Tyres, yet again: 18" re noise in particular

[Jesse B]

Firstly, apologies for starting yet another tyre thread! I know there've been many, and I know tyres are so subjective - but I've spent quite some time searching back through the forum and have not (yet) found the kind of information / experience I'm chasing.

I have run Goodyear Wrangler Adventures in 265/60 x 18s for about two years now, and have done around 60k on them. Most of my driving is highway, with occasional forays off road and sometimes into gnarly stuff - though when that happens I am notoriously slow and cautious. They've worn well and still have perhaps 20k left in them - but in recent times they've become noticeably noisier, to the point where it's time to move them on. Interestingly, they were what I would consider quiet for perhaps the first 40-50k of their lifespan.

I'm particularly concerned about road noise as I have dodgy hearing these days (too much loud music / too many loud motorcycles when younger!) and need to be able to hear conversation in the Disco as it is a work vehicle. So - I'm chasing folk's experience and recommendations for a quiet tyre that will still give reasonable performance in the non-bitumen situations described above. Many recommend D697s or BFG AT/KO but I'm a little dubious about highway noise in this realm of "true" AT options. Others that may be alternatives include Grabber AT's or AT2's, Hankook Dynapro AT's, Pirelli Scorpions and Yoko Geolandar GO12s or even the more-highway oriented GO38s.

There are probably a bunch of others too - and I don't want to start a free-for-all here - but my needs are a little different from many on the forum, who (understandably) are preparing for long back-country trips etc. I'm not overly concerned about wear, though obviously that is some sort of factor. Any / all thoughts & experience welcome...

Thanks folk,
Jesse

[Tombie]

If you need quiet you need to stick with H/T..

[Ozzy119]

D697s were good. I'm finding BFG A/T KO2 louder.

Coopers, quiet but I had 2 broken ones so changed brands.

[RobA]

Our experience with D697's are they are about the same as the standard Goodyears on 19". Noise level does not change regardless of speed, on bitumen and gravel.

Rob

[Garfield]

I have BF Goodridge KO2's 265/60 r18 on my 2016 D4 and I find them reasonable quiet for a more aggressive AT LT tyre but saying that they do have a noticeable "wine" between 45 to 60 km/h - particularly on over run. I do a few trips up and down the Hume Hwy each month and find the noise quiet acceptable. They have done about 20,000 km

[l00kin4]

Not trying to be controversial but I alternate between OEM Wranglers on the 19s and D697's on the 18s and although I don't have an issue with the noise of the D697s, I do find the Wranglers noticeably quieter. I agree with Tombie and also agree with RobA that the noise of the D697s is consistent.
David

[BMKal]

I have been running Mickey Thompson STZ in 265/60 X 18 on mine for a few years now. Not noticeably any noisier than the Continental H/T's that were on it originally, and ideally suited to the driving conditions you have described.

My young bloke has just fitted same tyres to his Amarok, and he is also very pleased with them. [wink11]

[Graeme]

I had Yoko G012 in a LT size on my D2 and considered them very quiet and the G015, the G012 replacements, are promoted as being quieter.

[guthrie]

I have been running Mickey Thompson STZ in 265/60 X 18 on mine

I have these on my D4 as well. They are fine at 80km/h+ but I find they hum quite a bit on smooth asphalt between 50 and 70km/h. Certainly noisier than the Firestone Destination H/Ts (255/55/19) I had before.

I only go offroad a few times every year... so Im thinking of changing to the Pirelli ATR or Yoko Geolander ATS.

[Silenceisgolden]

I have exactly the same issue, also caused by excessive time spent on excessively noisy motorbikes. I don't do serious off-road work in the D4, use the Oka for that, and I don't care much about wear rates, my only concern is noise. Michelin make a tyre that is rated (in the UK) as quieter than the wranglers, but I was very disappointed - not nearly as nice as the wranglers. Any tyre tends to get noisier as it ages and I change my Wranglers at about 40,000 k's. Currently I have the Good Year 'Efficient Grip' tyres, and they are the quietest yet. I am running 18's, so it might be different for different sizes.

[scarry]

The KO2 AT I have are definitely quieter than the old KO,but noisier than the OEM Pirelli.

