SloGS400

iTrader: (1)

Hey everyone,

Bought some Bridgestone S-03's for the front a little while ago and they were great for a few weeks and then they got very loud and even more so now. It sounds sounds like I'm on huge truck tires. Are there any tires that don't have that problem, or is this something I have to live with?

Thanks in advance for any responses

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

s-03's???

were they used? that tire hasn't been available for a while now...

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

edit: it is a directional, high performance tire, and there is a possibility, that even if it is/was brand new, that a bad alignment could make them be loud quite quickly...

SloGS400

iTrader: (1)

Nope, I bought them new and I actually got an allignment after I installed them. Maybe it's just my luck that I got a bad set. Is there any tire that isn't as prone to noise?

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

what are the DOT dates on those tires? I would bet the last year they were even made was probably 2005/2006.... Any chance you got the alignment specs printed out when it was done? certain tires are quieter than others, but for any tire to be considered loud within a few weeks, would typically mean an alignment issue... it also depends on what you consider loud, I suppose, as well... Typically though, your asymmetrical tires are going to be quieter than your directional tires...

SloGS400

iTrader: (1)

Wow, they must have been sitting around for a while then, because I bought them just a few months ago. I'll look at the dates in the morining. As far as the alignment specs, no clue as to where they are, but I do remember that he was able to get it within factory specs and that's with me being lowered with Flex's.

Well, it's pretty loud when you are going slow or slowing down, once you get up some spped, it's really not that bad, but still not quiet. Guess I'll just have to keep going 60 no matter the speed limit. lol

I guess I may stay away from directional tires in the future, thanks for that info. I do need tires for the rear asap and thougt about the Michelin A/S, but I'm unsure now.

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

Pilot Sport PS2 or Bridgestone RE050 are two high end asymmetrical tires... Bridgestone also makes the RE760 which is asymmetrical as well... (RE050 replaced the S-03, RE760 replaced the RE750, which was directional too) The Michelin PS2 replaces / substitures for the standard Pilot Sport, which was directional...

Notice a trend? All of the high end tire manufacturers seem to be switching priority from directions to asymmetrical...

SloGS400

iTrader: (1)

Hmm, interesting...it certainly appears that they are moving away from directional tires.

Thanks for that info, it's greatly appreciated.

Abel1337

I read some reviews on consumer reports about this tire in particular and the review said that they were pretty noisy after the first few months. Ill see if I can pull it up..

SloGS400

iTrader: (1)

Yea, I think I read that same review earlier today, guess I should have looked for that prior to buying them. lol

Well, I need tires for the rear now and The Tire Rack has Michelin Pilot A/S size 275/30/19 for $279 which I think is a great price. Anyone have any experience with those tires?

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

unless you need the all-season capability, i'd look into the Pilot Sport PS2 or the Bridgestone RE050A

SloGS400

iTrader: (1)

I looked into the tires you suggested, but they both have fairly low treadwear ratings compared to the Pilot Sport A/S's. In addition we do get a small share of bad weather during the winter in NC and I'd probably be better off with A/S's, wish I was in Cali. :-( Any idea what the potential downsides to all season tires are?

Thanks again, I really appreciate all your input so far.

RON430

One thing you need to keep in mind when getting your info on tires, especially quietness, is that everyone is different. When you are talking a 35 series tire, you are pretty much talking about a tire that the manufacturer is making for an enthusiast, not someone who is looking for quiet. Cars are quieter today than they were in the muscle car era and I was definitely around then and started in cars that long ago. And tires are probably quieter. But roads are much crappier. I got old enough to get fed up with listening to tires howl. I don't see enough performance advantage to justify the constant irritation. I have been through about every performance tire on my GS you can name from Yokohama, Michelin, Goodyear, Pirelli, and Bridgestone. Even the best of them were only tolerable for a short amount of time. The reason given by a tire pro I know is cupping of the tread blocks but I have no actual data to back that up. I ran the white flag up and surrendered. I now have stock size Bridgestone Turanza Serenity on my GS4 which sure isn't a performance tire.

I might go back to a more performance oriented tire at some point in the future, probably on some other car. But for a daily driver, especially with our roads, I have no intention of using anything different. I have no problem with anyone deciding they want to get the performance advantage or look of many of the tires talked about here, if for you it is the right decision. But when you get a large, low profile tire, especially with a high speed rating which usually means stiffer sidewall and softer rubber compound, there is no point posting about how noisy it gets and how fast. If the block cupping causing noise problem is real, the softer compound is just going to make it happen faster. I have ridden in cars where people are convinced they have found the quiet high perfromance tire and I have never found any of the performance tires to be quiet. But they are happy, which is what it is all about. And I don't have much hope that the roads around here are going to get repaved anytime soon either. There are a couple of stretches that I don't care what tire you have, even the quietest tires are darned annoying.

r00kie

FYI...I believe the Micheline Pilot A/S are (getting) discontinued.

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

Very true... I try to mention that any time someone is wanting a quiet performance tire. I couldn't have said it better...

That reasoning though, the cupping part, is why a lot of the manufacturers are going to asymmetrical tire designs. (your Serenity's included) An asymmetrical tire offers some performance advantages, but also allows rotation of the tires side to side which is an attempt to prevent cupping. Cupping is caused by the leading edge of the tread block constantly hitting the ground first, deforming the tire and causing additional wear on that part. When we cross rotate tires, it turns the tire around so it attempts to reverse that wear. With directional tires, you can't turn the tire around *you can, but thats a whole nother thread*, so the tires always wear one way, causing cupping quite fast...