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What`s the best touring/highway tire for my 1996 300ZX? I`m wanting the quietest and smoothest ride. My car is a daily driver and highway commuter. I never race or do any high-performance type driving.
What`s the best highway/touring tires?
- Thread starter aquariuscsm
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If your size is the stock 225/50/16, then there isn't a whole lot of touring tires available, but out of the ones that are, I would say give the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S a try. They seem to be ranked high in terms of ride comfort and noise comfort.
Tire Survey Results
Tire Survey Results
Rules in tire selection for noise:
1) smaller blocks are quieter
2) smaller horizontal gaps between blocks are quieter
3) narrower tires are quieter
4) higher trend wear is quieter
5) gaps that are overlapping across multiple tracks are quieter
6) tires rotated more frequently in all direction and position are quietter
7) usually non-directional tires that are rotated on a regular basis are quieter than directional tire.
1) smaller blocks are quieter
2) smaller horizontal gaps between blocks are quieter
3) narrower tires are quieter
4) higher trend wear is quieter
5) gaps that are overlapping across multiple tracks are quieter
6) tires rotated more frequently in all direction and position are quietter
7) usually non-directional tires that are rotated on a regular basis are quieter than directional tire.
I'm sorry, Pandabear, but I can not let this pass:
Sorry, larger blocks are quieter. The smaller the block the less stiff it is and the more it can flex and generate sound.
For horizontal, I think you mean lateral, as opposed to circumferential.
But it isn't the size of the gap that is important, it's how many of them there are - more being worse.
Can't disagree, but I think width is more a function of tire size and you are kind of stuck within a small range of values and it doesn't matter much within the range.
This is true with regard to the tread pattern - not the tread compound. One of the ways to get good tread wear is to make the tread design as simple as possible (visually boring).
I'm not sure I understand what this means, but I hope it means to avoid tread designs where "pockets" of unconnected tread elements. These pockets tend to develop "pop" type noises.
This is true particularly on vehicle with alignment problems.
I don't think directionality per se causes any difference. However, directional tires tend to have tread designs that have some of the tread elements cause noise.
Quietness is a difficult property to build into a tire. Anything that you do to improve quietness hurts wet and snow traction.
In some respects, visually appealling tread designs are to be avoided. Simple blocks with little obtuse angles and no sipes work best. Think hexagonal.
And the road surface has an enormous impact on the sound generated. The problem here is that the road surface where you live is different than the road surface somewhere else - and the way a tire interacts with the road texture has a large affect on noise generation. So a tire that is quiet "over there", may not be "over here".
I think the best tactic is to ask your local tire shop what works in your area.
Sorry, larger blocks are quieter. The smaller the block the less stiff it is and the more it can flex and generate sound.
For horizontal, I think you mean lateral, as opposed to circumferential.
But it isn't the size of the gap that is important, it's how many of them there are - more being worse.
Can't disagree, but I think width is more a function of tire size and you are kind of stuck within a small range of values and it doesn't matter much within the range.
This is true with regard to the tread pattern - not the tread compound. One of the ways to get good tread wear is to make the tread design as simple as possible (visually boring).
I'm not sure I understand what this means, but I hope it means to avoid tread designs where "pockets" of unconnected tread elements. These pockets tend to develop "pop" type noises.
This is true particularly on vehicle with alignment problems.
I don't think directionality per se causes any difference. However, directional tires tend to have tread designs that have some of the tread elements cause noise.
Quietness is a difficult property to build into a tire. Anything that you do to improve quietness hurts wet and snow traction.
In some respects, visually appealling tread designs are to be avoided. Simple blocks with little obtuse angles and no sipes work best. Think hexagonal.
And the road surface has an enormous impact on the sound generated. The problem here is that the road surface where you live is different than the road surface somewhere else - and the way a tire interacts with the road texture has a large affect on noise generation. So a tire that is quiet "over there", may not be "over here".
I think the best tactic is to ask your local tire shop what works in your area.
