Hi there,

I have a 6 month old Octavia (5000 miles). I have been pestered by excessive road noise, particularly on concrete and poorly maintained surfaces and an excessively bumpy ride. Those popular crushed gravel type surfaces are also a pain. On good roads, the car drives like a dream! My dealer has been quite helpful in investigating and I have been able to compare two other Octavias with mine. Both are quieter with a softer ride. The tyres on mine are Michelin Energy Saver, 205/15 R16 91V. Yesterday I tried the wheels of one of those cars, fitted with Continental tyres, on mine, and it did make a significant difference to the ride, being softer and smoother, though there is still some low pitch 'grinding' on some surfaces that was not evident when the wheels were on their own car.

I have hit a hitch with the dealer who says I need to claim with the tyre manufacturers to get them changed under warranty. I have phoned Skoda UK and am hopeful of a resolution. Once the tyres are changed, hopefully they can sort out what may be a front suspension issue if the tyres don't fix it. Its almost like bump noise is not isolated and ends up banging in my ear. My hearing is not brilliant so I may be sensitive to some frequencies.

Has anyone changed from Michelin Energy Savers to a tyre that has made a significant difference in road noise and comfort? If so what?

Regards, Tim. 

 

Tim, on my old focus estate I switched from Energy Savers to Goodyear Efficient Grip and they were superb, grippy, quiet, comfortable. Thoroughly recommend if you want a reasonably priced very decent summer tyre. Running Michelin Crossclimates on the Octavia and they are great tyres too, particularly in the Northern wilderness this time of year! Reduced road noise compared to the contis it came with massively.

13 minutes ago, Hettonist said:

Tim, on my old focus estate I switched from Energy Savers to Goodyear Efficient Grip and they were superb, grippy, quiet, comfortable. Thoroughly recommend if you want a reasonably priced very decent summer tyre. Running Michelin Crossclimates on the Octavia and they are great tyres too, particularly in the Northern wilderness this time of year! Reduced road noise compared to the contis it came with massively.

Agree here, have had these Goodyear Efficient Grip tyres across 3 cars and always been great wet grip and quiet ;<)

@TimOctaviaWelcome.

 

What suspension issue?  What investigations have been done.  The car could have had alignment checked with the 2 wheels / tyres you tried on it.

 

Has the car been for an alignment check with someplace with all the gear and more than an idea.  Maybe even an Audi dealership locally that a Skoda dealership might use.

 

I think someone in the Dealership is talking crap on the Tyre Manufacturers and any Warranty issues.

Skoda / VW turn out thousands and thousands of car, some with pulling left issues and have to sometimes replace say Dunlop or Continental for Pirelli and this 'Blame the tyre manufacturer' comes up often.

Yet Skoda / VW / Audi / SEAT factories fit the tyres, and are pleased as punch with 'much cheapness'.

 

Your Manufacturer's Warranty is with Skoda UK, and tell the Warranty Manager or the Dealer Principal to get their act together if there is an issue with a new car.

No point having a dog and doing your own barking.

 

 

Get in writing from the Dealer Principal or Warranty Manager that you should make a Warranty Claim from the Tyre Manufacturer.

They are taking the Mick.

http://skoda.co.uk/about-us/contact-us

Talk with the Importer & warranty underwriters of the car about the Dealership you are dealing with and be sure to have it all in writing.

Edited 4 December, 20187 yr by Offski

Blackcircles do the Goodyears for £64 a corner fitted and have 10% off that today. Think that's a great price for the quality but maybe cheaper elsewhere. Those Energy Savers last for ever almost but the tyrewall is rock solid and I had to replace mine after circa 35000 miles due to cracking in the sidewall even though plenty tread. Goodyears felt like a magic carpet afterwards and much quieter. Crossclimates improved hugely on the Octy tyre noise from the contis, which I sold to a mate for washers to fit on his old car, with virtually no wear on, as I couldn't stand it ruining driving the car.

