Quietest tyres for early C5?

[LD]

My early C5 (details below) will need at least two tyres replacing soon, and I might decide to replace all four at the same time. It's currently on Falken ZIEX (I think those are the letters); 215/55 R16 97V.

The engine is so quiet when cruising at speed that road noise becomes the major factor; so I'm looking for the quietest tyres available, with a comfortable ride as the second priority (the hydractive suspension is much better than most cars' on its present tyres). I seem to have seen 205/65 recommended on the internet, which would presumably improve noise levels and ride a little, by being narrower and having a higher profile.

I believe wheels as large as 19 inches are permissible; but apart from the cost of new wheels, it was stated that tyres can cost £300 each, which I'd find difficult to justify

Thoughts, experiences and recommendations will be gratefully received.

[Bandit12]

Hi LD I saw your thread and agree with you about the tyre noise issue. Lots of rules have now come in from the EU and this explains quite well.

Hope I'm not breaking the rules by posting this link. If so then accept my apologies and remove it.

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/sa ... -grip.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[411514]

If you are seeking quiet and comfort you might do well to shy away from fitting larger alloys, 19inch alloys would look, feel and sound pretty horrid I'd imagine.

On the subject of quantitative noise, I believe all tyres sold now have individual ratings given to a number of factors including noise levels. Using a tyre comparison site such as blackcircles, amongst others, you can pretty easily compare dozens of tyres.

I think the recommended and indeed preferred by most, tyre for the C5 is the michelin primacy, although they do tend to be the most expensive on the market. I had a look for 4 of these a little while back and it would set you back around £600 for the set. Hard to justify spending half the value of the car on tyres. Obviously steer clear of winter tyres as they tend to have lateral grooves in the tread which produce a lot of noise.

If noise is a really important factor, you might consider dedicated summer tyres which tend to have longitudinal tread bars around the circumference of the tyres.

I have had good experiences with continental in the past, might be worth a look.

Sam

[Peter.N.]

Have a look at this page :

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre-Size/ ... -Tyres.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[waynedance]

On my second set of kumhos and like them allot.

Fitted some falkens to an audi a8 exc taxi once and the chap was back within a month as they were too noisy so sold him some kumhos and he was very happy.

[HaydnR]

I have kumhos on mine I notice the wind noise far more than the engine and tyre noise. My old xantia was far quieter.

[Lenny]

I'm lead to believe that the new Goodyear Efficient Grip Performer is currently the quietest tyre on the market.

[stu9]

I have kumhos on mine I notice the wind noise far more than the engine and tyre noise. My old xantia was far quieter.

Need to shut the window

[LD]

A lot of useful information here - thanks. I didn't know that summer tyres are inherently quieter than winter ones, but that suits me as I don't go far in the winter. Nor did I know that tyres now have a marking to indicate the level of noise they produce - I'll certainly check that.

To spend £600 on a set of Michelins could be worthwhile for me, as I'm a musician, and the road I use most - the A31 through the New Forest - has a remarkably noisy surface. Put the C5 on smooth tarmac and the noise level drops almost to zero. Now that even diesel engines can cruise almost silently at 70, it's such a waste that other factors create so much noise as to negate all that fine engineering.

[Old-Guy]

Obviously steer clear of winter tyres as they tend to have lateral grooves in the tread which produce a lot of noise.
Sam

You do want to steer clear of winter tyres - in the summer because the soft rubber will wear fast and you might overcook the tyres. But don't be put of winter tyre because they're noisy? Not true, the Goodyear Ultragrips that are coming off for the summer are the quietest tyres I've had on the Xantia (compared with Michelin and Avon) confirmed by the (rather artificial) EU sound test levels. Their grip on ice and wet snow was amazing and sooo much quieter than the Avons.

[LD]

Since I do very little driving in the winter, and never push a car anywhere near the limits of its handling, summer tyres look best for me. I've been checking noise figures on various manufacturers' websites; Michelin quote 70 dB for nearly all their tyres, whereas some of the Goodyears are as as low as 66 dB. The decibel is a logarithmic scale, so 4 dB could make a lot of difference. I still have more research to do, then I'll see my friendly local tyre dealer and see what he recommends.

[Old-Guy]

Since I do very little driving in the winter, and never push a car anywhere near the limits of its handling, summer tyres look best for me. I've been checking noise figures on various manufacturers' websites; Michelin quote 70 dB for nearly all their tyres, whereas some of the Goodyears are as as low as 66 dB. The decibel is a logarithmic scale, so 4 dB could make a lot of difference. I still have more research to do, then I'll see my friendly local tyre dealer and see what he recommends.

He'll recommend what he wants to sell. There's no substitute for doing your own research - easy on the web..

For the summer, I'm about to buy a pair of Goodyear Efficient Grip (if I can get them for a sensible price) to replace the noisy Avons that had worn out on the front last autumn. This is on the strength of the set of incredible (and quiet) Goodyear Ultra Grips. I don't do the high mileages that I used to, nor do I drive furiously, but tyres are all that keep the car on the road. A good set may well mean the difference between not having an 'accident' and serious injury or death.

[Peter.N.]

I put Nexen tyres on my 2.2 and it was quieter and gave a better ride than the 2.0. with good tread but tyres unknown to me.

Peter