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Is 250 Tyres Is It All About The Dunlop Sport Max?


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hi all, my dad is about to buy an 06 is 250 and he loved the car but was unsure about the road noise he was expreicing as soon as he mentioned it had brigestones on i knew they had something to do with it. after doing some research on here i can confirm this, but what are the best tyres to minmise road noise they are 205,55 16s some prices would be very helpful too, i've heard dunlop sport max are good but are there better for cheaper or vicer versa.

cheers mark.

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I think Lexus actually changed the OEM tyre from Bridgestone to Toyo and they were much improved............alternatively I swapped the Dunlops on my IS200 with Goodyear Eagle F1As and the road noise decreased dramatically - I think you'll be fine with either but the original Bridgestones are awful for road noise.

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I had tyre noise problems on my Honda Accord which was much improved by a change from Dunlop SP Sport to Michelin Pilot Primacy. The Michelins were significantly more expensive but they seem to last longer. However, at the time I received a lot of conflicting advice and opinion about the amount of noise generated by different tyres.

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autoexpress recently did a tyre noise test and found that between 1st and tenth position there was less than three decibels difference.the article also said that the human ear cannot detect a change of less than three decibels.food for thought me thinks.

i did notice on a 2009 IS model in the showroom that it had asymmetrics.

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My vote is for the Michelins too - not so pricey if you have access to Costco!

costco just quoted me $150 front and £286 rear for 18inch michelins EACH!!!!!!!!!!

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Not knowing what size tyres you are quoting the price for, I couldn't comment. I know that Costco are always about 15% cheaper than anywhere else I can find, remember you are buying Michelins which (IMHO) are the best tyre you can buy for the money. Also the price can, in isolation, look expensive if you are comparing them with say Kumhos or Dunlops (and dare I even say the Crapstones) - the Michelins are in a total different league.

I know they were running a 20% off voucher if you bought x4 tyres making them even cheaper.

I have consistently bought tyres from Costco only since they opened up here in MK (only exception being my RX for which Michelin did not make the right tyre).

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Toyos are definitely quieter than Bridgestones. In fact most seem quieter. Don't laugh but about 18 months ago I bought two Wanlis (S1063) for the front (hard up at the time). To be honest I can't fault them. Traction even in the wet is excellent and the turn- in steering feel is fine. Certainly as good as Bridgestones. They are also quiet and are wearing well. I've got Pirelli P7000's on the back and will swap them over to see if the Wanlis are any better. Couldn't be much worse. However if you read tyre reviews, Wanlis are the worst tyres in the world. I haven't found them so.

Anybody else tried these?

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I have the Dunlop SportMax on mine, and I have to say the tire noise is a big problem for me, the only significant problem with the entire car. Maybe its more noticable because the wind and engine noise is so low.

I've done alot of reading about tyre noise, and my next set will be 'Kumho KU31 Ecsta Sport'

They are worse at cornering than the best, and not good with aquaplaning, but very good at stopping in dry and wet. The aquaplaining problem isnt an issue for me, since I tend to drive very slow in heavy rain anyway.

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I have the Dunlop SportMax on mine, and I have to say the tire noise is a big problem for me, the only significant problem with the entire car. Maybe its more noticable because the wind and engine noise is so low.

I've done alot of reading about tyre noise, and my next set will be 'Kumho KU31 Ecsta Sport'

They are worse at cornering than the best, and not good with aquaplaning, but very good at stopping in dry and wet. The aquaplaining problem isnt an issue for me, since I tend to drive very slow in heavy rain anyway.

I can tell you, the tyre noise in the Lexus is high compared to 3er on same size wheel, even with rubbish RFT.

Other noise, like wind, is similar, but will be affected by door seal, position of mirror, how the fresh air vents woks.

The Lexus I had was noisier than my 3er overall, both tyre and engine. The 3er is very quite inside at motorway speed, but may be a little more wind noises. Overall lot quiter tho.

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I have the Dunlop SportMax on mine, and I have to say the tire noise is a big problem for me, the only significant problem with the entire car. Maybe its more noticable because the wind and engine noise is so low.

I've done alot of reading about tyre noise, and my next set will be 'Kumho KU31 Ecsta Sport'

They are worse at cornering than the best, and not good with aquaplaning, but very good at stopping in dry and wet. The aquaplaining problem isnt an issue for me, since I tend to drive very slow in heavy rain anyway.

I can tell you, the tyre noise in the Lexus is high compared to 3er on same size wheel, even with rubbish RFT.

Other noise, like wind, is similar, but will be affected by door seal, position of mirror, how the fresh air vents woks.

The Lexus I had was noisier than my 3er overall, both tyre and engine. The 3er is very quite inside at motorway speed, but may be a little more wind noises. Overall lot quiter tho.

i remember auto express doing a head to head test with the is and the 320d , their conclusion was that the is was quieter in every test as measured inside the cabin with the benefit of measuring equipment.
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  • 1 year later...

Toyos are definitely quieter than Bridgestones. In fact most seem quieter. Don't laugh but about 18 months ago I bought two Wanlis (S1063) for the front (hard up at the time). To be honest I can't fault them. Traction even in the wet is excellent and the turn- in steering feel is fine. Certainly as good as Bridgestones. They are also quiet and are wearing well. I've got Pirelli P7000's on the back and will swap them over to see if the Wanlis are any better. Couldn't be much worse. However if you read tyre reviews, Wanlis are the worst tyres in the world. I haven't found them so.

Anybody else tried these?

Changing the P7000 on the back to a Falken 452 has tamed the back end even with a Wanli on the other side. This makes the Falken way better than the old P7000 and the Wanli at least acceptable.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I had tyre noise problems on my Honda Accord which was much improved by a change from Dunlop SP Sport to Michelin Pilot Primacy. The Michelins were significantly more expensive but they seem to last longer. However, at the time I received a lot of conflicting advice and opinion about the amount of noise generated by different tyres.

I had a couple of Michelin Pilot Primacy tyres fitted to my 250's front wheels at the weekend, replacing the original Toyo Proxes that had given good service for 40K miles. I paid £250 for the pair, fitted and with wheel alignment.

Initial impressions are good with no noticeable change in handling or road noise. Hopefully they'll last me for another 40K miles. They're not quite so good looking as the Toyos though.

Disclaimer: I'm a fairly conservative driver so I haven't a clue how they might compare to the Toyos if pushed to the absolute limit.

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