Well, I seem to be the only one thinking they are loud - so you may have liked them. Perhaps the construction is a bit different in my tire size, or something - I'm not sure. It doesn't make sense to me that the cheapest tire they sell for my car (Sentury Touring) are quieter and smoother riding than these Falkens.
Falken SN250 A/S louder on freeway than cheap tires - need quieter tires
- Thread starter Natesi
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You bought the wrong car if you're sensitive to NVH.
The problem is that you're driving an older generation Hyundai Elantra. Newer generation compacts are a little better but compact cars have louder interior noise than midsize cars. A Camry, Accord, Malibu, Altima will be more pleasant to drive than a Corolla, Civic, Sentra, Cruze.
The problem is that you're driving an older generation Hyundai Elantra. Newer generation compacts are a little better but compact cars have louder interior noise than midsize cars. A Camry, Accord, Malibu, Altima will be more pleasant to drive than a Corolla, Civic, Sentra, Cruze.
Noise is vibration, but at a higher frequency than what we normally think of as vibration - and we use a difference sense organ - the ear. It can be hard to understand that if you feel a vibration, that with only a slight difference, it could be a noise - and vice versa.
Tires generate noise as they roll due to their tread pattern. Pavement generates noise as the tire rolls over it due to its macrotexture. Normally, they don't interact - but sometimes they do - and when they do, you get unusual situations where one tire seems quiet on one surface, then noisy on another, AND the reverse for another tire. May be that is what is going on here.
Then there is the issue of the vehicle. Some vehicles are sensitive to certain frequencies - meaning that if a tire generates a certain frequency, the vehicle will amplify that frequency.
So how to sort this all out?
Drive the vehicle on a variety of surfaces and note the relative noise level. Then drive a vehicle with a different tire over those same surfaces. Was the noise in proportion on every surface, or was one surface out of proportion?
Another test: Vary the speeds. That should generate different frequencies and if your vehicle is sensitive to certain frequencies, the noise will vary as well - and out of proportion for certain speeds.
Tires generate noise as they roll due to their tread pattern. Pavement generates noise as the tire rolls over it due to its macrotexture. Normally, they don't interact - but sometimes they do - and when they do, you get unusual situations where one tire seems quiet on one surface, then noisy on another, AND the reverse for another tire. May be that is what is going on here.
Then there is the issue of the vehicle. Some vehicles are sensitive to certain frequencies - meaning that if a tire generates a certain frequency, the vehicle will amplify that frequency.
So how to sort this all out?
Drive the vehicle on a variety of surfaces and note the relative noise level. Then drive a vehicle with a different tire over those same surfaces. Was the noise in proportion on every surface, or was one surface out of proportion?
Another test: Vary the speeds. That should generate different frequencies and if your vehicle is sensitive to certain frequencies, the noise will vary as well - and out of proportion for certain speeds.
The 2005 Elantra is not a very quiet car. I had a 2006 Tucson and it wasn't very quiet either. The quietest tires that I has on that thing were Cooper CS3.
100% Correct !
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Get the best Michelins you can find that are NOT sport/racing/whatever and that are NOT Cross Climate.
Misunderstand me not, Cross Climates are absolutely amazing tires, but they are one notch noisier than whatever MX-something something that I used before. Maybe they were Defenders, can't remember. Or MXMs.
Misunderstand me not, Cross Climates are absolutely amazing tires, but they are one notch noisier than whatever MX-something something that I used before. Maybe they were Defenders, can't remember. Or MXMs.
I think you nailed it - much thanks. I think these Falkens are not particularly happy with the type of concrete I do most of my driving on. They are quiet on different surfaces. There's even stretches of road on the noisy highway where half the road is smooth and half the road is concrete - and it's amazing how all the noise shifts to once side of the car, when that happens.
I've driven my mom's Camry on these same roads - it's also quite loud. She has Michelin Defenders - but they are not known for being particularly quiet anyway. So, it is rough concrete to begin with. I'm just surprised at how much quieter the ultra-cheap Sentury tires were compared to the Falkens - it's blowing my mind.
Thanks again.
Brand of tires won't matter. That era of Hyundai/KIA are just have poor sound deadening.
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All other things being equal, tires will absolutely matter - the OP actually commented that it got worse with tire Y vs tire X.
Doesn't matter if his car always sounds like 50 cats in heat with tire X - if 25 extra cats join the chorus once he switches to tire Y - tire Y is noisy.
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BTW, if memory serves, there are some regional specifics too.
Decades ago I was reading that Michelin had minor formulation differences for the same tire (or tire series) between France and Germany.
In France, it was quiet above all. Germans loved some autobahn noise.
This was in check with their comfort philosophy as a whole.
French cars had fluffy seats. German cars came with seats made of what the French automotive reporters humorously called "soft wood"
That "battle" raged on for a while till the French settled on the fact that ergonomically a hard seat on an otherwise great suspension was better than a fluffy one on a crappy suspension.
All this to say that I wouldn't put it past Falken to make a tire that is quiet most of the time but goes all sporty noise-wise specifically on concrete.
Decades ago I was reading that Michelin had minor formulation differences for the same tire (or tire series) between France and Germany.
In France, it was quiet above all. Germans loved some autobahn noise.
This was in check with their comfort philosophy as a whole.
