Quiet comfortable tyres

[Busterbvi]

Greetings. BMW owner here looking to change into a nice LS, not sure which model yet but looking for the smoothest most comfortable ride possible. I realise this is a highly subjective subject but looking for some feedback on the most comfortable and quietest tyres with a soft compliant sidewall. Not concerned with grip, wear, cost, looks etc, Im focused on achieving a true magic carpet ride at low speeds on poor roads. Recommendations welcome. I'm not a massive wheel, low profile tyre merchant !

Thanks. Buster.

 

[royoftherovers]

1 hour ago, Busterbvi said:

Greetings. BMW owner here looking to change into a nice LS, not sure which model yet but looking for the smoothest most comfortable ride possible. I realise this is a highly subjective subject but looking for some feedback on the most comfortable and quietest tyres with a soft compliant sidewall. Not concerned with grip, wear, cost, looks etc, Im focused on achieving a true magic carpet ride at low speeds on poor roads. Recommendations welcome. I'm not a massive wheel, low profile tyre merchant !

Thanks. Buster.

 

A BMW owner looking for an LS  AND AN  S CLASS !

You could have changed the text! How about an Audi A8 ?

[m4rkw]

I like the Goodyears but tbh I think any of the premium brands are probably fine, Michelins are highly rated too. For the size that my wheels take goodyears are usually rated the quietest so that's why I buy them but I think it varies for other sizes.

[LenT]

Obviously a very subjective choice!

I originally was going to replace the Yokohamas with Michelin CrossClimates, which we have on our other car.  As has already been mentioned, they are highly rated - especially as an all-season choice.  But I ended up with Goodyear Asymmetric 5s because:

a) Michelin only did one of the sizes I needed.

b) The Goodyears were newer and topped some of the comparative tests in competition with  the CCs.

In fact they have proved to be quiet, comfortable, refined, precise and suit my now-relaxed driving style.  But my recommendation would be to read through as many of the tyre tests as you can - Auto Express, What Car, tyretests, tyrereviews and so on - and look for a consensus that suits your criteria. 

What ever tyre you choose, someone else will prefer another!

[Malc]

16 hours ago, Busterbvi said:

looking to change into a nice LS, not sure which model yet

so which price bracket / years / mileage are you looking at ?

you recently missed JP Savage's brilliant Ls600 for sale ..........  now that was a truly wonderful car to have

Malc

[royoftherovers]

33 minutes ago, Malc said:

so which price bracket / years / mileage are you looking at ?

you recently missed JP Savage's brilliant Ls600 for sale ..........  now that was a truly wonderful car to have

Malc

Malc,he`s posted same text on Merc website, asking for S Class !

[Malc]

13 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

he`s posted same text on Merc website

you're multi tasking then looking at the Merc website too ...... wonder why he's having a mix of thoughts then ....... maybe he's .....  confused.com 

Malc

[Busterbvi]

No confusion Malc, I also posted the same question in the Jaguar forums. I will be changing my car later this year for something with a smooth, quiet and comfortable ride. Im looking at the Lexus LS, Mercedes S Class and Jaguar XJ. Pre 2010 models with a budget of £15k. I've done some experimenting with wheels & tyres on my BMW E39 to improve comfort at low speeds on poor roads, results are disappointing.  I thought I would do more research on comfortable, quiet and compliant tyres by asking owners of these cars for feedback as comfort is surely one of the main reasons you drive such luxurious cars and careful tyre choice for replacements and preserving the comfort is high priority. A very subjective issue but I was hoping that there may be a consensus amongst members here on the best tyres to go for for that magic carpet ride.

[rich1068]

No complaints about the Dunlop Sport BluResponse 225/60 R16s I've just put on my '97 LS400. Low rolling resistance, good wet grip and most importantly, quiet. But with a budget of £15k I would imagine you're after something a little newer.

[Linas.P]

If this review is to be trusted (which I think it is), then BFGoodrich Advantage is the tyre your are after (assuming you are able to find the right size) - all around mediocre tyre, but best comfort in class. Just note that comfort is subjective question:

 

[Phil xxkr]

1 hour ago, Busterbvi said:

No confusion Malc, I also posted the same question in the Jaguar forums. I will be changing my car later this year for something with a smooth, quiet and comfortable ride. Im looking at the Lexus LS, Mercedes S Class and Jaguar XJ. Pre 2010 models with a budget of £15k. I've done some experimenting with wheels & tyres on my BMW E39 to improve comfort at low speeds on poor roads, results are disappointing.  I thought I would do more research on comfortable, quiet and compliant tyres by asking owners of these cars for feedback as comfort is surely one of the main reasons you drive such luxurious cars and careful tyre choice for replacements and preserving the comfort is high priority. A very subjective issue but I was hoping that there may be a consensus amongst members here on the best tyres to go for for that magic carpet ride.

