Tires for the Sonata

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I had Pirelli P4s on my '04 Altima in the exact same size as your Sonata...205-65-16 and I absolutely loved'em.
I thought they were very quiet but, IDK if they're as quiet as you are looking for.
They were simply a pleasure to drive on however, the P4 did have a skinny look to them for their size but, compared to the tire rack spec, they're no narrower/skinnier than the Solus TA31 specs.
 
Me personally, I'm a newfound Falken fan. Specifically the Ziex ZE950/Pro G4 (on my SS currently). Nothing short of stellar in all weather imo. 65k mileage warranty in your size. Honestly, BFGs are still my favorite brand, but dare I say this set of Falkens is the best set of tires I've owned (to give a better perspective, I've tried/inherited Good Year, BFG x2, Primewell (Valeras, not the junk ones), Firestone x2, General, and Yokohama. And I've unfortunately had experience with Kumho and Douglas...
37.gif
).
 
I have the CS5 Ultra on my 2006 Camry. Good tires. Quiet with decent grip. Highly recommend. Whether you get 60k miles depends on how you drive.

I have the Pirelli P4 Four Seasons Plus on my 2015 Camry. I bought them from Sam's Club during a "Pirelli Free Installation weekend" plus the tires were on sale this spring. I did my research and pulled the trigger. I have been very happy with these tires. I have about 15k miles on them (changed jobs) and they are wearing evenly. Quiet and have good grip. Highly recommend based on what you're looking for.
 
Originally Posted by MParr
The Cooper CS3 has been discontinued and replaced by the Evolution Touring. Neither of those tires meet the requirements for your Sonata. The CS5 Ultra Touring would be the Cooper Tire for your car.


I'm curious why you say the Evolution doesn't meet the requirements of the Sonata. The Sonata isn't a sports car and doesn't require any special type of tire...The Evolution would work just fine...
 
Originally Posted by grampi


I'm curious why you say the Evolution doesn't meet the requirements of the Sonata. The Sonata isn't a sports car and doesn't require any special type of tire...The Evolution would work just fine...


It could be due to speed rating. Most tire shops will not install tires of a lower speed rating than the car originally came with. The only exception is for winter tires.

What is the OE speed rating on Nick's Sonata?
 
Originally Posted by slacktide_bitog
Originally Posted by grampi


I'm curious why you say the Evolution doesn't meet the requirements of the Sonata. The Sonata isn't a sports car and doesn't require any special type of tire...The Evolution would work just fine...


It could be due to speed rating. Most tire shops will not install tires of a lower speed rating than the car originally came with. The only exception is for winter tires.

What is the OE speed rating on Nick's Sonata?


There are no tires with a speed rating that would be low enough to actually be dangerous on a Sonata. A Corvette yes, but a Sonata, no way...there are ways to get around a tire store requirements of going with exactly the same tire ratings that came on the vehicle...
 
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Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus a most excellent and truiphant tire. I highly recommend. Now on both my new Elantra 2018 SEL and my wife's 2016 Sonata limited. Kumho Solus TA31 sucks Canal Water do do.
 
Originally Posted by Baseball17
Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus a most excellent and truiphant tire. I highly recommend. Now on both my new Elantra 2018 SEL and my wife's 2016 Sonata limited. Kumho Solus TA31 sucks Canal Water do do.

Bridgestone makes great tires, but they tend to be a bit pricey...
 
Nick noted he had 16" tires. The OE tires have an H speed rating. You don't want to go down to a T speed rated tire. Stay with the H rated or move up to a V rated tire.
 
Originally Posted by MParr
Nick noted he had 16" tires. The OE tires have an H speed rating. You don't want to go down to a T speed rated tire. Stay with the H rated or move up to a V rated tire.


Why? Does the OP intend to drive his Sonata at sustained speeds of over 100 MPH?
 
Originally Posted by grampi
Originally Posted by MParr
Nick noted he had 16" tires. The OE tires have an H speed rating. You don't want to go down to a T speed rated tire. Stay with the H rated or move up to a V rated tire.


Why? Does the OP intend to drive his Sonata at sustained speeds of over 100 MPH?


Speed ratings are not necessarily one dimensional things where you only worry about the rated top mph. My car references an H-rated tire or above for good reason...an S or T-rated tire will usually not have the handling and/or load characteristics that make the vehicle handle in the manner it's designed. While a Sonata isn't a Corvette, it isn't a Trabant either and I wouldn't have the expectation that I wouldn't feel the difference in ways that matter to both me and the vehicle.

I think Nick had it right with his comment about the RT43 ( and his dislike for that tire ) when he said it made the car go from riding like a baked potato to a twice-baked potato. It's a similar concept if you go from a H or V-rated tire to an S-rated tire just because you're not going to drive over 100 mph....and that's your only criteria.
 
Originally Posted by grampi
Originally Posted by MParr
Nick noted he had 16" tires. The OE tires have an H speed rating. You don't want to go down to a T speed rated tire. Stay with the H rated or move up to a V rated tire.


Why? Does the OP intend to drive his Sonata at sustained speeds of over 100 MPH?

