the chains (spyke-spiders) that I needed to buy (YETI has 17 inc wheels) had pushed me to have winter set! At home we have winter...”
“I bought these tyres with car. Spent one winter with them. These are one of the worst tyres I had. In temperatures under 0°C it is almost ok except wet. Between 0-5°C it become slip litzle bit in wet. Between 5-10°C it...”
“bought mine in winter 2014: witer 2014: 16 400km winter 2015: 15 500km winter 2016: 14 574km winter 2017: 11 331km total km: 57 805km; total miles: 36 500miles And they stilll could go one season if necessary! Great...”
Some doubts to use winter tyres on the snow monster there were, but the space lost by the chains (spyke-spiders) that I needed to buy (YETI has 17 inc wheels) had pushed me to have winter set!
At home we have winter Bridgestone and Pirelli, both very good, the shop has suggested the YOKOHAMA, so I did some research on web and the reviews were good. I said, ok try, if not good, destroy them and change fast.
On wet, as all winter tyres are not the best, but on snow and cold I cannot say where is the limit (still don't know if thanks to haldex system or the tyres).
One thing is quite strange: they are lighter on the steering wheel vs summer tyres, so parking and manoeuvres are easier.
Finally d/t the lockdown in Italy I've been obliged to stay in France till summer and they lost some grip d/t the high temp (above 24[°C]) and I expected to destroy them on the motorway, but they were still good.
So, diese Woche habe ich meine V905 vom Auto geschmissen. Gesamt KM-Leistung 24895km, die Reifen auf der VA zwischen 5,7-6,1mm, HA ca. 5,3-5,5mm. Nur mit den Michelin Alpin 4 hatte ich ähnlich niedrigen Verschleiß.
24895km droven, tread from 5,3mm-6,1mm. I have droven some winter tyres on similar car, only with the Michelin Alpin A4 I had a tyre which lasts similar. Bought this tyre in 2014 and replaced it IN december 2017.
Already wrote a review in 2016, after 2 seasons, so I write here only a short conclusion.
Wet: Still surprisingly good. Much better than some tests showed with a new tyre
Dry: Good, but still I liked the Michelin Alpin A4 more
Snow: Ouch! I wrote this in 2016: The weak point on my FWD is cornering in snow. The V905 react nervous, I had to correct the direction harder and more often as with tyres like Michelin A4, Dunlop Winter Response, Fulda Montero 2. No recommendation for inexperienced drivers.
In the 4th season, still with good tread, the tyre was very bad in snow. Accelerate still OK but dangerous in the corners. I was in a ruck, had to stop uphill because of a turning car. So far not a problem. A bit later tow 90° corners almost let me crash. I drove slow but I had almost 0 grip at front wheels, I had luck to not end on a snowy meadow or in a tree. With a speed around 25km/h my ESP-light lights constantly, oversteed, understeer, almost undriveable.
After this adventure I contact my tyre dealer and 2 ays later I fit new winter tyres on my car because it´s much cheaper than a new car and more healthy than make a crash.
I wrote I don´t trust this tyre if the tread is getting lower and was more right than I ever thought. Can´t remember I throwed winter tyres away with around 5mm tread.
Conclusion: Funny tyre if you don´t drive more than 2mm down.
Now the V906 is on the way. It looks much more generic, like so many other winter tyres. Will Yokohama improve and make the new tyre also driveable in snow if the tread is
Check out how the BEST all seasons tyres perform against premium summer and winter tyres!
I bought these tyres with car. Spent one winter with them. These are one of the worst tyres I had. In temperatures under 0°C it is almost ok except wet. Between 0-5°C it become slip litzle bit in wet. Between 5-10°C it become slip in dry. Above 15°C it acts like in mud when you drive on dry road. And they are too noisy like have siren still turned on. Compared to Goodyear Ultragrip 9 fitted on the other cars in family it is sh*t. I will never buy them and for next winter season will take the Goodyear UG Performance Gen 1 tyres.