I have Goodyear Asymmetric 3's on my Jaguar XKR from Oponeo which are/have been great I will have no hesitation in putting them om my RX when the time comes. 

[Linas.P]

1 minute ago, Phil xxkr said:

I have Goodyear Asymmetric 3's on my Jaguar XKR from Oponeo which are/have been great I will have no hesitation in putting them om my RX when the time comes. 

Just make sure you get 5's not 3's as Goodyear has updated tyre quite significantly. I is as well one of two tyres I recommend (second being Dunlop RT2), but in my opinion they quite sporty tyres with great handling, nothing wrong with their comfort in my opinion, but OP said handling does not concern him - only the absolutely most complaint and comfortable tyre. 

[Phil xxkr]

1 minute ago, Linas.P said:

Just make sure you get 5's not 3's as Goodyear has updated tyre quite significantly. I is as well one of two tyres I recommend (second being Dunlop RT2), but in my opinion they quite sporty tyres with great handling, nothing wrong with their comfort in my opinion, but OP said handling does not concern him - only the absolutely most complaint and comfortable tyre. 

Yet Goodyear are still making the 3? Be interested to know why? 

[Las Palmas]

2 hours ago, Busterbvi said:

No confusion Malc, I also posted the same question in the Jaguar forums. I will be changing my car later this year for something with a smooth, quiet and comfortable ride. Im looking at the Lexus LS, Mercedes S Class and Jaguar XJ. Pre 2010 models with a budget of £15k. I've done some experimenting with wheels & tyres on my BMW E39 to improve comfort at low speeds on poor roads, results are disappointing.  I thought I would do more research on comfortable, quiet and compliant tyres by asking owners of these cars for feedback as comfort is surely one of the main reasons you drive such luxurious cars and careful tyre choice for replacements and preserving the comfort is high priority. A very subjective issue but I was hoping that there may be a consensus amongst members here on the best tyres to go for for that magic carpet ride.

Softest ride I have ever been in was a Citroën DS something (long time ago so do not remember) with air suspension. In lowest position, it was a sofa and in highest, it could cross a river. Want ultimate luxury: MB 300SEL 6.3L. Air suspension super comfortable seats, beautiful interior. Both these will be hard to find in good condition and where the DS was not super expensive in fuel the MB was.

[Linas.P]

I don't think they are making them, maybe just old stock. Same for old Dunlop RT... they are still available to buy, but they are worse and more expensive than RT2.

Second guess, they are OEM for some car model, I know RT have AO (audi) and N (porsche) markings, so in theory they still used as OE. Same reason Michelin PSS are still available despite being obsolete and long replaced by PS4s.

[LenT]

2 hours ago, Las Palmas said:

Softest ride I have ever been in was a Citroën DS something...

I had a DS for a while.  Amazing cars with a ride quality many modern cars still cannot match.  Which is why Rolls Royce use the same hydropneumatic system.

The Citroen tyres, to get back on topic, were always Michelin: partly because they were designed to match the suspension, and mainly because the Michelin brothers had bought Citroen in the 1930s and saved it from bankruptcy.

[Las Palmas]

39 minutes ago, LenT said:

I had a DS for a while.  Amazing cars with a ride quality many modern cars still cannot match.  Which is why Rolls Royce use the same hydropneumatic system.

Did not say I liked the ride quality. It was soft and comfortable, but kind of: go fall asleep.

Tyres on the car I do not remember, but probably French and thus Michelin. Ride quality was far better in the MB (not softer) but it is not fair to set a car up against one costing so many times more. The DS would have been a soft comfortable ride no matter which tyres would have been on it I am sure. The MB had Continental tyres but at that time roads were not good and if the tyres were noisy I do not remember.

[LenT]

20 minutes ago, Las Palmas said:

Did not say I liked the ride quality. It was soft and comfortable, but kind of: go fall asleep.

Yes, that was sometimes the case.  Luckily just for my passengers. Mind you, if Charles de Gaulle was dozing off in the Presidential DS in 1962, he would have had a rude awakening when assassins riddled it with 162 bullets, blowing out three of the (Michelin) tyres in the process.  Thanks to its unique suspension the Citroen was still able to accelerate smoothly out of danger.