The Octy does seem a noisy car and sensitive to tyre choice so personally think it's worth spending a few quid to sort it out with decent tyres given comparative costs with the motor. There have been a few threads along similar lines and a change of tyres often helps (if you pick the right ones!) As offski sys, alignment and balancing might be worth a stab as well as if this is out it will likely exacerbate the "unique characteristics" of an Octy3!

Edited 4 December, 20187 yr by Hettonist
Clarification

The standard mk 3 Octavia has torsion beam suspension and isn't all that quiet a car on normal town roads but is usually much quieter on better roads. Tyre choice certainly makes a difference, I hope that my new Octavia 1.5 doesn't come with Michelin Energy Savers given your experience but it is really pot luck which particular tyre they fit as I think they use a variety of tyre makes. My last Octavia came with Dunlop tyres which were pretty noisy, the car was much quieter up front when the front tyres wore out and I replaced them with Vredestein tyres. Not all that well known a make maybe, but they are made in the Netherlands and actually pretty good.

Can vouch for efficient grips too. My wife has them on her Dacia - asda tyres seemed to be the cheapest last time I had to replace them. 

Most the noise is from your rear suspension 

 

I used Michelin CrossClimates & they're a lot quitier

Thanks folks...

 

Looks like the Goodyear efficient grip are promising. I came across this list that didn't rate them highly, so it is good to get some real life reviews!

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyres_For/Skoda/Octavia.htm

 

Had a holding call from a Skoda Customer services manager who says that they can't overturn a decision from the warranty manager. But they are looking into other options, i.e. claiming from the tyre manager. Frustrating really. I had a VW before this and had problems with them so I should have guessed that nothing would be easy. If all fails, I'll just go ahead and buy new tyres myself.

 

My current tyres have a V speed rating. The quietist Efficient Grips are 'H' rating. Does anyone know if its OK to fit 'H' rated tyres to an Octavia? (Max driving speed for me is 80-85mph, don't inform police!)

 

Tim. 

H is 210km/h, ~130mph.

 

I support Efficient Grip recommendation. Really perform well, decent price, silent.

 

Mich Energy Saver is good tire, very long lasting, but my goodness it is loud. 

49 minutes ago, TimOctavia said:

 

My current tyres have a V speed rating. The quietist Efficient Grips are 'H' rating. Does anyone know if its OK to fit 'H' rated tyres to an Octavia? (Max driving speed for me is 80-85mph, don't inform police!)

 

Tim. 

Your insurance company will NOT pay out if you don't have the correct tyre ratings 

 

Nuff said ?

Tim, you can fiddle about with the tyres until you’re blue in the face, but they will only make a limited difference to the noise.

 

As has ben pointed out, the noise stems largely from the Octavia’s torsion beam rear axle, a system where the wheels are linked to a beam which runs underneath the back of the car. Because it’s a single piece of steel, noise and vibration on one side is transmitted across the car.

 

On top of that, a Skoda is a Skoda and while no longer bargain basement it has its place in the VW pecking order - which means it’ll never be as smooth or refined as a VW or Audi because it doesn’t have as much sound deadening and the detail spec of things like springs, dampers, bushes etc are at the less sophisticated end of the spectrum.

 

They’re fine cars and great value, but they are what they are.

15 hours ago, AllanDJ said:

The standard mk 3 Octavia has torsion beam suspension and isn't all that quiet a car on normal town roads but is usually much quieter on better roads. Tyre choice certainly makes a difference, I hope that my new Octavia 1.5 doesn't come with Michelin Energy Savers given your experience but it is really pot luck which particular tyre they fit as I think they use a variety of tyre makes. My last Octavia came with Dunlop tyres which were pretty noisy, the car was much quieter up front when the front tyres wore out and I replaced them with Vredestein tyres. Not all that well known a make maybe, but they are made in the Netherlands and actually pretty good.

