Road Noise

[PaulMT]

Hi All

I have 245 wide 40 profile Falken tyres on the 19" rims as per my signature photo.

On smooth road they make a whirring sort of noise that is fine and acceptable but on heavy or even moderate chip roads they are very noisy. I don't mind it because it sounds like grip to me and I like that but people who come in the car with me comment that it seems noisy.

I always say "well, wide wheels and extra traction have a price to pay" but I was wondering does anyone else finds their cars noisy as in road noise and is there a lot of difference between brands re road noise and if so what tread pattern should I look for that would be quieter without sacrificing grip performance.

I can't remember what the original 215 Michelin's on the 17" rim's sounded like now though I still have them.

[1stKill]

My 245/35/R20 Yokohama Advance Sport 103 are as quiet as a mouse and smooth as a babys azz and i'm not just sayin that because i've got em,part of the reason i shelled out the coin for these bad boys was that they are very quiet,safe,load rated,comfortable,and bloody heaps of grip. :)

the pitfall on having these tyres is about $600 a corner and i'm thinking 19'' in your size would be about $550 a corner. :(

[PaulMT]

My 245/35/R20 Yokohama Advance Sport 103 are as quiet as a mouse and smooth as a babys azz and i'm not just sayin that because i've got em,part of the reason i shelled out the coin for these bad boys was that they are very quiet,safe,load rated,comfortable,and bloody heaps of grip. :)

the pitfall on having these tyres is about $600 a corner and i'm thinking 19'' in your size would be about $550 a corner. :(

Thanks for that, interesting.

The Falkens weren't cheap either but I will replace all 4 to get a quieter ride. I've always like Bridgestone because I have had HSV's in the past, but I know Yokohama a very good tyres.

[Speedz]

I also have Falken on my Yaris ZE something :P but yeah it is noisy when travelling chipped roads, so looking to change the tyres + getting 15' wide alloys for the car too...

My old man got himself 2 sets of Toyos Teo for his IS200, not sure how grippy compared to the top tier tyres but they are pretty quiet when i sat in the car...

[Wulfkind]

Just turn up the radio, works for me. :)

[PaulMT]

I also have Falken on my Yaris ZE something :P but yeah it is noisy when travelling chipped roads, so looking to change the tyres + getting 15' wide alloys for the car too...

My old man got himself 2 sets of Toyos Teo for his IS200, not sure how grippy compared to the top tier tyres but they are pretty quiet when i sat in the car...

Thanks Speedz, it's good to know it's not just my car! I will be looking around to see what's available and noise & performance will be top of the question list.

[PaulMT]

Just turn up the radio, works for me. :)

:D Oh yeah I do that all right! but sometimes I just want to hear that engine roar and the tyres get in the way of hearing that.

[Speedz]

but wore are you tyres anyway? and its also the fact ur have a 19' dish and a wider profile hence the road noise...

mine is has about 40%< thread left hence the roar... (highway speed really kills the thread quick...)

the ZE suppose to have a long thread light with a rating of 400 compared to 200 for the Potenzas, so i kinda expected the road noise even if its on 15's and its a Yaris where sound deaden material are skimmed lol...

Aurion wise still wearing its OEM tyres, so when the time comes i might replace it with Toyo Teo +... (since its a 16', so i guess it will be a PITA to get tyre replacement for it...)

Edited May 31, 2009 by Speedz

[PaulMT]

but wore are you tyres anyway? and its also the fact ur have a 19' dish and a wider profile hence the road noise...

mine is has about 40%< thread left hence the roar... (highway speed really kills the thread quick...)

the ZE suppose to have a long thread light with a rating of 400 compared to 200 for the Potenzas, so i kinda expected the road noise...

The tyres (front) on these rims are not so new now but I know they will be noisier until run down a bit, but I previously had 19" rims that weren't deep dish and they were noisy with Falken tyres also.

I accept the wider tyre must make more noise and to be honest, as I said, on my own I don't care really, but I reckon I can get an equal or better tyre that is less noisy.

Without sounding like a *****, the cost of replacing the tyres is not the issue (though like for everyone it's a consideration) it's getting an improvement without losing performance. With the combo I have now I hardly ever lose traction on take off and never at speed or cornering. I chewed out the first front set in a year (45k) and the rears are still the first set though nearly due for replacement.

I did start rotating the tyres every 15k but got some many issues with bad balancing and alignment I ended up just sticking to the best configuration until the fronts wore out.

I would point out I don't thrash the car, but I don't hand around either and the tyre compound is soft so I expected 40-45k at best.

On a side issue, I have started talking with a performance tyre place about replacements and alignment and balancing and all things tyres. Something they have said to me about balancing these bigger wheels is that most places only balance through the hub, not the studs. This can make a big difference if the machines doesn't fit the hub perfectly.