Tyre noise

[Roger Johnson]

Hi,

I took delivery of a new Yaris Hybrid Excel a couple of weeks ago and I’m finding the 17” 205 45 Bridgestone tyres to be incredibly noisy. Has anyone had a similar problem and found a quieter tyre?

[FROSTYBALLS]

What pressures are the tyres inflated to - are they too high??

[Catlover]

Different manufacturers tyres do produce different noises. However, Toyota Hybrid cars tend to be quieter then many non hybrid cars. Are you sure it is just that the car is quieter and you hear the tyre noise more.?  If you were to change tyres you could spend a few hundred £ for a slightly quieter environment.

[Cyker]

I found the Bridgestone Ecopias that came with the new Mk4 quite noisy too, and also a harsh ride (Didn't help that the dealer gave the car to me with the tyres at 60psi!  ), but assumed that was just a fact of life with 17" rims on such a small car. It got quite obnoxious on certain parts of the motorway, esp. the concrete slab parts, as I'd get to my destination with some nasty tinnitus.

I changed to 15" rims with Hankooks and the car is noticeably less noisy, esp. the higher frequency noise I had in the 17+bridgestones is lower and much less intrusive with 15+hankooks. The car still isn't super quiet - You can tell the car doesn't have much sound deadening, but it's a lot better to me.

The ecopias don't seem to have a great rep for road noise anyway - Might be worth looking at Continental or Michelin rubber if you just want to change tyres, as they tend to have better reps for road noise. 

[Catlover]

Goodyear Efficient Grip 2 get really good reviews for less rod noise and can get a set of 4 for circa £240

[TonyHSD]

First thing is to double check tyre pressure on cold, if over inflated tyres are noisier. Second the size is on the lower profile side 45 and also these are summer tyres and it’s cold right now below 7C° which makes summer tyres goes plastic hard. , all these factors contribute to more noise and less comfortable drive. 👍

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, Catlover said:

Goodyear Efficient Grip 2 get really good reviews for less rod noise and can get a set of 4 for circa £240

Joe, they are summer tyres and won’t be much quieter I know from personal experience, my winters are way more comfortable right now even on low profiles. Yaris 17” the Goodyear will come close to £120 per tyre, very expensive for some reason. 😐

[Catlover]

13 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Joe, they are summer tyres and won’t be much quieter I know from personal experience, my winters are way more comfortable right now even on low profiles. Yaris 17” the Goodyear will come close to £120 per tyre, very expensive for some reason. 😐

For my 15” tyres it’s 68db which is very good, 2 or 3db quieter then most others

[Cyker]

Yeah, any tyre on the 17" rim is very expensive - One of the reasons I changed to 15"s is so I could get tyre prices like catlover gets!!  

It's amazing that just 2 inches difference cuts the cost of the tyre almost in half! 

[Roger Johnson]

2 hours ago, Catlover said:

Goodyear Efficient Grip 2 get really good reviews for less rod noise and can get a set of 4 for circa £240

I looked at the Goodyears but I don’t think they do it in my size. I’ll look again but think they are about the price you quote for two.

[Roger Johnson]

3 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

What pressures are the tyres inflated to - are they too high??

Toyota only recommend one set of pressures for this size of tyre regardless of the number of passengers, 31 front, 29 rear.

[Roger Johnson]

3 hours ago, Catlover said:

Different manufacturers tyres do produce different noises. However, Toyota Hybrid cars tend to be quieter then many non hybrid cars. Are you sure it is just that the car is quieter and you hear the tyre noise more.?  If you were to change tyres you could spend a few hundred £ for a slightly quieter environment.

At speed you can’t really notice if the engine is running or not, the tyre noise drowns out the engine. 

[Catlover]

5 minutes ago, Roger Johnson said:

At speed you can’t really notice if the engine is running or not, the tyre noise drowns out the engine. 

Road surface changes and noise can be terrible on some types of surfaces. 

[Roger Johnson]

3 hours ago, Cyker said:

I found the Bridgestone Ecopias that came with the new Mk4 quite noisy too, and also a harsh ride (Didn't help that the dealer gave the car to me with the tyres at 60psi!  ), but assumed that was just a fact of life with 17" rims on such a small car. It got quite obnoxious on certain parts of the motorway, esp. the concrete slab parts, as I'd get to my destination with some nasty tinnitus.

