I've had my 08 TL for just over a year, and have driven 27k miles already. I spend most of my time on freeways, and while I'm generally happy with the car, I'm really disappointed in the noise level from the tires. This is ironic, because on good surfaces (recently resurfaced smooth roads, etc) the car is super quiet - a credit to the overall soundproofing.

While I appreciate that the current tires are probably great for high speed cornering, and so on, I really am willing to sacrifice all that for a quieter ride!

I have the '08 with nav, with the standard issue Michelins.

 

yeah...those Michelin's that come from the factory on our cars are JUNK. I'm on my third set (sold my oems for aspecs), and I couldn't be happier with the Bridgestone wheels I've had in the past. Currently running performance tires - 760 Sports. However, if you have the stock 17's, I'd highly recommend the 960 Potenzas: great stance and cornering, without the sacrifice comfort and noise; SUPER quiet. good luck!

 

annoyed by the tire noise too....
what are the better selections for 18's rims?

 

my rule of thumb for quietness and comfort
x8" wheel deserves 245
x8.5" wheel demands 245
x9" wheel deserves 255
x9.5" wheel demands 255 and deserves 265

 

I have tried, Michelin's, Bf Goodrich, Yokohama and Goodyears all sounded like a 4 wheel drive, I now have Kumho Ecsta SPT and the handling and ride are superior and most of all QUIET

 

I have the stock 17" rims. What size 960 Potenzas do you recommend? I've heard so much about the 255/40's. Also there's the 245 options or should i just go stock 235. Im liking those Potenzas.

 

I'm shocked by your statement that the Michelin's are noisy. I just replaced my Eagle F1 A/S's (loud as hell after 6k) with standard '08 Type S wheels and tires....and can't believe the silence. Quietest tire I've ever experienced. Nowhere near the performance of the Eagle F1's but dead silent. Maybe the Type S has a different Michelin (it's MXM4)than the standard TL and that could account for the difference??

 

The MXM4s are the only Michelins that are OEM on the TL. Bridgestone summer tires are available as an option.

I don't think erick was saying the MXMs were noisy, he just did not like them when referring to them as "JUNK." The MXMs are very quiet, but they do harden up and lose some ultimate grip after 25K miles or so, although the tread will last for 40K miles.

 

Take a look at the Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport tires. Tirerack has a great price on these tires. So far they are considerably more quite then my previous Michelin PS2. They also have a 340 treadwear. Pretty good for an ultra high performance summer tire.

 

I just checked - I have "HX MXM4"s on my non-Type-S model.

The entire car - engine, trans, wheels, etc - are super quiet on smooth surfaces, but when driving on rough road (l cross the SF Bay Bridge every day these days, which is forever undergoing repair, ground-up surfaces, etc.). If I do the same journey in my old Acura Legend (still running after all these years... ) it's so much quieter. So I don't know if it is the tires, or the suspension, but it strikes me that a different tire type might help. I really don't care about tread life, and I don't need any special handling.

So it sounds like the two recommendations are, for my stock 17" wheels:
960 Potenza's (The 760s are applicable only for wider rims?) and
Kumho Ecsta SPT

I'll give these a look.

I did read, months ago, that a lot of non-stock tires had problems on the stock rims with 'pulling to one side' ... I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!

 

My General Exclaim UHP's are much quieter than the MXM4's ever were. They perform much better too

 

please recommand a list of tires we can choose from?

 

I have the Bridgestone RE960 Polepositions A/S, I used to have the Bridgestone Turanza LS-Z which aren't made for our tire size anymore. Both have been great tires for me.

Tire Rack Link

 

Bridgestone RE960 AS.. got them.. SMOOOOTHHH .. QUIEETTT highly recommend the POTENZA's.. they are awesome

 

I can help you rule out some tires. I bought the Yokohama Avid H4S and they are much louder than my aftermarket snow tires. I have almost 20K on them and they are getting much worse.

Because I'm a glass half full kind of guy, at least the tire noise drowns out all the rattles

 

Super-ultra Quiet option: Bridgestone Serenity Grand Touring. You won't get a quieter tire that performs better. It's "Z" speed rated in the OE 235/45 R17 size, and will last a long time, especially for such a high-speed rated tire.

Very quiet, yet performance option: Sounds like I'm repeating everyone else, but Bridgestone RE960. Not as quiet as the Serenity, but better handling.

 

I've been reading this thread and have not found any comments on Nokian Tyres. I just got a 2005 TL and need tires for Chicago weather. The car has Bridgestone Potenza 750's. I had Nokian tyres on my 2000 TL and loved them. Help Please.

 

my pirelli p-zero nero m&s have been great. about 40k life from my last set, not horrible in the snow, great dry handling, low noise and not much difference in the noise from the olds to the new. thats why i bought a second set

 

The thread is about quiet tires. Nokian is famous for friction tires, and noise is typically one of the trade-offs you sacrifice with such tires.

 

Potenza S-02 or S-03 or RE960's are all great
Falken Ziex 912's
BF Goodrich Eagle F1's
Pirelli P Zero Nero M&N

and for old times sake, Yokohama AVS ES 100's

i currently have the S-02's on; but those other tires are all pretty quiet;

 

Well, I finally had to replace my original tires at 50,000 miles and got the Bridgestone Serenity GT. They were EXPENSIVE ($1,200+ for four), but I love them! They are so quiet/smooth. I took them on a road trip from Phoenix to Santa Fe, and it was a delight to drive. Thanks for all the tips!

 

Alot can happen in the tire industry in a year but fortunately for you, the Serenity is still on of the best (if not the best) Grand Touring tires available. Glad my advice from a year ago still worked. Enjoy!

 

I hear that the Continental ContiSportContact 3 tires are super quiet

 

For what it's worth, the serenity tires turned out to be a bad move. They were super quiet at first, no doubt. But after a while, they became quite noisy, and then when I had the tires rotated last time (now up to ~80,000 miles) the noise became unbearable. I thought the dealer had done some damage; I took it back and they "un-rotated" the tires (put them back where they were) and sure enough, noise level dropped significantly. They had me feel the surface of the tire; it was not smooth. Can't explain how or why, but the tires did not age well. So to keep the noise down, I avoided the rotation, and the next thing I know, I'm getting a tire pressure warning, and I find that the surface tread was separating from the sides, and steel belts visible. I just had them replaced with the OEM tires ... lesson learned - the TL is a PICKY car when it comes to tires!

 

2 year old thread man.

 

Yeah, but it's OP updating us on the results of his tire search.
for the update IMO.


I ran the Yokohama Advan S4 for a little over 40K after the OEM Michelin MXM4s-- the Advans were better tires in terms of grip, with slightly more noise on certain concrete surfaces (probably like the Bay Bridge ).
Bridgestone Potenza RE970 A/S Pole Positions (replaced the 960) have been on my TL for a few thousand miles now-- they seem to have good grip and are very predictable. I suspect they are noisier than OEM, but am not sure yet.

 

Didn't even realize it was OP lol.

Whoops