Proxes 4 Plus - Tire Review - Modified Magazine

Specs & Details
Proxes 4 Plus
Type All-season ultra-high-performance radial
Size 225/45R17
UTQG 560

Key Features

• Lasts up to 47 percent longer than the competition
• Stop up to six car lengths shorter in snow conditions than leading competing tire
• 50,000-mile warranty & Toyo’s 45-day/500-mile “No Regrets” trial offer

Test Mule
’03 Dodge SRT-4
Test Driver
Nate Hassler
Test Track
The Hills of Beverly, Los Angeles, California
Test Condition
75 degrees F, dry and sunny

This is not a performance tire review. I know it may sound strange, but even the most hard-core automotive enthusiasts (like us here at Modified) have daily drivers they want to be comfortable. Project SRT-4 is not my daily driver anymore, but after putting the better part of 30,000 miles on it, I can vouch that it is not the most, um, luxurious or comfortable car in our stable. But it does serve a purpose as our around-town errand runner, go-getter, and gear hauler for photo shoots. What we want is not an ultimate track beast but rather something more reasonable. I won’t call it refined, but I will say it’s not bad as a commuter. So when we learned that Toyo has a new ultra-high-performance, all-season radial tire it wanted us to test, the Proxes 4 Plus, the choice of test mule was clear and easy.

Instead of heading to a track day to test a 560 UTQG all-season tire, I headed into the land of the Bentleys and Astons, the stomping grounds of Larry Flynt and Kim Kardashian, a place where very few SRT-4s have dared venture: Beverly Hills. As I drove past a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, I felt a wave of satisfaction come over me because I could actually hear the rumble of the 8.0L 16-cylinder engine instead of my own tire noise. These Proxes 4 Plus’ are really quiet and comfortable.

Compared with the last tire on this car, they really are an improvement for daily driving and cruising. As I scurried through an intersection after it had turned red, there was nary an ounce of tire squeal to frighten passing paparazzi. I won’t say I was ”exploring the limits of grip” on the corner of Rodeo and Wilshire, but I have a feeling the Proxes 4 Plus can handle a few curves if you feel the urge to throw them into the mix.

After spending a few more hours cruising around aimlessly, I pulled over to treat myself to a brownie and began to contemplate the point of this late-summer-afternoon driving tour. I came to a solid conclusion that I stand behind 100 percent: The Toyo Proxes 4 Plus is an extremely competent and solid all-season daily driver tire. The tires will provide you with good fuel economy, good grip, low noise, and long life—all things you want from a tire like this. Am I going to be passing R-compound-equipped cars on a track? Absolutely not. But that’s not the point of this tire. And for what it’s designed for, the results Toyo has achieved from the new Proxes 4 Plus are simply top notch.