Jump to content


Quiet Tires?


mannye

Recommended Posts

I want to know if anyone has information on what is the quietest tire we can get. I HATE road noise and it is the single most important reason I bought the LS 430. I would have bought a 460 because I hear that it reaches new heights in the quiet department, but I can't afford one of those at the moment...

SO.... If your first and only requirement was that the tread design be quiet and as free of road noise as possible... what would you go with?

Are invo tires outrageously priced? i don't want to spend more than 250 bucks a corner...

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Probably the Michelin MXV4+. I just replaced mine with Bridgestone Turanza LS-Vs which are also extremely quiet but have better wet and snow traction (the MXV4s were okay in these regards) but they are ever so slightly louder than the Michelins at low speeds. You wouldn't notice the difference if you didnt drive the same car back to back on both tires.

I'm the same way you are, extremely sensitive to tire noise. I think the MXV4 is your tire.

Hang on though, if you have the 18s you won't be able to get them and your tire choices are going to be EXTREMELY limited...

Whats on it now?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Probably the Michelin MXV4+. I just replaced mine with Bridgestone Turanza LS-Vs which are also extremely quiet but have better wet and snow traction (the MXV4s were okay in these regards) but they are ever so slightly louder than the Michelins at low speeds. You wouldn't notice the difference if you didnt drive the same car back to back on both tires.

I'm the same way you are, extremely sensitive to tire noise. I think the MXV4 is your tire.

Hang on though, if you have the 18s you won't be able to get them and your tire choices are going to be EXTREMELY limited...

Whats on it now?

Hmmmm I do believe I might have the 18 inchers... darnit. I will have to go and take a look. Here's a picture of the rims. This is actually exactly what my car looks like . I can spend my whole year on summer tires, so that's not really an issue.

04-ls430-hero.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've heard good words about the Michelin Pilot Sport AS tires, but I've not actually driven in a car that had them on. My LS 430 came with Dunlop 5000 S and I find them very bad for noise, I'd characterize the sound as "boomy" over expansion joints and the like. I can agree with the comments on Michelin MXVs, we had those on our Volvo and they rode well and had minimal noise. However, one the the tires always seemed out of balance despite various attempts to correct the problem. Check out www.tirerack.com as they let you compare tires across brands and provide reviews (but I don't know who polices that process).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've heard good words about the Michelin Pilot Sport AS tires, but I've not actually driven in a car that had them on. My LS 430 came with Dunlop 5000 S and I find them very bad for noise, I'd characterize the sound as "boomy" over expansion joints and the like. I can agree with the comments on Michelin MXVs, we had those on our Volvo and they rode well and had minimal noise. However, one the the tires always seemed out of balance despite various attempts to correct the problem. Check out www.tirerack.com as they let you compare tires across brands and provide reviews (but I don't know who polices that process).

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I'm on a quiet 18 inch tire hunt now.. lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S is an ultra high performance all season tire......they will be very expensive in the 18" size......and being a quiet tire is not that models speciality at all.......but a good all round performer. B)

:cheers:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some 18-inch V-rated tires carry a 65,000-mile treadwear warranty (specifically the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza in a 235/55VR18 fitment). I don't believe they'll go anywhere close to 65,000 miles, but they might do 40,000 to 45,000 miles if they're properly cared for. But they are supposedly SUV tires, so whether they could or should even be mounted on an LS remains in question.

Happy hunting. How I hate those 18-inch wheels. Give me 16-inch wheels any day of the week....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I note that the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S type that I mentioned previously carries a treadwear rating of 400, so I think it is much less the "gumball" that some of the other Michelin "sport" tires are and it may give better mileage performance. I mainly mentioned it because it typically gets good reviews for noise around the net. The other tire that seems to have good noise reviews is the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx, but these are a heavier duty (100Y XL load rated) tire and that noise performance may be relative to similar load rated tires and not the 96W or 96V load rated tires normally used on the 18" LS 430s. I note that most of the material found on the net will not be for the exact size of interest, in this case 245/45-18, so "caveat emptor."

One thing I have thought about is changing to 235/50-18s, which is the same size as the base tire on the LS 460 and it has nearly the same rolling radius. However, there is a more restricted selection in that size.

The Michelin MXVs we had on the Volvo lasted around 40k miles and they had a treadwear rating of something like 300.

We currently have Michelin HydroEdge on the Volvo, they have a treadwear rating of 800 and an 90k mile "limited warranty." After examining the wear over 40k+ miles I expect that they will get to at least 80k miles (if we keep the car that long). The HydroEdge tires do work well in the rain and handle well, but they are very hard so the ride and noise suffers, but ride and noise suffers more than a bit on Volvo's with 100k milies on them anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some 18-inch V-rated tires carry a 65,000-mile treadwear warranty (specifically the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza in a 235/55VR18 fitment). I don't believe they'll go anywhere close to 65,000 miles, but they might do 40,000 to 45,000 miles if they're properly cared for. But they are supposedly SUV tires, so whether they could or should even be mounted on an LS remains in question.

Happy hunting. How I hate those 18-inch wheels. Give me 16-inch wheels any day of the week....

The Bridgestone Duelers are SUV tires though, not at all the right tire for the LS. That would destroy the ride.

My suggestion? Order from a chain like NTB where they have that 30 day ride and drive guarantee. That way if you're not satisfied with the ride you can always swap em and try something new.