They have a sort of drone around 60km/hr,but not too bad.

As Tombie said if you want quietness,stay with H/T tyres.

Everything is a compromise.

[Jesse B]

Thanks to everyone who has responded thus far - all input is useful, and makes for interesting reading (and much concerted thinking).

I take the point about "if you want quiet go to H/T" but I guess I'm hoping to work out something on the quieter-but-perhaps-less-robust end of the A/T range.

Keep the thoughts & experience coming!

Jesse

[AK83]

BFG AT KO2 245/75/16's on my brother's D2 are much quieter than the Geolander AT-S 255/70/16's on my D1.

KO2s (as already said) are a more aggressive tyre tread and are very quiet for that tread type.
My Geolander AT-Ss are wayy too loud considering they're biased towards road/sand going by the tread pattern, and fairly hopeless even in shallow mud!

I'm fairly sure mine are GO12's, going by the tread pattern, but I can't see it marked anywhere on my tyres.
I wouldn't recommend them if noise was a primary factor. They are very good on wet roads tho, no doubt about that.

Having a look at the Yokohoma website to see what my tyres model were, I see they have a GO15 model available now, which they claim is much quieter than the GO12 .. maybe they could be a non H/T type option, if their marketing spiel is accurate.

[LRD414]

I found the D697s very close to the original Goodyear HTs for noise (or lack there of) until around 2/3 worn. They certainly fit the bill for your off-road requirements being a robust LT spec and stronger than many ATs. And certainly quieter than the KO2s now on.

Scott

[Tombie]

Goodyear HTs and 697s?
Not even close.. whilst I don't find the 697s intrusive they are much louder...

For the OP - to keep a tyre a quiet the blocks need to be closer together, shorter (less squirm) and patterned to contact progressively rather than square to the road.

[Tombie]

Take a good solid look at a Grabber AT3... with such a close pattern it's going to be one of the best candidates

[jwb]

Took the GG AT3's down the highway and they are nice and quiet.

[MartyJB]

I have D697s in 18s and would say they're just every so slightly noisier than Goodyear or Pirelli scorpion zero road tyres I've run on the 19s, but in no way annoying.

[Jesse B]

Again, thanks for the further input. Interesting to read the mixed reports re the D697s - just underlines how subjective all this is. At this stage I'm contemplating either the GG AT3s or Yoko G015s, with Mickey Thompson STZs another prospect. But still keen for any further input / thoughts / experience as I have a little more time before making a decision.

As a matter of interest - a question for jwb: what pressures are you running in your AT3s?

[PerthDisco]

Compared to father in laws Pajero the Disco is like a magnetic levitation vehicle. That is #1 the car is very very quiet to begin with on its dual chassis. Beyond that throw in the stereo and kids and tyre noise is something I'm not going to hear anytime soon!

[Redback]

Anything is quiet compared to MAXXIS Bighorns[bigsad] you FIND YOURSELF YELLING AT PEOPLE WHEN YOU STOP, what... YOU FIND YOUR....sorry, it's the tyres you know:lol2:

I found the D697s very quiet, the Dynopro ATs are good too, though a bit noiser in corners, nothing to worry about though, the quietest tyre we've ever had were the Khumo KL78s, not available now(replaced now with KL61) they were whisper quiet.

[RobA]

Jesse the issue with any tyre is as they wear past 60% they get noisier. All to do with their design and build internally and externally. We have tested with Bridgestone and Goodyear for the last 15 years and across a lot of different 4WD tyres including development patterns and construction and that includes D693, D694 and D697 for development and durability. I know the tyre engineers well and from that comes a decent understanding and appreciation of how a good tyre gets built in the factory for subsequent abuse.

You have not mentioned if you are worried about load rating but are more interested in noise. So one tyre not so far mentioned is the Goodyear Silent Armour which is available in 18" with a LR of 109. The new GG AT3 also will deserve a look for sure as both tread designs are quite benign.

