Dunlop tire noise?

[mintygreen]

My octavia wagon is fitted with 15" Dunlop sport SP01's.

I can't complain about the handling or braking but now with 34k on the odo the low speed (below 60kms) tire thrumming is irritating me.

Has anyone else had the same experience?

New tires will be due in the next 6-12 months, so any tire recommendations would be appreciated.

[team_v]

My octavia wagon is fitted with 15" Dunlop sport SP01's.

I can't complain about the handling or braking but now with 34k on the odo the low speed (below 60kms) tire thrumming is irritating me.

Has anyone else had the same experience?

New tires will be due in the next 6-12 months, so any tire recommendations would be appreciated.

www.tirerack.com is the best bet for tyres.
Cheap as chips and a much bigger range than anything we get here.


If you are limited to buying from Australia, have a look at www.carbonblack.com.au for tyre comparisons.

[K1W1]

Many (probably most) tyres get noisy once they wear. Usually the owner of the car doesn't notice the increase in noise until the tyres are replaced and everything goes quiet again.

[canyonman]

Tyres from USA

www.tirerack.com is the best bet for tyres.
Cheap as chips and a much bigger range than anything we get here.


If you are limited to buying from Australia, have a look at www.carbonblack.com.au for tyre comparisons.

How do you get tyres here from the USA for a reasonable price? I have found shipping any item from the USA to be very expensive?

[brad]

My octavia wagon is fitted with 15" Dunlop sport SP01's.

I can't complain about the handling or braking but now with 34k on the odo the low speed (below 60kms) tire thrumming is irritating me.

Has anyone else had the same experience?

New tires will be due in the next 6-12 months, so any tire recommendations would be appreciated.

When was the last time they were rotated & what type of rotation was done?

It's likely that there is a slight saw-tooth pattern on the tyres. If the SP01s aren't directional, try doing a double-cross rotation. Swap the right front with the left rear & the left front with the right rear. The change in direction will knock the top off the sawtooth.

Generally, I prefer to do a std cross rotation about every 7500-10000km. fronts straight to back & rears to the diagonally opposite front.

Also, try varying the tyre pressures slightly - up or down a few psi - this often helps to change the noise slightly.

[brad]

How do you get tyres here from the USA for a reasonable price? I have found shipping any item from the USA to be very expensive?

Look at the link? Do a search of this forum?

Many of the members here have posted their experiences with tirerack.com. Have a read & all is explained. Sometimes it's cheaper, other times not.

[team_v]

How do you get tyres here from the USA for a reasonable price? I have found shipping any item from the USA to be very expensive?

Even at $250 shipping for tyres, you end up saving money.

I am looking at kumhos for the Tiguan and they are half the price i can source them from here, then add on $250 shipping nad i still end up about $600 in front.

No question that i will be going through tirerack.
The choise is yours however.

[woofy]

Just a probably dumb question, but I've found tyre places aren't really happy to put tyres on that weren't bought there. Where do people get their tyres put on in Melb that are friendly and don't rob you blind.

[bobski]

I once had a tyre bloke tell me that the tyres get harder the older they are, making the ride and noise more noticeable.

He also told me you should replace them after a couple of years as their performance has diminishing returns. (not that I've ever had a set last longer than 2 years anyway)

Anyway, he could be pulling my leg... Hmmm - maybe I should get in contact with Motor magazine and ask them to do a test to prove it.

[mintygreen]

Thanks for the info guys,

I know a bloke in the tire game, so i'll buy from him and support his business.

Brad, we had the tires rotated front to back about 9 month ago. At the time we had tire noise coming from the rear of the car, so i ask the vw mech to see if the brakes were dragging or something was rubbing. He replied "nah mate, it's the tires" and rotated them front to back (directional tires). and sure enough, now the noise comes from the front.

The sidewall advised 'max of 50psi or kpa' I've been running them at 40, maybe dropping them to 35 might help?

Bobski, that does make sense too. I had the tire from new, no idea how long and how they were stored prior to fittment.

At any rate, 3 year is a good innings for 'sport' tires, I'll replace them with a different brand.

[team_v]

The sidewall advised 'max of 50psi or kpa' I've been running them at 40, maybe dropping them to 35 might help?

I have read that the reccomended PSI is 10% less than teh maximum on the sidewall.
That means you should be running 45PSI.

[brad]

rotated them front to back (directional tires). and sure enough, now the noise comes from the front.

.

This is the one & only reason i don't like directionals.

May I recommend Goodyear F1 Assymetrics? Tirerack has stupidly low prices on them.

[brad]

I have read that the reccomended PSI is 10% less than teh maximum on the sidewall.
That means you should be running 45PSI.

ummm....no.
That's a very rough & ready way of doing it. The other rule of thumb is tyre placard on the fuel flap plus 10%, which would make it around 33psi. The answer is probably somewhere between the two figures.

Personally, my happy medium is 36F/34R but that is on 205/55x16. My Mk3.5 Golf had 205/45x16 & was much happier on 40F/36R. So it's all down to a bit of experimentation & testing & if you change tyre brands, then it starts all over again.

What matters is the load in the car, style of driving, suspension setup & the tyre. There is also the compromise between grip (lower pressures give more lateral grip) & sidewall stiffness (reaction speed, turn-in, etc).

[mintygreen]

Think i'll look at non-directional tires next, to allow more flexibilty to rotate for uneven wear.

In the meanwhile i'll play with tire pressures.

Ta for the info.

[indulis]

Some tire/tyre noise info ( a bit old)

Still interesting http://www.silentroads.nl/downloads/...asurements.pdf, especially figure 4 on page 11.

3dB change is a doubling in intensity=loudness, so the differences between tyres is significant. db(A) is just a weighted sound measurement that takes into account that our ears are more sensitive to some sound frequencies than others.