Carib

Anyone ever notice if there is more vibration and/or noise if you use a directional tire (e.g. Yokohama AVS Sport) vs an asymmetical tire (e.g. Goodyear Eagle GT+4)?

I'm shopping around for some new tires for my 92 SC400 and some dealers say the directional tires cause more vibration than the asymmetrical tires for this particular car. Just curious to know if anyone noticed this....

Carib.

makenzie70

It doesn't matter whether they're uni or directional tires. What causes vibrationa nd road noise is the treat pattern. The more aggressive the tread, the more noise you're going to hear. The more contact patch, the more vibration you're going to get.

You have to realize that the tire is the only thing between the hard parts of your car and the spinning earth beneath it. Inflation, tread, size, all of that changes the input to the chassis and steering mechanisms.

RON430

Hmmm. Well the tire pattern does have an impact on noise but I doubt that anyone starts with a design that is prone to vibration. Vibration from the tire comes from a tire that is either severely out of balance from the getgo or, for whatever reason, develops some unusual wear patterns. Sometimes due to the tire, sometimes due to the car, and sometimes due to something while driving. There are some tires that evidently are prone to this but don't know about the directionality issue.

I just had the opportunity to replace a set of Yokohama AVS db S2's that on balance rank down there with the worst tires I have ever had. They were on my wife's 2k3 GS3 because we complained long and hard to Lexus about the noise from the stock Michelins. To Lexus credit, they replaced the tires with what we wanted and we went for the S2's because we had good luck with the first gen db's. They were OK, not great but Ok, for maybe 5K miles and then starting getting progressively noisier. I did notice some slight vibrations coming in and the ride went to downright harsh, although not that unusual for Yoko's. But the noise was unbelievable, and it did not vary much on different road surfaces.

When the manager of the local tire store saw them, and particularly how much tread was on them, he wanted to know if we were sure we wanted them off. We just said we wanted them off. Without telling him of our problem he volunteered that the changes of the S2 have made some consistent problems, that he said was due to a cupping of the tread blocks, that causes a higher pitch noise and considerable vibrations. The vibrations are what they have had the biggest complaint from with customers. We didn't have the vibrations too bad but he nailed the high pitch whine on the head.

A shame really, I was a big believer in the AVS db due to experience on a Maxima and MR2. Now, I won't touch a Yokohama for a long time.

Carib

Thanks for your input...I've been looking at several tires so far, and haven't made up my mind on which one to get...Dry and Wet traction, Low noise, Ride comfort and decent treadwear are big on my list. I don't drive too fast or push the car to its limits while cornering...well, not that often, so handling is low on my list.

Anyone have any experience with the following tires?
Dunlop SP5000
Yokohama AVID H4S
Hankook Ventus HR2

Carib.

RON430

Can't help much with those. I replaced the db's with Pirelli P Zero Nero M&S. Went from the 225/55-16 to 245/50-16. They are a vast improvement over the dbs (not close). But I have only had them on for a couple of days so I would take that with a grain of salt. Need to get some miles on them to really say how they are doing. But if you have the stock 16s, this is a great upgrade. Doesn't fill the wheel well up but you might as well have more rubber if you're going to have that wheel well. Circumference is the same so no problem with odo or speedo. Considering they are 20mm wider than the previous tires and lower profile, the fact that they ride much better than the dbs and the stock Michelins is pretty impressive.

knip21

I second RON430's remarks on the Pirelli's. I was riding on Michellin Pilots and they got progressively louder and the ride became harsher. P Zero Nero M&S are a lot more comfortable. They don't stick as well as the Pilots (Summer) and some straight line acceleration is lost with the Pirelli's but responsiveness and performance is still good. For daily driving the Pirellis are great, if you're not a traffic light jockey.

knip21

I second RON430's remarks on the Pirelli's. I was riding on Michellin Pilots and they got progressively louder and the ride became harsher. P Zero Nero M&S are a lot more comfortable. They don't stick as well as the Pilots (Summer) and some straight line acceleration is lost with the Pirelli's but responsiveness and performance is still good. For daily driving the Pirellis are great, if you're not a traffic light jockey.

Carib

Well, I just bought the Falken Ziex 512 tires....
So far, so good...I guess with any new tire, the ride will be smooth and quiet so I'll let you know how it goes as this tire wears....

More to come...

RON430

You got that right. Not much point posting till they get some miles on them. At least from the ride and noise standpoint. The P Zero Nero's are very quiet and smooth riding, at least initially. I have bilstein Sports and the Pirelli's really smooth them out. But you can also feel all that tread down there, a bit squirmier. This too shall pass.

joshthorsc

I guess the dealers are right. I used to have Pirelli's P4000 (asymmetrical) and they were comfy and pretty quiet. I just recently purchsed a set of Toyo proxes4 (directional) and notice it was louder and increase in vibration. I took the car in to get the wheels balanced and still the same problem. What's worst, it can get scary when driving on the freeway when the road has grooves. The car feels unsteady as if it's pulling you from side to side. You really have to slow down to 60mph. That's the last time I purchase directional tires.

Lexusfreak

Intresting, I've had directional tires on my last two vehicles & never had a problem. I got them balanced of course & did a 4 wheel alignment. I had Michelin Pilot Sport A/S on my previous Nissan Maxima & I now have Toyo Proxes TPT's on my 01 ES. Perhaps all that is needed is an adjustment, rebalancing or re-aligned?

Carib

Well, I've since put on more than 5000km within the short time I've had the Falkens.
Yes, I go back and forth between Hamilton, Toronto, and Kingston and I must say that I'm very pleased with the tires.
Quiet.
Smooth.
No vibration.


I find it strange that fella from the tire shop (where I bought the Falkens) recommended that I get non-directional tires. He said that he used to work for a Lexus dealership and found that only the SC400 was picky about having Directional tires on them. He said that people who had those types of tires used to come in very frequently to have the tires balanced. I was a bit weary and skeptical about his advise and choose the Ziex based on what info I could find. I guess he knew what he was talking about.

I guess the car is as picky about having non-directional tires as is the transmission is about having the Type IV ATF fluid in it!

Lexusfreak

I haven't heard many complaints regarding directional tires.......I put 25,000 KMs on my Michelin Pilot Sport A/S & regularly rotated them.....even wear, maintained proper air pressure with no problems.......just got back from my honeymoon less than a month ago with my new Toyo Proxes TPT's.....exact same deal.