Hi All,
I recently changed my car and I'm looking for advice on the best brand tyre for ride comfort and least road noise.
The tyre size is the standard 205-55-16, and they are for a Mondeo zetec tdci with standard alloys.
At the moment it has Kumho Ecsta tyres fitted, which I find a bit noisy on the road. The ride is a little firm too, but that might be a characteristic of the cars suspension setup. (Previous car was a Leon tdi).
I have experimented with a few psi above/below recommended pressures, with little results.
Any advice greatly appreciated.
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Tyres are always a trade-off - bought a set of cheapos like yours for my Skoda and now wished I hadn't - ride quality and handling both poorer - least they were cheap !
Goodyear NCT5's are nice tyres on that size - nice handling, not too noisy, good when the road gets wet, too, seem to last well (last set got to 60k miles). Continentals are nice tyres, but seem to suffer from greater wear. HJ swears by Michelin Pilots .... but I find them a bit dicy in the wet, along with Michelin Energy's ...
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I got about 23,000 from the front tyres with Michelin Pilots on a tdci 130 estate, now up to 46000 and the second set still have about 3mm. Rears (original) also have about 3mm.
I've found them OK - no particular noise problems and I haven't noticed the car being particularly bad in the wet except when trying to pull away sharply.
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So, apart from them slipping when you provoke them by needing more traction in the wet, they are okay then? ;-)
It's a bit like the argument that stability control is useless because it's never used...
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Please read the answer i have just given to a similar thread authored by Leef
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I've got Bridgestone Turanza ER30s on mine - same size (205/55 16) and also standard alloys. Can't recall the exact speed rating but it's a high one. Tyre noise is noticeable by its absence (at least when compared with my previous cars). Only downside is that they are about £90 each. Worth a try?
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Hi Paul,
I had Bridgestone Turanza's on my previous car (leon tdi, also same wheel size as the mondeo), and I didnt find noise a problem on that car.
I was very happy with the performance of them also.
Thanks for the info - I think that's what I will go for!
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For years I have rated the old Goodyear Ventura for amazing wet grip, noise and ride comfort on mid-range cars. Now my favourite is its replacement the Hydragrip. Read this...
In its very first family car tyre test, Autocar declared the Goodyear HydraGrip as exceptional, and it came out as outright champion against its Bridgestone, Pirelli, Dunlop and Michelin counterparts.
Wet braking test: 1st- Goodyear HydraGrip . The best and worst in this category (the Goodyear and Bridgestone respectively) had average braking distances that differed by over 10 metres.
Wet handling: 1st- Goodyear HydraGrip. Our recommendation for driving in the rain, the broken V pattern shifted water so effectively.
Aquaplaning resistance: 1st- Goodyear HydraGrip Autocar measured the critical speed that a tyre begins to slip in 70mm of water. The HydraGrip critical speed was almost 8mph higher than the second-placed Michelin.
Noise test: 1st- Goodyear HydraGrip Tyres are a significant contributor to road noise, and the HydraGrip was declared the quietest, and least noticeable inside the car.
If you are willing to sacrifice that last 5% of dry road grip when driving far far faster than is sensible then these tyres do everything else so well.
David
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Thanks David,
Definately one to consider.
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Had Conti Premium Contacts all round on a 2001 new shape Mondeo, good in both wet and dry, very grippy, and quiet with it.
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had goodyear ventura on a primera , ok tyres . replaced them with hydragrip, only got 2/3 the milage
of the ventura. now have nct5 on bora , good handlind wet or dry. have just replacrd the front nct5s with vredestein quatrac2 which have blockier tread for winter. they dont handle as well as the nct
but should be better in the dirt/snow.
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My Mondeo is on 205/50-17 so was on Sport Contact IIs from new which were fine as opposed to the 205/55-16 which are on Premium Contacts if Contis are fitted from new.
I have also run Bridgstone RE040 which compare well but for wear, the Contis lasted longer though also cost more. I am tempted by Falken FK452s very well rated and about 60% of the price of Conti, Goodyear etc.
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