Comfort tyres

[roomy]

I have a 2010 tsi dsg roomy and find the bridgestone turanza 195/55 R15 85H tyres give a harsh noisy ride. Anyone recommend tyres for a softer, quieter ride please?

[pinkpanther]

I only realised how noisy the 195/55/15 Continentals fitted to my 1.6 CR TDi SE+ were when I changed to winters.

I'll add the Bridgestones (fitted to your car) to my list of "tyres to avoid" when they need replacing.

[Salut]

When my fitted Bridgestones needed changing I swapped to Barum Bravuris 2 (195/55 R15, 85H): it was SWMBO'd who commented that the Roomy 2 (07, 1.9tdi) was quieter. I recently changed the rear set, again going for the Barums. Definately quieter all round though I shall keep an eye on how long they last.

I found these two websites useful in the decision making: http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/ and http://www.blackcircles.com/tyres_uk.

With tyrereviews, follow the link on the right hand side Reviews by Vehicle - Tyres for Skoda - Skoda Tyres: the Bravuris 2 is at the top of the list! A local deal on the tyres also supported my change from Bridgestone.

Good hunting.

[Calomax]

When I first came in the site about 2 1/2 years ago, Falken ZE912s were highly recommended. I fitted them on the front when the original Bridgestones had worn out at 20,000 miles and have been delighted with them. They have now done 15,000 miles and have lots of life yet. Will probably stay with them all round when the rears are eventually needed.

[grafitti]

I just changed the existing Hero Milanza tires that were on the vehicle when i bought it. Replaced with Uniroyal Rainsport2. I don't find them overly noisy, handling in the rain is super, and from the reviews they seem to last a good while too... Rather cheap too at 120 for two including fitting and balancing.

[Lorenzo]

Given that for the Roomie 15" is the best compromise between comfort and road behaviour, I would say that a 185/60 represents the best option for comfort. I actually fit a 185/60 winter set and they are definitely more comfortable than the stock Bridgestone Turanza ER 300 195/55. The ride is softer and less noisy. Though, I must admit with the latter road behaviour is more precise, but on the roomster I would rather go for comfort. I often carry children & family and I cannot afford sporty itches

[GThomp6654]

Is it better getting reinforced tyres, or is the difference negligible?

[dieselV6]

Reinforced are better when they fail, as there is less risk of sidewall peeling off before you stop. especially important if you drive motorway/autobahn.

Some brands routinely ship their products as reinforced, I am long term (10yrs, 200k+ miles) user of Nokians on 2 different cars and they invariably come 5-7 grades stronger than regular Michelins/Contis/etc.

Since I mentioned Nokians, anything up to V speed rating from Nokian is very quiet, almost all models excellent in the wet and very good in the dry. The only Nokians to steer clear of are the eNtyres - they really have messed up rubber compound on these, quite deadly in the wet.

Best summer comfort tyre for me for Roomster would be Nokian H 185/60R15 or even 185/65R15. For winter, or even all weather in the UK it would be the WRs or W+, same size.

[roomy]

Thank you all for your comments, Pirelli used to make a soft, flexible tyre, any one had experience?

[dieselV6]

I have yet to find a soft, quiet Pirelli, in fact the noise of P600 and then P6000 my earlier cars came with was the very reason I started searching for quieter tyres and ended up with Nokians

[Lorenzo]

Thank you all for your comments, Pirelli used to make a soft, flexible tyre, any one had experience?

I think that reading some road tests could be a good thing to make up your mind. I usually read tests on the ADAC site (in German) and on the TCS- Swiss Touring Club - site (French, Italian and German), but I am sure you can find something in English, too...or give Google Translation a chance

Edited 2 April, 2012 by Lorenzo

[roomy]

I googled Nokian and they come highly recommended so will probably go for them, I improved the ride by reducing pressures down to 2 bars, hasn't affected the handling noticeably.

[ifekas]

<p> </p>

<div><p>My Roomster (205/45/r16) currently has Michelin Pilot Exalto tyres which were fitted when I had the car and which I have been extremely pleased with; and as they are wearing out, although expensive, I thought I would go for the same. However, although Michelin still do this tyre, for some reason it doesn't seem to be available in 205/45/r16 - the only equivalent that is available is the Michelin Pilot Sport 3. Has anyone had experience with this tyre?</p></div>

[ifekas]

Sorry, something seemed to go wrong with the formatting on my last post and it got truncated; I was going to say that I looked at the Falken recommended earlier in this thread but it had mixed reviews; the Nokian does not seem to be available at all in 205/45/r16. There is a Hankook Ventus Prime 2K115 which seems to be highly rated and it is cheap too; has anyone had experience with this tyre?

[dieselV6]

Looking at Michelin Pilot Sport 3, the thread pattern is one that should result in quieter ride, but the tyre compound is high speed (ZR/W speed rated). They are still rated as one of quieter tyres.

Look for tyres where thread does not have much cross-grooves in the center partand the speed rating is not excessive (H is more than enough), these usually produce less noise. There is no guarantee, however, as e.g. faster rated Michelins are consistently rated quieter than slower rated Contis.

[ifekas]

Ok thanks for that advice; Ill probably stick with Michelins.