We do >20,000km each year travelling outback Australia so a lot of time on and off bitumen. We want durability, LR, comfort and low NVH. So for us it stays as the D697 for the foreseeable future. As an aside we have specified the D674 on our new Quantum Plus not for those reasons but as they are readily available in the places we frequent, have a 123LR so are plenty strong enough to run the very low pressures we set in sand and rocky tracks and it has a very good chemical and engineered construction that should see them last quite a while

There is no such thing as the perfect tyre. Everyone has a different view and preference based on their experience and that can be over vastly differing terrain and driving conditions. Per comments in this thread if you are looking for something very quiet then linear tread blocks very close together. But that counts for not a lot if you want to regularly tackle mud for example. From there pretty much all the AT branded tyres are designed as crossovers which is where they immediately try to be not the best of both worlds but good in both.

Rob

[NavyDiver]

I had Grabbers AT2's on my D3. When Pirelli Scorpions put on I would estimate they were 20-30% less noisy on the road than the grabbers. I would agree with the comment if you want quiet Highway rubber rather than ATs would be better. Have you considered a spare set of rims for the off road rubber?

[Graeme]

So one tyre not so far mentioned is the Goodyear Silent Armour which is available in 18" with a LR of 109. The new GG AT3 also will deserve a look for sure as both tread designs are quite benign.
Has the Silent Armor been re-introduced?

[RobA]

Has the Silent Armor been re-introduced?
According to their website WRANGLER SILENT ARMOR, Goodyear, Australia (http://www.goodyear.com.au/dotCMS/TyreDetailAction?website=GYR&websegmentcode=RV&websegmentcode2=&mtpcode=00386&from=nPerPage)

Rob

[Jesse B]

Thanks to RobA, Graeme & others who have replied recently - more useful thoughts there. I'm well aware there is no "perfect" tyre (or we'd all be using them and discussions like this would go the way of the Dodo), but I guess it's a case of trying to create a spectrum from highway on the left to hard-core on the right, and then pick the point that suits one's own uses best.

I spoke to a highly recommended tyre dealer this morning, who suggested that G015s are particularly good value at present, with a buy 3 get 1 free deal running. He also pushed the Scorpion ATRs as a more highway-oriented cross-over - and commented that Pirelli do three versions in 18", with different load & speed ratings. Load rating is an interesting one, with a 110 rating giving 1060kg per wheel - which raises the question that if one is not towing how much more does one need? By my dodgy maths that is 4240 kg in total, which should allow a good 1000 kg or more for load (over the vehicle, even with bits like bars etc added) - or am I missing something here?

Most interestingly, he said that the General rep here in WA told him AT3s are not yet available here - non "on the water" so at least 6-8 weeks away. Which raises the question for those who have GG AT3s already fitted: where did you buy them from?

[Redback]

Thanks to RobA, Graeme & others who have replied recently - more useful thoughts there. I'm well aware there is no "perfect" tyre (or we'd all be using them and discussions like this would go the way of the Dodo), but I guess it's a case of trying to create a spectrum from highway on the left to hard-core on the right, and then pick the point that suits one's own uses best.

I spoke to a highly recommended tyre dealer this morning, who suggested that G015s are particularly good value at present, with a buy 3 get 1 free deal running. He also pushed the Scorpion ATRs as a more highway-oriented cross-over - and commented that Pirelli do three versions in 18", with different load & speed ratings. Load rating is an interesting one, with a 110 rating giving 1060kg per wheel - which raises the question that if one is not towing how much more does one need? By my dodgy maths that is 4240 kg in total, which should allow a good 1000 kg or more for load (over the vehicle, even with bits like bars etc added) - or am I missing something here?

Most interestingly, he said that the General rep here in WA told him AT3s are not yet available here - non "on the water" so at least 6-8 weeks away. Which raises the question for those who have GG AT3s already fitted: where did you buy them from?

If you're looking at the GG AT3 it's only available in 235/60R18 or if you have 19s 255/55/19, so no 265 or 255/60/18, but only on the east coast at the moment, the AT2 might be a better shot for the west, available in 255/60/18, 275/65/18 and 285/60/18, this is from the Bob Jane website though, GG don't list the AT3 on their webpage.

General Tire - Tyres - Bob Jane T-Marts (https://www.bobjane.com.au/tyres/general-tire/)

[Jesse B]

Thanks Baz. The European site for General Tyres lists a bunch of sizes in 18", including 255/60, 265/60 and 265/65. