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new tires? which are best for quietness and comfort?
I'm at 42k of mostly city driving and thinking I need new tires.
(I'd rather buy a new car but finding what I want seems to be a near impossibility.)
I see the wear bars and I see some cracks in the rubber. It's not yet at the point where the wear bars are even with the tread. The last couple of weeks, I feel like I'm driving on rock hard tires even though the pressure is only 32-33. Which makes me think that I should go ahead and replace them.
The car currently has the Continental OEM tires. I have a Tech AWD with 19" wheels.
So what's the best option if my primary criteria are quietness followed by ride comfort?
BTW, Tire Rack ratings seems to say Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 which has a noise rating of 9.2/10. Anyone vouch for these?
There also seems to be a newer tire -- Pirelli Scorpion WeatherActive. Doesn't have ratings, but the few reviews indicate it is very quiet and comfortable.
BTW, Tire Rack ratings seems to say Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 which has a noise rating of 9.2/10. Anyone vouch for these?
There also seems to be a newer tire -- Pirelli Scorpion WeatherActive. Doesn't have ratings, but the few reviews indicate it is very quiet and comfortable.
When I replaced my 2019 RDX Aspec tires I went with the Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive, mostly seeking quiet and comfort. They were quieter than the OEM as well as they absorbed the bumps better.
The guy at the local America's Tire Co recommend Michelin Defenders. Anyone have these? These seem to be highly rated as well on Tirerack with a noise rating of 9.1/10.
If you have any winter weather I highly recommend Michelin CrossClimate 2 tires. Great all season if you’re not going to run separate snow tires. They are quiet as well.
If you have any winter weather I highly recommend Michelin CrossClimate 2 tires. Great all season if you’re not going to run separate snow tires. They are quiet as well.
Thanks. They seem to be rated lower than the Defender in terms of noise (8.7/10 vs 9.1/10 for the Defender). I have an appointment to get the Defenders tomorrow. I will call now and ask about these and see what they say.
Thanks. They seem to be rated lower than the Defender in terms of noise (8.7/10 vs 9.1/10 for the Defender). I have an appointment to get the Defenders tomorrow. I will call now and ask about these and see what they say.
I’ve had Defenders on another vehicle. They were quiet but hard to compare between two different vehicles.
I wouldn’t say either one was noticeably quieter than the other.
The CC2s are the best all season I’ve driven in snow. I live in Minnesota.
If you don’t get much snow then Defenders are probably fine.
If you don’t get much snow then Defenders are probably fine.
I think in all the ~20 years I've lived here, we have had light snow maybe one or two times. There is plenty of snow within 20-40 min at higher elevation, but I can stay away from it. It does get very cold (mid 30's is common but that's 2 am) and very wet.
I have had Pirelli Scorpion Zero All Season Plus tires on my A-spec for the last 3 years and like them. Non-existent tire noise and very good comfort wise…I would buy them again. The Scorpion Zero All Season Plus (which isn’t available in your 19” size) has a similar tread pattern, so the Scorpion AS Plus 3 should be a good tire also..It has similar or better ratings for noise/comfort. They seem to wear well also.
I will be very interested in hearing your impressions of whichever new tires you end up with. We replaced the OEM Continental's with Michelin Premier LTX DT's hoping for a quieter ride but I can't say that they made a bit of difference.
I will be very interested in hearing your impressions of whichever new tires you end up with. We replaced the OEM Continental's with Michelin Premier LTX DT's hoping for a quieter ride but I can't say that they made a bit of difference.
The OEMs are rated at 7.5/10 for noise over on Tirerack. Michelin Premier LTX is rated at 8.5/10 for noise. What trim do you have and what mileage did you replace it at? If you have an Advance that already has good sound insulation so it might make tire choice less noticeable especially when new.
Right now, I think the rubber on my car's tires is damaged making it rock hard. There are cracks in the tread area even though there is plenty of tread left. I will try and remember to take some pictures tomorrow before I do the replacement. The ride is extremely uncomfortable so I think I would see an improvement even if I just replaced it with OEM tires.
The OEM tires cost more than the highly rated tires discussed here (Michelin Defender LTX, CrossClimate 2 and Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3) and yet it has pretty bad overall ratings. It doesn't make any sense. Why would anyone buy those? Maybe those who blindly buy their tires at the dealer would be the only explanation.
If your main criterion is quietness followed by comfort, you don’t have to get SUV/Crossover tires. As long as the tire’s weight rating exceeds 101, you can select from any list of Grand Touring, Standard Touring, Passenger, etc. all-season tires.