Last edited:
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The tire size is 225/50 ZR16. I`m looking for the best daily driver type tire that will last the longest with that type of driving.
Thanks everyone!
Thanks everyone!
No offense, but if this were true, Swamper Boggers would be the quietest tire out there.
I 2nd the Michelin Pilots.
Comfort and long mileage can be mutually exclusive. Which is more important? How many miles do you drive in a year?
Assuming you want comfort with reasonable performance befitting the 300ZX, I vote for the Pilot Exalto A/S. The Yokohama AVID V4S is also a great performance tire with very good comfort.
Based upon your preferences, the Micheln Pilot Exalto A/S looks to be a very good bet. They come in both H and V ratings, and if you're not out for max performance, you can save some money by going with the H's. The difference is in the bead filler, and most people could not tell the difference based on how they feel when you drive on them.
LOL!!!
I'll bet we could carve a pattern in the lugs that would play a tune!!
With mudders, solid front axles tend to do that for you!
That was just based on my own experience. When the sipes that originally came with my tires wore out, the tires become louder as the wear differences on the falling edge and the next block's rising edge increase. In a way, the tires are riding on fewer "triangles" with higher height differences rather than more triangles with less height differences, thus louder.
Lateral was what I meant. I think the widths of the lateral gaps affect the amount of flexing the trend blocks need to overcome every time they rev. The smaller the gaps, the more block vs gap surface ratio and thus less load on each block. Like snapping a rubber band, the more you stretch it before releasing it with a snap, the louder it becomes. In addition, more blocks with smaller gaps in between generate white noise rather than "spiked" noise.
True, I based the assumption that more trends on the road causes more wear and noise. For the same application a narrower tire may increase the load per surface area of contact, and that may in fact increase the noise rather than reducing it. Regardless, this is minor compare to other factor like compounds and trend patterns.
The assumption I made was lower trend wear compounds are softer and sticker, thus louder. In addition, the lower trend wear tires are usually performance oriented rather than comfort oriented. It is not necessary, but usually true.
Each time the tires jump a lateral gap between blocks when they rotate, they generate additional noise. When you have all the "gaps" line up at the same point, it is louder than having them spread out at different part of the circumference. An example would be how Mich. Energy MXV4 and Kumho Solus KH16 have less noise, while BFG TAH have more noise. While it is not completely trend pattern related, it does play a role. Another point is that if you design your gaps right, and line them up right, the noise generated from one gap can "cancel" out some of the noise generated from the other gap (at least thats what Dunlop SPA2 claims).
When tire was in use in one direction for too long, you can notice that there are uneven height differences between the starting and ending side of the block. This height unevenness will cause additional noise, and rotating them will reduce the height difference and reduce noise.
I have notice many directional tires have uneven gap surfaces between the "start" and "end" edge of the blocks or directional grove. Since you always use this edge as start and the other edge as end, this just increase as the tire age. If you never rotate your non-directional tire, I guess they would be just as loud if not louder.
Some truth, but not always. I think having continuous band of rubble without grove at the center help reduce noise without affect water evacuation as much as having them at the outer edge. Having the "arrow tip" of the directional trend's "V" grove connect to a continuous band help holding the "blocks" of the V together and make them stronger, and less likely to wear unevenly (into the height difference I mentioned earlier). This idea is on RE960AS, so it must be helpful.
Things like gap vs block surface ratio, compounds, sipes ratio, gap/sipes overlap, etc, are trade offs that benefit one aspect of performance at the expense of the others. This I agree with you totally.
I hope you are not serious, as this kind of pattern increase hydroplane risk in wet braking. Water have no straight channel to slide out when the wheel lock up, so they go either left or right and sway the car one way or the other. Even summer tires and directional tires have some circumferential continuous gap just to evacuate water for this reason. It is much saver to hydroplane when the car goes in a straight line, rather than going sideway.
For the same road surface (assume all on road, rather than off road), the quieter tires on one surface should be quieter on other surfaces. At least in terms of trend pattern design. I would imagine Mich. Energy MXV4 will be quieter than BFG T/A on any surface other than in mud or ice, where MXV4 will for sure slip more often than BFG T/A.
