quiet tire options

[TopGun2000]

Currently running Hankook Ventus ST RH06275/40R-20 on my CTT. The tires wear really well. However they make a lot of noise on fwy especially at higher speed. Any one knows some good tires that won't make so much noise?

[Dennis C]

My summer tires are Continental Extreme Contact DWS. They are the quietest tire I've had on my Cayenne yet. They remained quiet through their effective tread life. I'm buying another set this spring.

FWIW - I had a set of the Hankooks on before the Contis. I had the same experience as you describe. They were good at first, but very noisy as they wore. I got about 30K miles out of the Hankooks, and I got about 33K miles out of the Conti DWS. My OEM tires from the factory were Conti Sport Contact. I only got about 24K miles out of those, and they were noisy. The Extreme Contact DWS is much better.

Edited October 31, 2011 by Dennis C

[TopGun2000]

thanks man. i appreciated your input.

[mwiadro]

+1 on the Conti DWS. I just put them on my 05' E500 last week and they are very quiet. BTW, did you look at the Hankook Ventus AS - it is their all-season, grand touring SUV tire model? I put them on my 04' Cayenne S six months ago and I'm very pleased with their ride quality. (And they were very affordable.)

[jplumlee]

I went with the Nitto 420s on my 04CS and couldn't be happier. Very quiet, great traction, wear well, and handling is spot on. they weren't as expensive as some other options. I think I paid 150 a piece at discount tire.

[rizzo]

Michelin Energy for me. Very quiet compared to the original Conti's

35K miles into the 40K warranty and still more than half the tread left. 265 per in general right now.

[fredjchavez]

I had the exact same hankook tires. I could not stand the noise from the rear. Porsche specs out lots of negative camber on the rear (maybe expecting everyone to corner like a mad man?). The titanium edition has option 20" turbo tech staggered wheels so I could not rotate them!!! :(

The rears were half worn and I decided to replace them with yokohama. My other porsche buddies kept ribbing me and saying I had bad wheel bearings every time they rode with me!

[PKN]

Good luck finding the Conti extreme contact - currently on nationwide back order with no availability date. I put Bridgestone Dueller Alenza tires on and got a great deal from Discount tire 'cos they couldnt get the Contis. So far nice and wuiet, vibration gone (70-80) and I also sprung $130 for a four wheel alignment at my local Tire King. My alignment was quite a bit out of whack (toe-in at the front and camber on one of the rear wheels. Feels great now.

[ALEV8]

Cooper RS3

[mprowan87]

The Hankook is directional, meaning it is prone to "cupping" wear aka feathering. These are high and low spots between each tread block on the shoulders of the tire. Slight height differences spinning at high speeds on the road can cause this noise. I have seen cases so severe it replicates the symptoms of a failing wheel bearing. My advice is to go with a NON Directional tire. Michelin is by far the best manufacturer and have several options depending on size. Michelin will give the best tread life, ride comfort, and A/S traction. Cooper brand tires are also a good less expensive alternative to the Michelin, however they have become more proud of their prices in the past year or so. They are built with a dynamic pitch tread layout for the sole purpose of minimizing road noise (this may be just a selling ploy, I haven't noticed any real difference).

Pirelli and Bridgestone are fine tires, however expect them to wear much quicker than the aforementioned.

If you are now running a directional tire or prefer directional tires, then ROTATE THE TIRES EVERY 3,000 MILES RELIGIOUSLY. If the fitment is staggered then "flip" the tires by having them broken down and remounted for the other side of the vehicle so the shoulders on the inside go to the outside and vice versa. This type of rotation can only be done with directional tires. If possible rotate straight front to back. Consistency is key to maximizing benefits and this is really the only way to keep a directional tire from becoming increasingly noisier.

I would not recommend using any other brands of tire except possibly Continental, but in my experience they don't quite stack up performance wise.

I am a tire dealer and expert in tires and wheels. My advice: spend a couple extra hundred bucks on the Michelins. They ARE worth it.

[clarksongli]

The DWS's are very nice.....I have a set of Kuhmo STX's on right now.....NOT QUIET. BUT they wear well, great wet/dry traction....and run abotu 120 a piece.....

for the price i'd take the STX's over the DWS's, but if road noise is a big issue, obviously go with the Conti's.