We have a member here who has a website with plenty of info on tires. He explains things pretty well.
http://barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html
 
Originally Posted by Vuflanovsky
Originally Posted by grampi
Originally Posted by MParr
Nick noted he had 16" tires. The OE tires have an H speed rating. You don't want to go down to a T speed rated tire. Stay with the H rated or move up to a V rated tire.


Why? Does the OP intend to drive his Sonata at sustained speeds of over 100 MPH?


Speed ratings are not necessarily one dimensional things where you only worry about the rated top mph. My car references an H-rated tire or above for good reason...an S or T-rated tire will usually not have the handling and/or load characteristics that make the vehicle handle in the manner it's designed. While a Sonata isn't a Corvette, it isn't a Trabant either and I wouldn't have the expectation that I wouldn't feel the difference in ways that matter to both me and the vehicle.

I think Nick had it right with his comment about the RT43 ( and his dislike for that tire ) when he said it made the car go from riding like a baked potato to a twice-baked potato. It's a similar concept if you go from a H or V-rated tire to an S-rated tire just because you're not going to drive over 100 mph....and that's your only criteria.


My wife's previous minivan, a Mazda MPV, came form the factory with "H" rated tires. Those tires had a very harsh ride. When those tires needed to be replaced, I had "S" rated tires installed. Not only did the van ride better, it did everything better...better wet traction, better snow traction, less road noise, better tread wear...putting exactly the same speed rated tires on for replacement tires is not always the best idea...
 
Originally Posted by grampi
Originally Posted by Vuflanovsky
Originally Posted by grampi
Originally Posted by MParr
Nick noted he had 16" tires. The OE tires have an H speed rating. You don't want to go down to a T speed rated tire. Stay with the H rated or move up to a V rated tire.


Why? Does the OP intend to drive his Sonata at sustained speeds of over 100 MPH?


Speed ratings are not necessarily one dimensional things where you only worry about the rated top mph. My car references an H-rated tire or above for good reason...an S or T-rated tire will usually not have the handling and/or load characteristics that make the vehicle handle in the manner it's designed. While a Sonata isn't a Corvette, it isn't a Trabant either and I wouldn't have the expectation that I wouldn't feel the difference in ways that matter to both me and the vehicle.

I think Nick had it right with his comment about the RT43 ( and his dislike for that tire ) when he said it made the car go from riding like a baked potato to a twice-baked potato. It's a similar concept if you go from a H or V-rated tire to an S-rated tire just because you're not going to drive over 100 mph....and that's your only criteria.


My wife's previous minivan, a Mazda MPV, came form the factory with "H" rated tires. Those tires had a very harsh ride. When those tires needed to be replaced, I had "S" rated tires installed. Not only did the van ride better, it did everything better...better wet traction, better snow traction, less road noise, better tread wear...putting exactly the same speed rated tires on for replacement tires is not always the best idea...


I wouldn't necessarily disagree...especially if the vehicle and/or your driving style can't tell the difference. However, you can get better riding tires by jumping categories and not speed ratings. I had an H-rated "high performance" tire...the category under UHP...that rode like rocks but switched to "grand touring" tires with the same H rating that rode significantly better with no real loss of performance that I could determine. In my experience, the idea of lowering speed ratings to effect a change in ride quality in most cases would be better served by the tire category vs. the speed rating. There are some really crappy S and T-rated all season tires out there in terms of ride and performance but "grand touring" tires as a class tend to have a good mix of performance and comfort. Speed rating isn't the defining component.
 
The H-rated version of the TrueContact Tour may also be worth consideration. TR tested the H-rated version with great results in wet/dry. CR tested the T-rated version but the results were not as favorable.

DT has the tires for $103/ea. The upcoming Black Friday sale should allow you to stack the Continental $70 rebate with the 20% off rebate.
 
Still open to suggestions for quiet tires. My current ones are about toast.

Thanks!
 
Can you use 215/60-16? There may be more options in that size, as it is more common
smile.gif


The tires I suggested earlier don't seem to be available right now in your original size. But they are available in 215/60

Goodyear Triplemax
Goodyear Duraplus
Vredestein Ultrac Satin
Michelin Energy Saver Plus
Sometimes you can also find the Goodyear EfficientGrip and Michelin Primacy 3 or Primacy HP in that size, but I couldn't find any right now.
 
I can highly recommend the Nokian eNTYRE 2.0 as a very good all-season tire. Discount Tire can order them for you, and perhaps price match Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Nokian-eNTYRE-All-Season-Radial-Tire/dp/B01BFWP5AG/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2HTGED2RZVHUE&keywords=205%2F65r16+tires&qid=1555264059&refinements=p_89%3ANokian&rnid=2528832011&s=gateway&sprefix=205%2F65r16%2Caps%2C226&sr=8-6

Going off the circle rating for each category, I think the eNTYRE 2.0 would have moved up a couple rankings if not for the alleged short wear rating. Nokian responded to the alleged concern by offering a really good supplemental tread wear warranty - https://dc602r66yb2n9.cloudfront.ne...okian_eNTYRE_2_supplemental_warranty.pdf

[Linked Image]
 
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