Had Vredestein on my old Octavia Diesel for many years , long life and quiet too , intend putting them on my 2017 1.5 TSI when theve worn down a bit 

 

18 hours ago, Offski said:

@TimOctaviaWelcome.

 

What suspension issue?  What investigations have been done.  The car could have had alignment checked with the 2 wheels / tyres you tried on it.

 

Has the car been for an alignment check with someplace with all the gear and more than an idea.  Maybe even an Audi dealership locally that a Skoda dealership might use.

 

I think someone in the Dealership is talking crap on the Tyre Manufacturers and any Warranty issues.

Skoda / VW turn out thousands and thousands of car, some with pulling left issues and have to sometimes replace say Dunlop or Continental for Pirelli and this 'Blame the tyre manufacturer' comes up often.

Yet Skoda / VW / Audi / SEAT factories fit the tyres, and are pleased as punch with 'much cheapness'.

 

Your Manufacturer's Warranty is with Skoda UK, and tell the Warranty Manager or the Dealer Principal to get their act together if there is an issue with a new car.

No point having a dog and doing your own barking.

 

 

Get in writing from the Dealer Principal or Warranty Manager that you should make a Warranty Claim from the Tyre Manufacturer.

They are taking the Mick.

http://skoda.co.uk/about-us/contact-us

Talk with the Importer & warranty underwriters of the car about the Dealership you are dealing with and be sure to have it all in writing.

 

Never claim from a tyre manufacturer unless you bought the tyres from them, and they don't sell to the public.

 

Claim with the tyre seller and if its the car you bought with the defective tyres on, then its up to whoever sold you the car to compensate.

We have test driven 4 Octavias since 2010, 3 estates and 1 hatch, 2 estates and the hatch were 1.4 TSI's the 3rd estate was a 2.0 diesel.

 

All 3 estates were unacceptably noisy to the point of being painful to the ears in one car. The hatch was actually fine.

 

Considering we had the 1.4 TSi Leon for almost 4 years (which is the same car under the body) and that was fine I just cannot understand why the Octavia Estate is so noisy.

 

That is why we bought the Superb.

 

12 minutes ago, carrock said:

 

Never claim from a tyre manufacturer unless you bought the tyres from them, and they don't sell to the public.

 

Claim with the tyre seller and if its the car you bought with the defective tyres on, then its up to whoever sold you the car to compensate.

 

Regarding the above all manufacturers exclude tyres form their warranties and direct you to the tyre manufacturer.

 

I have had 2 claims in the past.

 

First was on a Golf. After 6 months all 4 tyres (Continetals) had cracks covering the sidewalls. Went to National Tyres who commented that they were faulty and would be returned. They replaced all 4 tyres but I had to stump up the money. 2 weeks later got a cheque for the full amount.

 

Then with the Kia. After 3 1/2 years all 4 Michelins had cracks on the sidewalls which I spotted when I took them off to fit the winters. The tyres still had 5 mm left since I fitted winters from November to March. I took all 4 wheels/tyres to ATS (as instructed by Michelin) who removed the tyres and sent them to Michelin. 4 weeks later a cheque for £190 arrived as compensation for the value of the remaining tread.

 

Its simple enough and for me its worked perfectly both times with little inconvenience. Just as easy to go to the tyre shop as a car dealer especially when you consider very few car dealers sell tyres unless they have a "fast fit" bay.

42 minutes ago, skidpan said:

 

 

 

Regarding the above all manufacturers exclude tyres form their warranties and direct you to the tyre manufacturer.

 

I have had 2 claims in the past.

 

First was on a Golf. After 6 months all 4 tyres (Continetals) had cracks covering the sidewalls. Went to National Tyres who commented that they were faulty and would be returned. They replaced all 4 tyres but I had to stump up the money. 2 weeks later got a cheque for the full amount.