If your main criterion is quietness followed by comfort, you don’t have to get SUV/Crossover tires. As long as the tire’s weight rating exceeds 101, you can select from any list of Grand Touring, Standard Touring, Passenger, etc. all-season tires.
Is there something that would be better than the Defender?
Is there something that would be better than the Defender?
So hard to say. The Michelin Primacy A/S might be a good option. It is a Passenger All-season tire that advertises Noise Reduction Technology, very low rolling resistance for improved fuel economy and excellent highway ride. I believe it is OEM on the Mustang EV.
It is a car tire and not a truck tire like the Defender. That raises an immediate problem when using Tirerack’s ratings. Tirerack’s rating system is derived from surveys in which the tire owners compare their tires to other similar tires, as in Truck v. Truck, SUV v. SUV, Grand Touring V. Grand Touring. That system does not allow for a direct comparison of tires from different categories. A car tire that gets a “dry” rating of 9.0 may be much quieter than a truck tire that gets a dry rating of 9.3. Car tires are generally much quieter than truck tires, and to lesser degree, SUV tires. If low noise and improved fuel efficiency out weigh your desire for a sharp turn-in feel or the need to drive on dirt roads, a luxury car tire may better fit your needs. A short conversation with a Tirerack representative on this subject may prove valuable.
All the Grand Touring All Season tires in the right size. Michelin Primacy Tour A/S rates the best for noise at an 8.9. It's OEM for the Genesis SUVs as well.
The OEMs are rated at 7.5/10 for noise over on Tirerack. Michelin Premier LTX is rated at 8.5/10 for noise. What trim do you have and what mileage did you replace it at? If you have an Advance that already has good sound insulation so it might make tire choice less noticeable especially when new.
We have the 2020 AWD Advance model.
We used to like to go to Cache Creek Casino for their lunch buffet. By the time we got home from our first trip there in our brand new RDX, my wife and I agreed that we needed to try and do something about the road noise or get rid of the car. I had sound deadening added to the doors and then replaced the OEM tires at 5500 miles. Neither made a difference as far as we could tell and certainly didn't justify the cost. The noise doesn't bother us as much anymore but I think that's mainly because a lot of the roads we regularly drive have been resurfaced in the last couple of years. One thing about the Premiers, they are terrible for following the micro grooves ground into the freeway lanes.
When we got the tires replaced at Costco, they recommended either the Michelin Defender or Premier for a quiet ride. I'm not sure what to make of the reviews at Tirerack, if you look at a popular tire with lots of reviews, many of the top 50 will mention how quiet the tires are and many of the bottom 50 will mention how miserably noisy they are.
Good luck and I hope you get a tire that you can recommend.
I switched to Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3, over 7k miles / 6 months ago.
Been quite happy with the results, they do sit a little wider on the wheels giving a sportier look.
Thanks all for jumping in on the thread with your suggestions and experiences.
The Primacy looks interesting. I had them before on a BMW, but those were RFTs and they were still very quiet. They seem to a bit more pricey than the Defender.
At least from what I gather so far, the Defender, the Primacy, or the CrossClimate should all be good choices. The Primacy seems to have a lower warranty. In some sense, that may be a good thing because it might mean the compound used is softer. I saw several reviews complaining about poor MPG with the CrossClimate.
Thanks all for jumping in on the thread with your suggestions and experiences.
The Primacy looks interesting. I had them before on a BMW, but those were RFTs and they were still very quiet. They seem to a bit more pricey than the Defender.
At least from what I gather so far, the Defender, the Primacy, or the CrossClimate should all be good choices. The Primacy seems to have a lower warranty. In some sense, that may be a good thing because it might mean the compound used is softer. I saw several reviews complaining about poor MPG with the CrossClimate.
FYI, not sure if you picked up on this but there's two Primacy models - the Primacy and Primacy Tour. The latter is the one that Genesis puts on their car and is considered the "premium" tire.
FYI, not sure if you picked up on this but there's two Primacy models - the Primacy and Primacy Tour. The latter is the one that Genesis puts on their car and is considered the "premium" tire.
BTW, Tire Rack ratings seems to say Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 which has a noise rating of 9.2/10. Anyone vouch for these?
There also seems to be a newer tire -- Pirelli Scorpion WeatherActive. Doesn't have ratings, but the few reviews indicate it is very quiet and comfortable.
+1 I have Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus III and love these tires! Quiet, grippy in rain and dry.
OK, so called the tire shop and talked to the rep I've been working with. He said in terms of quietness, the best would be Primacy Tour (but gives up on tread life), followed by Defender (which gives up on snow performance) followed by Cross Climate 2 (which gives up on noise & comfort). Unfortunately, they have to order the Primacy Tour so I cancelled my appointment for today and will go in Thursday PM. He did say that the Defenders are better than the Premier (which preceded the Primacy).