Another thing you honestly might want to think about if the ride and noise are really important to you, swap your 18s for the LS430 17s. They're not as pretty as the 18s, but it will vastly improve your selection and bring really quiet tires like the MXV4s and the LS-Vs into the realm of possibility.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with Swo on buying the tires from a local spot. I have a thread in this section somewhere from about a year ago that dealt with the Michelin and Continentals tires for my LS400. I went with the Conti's from tirerack, but later realized the tread count was way too high, and the car felt like it was riding on concrete tires. I ponied up for the Michelin's, and haven't had a problem since. All in all though, buying them from tirerack.com cost me probalby an additional $300 in hassle with having to have the Conti's mounted, balanced and then removed, and the Michelin's mounted and balanced. Not to mention the down time for the car to sit while waiting on the tires..... Buy your tires locally, just in case you don't like them. The only time I will ever buy from a place like tirerack.com again is if I'm 110% certain of what tire I want and have no doubts. Otherwise, you're wasting more money than you'll save by buying from an online store only.

My suggestion...head over to your local NTB or something like that and ask some questions. I think, and feel pretty certain the guys will agree, that Michelin is the overall best tire brand for the LS series in general. Goodyear has some tires, Blake918 has some on his car I believe, but I think he liked the Michelin's better, I think... Overall though, I would say you're in the sweet-spot with the Michelin brand on your LS.

PS: You stink for living in Miami Beach, while the rest of us are FREEZING OUR BUTTS OFF!!!! HAHAHAA... :cheers:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I dunno, I'm real satisfied with the LS-Vs too. I don't think you can go wrong with the MXV4s for the LS, but the LS-Vs ride very similarly and they do have better rain traction. Whether I'll have noise issues as they age or not I don't know...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep, only order from tirerack.com after you've done the research and you KNOW the tires you order are right for your particular application.

I love tirerack.com - they save me hundreds each time I have to buy tires. But I do the research before I order. I would never want to get myself in a position where I'm having to ship the tires back at my expense.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


They also will honor manufacturer 30 day ride and drive guarantees. However, you have to pay to ship back, dismount and mount, etc.

I've also had local tire people match TireRack prices including shipping. NTB did this with the LS-Vs I just had installed. Their cost was $166 a tire, Tire rack had them for $123 shipped and NTB honored the price with no complaint whatsoever.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great information guys! Thanks.

I should mention that treadwear isn't that much of a concern. If I can get 20K miles out of them, that's almost 2 years for me and I'm fine with that.

I really like the look of the 18s, plus I see the whole replacing with 17s as a hassle, what with the expense of the 17s, getting rid of the 18s, etc. But never say never, once I wear the off-brand crap that the previous owner put on there, I'll try something with a softer compund and less agressive pattern and see what happens..

If I am still bothered, then switching to 17s might be an option.

Back in 95, I bought an Impala SS brand new, and I was having the same problem with the 17s that came on that car... a decade or so later, same problem, one more inch! In the case of the SS, headers and cat-back exhasut took care of the tire noise problem :lol:

And by the way... almost 80 deg F today.. HA AH HA HAHAHAHAHAHA aaaaaa

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really like the look of the 18s, plus I see the whole replacing with 17s as a hassle, what with the expense of the 17s, getting rid of the 18s, etc. But never say never, once I wear the off-brand crap that the previous owner put on there, I'll try something with a softer compund and less agressive pattern and see what happens..

I know, I like the look of the 18s vs the 17s too.

I'd just buy them from some place like NTB with the 30 day satisfaction guarantee and keep trying new tires until you find the right ones.

And by the way... almost 80 deg F today.. HA AH HA HAHAHAHAHAHA aaaaaa

Don't rub it in!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Goodyear has some tires, Blake918 has some on his car I believe, but I think he liked the Michelin's better,
They're BF Goodrichs. ;) I actually like them better than the Michelins that they replaced. They ride just as comfortably/quietly and have much better wet traction. Plus, they were $40/corner cheaper. After 20k miles on them over the past year, I'd certainly buy them again!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I want to know if anyone has information on what is the quietest tire we can get. I HATE road noise and it is the single most important reason I bought the LS 430. I would have bought a 460 because I hear that it reaches new heights in the quiet department, but I can't afford one of those at the moment...

SO.... If your first and only requirement was that the tread design be quiet and as free of road noise as possible... what would you go with?

Are invo tires outrageously priced? i don't want to spend more than 250 bucks a corner...

Since you are in Miami, then consider a summer tire for year round use.

I suggest the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3. It comes in a variety of 18" sizes and very very smooth and quiet.

They are great in dry and rain.

steviej

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I want to know if anyone has information on what is the quietest tire we can get. I HATE road noise and it is the single most important reason I bought the LS 430. I would have bought a 460 because I hear that it reaches new heights in the quiet department, but I can't afford one of those at the moment...

SO.... If your first and only requirement was that the tread design be quiet and as free of road noise as possible... what would you go with?

Are invo tires outrageously priced? i don't want to spend more than 250 bucks a corner...

mannye, For a quite ride DIRECTIONAL TREAD is a MUST. I currently own the Falken Ziex ZE-512 (225/55R16/95v) on my Sc400. They are Rated High by Consumer Reports & Customer Reviews. Other tires with high marks to consider are: Yokohama Avid V4s and Bridgestone Potenza R3950. Keep in mind, these are all V-rated tires. Good Luck in whatever you decide.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...

Forums


News


Membership