French cars had fluffy seats. German cars came with seats made of what the French automotive reporters humorously called "soft wood"
That "battle" raged on for a while till the French settled on the fact that ergonomically a hard seat on an otherwise great suspension was better than a fluffy one on a crappy suspension.
All this to say that I wouldn't put it past Falken to make a tire that is quiet most of the time but goes all sporty noise-wise specifically on concrete.
I'm not sure if I'm going to keep these tires or not. I'm kind of scared to try something different since these were rated so highly in terms of low noise and comfort.
This is a relatively light weight car and calls for 30psi front and rear: If I want to play around with tire pressures, how low do you think I can go? The sidewalls on the Falkens seem significantly more rigid than the Sentury. The Sentury had pretty soft sidewalls, which I'm guessing contributed to the more comfortable ride and lower NVH - at least in part. Perhaps that would allow me to reduce the tire pressure a little under the spec? Like maybe 28 psi?
If I try another tire, is there something in the tread pattern I should look for - for a quiet freeway ride? It looks like the Falken has a lot more sipes / cuts compared to the Sentury - perhaps that is contributing to the extra noise too.
Thanks
This is a relatively light weight car and calls for 30psi front and rear: If I want to play around with tire pressures, how low do you think I can go? The sidewalls on the Falkens seem significantly more rigid than the Sentury. The Sentury had pretty soft sidewalls, which I'm guessing contributed to the more comfortable ride and lower NVH - at least in part. Perhaps that would allow me to reduce the tire pressure a little under the spec? Like maybe 28 psi?
If I try another tire, is there something in the tread pattern I should look for - for a quiet freeway ride? It looks like the Falken has a lot more sipes / cuts compared to the Sentury - perhaps that is contributing to the extra noise too.
Thanks
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Wait wait...is that Sentury considered an all season tire ?
Those curly slits on the Falken - in my book (I'm old) this was a thing with the first Michelin M+S tires - the thin blades of rubber would rub against each other and heat up, helping friction in snow and cold. They actually had a temperature under which they ceased to be "magic" snow tires because they could no longer stay at temperature.
Anyway - that was decades ago, but those numerous slits I believe would be there on purpose to generate some friction that would generate some heat. And some noise too. So the Falken could be the quitest tire in its category, but if you're looking at different categories...
Anyway - does it snow in your area ? Maybe worth keeping the Falkens on a second set of wheels for winter.
Those curly slits on the Falken - in my book (I'm old) this was a thing with the first Michelin M+S tires - the thin blades of rubber would rub against each other and heat up, helping friction in snow and cold. They actually had a temperature under which they ceased to be "magic" snow tires because they could no longer stay at temperature.
Anyway - that was decades ago, but those numerous slits I believe would be there on purpose to generate some friction that would generate some heat. And some noise too. So the Falken could be the quitest tire in its category, but if you're looking at different categories...
Anyway - does it snow in your area ? Maybe worth keeping the Falkens on a second set of wheels for winter.
Yeah, they are both all season tires (3 season tires). I'm sure the Falkens would do better on snow and ice though.
I live in SW Washington and it doesn't snow too often. I work from home so don't have to go out every day, but if I do plan on driving in the snow I get studless snow tires on separate wheels. My all-time favorite is Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, followed by Michellin X-ice. Blizzak WS series was my least fav.
Myself and another member have told you that that era of Hyundai Elantra didn't have the best sound deadening. The Sonata was only a little quieter. Only the XG350 sedan was considered as having a quiet ride. I don't recall your giving us the tread wear rating, load and speed rating of the Sentry tires or Falken tires.
One more thing, a softer rubber compound would help a small amount.
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Those two tires while generally classified as all seasons don’t mean much.
The Sentury wouldn’t do much in the cold weather which seems like isn’t a problem for you. The Sentury also doesn’t have full depth grooves and doesn’t seem to have those extra sipes on the outsides like the Falkens do.
I have the Falkens on my Corolla which is just a loud car - but they’ve been pretty good. Quieter than the Altimax RT43s that came off at 4/32”. In addition, they’re also quieter than Primewells that came off very quickly because how loud and atrocious they were.
I wonder if the harmonics of the Sentury are better matching the resonances from the engine/structure of the Elantra vs. dissonance(s) between the Falken’s harmonics and the Elantra’s engine/structure.
195/65/15 defender t+h only size still available at tire rack gives .5 larger diameter which will also give a better ride. More sidwalk
I had sentury tires on my daughter’s previous 04 Camry, and I agree they were quiet and performed perfect for a daily. They just didn’t last long.
If the noise from the falkens are gonna bother you, then I say replace them. You can always go back w sentury since they are less expensive and you know what to expect. I have an 05 Pontiac vibe and it’s not a quiet car. Had Sumitomo UHP all seasons and they were smooth and quiet. Now I have GY summer touring tires and they are just as smooth and quiet. The car is still loud so there’s a lot of wind, etc noise
If the noise from the falkens are gonna bother you, then I say replace them. You can always go back w sentury since they are less expensive and you know what to expect. I have an 05 Pontiac vibe and it’s not a quiet car. Had Sumitomo UHP all seasons and they were smooth and quiet. Now I have GY summer touring tires and they are just as smooth and quiet. The car is still loud so there’s a lot of wind, etc noise