Thanks again to all. Will report back once I have the tires on.
OK, so called the tire shop and talked to the rep I've been working with. He said in terms of quietness, the best would be Primacy Tour (but gives up on tread life), followed by Defender (which gives up on snow performance) followed by Cross Climate 2 (which gives up on noise & comfort). Unfortunately, they have to order the Primacy Tour so I cancelled my appointment for today and will go in Thursday PM. He did say that the Defenders are better than the Premier (which preceded the Primacy).
Thanks again to all. Will report back once I have the tires on.
I had the CrossClimate2's put on my 2019 A-Spec after 58k on the original Goodyears at Costco.
After struggling to get 300 before I had to fill up again I decided to see if other people had issues with gas mileage & on average people lost 3-5mpg who had them on a SUV. They're great on our TLX but they have a very aggressive tread pattern which causes the gas mileage loss.
Fortunately Costco has a 30 day "Try & Drive" return policy on their tires so I was able to swap them out with the Michelin Pilot All Season 4 UHP & so far have no complaints yet. Maybe if Lower Canada (Connecticut) would get some snow I could know how well they handle all season conditions.
As for finding a tire for noise & comfort I feel that is something that is subjective & different for everyone since everyone has different driving styles & noise / feedback tolerance levels.
Really weird now. I get an email saying the tires are in, but the email says "Michelin Primacy A/S" not "Michelin Primacy Tour A/S". I then also get a call from the rep. I tell him I was looking for the Primacy Tour. He said it's the exact same tire, just that Walmart has the Tour in it. I tell him Tirerack also lists it. I asked him if he can get the Tour version. He says they don't have it and the warranty on the Tour is 45,000 miles but on the non-Tour it's 55,000. In other words it's a different tire. I'm not sure how to proceed. This is with America's Tire Co. I think I will call around and see if some other place has the Tour. If you guys have any suggestions, let me know.
Interestingly, on walmart.com, the Defender has much better reviews than any of the Primacy's. The Primacy Tour has particularly bad reviews. I'm almost thinking I should go with the Defender which has very high ratings on both tirerack and walmart.
Then there's a guy on YouTube that says Michelin tires are overpriced and not worth it.
Really weird now. I get an email saying the tires are in, but the email says "Michelin Primacy A/S" not "Michelin Primacy Tour A/S". I then also get a call from the rep. I tell him I was looking for the Primacy Tour. He said it's the exact same tire, just that Walmart has the Tour in it. I tell him Tirerack also lists it. I asked him if he can get the Tour version. He says they don't have it and the warranty on the Tour is 45,000 miles but on the non-Tour it's 55,000. In other words it's a different tire. I'm not sure how to proceed. This is with America's Tire Co. I think I will call around and see if some other place has the Tour. If you guys have any suggestions
, let me know.
Sounds like a headache dealing with the tire companies. Not sure what info the tire rep is looking at but this is from Michelin's website for the non A-Spec tires your talking about.
As far as warranty goes I wouldn't get too hung up it since tire ware depends on the driver & maintenance on them. The tire guys at Costco were shocked I got 58k out of the original Goodyeayears that came on the car since I like to drive my A-Spec pretty aggressively on the back roads.
The Michelin Cross Climate 2's are great tires if you're looking for all-season traction. I have them on another vehicle, and they're great in rain and snow!
Sounds like a headache dealing with the tire companies. Not sure what info the tire rep is looking at but this is from Michelin's website for the non A-Spec tires your talking about.
As far as warranty goes I wouldn't get too hung up it since tire ware depends on the driver & maintenance on them. The tire guys at Costco were shocked I got 58k out of the original Goodyeayears that came on the car since I like to drive my A-Spec pretty aggressively on the back roads.
As long as I'm getting a quiet and comfortable tire, I'm not too sensitive to price/tread life. But the main thing now is figuring out if the Primacy Tour's are even the one I want to go for. I'll keep doing reading/research till 4:00 pm tomorrow which is when my appointment is. At that point, I will either get the Defenders (looking more likely now just to avoid analysis/paralysis), or if I find something really negative about the Defenders, then I may cancel and try to find a shop that sells the Primacy Tour.
I decided to pass on the Cross Climate because it appears to sacrifice comfort for handling and performance, so the Defender would almost certainly be more comfortable since that is what it is tuned for and they are all comparably priced.
I'm hoping that any of these tires will be better than OEM.
