New Avensis

[etc]

2004 Avensis t3x on factory fitted Michelin premacy 205 55 16 tyres, any suggestions on an alternative quieter tyre. wheels recently diagonally changed with no difference.

[silverarrow]

try different tyre pressures i am on 32 psi i have a t4 with 17 inch

noise is bad at times not as quiet as they make out on the advert i have driven 6 others all too much noise

what do you get in terms of mpg and service costs in scotland i have been told cheap i love scotland for a long quiet weekend away and may be a 30 k service ??

[65special]

2004 Avensis t3x on  factory fitted Michelin premacy 205 55 16 tyres, any suggestions on an alternative quieter tyre. wheels recently diagonally changed with no difference.

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I have been driving for over 40 years and had many cars, and the Avensis is the first car that road noise has been an issue with me.

My T-Spirit has 215/45 17" Dunlop 2000a's and to me, the road noise is extremely intrusive on almost every surface, especially on roads that are like concrete with very little tar/asphalt covering.

The only surface where the noise was satisfactory was on a new ASDA Superstore car park where the surface had just been relaid. It also highlighted to me just how quiet the egine and transmission is.

My limited experience is that changing tyres will have very little effect on perceived road noise and altering the tyre pressures will only really alter straight line steering and performance of the car at high speeds.

This problem is not unique to the Avensis. More and more cars are now been manufactured fitted with larger tyres with lower profiles.

Where 16" and even 17" tyres would have been the province of large or powerfull luxury cars, these low profile large tyres are now common on many middle range cars.

Often, the choice of large tyres is made on the basis of prestige or for cosmetic reasons rather than overall performance. The Avensis is a good example where even in 2.0L guise, the use of 17" low profile tyres is not realy vital, given its fairly modest engine output.

When fitted to a performance car, an owner will readily accept the much harder ride and noise levels because of the much better handing that low profiles provide.

It is obvious to me, that if manufacturers like Toyota continue to use these tyres on their larger models, then they really must pay more attention to improving the suspension or adding more insulation, since it does not appear that that the general qualty of British roads is ever going to get any better.

[RUGBY MAD]

I Know an someone who had the same issue when moving from a carina e to the new avensis , However the response the dealer gave him does make sense .

The problem is the lack of wind and engine noise concentrates the drivers attention on the one noticable source (unlike older cars) ie: roadnoise . When there is noise coming in roughly equal measures from different ares , there isn't a focus point of noise . Hope that makes sense.

Most manufacturers have greatly reduced wind and engine noise , but is seems the low profile tyres etc are making roadnoise a harder nut to crack .Anyone who has been in a mazda 6 will see they have a bigger issue than avensis owners as the roadnoise even at low speeds is harsh .

[Avensis wagon]

I agree in part with the above -- 17" is a cosmetic rather than functional option on a family car; stick with 16".

I also agree about the Mazda 6 -- noise from the road, the engine, wind, every single stone under the car etc. plus sickening suspension for rear passengers. A great handler but hardly a family car for these reasons in my view.

It was also my first opinion that the Avensis seems to suffer from tyre noise because it is so quiet in most other respects, although the petrol engines are harsh above 4,000 rpm and Toyota engines traditionally only start producing at higher revs, VVt-i or not. Nevertheless, if you take a Nissan Primera for a test drive you'll find that a quieter sounding engine and even less wind noise than the Avensis do not bring tyre noise to the fore. It's a much quieter car all round.

My conclusion has been that the fact that the Avensis is reasonably quiet in most departments (despite some rumbling throughout) is not the reason why the tyre noise seems louder -- i.e. it's not perceived, it really is coming through. Solutions to somewhat reduce this noise could include a choice of tyre known for its quietness to reduce the noise at source (recommendations elsewhere in this forum) and sound dampening material inside the wheel arches, though some have debated whether this has any real affect, perhaps because the wheel arches aren't the only place for the noise to come through.

[taximark]

Has anyone driven a v.w Pasatt does this have a similer problem with road noise?

[sjrainsford]

The passat isn't as refined as the Avensis at all. They suffer with wind noise on the motorway. Therefore road noise isn't a major issue. As said before, you will always concentrate on the source of any noise intrusion. Just the one that is loudest.

[silverarrow]

new passat good and quiet

come on toyota

[Desmond22]

65special is spot on in his analysis. These days image is everything and wheels especially seem to be some sort of macho feature selling point.

Some years back I had a Corolla Gti that was great fun but the ride and road noise were a big penalty. Later on I had a Corolla GLi with an option pack of alloys and low profiles. Again it was fun but rear seat passengers always complained about the road noise.

When it came to buying an Avensis the test drive was in a 3TS but I bought a TSpirit. The difference when I drove it out of the dealer's place was so amazing I actually went back to see if the tyre pressures were correct.

The best move I've made was swapping to 16" wheels on my current T Spirit. There is a distinct improvement and it isn't just subjective. If anything the car might run better with 15" wheels but that wouldn't appeal to sporty types!

Incidentally, the funny thing is that when I was a kid and Ford Pops ran on 16" cross plies, sporty drivers wanted smaller wheels.

Manufacturers like Toyota should give more options and be open about the pros and cons of sports suspension and wheels instead of letting customers find out for themselves.

[silverarrow]

yep desmond 22 is spot on

more options more choice

[sjrainsford]

I agree silver arrow. The new passat is a cracking car. But as you said, it's new. The latest toyota is now older so therefore will be pipped by newer cars. It's the way it goes. I was comparing the Avensis with the previous generation Passat, which is of a similar age.

[aksak]

I Know an someone who had the same issue when moving from a carina e to the new avensis , However the response the dealer gave him does make sense .

The problem is the lack of wind and engine noise  concentrates the drivers attention on the one noticable source (unlike older cars) ie: roadnoise . When there is noise coming in roughly equal measures from different ares , there isn't a focus point of noise . Hope that makes sense.

Most manufacturers have greatly reduced wind and engine noise , but is seems the low profile tyres etc are making roadnoise a harder nut to crack .Anyone who has been in a mazda 6 will see they have a bigger issue than avensis owners as the roadnoise even at low speeds is harsh .

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Sorry but it makes even more noise in strong wind conditions

I have 16" tyres, my car is already 59 000 km, from July 2004, and I noticed that the noise is getting more and more present with the car getting older.

[Zz24hours]

... If anything the car might run better with 15" wheels but that wouldn't appeal to sporty types!

But 16" does?

IMO 16" is small for a car that size and 15" not even to be considered, would look rubbish on it.

considering sizes that small, it would be better of just sticking with standard steel

[etc]

try different tyre pressures i am on 32 psi i have a t4 with 17 inch

noise is bad at times not as quiet as they make out on the advert i have driven 6 others all too much noise

what do you get in terms of mpg and service costs in scotland i have been told cheap i love scotland for a long quiet weekend away and may be a 30 k service ??

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After the service high 40's. 20k service cost aprox £110.