NC2 noisy tyres

[ferg]

Hi Guys, I have an NA and could not care less about the noise from tyres or elsewhere but recently bought a low mileage NC2 with plastic fold down roof and the tyres on the car (which I plan on replacing soon) are incredibly noisy on SOME surfaces. On very smooth surfaces they are fine but on a lot of bitumen, particularly with the roof up, they are very noisy - I've gone all "poofy" and want to listen to the radio sometimes, and I can't!

The existing tyres are Michellin Radial X - I'm running 29psi as per the book. I'm considering Kumho KU39's as replacements (have KU36's on my NA and they are brilliant)

Anyone have any experience or thoughts? Know a good tyre that performs AND is fairly quiet?

thanks

[manga_blue]

Michelin make a few rock hard tyres designed for long life and economy which are frankly just bloody awful on an MX5 (or anything other than a taxi really). Michelin Energy came as OEM on my wife's new car and she wanted us to sell it after a few months because it had no grip, dangerous handling and was so bloody rough and noisy. Changing the tyres to Bridgestone Adrenalins transformed the car and we still have it 6 years later.

There are plenty of 'which tyre' threads in this forum. Bridgestone Adrenalin RE002, Kumho KU31, Yokohama A-Drive are all very good grippy but quiet street tyres. Kumho KU36 and Dunlop Star Specs perform better, at least in the dry, but they are shorter lived and noisier.

[Guran]

To be fair, noisy tyres on coarse chip roads are the bane of modern Mazdas. You might find a tyre that is marginally less noisy, but it still won't be brilliant. I suspect its related to the choice of bushings which help make Mazdas such a joy to drive, but channel road noise into the cabin. My solution in my NC2 is to always drive with the roof down, unless driving rain or stifling heat necessitate otherwise. You can't hear the tyre rumble over the wind noise!

BTW, in my five years on this forum, I cannot recall anyone ever asking for a tyre recommendation where low noise was the preference. Most are usually concerned about maximum grip (wet and/or dry) and minimum cost. Usually high grip demands high noise. I'm using Michelin PS3s on my NC2 and they're beautiful in dry and wet conditions, and lasting quite well. But they're still quite noisy on coarse chip roads.

[bensale]

That the PS3s are noisy on the NC2 is interesting, have them on my Pug and they're impressively quiet - supports your theory.
Current model Mazda 3 has an obscene about of road noise when compared to say a VW Golf.

[Charlie Brown]

Michelin X hell they we're around 50 years ago, as manga_blue said, only taxi's use them.

I'm running PS3s and for $180 each in a 215x45x17 you won't get a better tyre for the NC.
Their performance in torrential rain when we did or Tassie trip was amazing.

[sailaholic]

180 a tire seems cheap! Never had to buy 17s (Na owner) always thought they were supposed to be significantly more expensive.


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[Guran]

180 a tire seems cheap! Never had to buy 17s (Na owner) always thought they were supposed to be significantly more expensive.

The trick is to get a common size. They're a lot more expensive for the stock 205/45R17 size. The 215s are 100% legal on NCs and also make the speedo more accurate.

[Mr Morlock]

The road noise on Mazda3 goes back years. I have heard also that Lexus even with same shape as other Toyota's are a quieter car. Noise insulation may also be a factor- not sure if anyone has done more work on the NC to add or use upgraded insulation. I think the consensus is that the tyres are not the only factor. Top down yes - it is a sports car.

[monty11ez]

I have Continental DWS on my NC. I really like them, not too loud and the performance is good.

[Sailor]

Rotate em and see how they after after a couple of weeks

[ferg]

hi guys, just an update - I fitted Kumho KU39 tyres and the changes are excellent. Still noisy but not nearly as much - quite acceptable. The KU39's are very nice and were about $170 per corner.