Tyre noise

[HeidiFlowerpt Driver]

Tyre noise, subjectively, is more of an issue in an electric car because there's little or no motor noise, so tyre noise and wind noise become more evident. My ID.3 is coming up to three years old now, and until it went in for its software 3.2 update recall it was on the original Goodyear tyres.

There were three recalls and one was to do with Goodyear tyres, and my car was fitted with four brand new Bridgestone tyres at no cost to me, which was a result since the old tyres must have been coming towards the end of their life at 18,000 miles.

I have noticed since the fitting of the Bridgestone tyres that the car is significantly quieter over most road surfaces, which is an unexpected bonus. Has anyone else noticed that a change of tyre brand has made the car quieter, or noisier? I guess it's possible that I'm comparing new tyres with nearly worn-out tyres, but I remember the noise level when the Goodyears were new and I think they were noisy then, too.

Does anyone have another brand? I believe Continental tyres were fitted to some ID.3s - I'd be interested to hear people's experience with those.

[sidehaas]

We have done over 17k on our Continentals and the car is quiet. I don't have experience with any other brand to compare.

[fin]

I had a look at blackicircles.com for tyres suitable for my Tour - they publish a noise rating and according to them the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance C+ SealTech have a rating of 67db but the Bridgestone Weather Control A005 B-Seal have a rating of 72db. I'm not sure how those figures are arrived at though!

[HeidiFlowerpt Driver]

We have done over 17k on our Continentals and the car is quiet. I don't have experience with any other brand to compare.

Thanks for this. I've always liked Continental tyres and I'm likely to choose them next time my car needs new tyres.

[HeidiFlowerpt Driver]

I had a look at blackicircles.com for tyres suitable for my Tour - they publish a noise rating and according to them the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance C+ SealTech have a rating of 67db but the Bridgestone Weather Control A005 B-Seal have a rating of 72db. I'm not sure how those figures are arrived at though!

Yes I saw the Blackcircles data, and my post was partly prompted by my experience which differs from their figures. I didn't get a choice of tyre, they were fitted as part of VW's recall. Likely I would have chosen Continental but I'm not complaining about four new tyres free of charge! And the extra quietness is a great bonus - the car feels as though it's generally more refined.

[CarterHounslow]

Michelin e primacy were significantly quieter than the Bridgestones fitted (not to mention way more durable).

[HeidiFlowerpt Driver]

Michelin e primacy were significantly quieter than the Bridgestones fitted (not to mention way more durable).

Thanks for this. Are your Michelins self-sealing? I have neither a spare wheel nor a repair kit (or even a jack). 19" wheels.

[SinglePointSafety]

There is very little correlation between a tyre's official noise rating (which is drive-by noise) and cabin interior noise, best thing is to look at respected reviews such as https://www.youtube.com/@tyrereviews

[CarterHounslow]

Michelin e primacy were significantly quieter than the Bridgestones fitted (not to mention way more durable).

Thanks for this. Are your Michelins self-sealing? I have neither a spare wheel nor a repair kit (or even a jack). 19" wheels.

No, I believe you're referring to run flats? Never had those personally.

[HeidiFlowerpt Driver]

Michelin e primacy were significantly quieter than the Bridgestones fitted (not to mention way more durable).

Thanks for this. Are your Michelins self-sealing? I have neither a spare wheel nor a repair kit (or even a jack). 19" wheels.

No, I believe you're referring to run flats? Never had those personally.

No. Run flat tyres are different. The ID.3 with 19" wheels is fitted as original equipment with self-seal tyres from Goodyear, Bridgestone or Continental. These tyres have a glutinous coating on the inner surface of the tread area. In the event of a puncture this coating moulds around the intrusion (or the hole if the source of the puncture is removed) and seals the breach so the tyre doesn't deflate. I had a puncture that I didn't know about until the car went in for service and the garage alerted me that there was a screw in the tyre. Run flat tyres on the other hand are fitted on special rims and won't come away from the rim if they puncture. The tyre does deflate but at a pinch the car can be driven, preferably to the nearest tyre depot.

[CarterHounslow]

Thanks for this. Are your Michelins self-sealing? I have neither a spare wheel nor a repair kit (or even a jack). 19" wheels.

No, I believe you're referring to run flats? Never had those personally.

No. Run flat tyres are different. The ID.3 with 19" wheels is fitted as original equipment with self-seal tyres from Goodyear, Bridgestone or Continental. These tyres have a glutinous coating on the inner surface of the tread area. In the event of a puncture this coating moulds around the intrusion (or the hole if the source of the puncture is removed) and seals the breach so the tyre doesn't deflate. I had a puncture that I didn't know about until the car went in for service and the garage alerted me that there was a screw in the tyre. Run flat tyres on the other hand are fitted on special rims and won't come away from the rim if they puncture. The tyre does deflate but at a pinch the car can be driven, preferably to the nearest tyre depot.

Fair enough. In that case no the Michelins are not self sealing. To be honest depending on the size of hole I doubt it would cover every eventuality. I had a hole in my tyre about 4 months ago, tried sealant and it was firing it out of the hole it was so large. Only thing for it was recovery unfortunately.

[MotMot]

Some good points here. As mentioned above noise ratings are from EXTERNAL measurements when the car drives by - that may partially but not fully translate into quieter in car tyres.

I’ve had two id3’s with three tyre combos.
18” Bridgestones
18” cross climates
19” Conti’s

Very little in it - with the cross climates being ever so slightly noisier - but really very little. No difference between contis and Bridgestone, BUT - contis are smoother and grip better (esp in wet) than the Bridgestone. To the degree that I didn’t swap over to the cross climates over winter.

Edit. Cross climates are great tyres - but perhaps giving - 5% hit on range. Though it’s really hard to tell as you have them on in winter when lots of other factors can hammer range as well.