I had a couple of sets of the Defender LT tires on my diesel pickup and was very happy with them in that application. In hindsight, I kind of wish I had gone with the Defender instead of the Premier tires on the RDX but I had it in my head at the time that the Defender was more of a truck tire.
Hello, all. I'm very interested to know if any of you spring for the Defenders and what you think of them. I have two sets of these...on a 2009 Ridgeline in 245/60R18 and on a 2005 MDX in 235/65R17. I think they're fantastic tires on both cars, but my mother-in-law has a 2019 RDX with the 235/55R19s and I'm not sure whether to recommend these or not for her...I just don't know how they'll ride compared to more of a car tire (like her OEM Contis). She's a Michelin person in general (and I am as well), but it looks like the only other predominant choice is the CrossClimate2, and I'm really not a fan of the drawbacks to directional tires. I'm hoping some of you who have tried the Defenders really like them...!
Hello, all. I'm very interested to know if any of you spring for the Defenders and what you think of them. I have two sets of these...on a 2009 Ridgeline in 245/60R18 and on a 2005 MDX in 235/65R17. I think they're fantastic tires on both cars, but my mother-in-law has a 2019 RDX with the 235/55R19s and I'm not sure whether to recommend these or not for her...I just don't know how they'll ride compared to more of a car tire (like her OEM Contis). She's a Michelin person in general (and I am as well), but it looks like the only other predominant choice is the CrossClimate2, and I'm really not a fan of the drawbacks to directional tires. I'm hoping some of you who have tried the Defenders really like them...!
Stay away from the CrossClimate2's because yes they are good for all road conditions & handle very well, but I noticed a drop in fuel mileage where I couldn't get over 300 miles on a full tank. I have a 2019 A-Spec with SH-AWD & I looked into the fuel milage drop to see if it's an issues & seems to affect SUV's & midsized trucks & above.
My girlfriend has them on her TLX & didn't have a issue with fuel mileage. I think it's the type of compound used that causes heavier cars to suffer fuel mileage loss. I really wish Michelin would address the issue but to be honest if someone hadn't asked me if I noticed a drop in fuel mileage I would still have those tires on my car.
Luckily Costco has a 30 day Try & Drive so I was able to change them for the Pilot 4s UHP All Season's which perform just as good as the CrossClimate2's with exception of driving in 6 inches of snow.
As far as road noise & comfort there isn't a tire out there that will be perfect. Pot holes & bumps are everywhere so your going to feel & hear them.
Just pick the tire that best fits your driving styles & the RDX model you have. Since there are 3 different versions with each having 2 different drive trains FWD & SH-AWD the options will be different.
I had the same Continental OEM tires on my 2020 RDX. I knew that at 40K miles it was getting close to replacing them, but driving home from MD in a heavy rainstorm scared the crap out of me!
A quiet ride was important to me, and I went with the Pirelli Scorpion tires you mentioned. After almost 3 months on them, I have to say I’m quite satisfied. They give a fairly quiet ride and are great in rain and dry conditions. No snow this year to speak of, so I can’t comment on how well they fo in the snow. I’d recommend them.
Got the Defenders on late this afternoon and have driven a few city miles on it. Initial impressions are that it satisfies in the quietness department but somewhat disappoints in ride comfort. It seems to transmit every road imperfection through the steering wheel and the cabin and almost has a feel where the tire is bouncing, almost as if it's too heavy. Not sure if there a problem with the balancing. I'll try it a bit more and report. Overall disappointed because I was really hoping for a comfortable ride, but aside from not making noise, it doesn't seem to have done much compared to the OEMs.
Well shoot, that's disappointing, I was hoping that you would be able to give us a more positive report. I imagine the pressure is okay but it wouldn't hurt to check just to make sure.
Well shoot, that's disappointing, I was hoping that you would be able to give us a more positive report. I imagine the pressure is okay but it wouldn't hurt to check just to make sure.
That was the first thing that I checked as it felt weird right off the bat. 3 were set to 35 and one was set to 38. I drive back and had them set it to 33 all around. But I still had problems.
Just back now from a longer drive that included highway driving as well. I’m basically feeling high frequency vibration in the car at all speeds and all surfaces. On bad surface the tires are as loud and rough as my old OEMs. On smooth surfaces they are quiet but worse in terms of comfort because of the bumpy/vibration feel.
I’m going to ask if they can take the tires back and at this point to reduce risk I’m thinking I will just go with the OEMs.
I’m so disappointed. I have never been so dissatisfied with new tires ever and I have probably bought at least 10 sets over my life across 5 cars.
02-06-2023, 12:58 PM
