Tyre Noise :(

[Benneh69]

Hey guys,

I own a VS and have recently put 18's on the front with 235/40 profile, Sumo Firenza Tyres and am hearing a loud constant low whirring noise after about 50km/h from the front when I drive.

The tyres arent scrubbing up against anything and I've played with all different types of tire pressures (lower psi lowers noise I've noticed)

Besides possibly replace tyres, is there anything else that can be done to correct the problem? Or do I just put up with the noise?

I'm fairly sure the tyres are the cause of the problem as when I put my 16's on everything is fine and quiet again :S

Anyways, any suggestions? Ideas?
Cheers guys

[Chrispy]

my 18s do the same thing. less rubber = more road noise

[jzt4kikz]

nar man ur problem is the brand of tyre, theyre shit chinese crap mate...crap in the wet and give loud road noise...change to a better tyre maybe a korean or japanese tyre and u will eliminate these tyres..if u bought them new and theyre only a few hundred k's old u will be able to warranty them on noise -

[Verynice]

Time for some new tyres man. That brand and the pattern is shitty. Its a cheap generic tyre.

Basically you get what you pay for, find yourself a nice mid-range tyre.

[Chrispy]

well i better be lookin for new tyres aswell. lol

[hsv91ss]

I have no Road Noise on my 18s at all.

[m1lky]

Be careful lowering the pressure. Cheap tyres generally dont have great sidewalls and can bulge if you run at low pressure.

I have pretty much no roadnoise on my potenzas. The neutons it had when i got it actually weren't too bad for a cheap tyre either. Don't buy dunlops every set my family has ever had scolloped!

[RX25SE]

As above, cheap and nasty.

If Google images is correct, they have a directional tread pattern which are prone to noise. The compound is probably quite hard also, which wont help.

If you want dead quiet, look for an asymetric or a non directional pattern.


I have directional R spec tyres on my Subaru and they hum a bit too.





Why do people spend $$$ on rims, then put cheap tyres on them? I don't get it.

[Benneh69]

Yeah, I Googled the Firenzas and saw alot of compaints about how noisy they are. I just didn't think they would be THAT loud. But I just realised a few hours after posting that they do look a bit camber worn too, so I don't think that'd help out with the quietness at all.

And don't worry guys - I didn't buy the tyres new! I bought a set of rims that already had the tyres on them :P

So then... any recommendations for a good mid-range tyre? Don't really need a top of the line tyre but don't want cheap shitty ones either...

[RX25SE]

These stick well, wet and dry.



Hankook RS2.
Classed as a road/track tyre but they are more a hi po street tyre.
Treadwear is a little soft at 200, so don't expect them to be long wearing.
Price seemed reasonable to me.

[vr94ss]

It really depends on what you need the tyre to do, there's usually a compromise of some kind. It seems to be always raining here so I went a wet tyre. Pretty good on noise on the freeway up to Brissy and fantastic in the wet and great when it's dry. Uniroyal rainsport.

[m1lky]

Definitely shop around. When I got my 235-40-18 potenzas prices varied from 350 to 240nzd

[Clutchy]

These stick well, wet and dry.



Hankook RS2.
Classed as a road/track tyre but they are more a hi po street tyre.
Treadwear is a little soft at 200, so don't expect them to be long wearing.
Price seemed reasonable to me.

that tyre will be noisy aswell as the noise comes down to the size of the block on the out side of the tyre the smaller the block the less noise it makes thats why most tyres have little groves on the very edge of the tread.

[RX25SE]

^^

Not as bad as you might think.

[GTP 85]

I have Firenzas in 17s on my car. A little bit of a humm to them, but grip perfectly fine to me... wet and dry and i drive the hills a lot!

mate had them in 18s on his vy, the noise was so loud and he ended up replacing them after only a couple thousand kms

[GlenM]

Hankook RS2 are an awesome tyre. I got 15,000km out of a set on my old Subaru, with a couple of track days and auto cross sessions as well. They aren't loud. Very stable under brakes.
The RS3 will be out soon in Aus, which are supposed to be a significant upgrade.

Also;
Tire Rack - Your performance experts for tires and wheels

Shipping for a set of four to Perth cost me $250. Worked out less than the cost of buying three of the same tyres locally.

[scvs6]

Hankook tyres are a good tyre, but on my VS I tried Kumho KU31 and there is no road noise, only problem is in the wet the back wheels like to spin alot whether you accelerate hard or soft.

I had Silverstone tyres on the VS before and they were ok when they were new but as the wore down they got very noisy and they didn't grip very well with still around 50-60% tread.

[dmo89]

hankook is a great tyre i had them for about 3 yrs, till i got 17's n the boss at work gave me continetal contisport tyres for free n they are brilliant, quite hold a little to well in the wet n dry but at 400 a tyre im glad i got 4 for free.