I was living in north London when I had mine.  Fortunately this special Citroen ability was hardly ever needed.

[Linas.P]

15 minutes ago, LenT said:

 Thanks to its unique suspension the Citroen was still able to accelerate smoothly out of danger.

I thought I was able to compensate for 1 missing wheel, not 1 remaining... it would be interesting to see how that looked like 😁

[LenT]

42 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

I thought I was able to compensate for 1 missing wheel, not 1 remaining... it would be interesting to see how that looked like 😁

Yes, these days there would probably be smart phones out all along the Route to Orly Airport. As you say, the Citroen was known for compensating for one missing wheel but de Gaulle’s car still had all its wheels.

So you could also say this was an early demonstration of the Michelin run flat tyre.

[BigBoomer]

The cars design will affect the comfort more than the tyres you fit.

In my experience BMWs tend to be sportier in feel but have harsher suspension, even in the 7 series.
The S-Class (W220 & W221) suspension is smoother than the BMWs but I found them to be quite wallowy when pushed hard and vague steering.
The LS has the best comfort outside of the Citroen hydraulic systems but still has a very planted feel letting you hurl it through the bends if the fancy takes you.
Test drive a C6 to feel the "tapis-magique" but the Citroens feel wooden when cornering (Activa models) or lean massively (non-Activa).

Personally I have a facelift (2004-2006) LS430 with 18" wheels and Avon ZZ5 245/45-R18 tyres and the ride is compliant without being floaty.
I test drove some early (2000-2003) LS430s (17" wheels, 225/55-R17) and some later model LS400s (1998/1999, 225/60-R16) and whilst the early 430 and the 400s were slightly more comfy, they didn't feel as connected to the road as the late 430. The LS460 I tested felt pretty much like the late model 430s.
I also test drove a BMW 7-series, VW Phaeton, Audi A8, and a  W221 model S-Class all from the 2004-2008 range before deciding on the LS.
3 years on and I don't regret it one bit.

[Alan305]

23 hours ago, Las Palmas said:

Softest ride I have ever been in was a Citroën DS something (long time ago so do not remember) with air suspension. In lowest position, it was a sofa and in highest, it could cross a river. Want ultimate luxury: MB 300SEL 6.3L. Air suspension super comfortable seats, beautiful interior. Both these will be hard to find in good condition and where the DS was not super expensive in fuel the MB was.

I had a Citroen XM for 3 years, perfect ride on Michelin’s but the electrics and cooling circuit were dire. The XM was better than the CX which tended to lope along a bit like a kangaroo. I did lose all the fluid in a BX, which drops the suspension pretty quickly and other useful things like power steering and brakes.

Agree with @BigBoomer my 2003 LS430 was lovely and smooth.

[steve2006]

1 hour ago, Alan305 said:

I had a Citroen XM for 3 years, perfect ride on Michelin’s but the electrics and cooling circuit were dire. The XM was better than the CX which tended to lope along a bit like a kangaroo. I did lose all the fluid in a BX, which drops the suspension pretty quickly and other useful things like power steering and brakes.

Agree with @BigBoomer my 2003 LS430 was lovely and smooth.

I too had an XM really nice and comfortable, fully galvanised body, 4 new spheres every MOT, EML illuminated if you went above 3000 RPM but then extinguished if you redlined it a couple of times. Fortunately there was ( and still is) an independent Citroen specialist just up the road from me.

[Busterbvi]

Thank you all very much for your helpful and constructive feedback, some interesting comments. I am familiar with the Citroens, my dad had one, Its going to be a LS, Merc or Jag, I did my apprenticeship plus 5 years at a BL / Jaguar dealership in South Wales and have fond memories of the lovely ride of the 80's XJ range, especially the V12. I think it will come down to a X358 or LS 430/460, when this virus malarkey is over.

[BigBoomer]

My Dad had an XM Activa and it was his second most unreliable car ever, right after the Series-2 Jag XJ6 4.2 (1977).
The XJ fell apart all by itself and ended up going back to Jaguar for a full refund,... once the lawyers got involved.
The Activa had endless problems with the suspension but when working had nearly as good a ride as my friends 1972 DS Break (Safari).
After that he had Audi's (A6 then A8), a Lexus GS300, and a 1998 Honda Legend that I bought from him when he emigrated in 2003.
He's now a Jag man again, having had an S-type 4.2 and now an XF 3.0 diesel.

After a ride in my LS a couple of years ago he remarked at how quiet and smooth it was.
It's a gem and the best car I've ever owned.