I've had my new CR-V EX for a couple of months now and am very happy with it so far - apart from tyre noise that is. I can't remember the tyres on the test vehicle making anything like the row mine are making. They are Dunlop Grandtreks, which are supposed to be reasonably quiet according to the dealer. But even he agreed that the resonance was more than he had expected, but so far no suggestions of any replacements. I know the mk.ll was reasonably noisy, but most of the road tests I've read on the mk.lll CR-V say it's much quieter, well mine isn't.
All comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.
Ago
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I've got 215/60 R17 Grandtrek ST20s on a 2006 Xtrail and they seem fine for noise; not too special for off-road and are said to not last well. Are yours the standard wheels and profiles? If all four are noisy would think the only option is to swap for something else - the ST20s are sold at around £140 each so not inexpensive.
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Hi Flynn
Yes the wheels are as supplied by Honda (225/65R18 GRANDTREK SP30). And according to all the info I've found on the net these tyres are supposed to be very quiet in use, so maybe I'm just too picky. In fact I'm starting to wonder if the design of the ally rims can be, even partly, to blame - lots of thin section 'spokes'. But as I say, everything's standard issue.
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Maybe your car is too quiet Ago. I've noticed that no matter how quiet a car there's always something you'll hear to annoy you. Remember the Merc ad saying that in their cars the only thing you'll hear is the clock tick. Rolls responded by saying that they ensure their cars don't have noisy clocks.
When everything else gets nice and noisy you probably won't hear the tyres. :)
Dunlop also have a helpful technical advice dept you can email or phone if you think there is a problem - The Tyre Doctor.
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I know it's a new car, but I'd ask the dealer to check the wheel alignment, scrubbing tyres make a lot of noise.
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You've got very low profile 18" tyres there. If you look at these tyres unmounted you will see that they have a very thick and stiff sidewall (they are also heavy!). The sidewall has to be very strong to protect the rim. I have always found this type of very low profile tyre to be noisy because the sound can easily propagate through the rigid sidewall into the wheel and thence into the car.
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Good advice Aprilia, as always. The (quieter) test vehicle I drove had softer, higher profile snow tyres fitted so you're probably right. Damned annoying all the same. Spoils the package really.
Cheers Ago
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Yes, I think it probably is the profile. I remember changing a set of wheels/tyres on a sportscar for someone. He went from 205/50/17" to 215/40/18" (I think) and I was surprised how much knobblier and very much noiser the ride was. Some of the ultra-low profile tyres have incredibly hard sidewalls - the Bridgestones are like concrete - must transmit a lot more road noise I reckon.
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There must be an optimum tyre/wheel combination for the CRV? Say 16" steel wheels with the least wide tyre they fit as standard. Judging by other vehicles, there'd be an improvement in mpg, as well as noise levels, due to less drag. Triumph of styling over function to fit 18 or 19" wheels perhaps.
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Ago, see if the dealer can swap your wheels/tyres with ones off another one for a weekend.
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the only thing between you and the tarmac are your boots, good tyres pay dividends in the earhole dept.. if you want stilettos buy cheap tyres , if you want brothel creepers buy pirellis
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Have you definitely got the tyre spec right? I can see Grandtrek ST20 etc. listed, which is what are fitted to mine but lower profile than yours, and can see SP30, but can't see Grandtrek SP30. Are they a new one out or specific to Honda?
If they are 65 profile I'd hardly call that low-profile nowdays. The highest profile Dunlop list for the SP30 is 70. 65R16 seems to have been standard on the Mk3.
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Oops, sorry Flynn - the writing on the tyre says 225/60R18 ST30 (not SP) 100H. I've trawled the net and found a couple of comments that agree with mine on US CR-V boards, but I can't find that particular designation on the Dunlop site, only ST20.
I think Aprilia got it right and I've got to decide whether I prefer style over function or vice versa.
I think I'll ask the dealer to swap the fancy 18" rims with slightly less fancy, but more civilised 17"s - that was after all the combination fitted on the test drive, so he should be willing.
Thanks for all the feedback, it's been very useful.
All the best - Ago
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Ah, that might be it Ago. All the recommendations for being quiet I've seen have been for the SP30 which is a standard summer car tyre. Most open treaded all season tyres intended for 4x4s tend to be a bit noisier and it may be that the ST30 is a noisy one. Have a chat with Peter Wayte at Dunlop techical support about the options.
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The low profiles coupled with the wide tyre makes for a lot of sound transmission into the cabin area. Any onlookers don't give twopence what your wheels like. Personally I'd go for comfort over style anyday.
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Thanks for the advice Flynn, I spoke to Peter Wayte and he more or less agreed with the idea that the 60 profile would make for a noisier tyre although he was surprised that the difference would be as obtrusive as I have suggested. The point is though that the ST30 version is a special pattern developed for Honda. So there we are, almost back to square one. It would be interesting to try a softer higher profile tyre though, just to see. I'll have a natter with the dealer and let you know.
Again, thanks for all the feedback everybody, it all helps when you're in a lively discussion with a sceptical car dealer.
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>>>>I think Aprilia got it right and I've got to decide whether I prefer style over function or vice versa.
This reminds me of the situation my brother was in when he got his new company car.
The car (a Saab 93) he test drove he loved. However, in between him deciding on that car and the car being sorted Saab stopped producing that model and he ended up with a more sporty one which was ok in the sense that it was more powerful but the suspension was as tight as a drum and the low profile tyres made it an even harder and noisier ride. I went it it once and once was enough for me. My Vauxhall Combo van that I had then was far more pleasant to be in.............
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