I don't think average tire shop owners will sell a tire over the other in the same class base on comfort or the perfect need of a driver. What they would sell is something that has high margin, high reliability, and is in stock for the size, unless the customer specify a particular model to begin with.
One tire shop I went to insist on selling me 3 different types of S rated tire when I request at least T rated. Finally they bring out a T rated tire that is 3 years old and have dry powder rot on the surface. I decided to order online instead.
I hope that I did not offend you, just merely point out my observation.
I believe the word you are looking for is 'tread'.
Move along now...
X3 for the Exalto A/S.
Have been running them on my Camry for 30,000 miles and they do give a smooth, quiet ride. Also, excellent in the rain. They balanced easily and there is zero vibration.
VR rated in your size, probably doesn't matter but just sayin.
$146/ea from tire rack. $600 is not bad to shoe a car like yours. Please post some photos of that beauty if you ever have time.
Have been running them on my Camry for 30,000 miles and they do give a smooth, quiet ride. Also, excellent in the rain. They balanced easily and there is zero vibration.
VR rated in your size, probably doesn't matter but just sayin.
$146/ea from tire rack. $600 is not bad to shoe a car like yours. Please post some photos of that beauty if you ever have time.
Dunlop SP Sport A2 Plus or the Yokohama Avid V4S. Both have 50,000-60,000 treadlife warranty and between $88-92/ piece. Can't go wrong with either.
I dont think you can go wrong with the Kumho's. I have been using them for years and like them a lot. You might want to check this out and look at the 'survey results'.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compare1.j...mp;startIndex=0
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compare1.j...mp;startIndex=0
There are a bunch of touring tires in that size. You just have to give up the OEM speed rating, which sounds like a non-issue here.
Goodyear Tripletread has an 80k treadlife warranty. This is in the territory of what I call a "rim protector," though one of the better ones.
Yokohama Avid V4S has a 60k one.
Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S has a 45k one.
If you absolutely never explore the limits of your tires, then the Tripletreads are probably going to last you the longest. They would be my choice if this was my grandmother's car.
If you like to play with it now and then, the Avid V4S would be what I'd choose.
Michelin Pilot Exaltos for if you like to push it fairly often.
Me, I'd put a set of Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3s on and expect to change them every 25k. I like to play though...
Same size tire is on my Focus. Interesting...
I see that a lot: "I never race or do any high-performance type driving." Two years ago, I was on an urban freeway traveling with traffic, maybe 50 mph, in the rain on a winter (early March) morning when it was still dark out. Suddenly, a couple car lengths ahead of me, and in the adjacent lane, a piece of angle iron maybe three feet long came off the top of a truck and hit, end-on, on the pavement in the middle of my lane, bouncing straight up again like a pogo stick, perhaps six feet up on the rebound.
Like you, I do not do any racing, but -- for the next few seconds -- of necessity, I did some extremely high performance driving as I executed a very abrupt maneuver out of my lane, onto the shoulder, and back into my lane. I was really very glad at that time that I had high performance non-all-season tires on my car; had I had el cheapos or all-season tires on my car under those conditions, I probably would not be here to write of the incident.
Incidentally, the excellent tires I did have on my car were 225/55R16 size, the same size that you are looking for, and I recommend those tires without reservation to anyone for all conditions other than snow. They were Dunlop SP Sport 01 tires, developed as OEM tires for the BMW 7-series and Audi S4, and made in Germany, but not advertised to the replacement tire market here in North America. The Dunlop SP Sport 01 is a terrific tire. (If you buy from Tire Rack, the Sport 01 tire for that specific size has mistakenly been placed under the Sport 01A listing on the Tire Rack site, so do not fret if you do not find it under the Sport 01 listings.)
FYI, his size is 225/50/16, and I don't think the SP01 comes in that size. But it is a good tire from all I've read (mostly user reviews), apart from one ADAC test that put it towards the bottom of the pack.
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