 

Then with the Kia. After 3 1/2 years all 4 Michelins had cracks on the sidewalls which I spotted when I took them off to fit the winters. The tyres still had 5 mm left since I fitted winters from November to March. I took all 4 wheels/tyres to ATS (as instructed by Michelin) who removed the tyres and sent them to Michelin. 4 weeks later a cheque for £190 arrived as compensation for the value of the remaining tread.

 

Its simple enough and for me its worked perfectly both times with little inconvenience. Just as easy to go to the tyre shop as a car dealer especially when you consider very few car dealers sell tyres unless they have a "fast fit" bay.

 

Thanks... that is interesting. To be honest, I don't think there is fault with tyres. The noise and harshness is probably a trade off with economy and durability. I'm not betting my life on a positive outcome and I would be willing to pay £250 for tyres and start enjoying driving more. Also, I wouldn't want them replaced like with like. I wan't softer, quieter tyres.

4 hours ago, MorrisOx said:

 

 

On top of that, a Skoda is a Skoda and while no longer bargain basement it has its place in the VW pecking order - which means it’ll never be as smooth or refined as a VW or Audi because it doesn’t have as much sound deadening and the detail spec of things like springs, dampers, bushes etc are at the less sophisticated end of the spectrum.

 

They’re fine cars and great value, but they are what they are.

 

Wise words! I'm not after a perfect ride but I would like to get a ride like the other two Octavias I drove at the dealers. :-)

I mounted some vibration dampers to my rear suspension and it made a difference (no drilling just through existing holes). My car is pretty quiet. I did of course full sound deadening also. But I did the dampers before sound deadening and there was a difference to my ears.

My Mk3 came with cheap Nexen Y rated SU1 summer tyres. The grip was only average in the wet and they felt like solid rims when driving over potholes and ridges. The front was the worst so not down to the torsion beam rear end.

 

Now have Goodyear Vector 4 Season Gen 2's. The Sidewall seems much more compliant, nearly all the crashyness has gone although the Mk3 remains a very firm ride compared to it's rivals.

 

Our Mk3 is on 225/45x17's and our Passat is on nearly identical 235/45x17's. The ride and refinement on the Passat is just not comparable, different league altogether,  

As mentioned further up the thread - in real life Michelin Crossclimates are very quiet

 

 

 

 

Edited 5 December, 20187 yr by bigjohn

I went for the good year eagle asymetric 3, day and night with the original sportmaxx rt. 

Quieter and softer ride and better fuel efficiency. they are rather cheap.

The 1.4 TSI SE Sport, with 17" Denom's, wrapped with Sportmaxx, was extremely quiet. Only above 50-60 mph, did wind noise come into play.

11 hours ago, gRoberts said:

The 1.4 TSI SE Sport, with 17" Denom's, wrapped with Sportmaxx, was extremely quiet. Only above 50-60 mph, did wind noise come into play.

I thought I was the only person to have good experiences with the OEM Sportmaxx. I have no idea what wheel style but 17 in also.

My complaints were 'only' 40k km even with rotation and a propensity to pick up screws and nails I replaced them with Michelin Primacy and they are pretty good and thankfully quiet and no punctures in 10k km.

The Dunlop Sport RT is one of the quietest tyres available, Dunlop and GoodYear are the same company and have their versions of the same tyres, just slight cosmetic changes. They are usually quieter than all other manufacturers although the rest are under EU pressure to shut the racket up on theirs. Latest P Zero's are a lot quieter too. 

4 hours ago, teescom09 said:

The Dunlop Sport RT is one of the quietest tyres available, Dunlop and GoodYear are the same company and have their versions of the same tyres, just slight cosmetic changes. They are usually quieter than all other manufacturers although the rest are under EU pressure to shut the racket up on theirs. Latest P Zero's are a lot quieter too. 

 

Hopefully these are quieter than the Dunlop SP tyres that I had on my first Octavia 3, which were anything but quiet but probably a whole new design since 2013.