I changed to 15" rims with Hankooks and the car is noticeably less noisy, esp. the higher frequency noise I had in the 17+bridgestones is lower and much less intrusive with 15+hankooks. The car still isn't super quiet - You can tell the car doesn't have much sound deadening, but it's a lot better to me.

The ecopias don't seem to have a great rep for road noise anyway - Might be worth looking at Continental or Michelin rubber if you just want to change tyres, as they tend to have better reps for road noise. 

I had a new Yaris 1.8 SR some years ago and had the dealer swap the Bridgestones to Goodyear Excellence before I took delivery and they were so much better than the test car I drove. Unfortunately Goodyear do not do those tyres anymore.  Yokohama do the Advan db V552 which are advertised a very quiet tyre but they will not be available in the uk until the Autumn.  My only hesitation is that they are an 88 load index rather than 84 and wonder if the ride might be even harder? 🤷‍♂️

[Roger Johnson]

3 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

What pressures are the tyres inflated to - are they too high??

31 front 29 rear, Toyota only recommended these pressures for the 17” tyres regardless of the number of passengers.

[Roger Johnson]

1 hour ago, TonyHSD said:

First thing is to double check tyre pressure on cold, if over inflated tyres are noisier. Second the size is on the lower profile side 45 and also these are summer tyres and it’s cold right now below 7C° which makes summer tyres goes plastic hard. , all these factors contribute to more noise and less comfortable drive. 👍

Perhaps an all season tyre might be the answer then as the db rating seems to be around 68db?

[Roger Johnson]

4 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

What pressures are the tyres inflated to - are they too high??

31 front 29 rear

[TonyHSD]

5 minutes ago, Roger Johnson said:

Perhaps an all season tyre might be the answer then as the db rating seems to be around 68db?

Indeed, and you will have suitable tyres for all seasons. 👌

[Roger Johnson]

Just now, TonyHSD said:

Indeed, and you will have suitable tyres for all seasons. 👌

Not many do W load index, presumably I would have to talk to my insurer if I went down to V rated?

[Cyker]

Isn't the letter the speed rating? V and W should be fine for the Mk4 as both have higher speed ratings than the car can go   (I normally use H rated tyres... )

All-seasons could be quieter as they tend to use softer rubber, but they can also be louder as they have more 'edges' than summer tyres and they generate noise every time they hit the road. Material and tread pattern make big differences.

I usually look on tyrereviews.com to see what people say about a specific tyre before buying them.

 

[Roger Johnson]

10 minutes ago, Cyker said:

Isn't the letter the speed rating? V and W should be fine for the Mk4 as both have higher speed ratings than the car can go   (I normally use H rated tyres... )

All-seasons could be quieter as they tend to use softer rubber, but they can also be louder as they have more 'edges' than summer tyres and they generate noise every time they hit the road. Material and tread pattern make big differences.

I usually look on tyrereviews.com to see what people say about a specific tyre before buying them.

 

I agree, W rated tyres as supplied standard on the 17” wheel and have a top speed rating of 168 mph! However, they do recommend that you inform your insurance company if you are going to fit a lower spec tyre then the one fitted when new. Rubbish I know but insurance company’s can be very difficult if you don’t keep them informed.

[Mikw]

6 hours ago, Roger Johnson said:

Hi,

I took delivery of a new Yaris Hybrid Excel a couple of weeks ago and I’m finding the 17” 205 45 Bridgestone tyres to be incredibly noisy. Has anyone had a similar problem and found a quieter tyre?

If it's any consolation i've had plenty of cars with Bridgestone tyres. They do seem a bit noisey but they do last for longer than some tyres in my experience.

[Kental]

Granted our 71 plate Yaris is on 16” wheels, but Michelin Cross Climate 2 tyres are notably quieter than the Continental factory tyres.

[Starensis]

I test drove a Lexus UX last year with Bridgestone run flats fitted. It put me off the car completely as tyre noise was very intrusive.

The harder the tyre compound ( durability ), they tend to emit higher db. I’ve found Michelin or Good Year to have best balance of noise and durability.

[Vainona70]

It's interesting that the online owners manual states 15inch wheels should have H rated tyres, 16 inch wheels V rated & 17 inch wheels W rated. As all models have the same engine & performance, how can an insurance company refuse a claim for a 17 inch wheeled model with H rated tyres? But please don't quote me...

Edited February 3, 2022 by Vainona70
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