Is it a given that noisy tyres last longer than quiet ones? At nearly 72,000 miles, our Focus is just finishing off its third set of tyres on the front as we search for ?something a bit quieter?.
Pirelli P6000s ? original tyres, noisy as hell but lasted for 31k miles.
Firestone Firehawks ? marginally less noisy, lasting for 22.5k miles.
Continental ContiPremiumContact2s ? significantly quieter, but only doing about 18k miles.
For the mileages that we do, this difference equates to about an extra year?s use on the front and a couple of years on the back.
I can?t say that we noticed any difference in grip/handling etc between tyre types but that?s probably because we don?t drive on the limit, and we tend to anticipate dodgy situations.
Can there be such a thing as a ?less noisy but long-lasting tyre??
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I suspect there is indeed a link, as I would have thought that harder tyres would be noisier but would last longer. Certainly works on motorbike tyres; the American Dunlops fitted as OE to Harleys offer minimal grip but last ages, as did the Pneumants which were fitted to the East German MZ's, notoriously useless tyres those.
As you say, if you don't push the car's handling the extra grip offered by softer compounds won't be noticeable.
Finding that compromise tyre is the Holy Grail of many a sports bike rider; noise doesn't come into the equation of course but grip and longevity do.
Only thing I'd observe on car tyres is that price is not necessarily a factor. I have known expensive tyres to be noisier and wear out quicker than budget brands
Edited by Harleyman on 16/08/2009 at 09:12
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Focuses can produce a bit of tyre noise, my 52-reg hatchback did, although it's not so noticeable on the CC3.
The quietest tyres I had on the hatchback were Avons, although I think they wore out a bit quicker than the other two sets.
Agree with Harleyman about the price of car tyres, especially for a standard hatchback.
Probably not worth spending £120 a corner when the £70/£80 tyres do just as good a job.
Plus you can afford to change earlier - a £70 tyre with plenty of tread has to be better than a dear one on the legal limit.
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ive just inputted the wifes car tyre size into a famous site and it makes interesting reading
the second most expensive tyre is a bridgestone ,ive always seen these as not anywhere near as good as a michelin which is incidently number 1
cheapest? is a debica,ive never heard of them either.
so as said you really cant buy on price alone
me? i always put cheapest new on bread and butter cars
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Not really bothered about tyre life or noise within reason on my own cars, wet grip, competent stability etc are the important things to me.
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Do noisy tyres get less noisy as time goes on?
I saw a post the other day where someone suggested they get more noisy because there's more rubber on the road. A bit unlikely, I thought, and my 10K plus Bridgestones (which I don't like) do seem to be getting less noisy than when new.
Or maybe I'm getting used to the noise. Or losing a bit of hearing.
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That may have been me, Optimist. My experience - entirely subjective - is that Michelin Primacy HPs are quieter on my Volvo than the P6000s it used to have. Also remember that I've experienced new Michelins immediately after old Pirellis, never the other way round and never new after new. That will go for most ordinary users, who don't get to do like-for-like comparisons.
What's indisputable is that the Michelins seem to last much longer than the Pirellis did. I start new tyres on the back wheels, so they're already part-worn by the time they get to the front. Once there, the P6000s never lasted beyond 18,000 miles; the Michelins are now at 22,000 and still have about 4mm of tread.
When I change them, I'll let you know if new Michelins seem quieter then old ones.
}:---)
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Thanks, WDB.
Before the Bridgestones I had two sets of Continentals on a different car. First set lasted about 23k and the second set were still pretty healthy looking when I traded it in.
I'd be quite happy going back to them but will also consider what else is around. Trouble is the tyre reports don't necessarily match up to your own experience, do they?
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got a pair of nankang ns 2 on the front of the mondeo. wearing evenly and very slowly. been on about a year/15k miles still look like new.
sporty looking tyre with a budget price, 50 quid each fitted.
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Firestone Firehawks ? marginally less noisy lasting for 22.5k miles.
I'm surprised by the shortish life of those. When I had a company car the leasing company used to fit those at the first tyre change as they lasted longer.
Most tyres are marked with a treadwear rating (not all though, as it's a US standard). Most original equipment tyres like Pirelli etc have TWR of around 200. The Firestones were 400 and that means they should last twice as long.
On the noise thing, the only good thing about the Firestones was that they were noticeably quieter due to harder tread compound. Again, related to harder tread compound, the wet grip was much worse. It was the significant change in grip (this is on reps cars charging about) that caused us to get the leasing company to stop fitting Firestones.
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Have you considered Michelin Energy Saver? Our MkI Focus is just finishing off it's 3rd set on the front at 106,000. (Original version of Michelin Energy was factory fitted).
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I think in short the answer is yes.
I've never liked Dunlops (the fleet managers favourite) as they always seem hard and noisy but last forever.
We have a 53 plate Focus which is now on Goodyear NCT5's all round, which I am pleased with and seem to be lasting okay compared to the original Conti Eco Contacts that were fitted - I would recommend these for the Focus.
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