Absolute quietest tyres for 18inch wheels?

[rossinio]

I have 225/40/18 Bridgestone Potenza S001s on my 2019 VRS and they seem very noisy.. Reading around seems that the Goodyear Asymmetric 5 are much nicer/quieter for road noise when inside the car. I've checked https://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/ and it seems that people's comments are similar to what I've found for Potenza S001 vs Asymmetric 5. The Asymmetric 5 are about £370 fitted from blackcircles.

 

Does anyone know the quietest tyre it's possible to get in this size? I'm even considering alternatives to "high performance" tyres if it'll make a difference.

[KenONeill]

No. The quoted "tyre noise level" is drive-by and not interior noise anyway.

[rossinio]

That's what I've discovered.. really hard to find reviews that mention the actual noise inside the cabin, e.g here at 10:21. 

 

[Ecomatt]

Tyre noise is subjective. We all have different tolerances and acceptable levels of noise. Also road surface, tyre pressures and current laden weight of the car play factors of noise. The heavier the weight in the car the more contact patch of the tyre on the road and generally more noise. Also when tyres are worn down they will be noisier.

Dependant on how much tread you have left on the tyres I wouldnt change them for the sake of changing them. Id wait until they need changing then swap them out.

My dad has always had performance tyres on his car from Goodyear, Michelin, Toyo etc. Of recent my dad tried some Apollo Aspire tyres in the same size fitment. He says they grip very well and arent too harsh. They also are quiet and at £80 a corner a lot cheaper. He was sceptical about fitting them when the garage recommended them but now swears by them. I am going to opt for a set of them shortly and try them out.

Edited 16 January, 2020 by Ecomatt
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[rossinio]

Interesting, the car has about 6k miles on it but I don't know how much actual depth is left without getting out the ruler. Since recently purchasing it, the noise level in the car is my only real complaint, I've added an amp/dsp to make the stereo nicer but the road noise is drowning it out (especially on bad surfaces). My next step was to get out the CCF and mass loaded vinyl and do the boot/rear arches to quieten things down a bit.

[vRSWitter]

I've just bought some Falken Azenis FK510 in 18" (£60 a corner) which are rated 69dB. Not got them on car yet but I can let you know how I get on noise-wise if you're not in a hurry. But road noise is an issue with this car, no matter what tyres you have on, or what rims for that matter. I went from 18" (Golus) to 16" to see if that made a difference but it did not. Going back to 18" (in black) now because I like the look better. Gonna keep the 16" as winter wheels.

Edited 16 January, 2020 by vRSWitter

[rossinio]

Would be really nice to know, as would anyone else's subjective opinion moving from the Potenzas to something else.

[JD52]

Several years ago I changed to the Goodyear Assymetrics ready for a trip to Germany in my MK3.

Before getting there, there was a small improvement on UK roads. In Germany no noise at all! They have a much smoother surface over there.

My new VRS came with Bridgestones and they are noisier than the Goodyear but I'm not sure the cost is worth it just for a slight noise reduction.

It seems that the only way to get the noise down inside the cabin is to instal dome soundproofing. 

 

Good luck

[BGB]

Goodyear Efficient Grip

[rossinio]

Just went out to check my tyre pressure and they were all at ~2.65 bar. The gas gap says 2.4 for lighter loads on 18" so dropped them to that and it seems a bit more comfortable/quieter but haven't been on the motorway yet.. Also for wear, my fronts were measured at about 4mm, rears at 5 to 6mm, in the dark, with a metal rule. Looks like I should rotate them at least.

 

BGB, would you say the Efficient Grip are good?

[penguin17]

1 hour ago, KenONeill said:

No. The quoted "tyre noise level" is drive-by and not interior noise anyway.

and the tyre labels are set by the manufacturer, not an impartial 3rd party...

 

GY Efficient Grip Performance a great tyre.  It was my default choice on my previous car but sadly isn't available for my current R19 alloys.  They are much more grippy and surefooted than their eco naming would suggest and are fairly quiet too.  Wear rate is also very good, fronts on my remapped TDI would last ~20K miles but I do change at 3mm, not bad considering they were coping with 230bhp through the front wheels.   I went through a few sets and had the GY Eagle Asym 3's before those and I actually think the EfficientGrip Performance are the better of the two. 

[caprixpack]

I'm running Michelin pilot sport 4 on my st in the same size on a y speed rating, I've found them to be relatively quiet, or at least quieter than the pirelli p zero tyres it came with. 

Edited 16 January, 2020 by caprixpack

[BGB]

51 minutes ago, rossinio said:

BGB, would you say the Efficient Grip are good?

Yes sir,  absolutely loved them. 

[Kental]

On a Focus I found Efficient Grip to be noisier than Michelin Premacys on the same car, but that was 5 years ago, b=not sure about current tyres. On my last 2 cars (including the Octavia) I have fitted Michelin Cross Climate + tyres in place of the standard Michelin Energy tyres fitted at the factory on both cars.  The Cross Climates are noticably quieter on both cars.

Not sure if they do them in your tyre size, but they also have the added advantage they are 4 season tyres with full 3 snowflake accreditation for the few days we get bad weather.

[Kental]

just checked and 225/40 R18 Y (92) are available in Cross Climate+

[*JP*]

I didn’t know the quoted dB noise figures for each tyre were measured by drive by,i.e external noise...but surely a tyre that gives a low reading by this measure will be low in the same proportion for interior noise on the same car?

 

So does it not follow that by picking a tyre with the lowest dB rating you are going to get the lowest interior road noise levels possible in any car just by changing the tyres alone?

 

Of course that particular tyre might be hopeless in terms of grip and wear,there’s the problem!

[rossinio]

Something about directing noise to exterior Vs interior, some have different noise frequencies, it all sounds a bit like black magic. Really need someone with a sound meter to test every tyre in a Skoda VRS..

[Ootohere]

Safest tyre in the wet on a Warm / Hot hatch is simply clever IMO. Noise being low in the priority.

[Kental]

5 minutes ago, Roottootemblowinootsoot said:

Safest tyre in the wet on a Warm / Hot hatch is simply clever IMO. Noise being low in the priority.

 

Year round, the Cross Climate+ is a pretty good shout on the safety count, perhaps will loose a bit of steering feel as a downside. Low noise (69dB on 18") is just a bonus.

[Ootohere]

I have CrossClimates this winter.  But then that is a location location location thing. 

Then do you want All Seasons.

[Kental]

In Skoda pricelists All Season tyres are usually a well priced factory option. Does anyone know what brands they provide?

[Kental]

2 minutes ago, Roottootemblowinootsoot said:

I have CrossClimates this winter.  But then that is a location location location thing. 

Then do you want All Seasons.

 

We have All Seasons on all 3 of our cars, Cross Climates on 2 and Vredesteins on the 3rd as Michelin didn't do the size.

[ChoonDoode]

As said above, people have different tolerances to the sound. I have to go on a section of motorway for work, shopping and social needs and going even in different cars, it's obvious the road surface is more the problem.

[knorac]

I had my VRS sound insulated so i dont worry much about tyres.

 

[rossinio]

7 minutes ago, knorac said:

I had my VRS sound insulated so i dont worry much about tyres.

 

What did you get done? How do you rate it?