General Quiet 155/80/13 Tyres?

[Shuggie]

My 09 Panda 1.2 Dynamic is running original steel wheels with Continental Eco Contact6 tyres, bought from a very nice chap in this forum. I have no complaints about handling, grip nor fuel economy with the Continentals, but they do kick up a great deal of road noise, particularly in these parts where roads get 'resurfaced' with little more than gravel.

Looking at Tyre Reviews, a couple of tyres pop out as being of good quality and remarked for low noise - the Toyo 350 and Falken Sincera SN832.

Noise labels on new tyres relate only to external noise, not internal, so choosing tyres based on manufacturers' label noise data is futile.

I'd be very interested in hearing from 155/80/13 users here, with tyre experiences both good and bad in terms of road noise.

 

[porta]

Internal tyre noise is a mixture of road, tyres and transmitted noise through hubs, suspension etc. Check all your suspension’s bushes and bearings. If it’s only surfaced since you swapped wheels and tyres, what tyres were you running on before?

 

[Shuggie]

The car came with a mix of ancient tyres - well beyond safe use. Front suspension arms/bushings are new, and there's no indication of bearing noise, which is quite characteristic and different from this surface dependent tyre noise,

I suspect that most 'Eco' tyres have stiffer compounds and structures that transmit more road noise than used to be the case.

A Panda is certainly no Rolls Royce in terms of NVH but I would appreciate some personal experiences with different tyres.

 

[koalar]

I use to change the original tyres to toyo nanoenergy which were 68db at that time

Normally originals were around 72 dB and changing to 68 dB was noticeable

However your tyres aren't noisy to start with, so I doubt there is much to be gained and still have wet weather grip

Some tyres are quieter if you over inflate them slightly, don't over do it but something like 35 psi front and 32 psi rear is what I use to run

 

[porta]

Softer compounds often generate less noise, but obviously wear quicker. Also less ‘blocky’ treads, the current trend for a curved chevrons seams to produce less noise, increased overall grip, economy and wet weather performance. Having said that, I don’t rate them for what I need, which is farm work so on and off road, for a mix, I like the asymmetric tyre treads but they’re not necessarily that good on noise.
The quietest I’ve had for road tyres are the Michelin ‘all season’ but they’re expensive.

 

[Shuggie]

I use to change the original tyres to toyo nanoenergy which were 68db at that time

Normally originals were around 72 dB and changing to 68 dB was noticeable

However your tyres aren't noisy to start with, so I doubt there is much to be gained and still have wet weather grip

Some tyres are quieter if you over inflate them slightly, don't over do it but something like 35 psi front and 32 psi rear is what I use to run

The tyres are inflated to the handbook recommendation of 2 bar front, 1.8 bar rear, checked using a natty Sykes Pickavant tyre pressure gauge.

 

[irc]

I run toyo nanoenergy 3s and at standard pressure on a 1.2 they are reasonably quiet. However they seem to be noisier on the diesels, even with the slightly higher standard pressures.
On the other hand, the multijet isn't the most refined engine, and the tyres are pretty good all-rounders, so sticking with them for now.

 

[rmjbn1]

I can't find it now, but I saw a report where noise levels for tyres were recorded from next to the car, not inside it.

So it's the perspective of a bystander / pedestrian, with the focus on environmental impact of road traffic noise, not occupant comfort levels.

It's probably still true that tyres with lower db levels are still quieter for the occupants...

...but that some tyres gave lower readings by throwing the noise towards the car, rather than out away from the car - so could make it noisier inside.

I suspect sound-proofing the floor panels and wheel arches would give better results at making it quieter inside the car. It's an area where savings are made on cheap cars.

https://www.blackcircles.com/helpcentre/tyre-labels/tyre-testing

I've run Contis, Rovelos, Uniroyals and Hankooks and couldn't really notice any difference in noise levels, personally. On a smooth surface it's fine, but on a rough surface a lot of noise gets transmitted to the cabin.

 

[koalar]

The tyres are inflated to the handbook recommendation of 2 bar front, 1.8 bar rear, checked using a natty Sykes Pickavant tyre pressure gauge.

If you want to decress the noise you can increase the pressure

Fully loaded it's 2.2 bar or 32 psi, front and rear so 32 is safe

I use to run mine slightly past that at 35 front and 32 rear use at you own risk

Comfort does suffer slightly and steering is lighter, but if pushed hard there slightly less body roll, economy improves at slower speeds,

There's a fair bit of leaway suzuki list 2 pressures on their cars, normal and eco. Eco is usally normal plus a 3rd extra

 

[koalar]

I run toyo nanoenergy 3s and at standard pressure on a 1.2 they are reasonably quiet. However they seem to be noisier on the diesels, even with the slightly higher standard pressures.
On the other hand, the multijet isn't the most refined engine, and the tyres are pretty good all-rounders, so sticking with them for now.

The original nanoenergy are my favorite tyre for the 155 80 R13 size

Cost
Wear
Noise
Wet weather grip

you could find them on offer

I payed £32 a deduction for having all 4 done at once

I haven't tried the newer version 3, it good to see some feedback, from someone that has,

 

[irc]

I moved to the Toyos as I had problems with strange tyre wear on the Nokian iLines that were on it. Must have been a bad batch, as never had a problem before.
Using NE3s in both 155/80R13 and 165/65R14 sizes with no problems so far.
Prices have certainly gone up since last time I looked though - think I paid about £30 for the 13s and £32 for the 14s, same supplier now £45 and £46. And now they charge for delivery. Grrrrr.

 

[09 johno]

I currently have TOYO tyres on the front and Falkens on the back on my 1.1 2009, when the fronts need replacing they will more than likely be changed for Falkens too. I did have GT radials alround but they were a bit noisy and didnt seem to last well. The toyo's have been good for grip all year round, The Falken Scinera's have only been on a month or so but so far seem quiet and grippy.