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bought mine in winter 2014:
witer 2014: 16 400km
winter 2015: 15 500km
winter 2016: 14 574km
winter 2017: 11 331km
total km: 57 805km; total miles: 36 500miles
And they stilll could go one season if necessary!
Great tires, quiet and great grip on highways. Felt very comfortable driving. Highly Recomend!
Two winters on these W Drive tyres now. No problems in the snows of winter 2017-18 in a pennine area with gradients and with a steep driveway too. Plenty of grip. Car always feels planted and solid in cornering. Very good wet and slushy braking characteristics. Slightly more noisy than summer Bridgestones in the dry. Definitely would buy again.
Very balanced tyres with good handling in all winter conditions like snow and wet. Very comfortable and silent. I used the tyres for 3 winter seasons and also in third season I was able to drive normally in all conditions. Deifinitely recommended!
Very good in snow - steep hills no problem, traction control light didn't even flicker. A bit noisy at 70mph but comfortable ride. Survived a pothole that wrote off the tyre and wheel of a folliowing car.
I 've driven these tyres for 5 months now, I can say I am very satisfied. Grip at low temparatures in dry is excellent (under 5'C) In the snow showd no problems, in deep fresh snow (10cm) I drove like I had 4x4.... On icy roads was very good, ofcourse you have to have feeling for the limit, no tyre can save you from losing grip on ice.....overall very satisfied...definitely recommend them....they were a bargain 42€/tyre in my country. Only negative Is noise level....i dont mind it, but some may get frustrated 😃
Bought this tires for my BMW E90 320d and i was very supprised of the tyre grip on all road conditions. I had a chance to try them on heavy snow and the performance was suprisingly good for a RWD. The only not so good thing is the noise. Aldo it is expected to be louder than the summer tyre this yokohama tyre is louder than i expected. Not that it botherd to me but i have to mention it. I would definitly recomend this tires.
Wet: A bit weak in aquaplaning, but many winter tyres do have that. The grip on wet roads is surprising good for a Yokohama tyre. It´s not compareable to my summer tyres P Zero, but still good. The biggest difference is the V905 loose it´s grip earlier but you feel how fast you can go, It´s not an tyre that surprise you like "Oh that was much to fast", it will be not a problem for an average driver
Dry: According to an review from ADAC magazine it´s the best winter tyre on wet roads. I agree a lot, but not complete. It´s good and a s far the temperature is below 15° celsius it´s nice to drive, but I drove on an other Focus MK3 the Michelin A4 which was more progressive on dry roads.
Snow: There were only some days I have to drive in snow, the V905 did manage it also in difficult road conditions. To start in snow causes no problems, braking is good but could be better. The weak point on my FWD is cornering in snow. The V905 react nervous, I had to correct the direction harder and more often as with tyres like Michelin A4, Dunlop Winter Response, Fulda Montero 2. No rrecommendation for inexperienced drivers.
Comfort: The tyre is noisy and harsh, even for an winter tyre. ot a problem for me, but it means a lot if I feel it so obvious.
Wear: I drove about 8400 miles in the past two winters, I think I can drive it the next two winters without problem, think 10000 miles are possible.
Other thoughts: I´m not sure, but the tire tread looks like the lamellars aren´t that deep; maybe the performance in the snow will be very poor if the thread is below 5mm
Conclusion: Overall it´s an tyre without highlights. On the other hands it have only one low, it´s nervous on snow. It´s still not bad but it could be better.
I bought it because I was curious how good are asian winter tyres 2dy, my last japanese winter tyres were Toyo Snowprox S940 which were really good in all conditions, but it was long time ago.
So I can´t recommend the V905 to the average driver, because I miss the highlights, it´s an average tyre, it´s not a must buy.
This set of tires lasted three winters on my Fiat Punto Natural Power.
Not bad at all, good in dry and wet conditions. Excellent in the snow !
These are winter tyres and not for aggressive driving, but they manage well at high speed and under hard braking.
Maybe they have a little bit too soft compound, but it's ok, because are designed for winter conditions.
Good deal, I will probably fit again new set of these next winter.
