[native_one]

I recently bought new tires for my '11 SX, and with about 600 miles on them (the car has about 40K), I'm still noticing a slight whine or hum at around 50 MPH, especially on smooth asphalt roads. It doesn't seem to be coming from any one tire, and they seem to be working fine otherwise (the car was aligned at the time as well). There's no vibration, and they don't pull or exhibit any other noise.

The tires are Bridgestone Serenity Turanza Plus, 235/55R-18. I was looking forward to a better, quieter tire than the factory ones, and am a little disappointed, but I was wondering if any of you have had a similar experience. Is this something that's normal with this tire, or can be expected to decrease with a little more break in?

 

[njerald]

Looking forward to a quieter tire and doing research to expect a quieter tire are two different things............

 

[native_one]

Of course I did research. I never buy things this expensive without it. Tirerack ratings, a Motor Trend review and several other Web sites with buyer ratings. Their noise and ride comfort ratings compared very favorably with other tires I was considering. I haven't owned an SUV before, so if this noise level is expected with this sort of tire, that would be nice to know. Is that the gist of your comment, or just that I chose poorly because I didn't bother to find out before I bough them that these were really noisy tires?

Otherwise, if you have a specific experience with these tires, and can comment on the noise I'm hearing, please do.

 

[MikDee]

Of course I did research. I never buy things this expensive without it. Tirerack ratings, a Motor Trend review and several other Web sites with buyer ratings. Their noise and ride comfort ratings compared very favorably with other ti tire noiseres I was considering. I haven't owned an SUV before, so if this noise level is expected with this sort of tire, that would be nice to know. Is that the gist of your comment, or just that I chose poorly because I didn't bother to find out before I bough them that these were really noisy tires?

Otherwise, if you have a specific experience with these tires, and can comment on the noise I'm hearing, please do.

I don't know what to make of this? Those tires seem highly rated, with no noise issues mentioned. They seem to be a good choice. Don't get to think an SUV makes that much more tire noise then a sedan. I'm not putting down your tires, but I went with new Cooper CS-4 touring tires, from previous experience they are the smoothest quietest tires I ever had, with tenacious A/W traction, because they were reasonably priced. My previous Tucson, & newer Sportage has very little tire noise, nor vibration.

 

[WD Pro]

Come on guys, what's wrong with my method of buying a tyre based purely on a cool looking tread patern ... ?

WD

 

[native_one]

You saw through me - my primary selection criterion was the cool tread pattern:

 

[WD Pro]

I am going for these next ...

:lol:

 

[WISporatgeSX]

I am not a tire expert and I know nothing about these specific tires. But, I would expect brand new tires (600 miles is still new in my book) going 50 MPH, you are going to hear trend hum.

 

[native_one]

So it's not the tires...

Well, I decided to take the car in this afternoon to the dealer who installed the tires. We went for a drive, they put it up on the rack and checked things out, and I was told it's an intermediate shaft, so they're replacing it under warranty (I have 43K miles on it - a lot of miles on it, but mostly highway).

Things do fail prematurely, but I'm sure glad I have that drivetrain warranty now, in case there are some design issues and this isn't just a defective part.

 

[willmacs]

Did the noise go away?

 

[native_one]

No, so the dealer switched the front and rear tires, and the noise was still there. Now, after a year and 30K+ miles more with the tires, the noise is reduced, but it's still noticeable. I'll look elsewhere than Bridgestone Serenitys when these wear out. Hopefully I can find something that gives decent all-season performance and is quieter. I'm not sure how I ensure the latter, though - I did my research on these, and they were rated and reviewed as good in the noise category. The reviews hit it on performance, though, as they've been good in water and snow.

 

[1saxman]

I was going to ask you about the tire pressure you run, and whether changing it affected the noise volume. Frequently owners run too much tire pressure. Set it cold with a gauge that you know is good, and do not exceed the pressure on the door/frame sticker. You can get away with maybe 3 PSI less, and that much can make a big difference in ride and noise.

 

[native_one]

I checked right away to see if they were overinflated, as every once in a while the dealer will do that, but they were dead nuts on the door specs. I don't know how good my gauge is, but I've kept the pressure right on the spec over the last year and have noticed, as I said, a reduction in noise. I haven't tried reducing the pressure, but anyway I think it's just the tread pattern - maybe it's just more aggressive than the OEM tires, or maybe there's some acoustic interaction with the wheel well, suspension, etc.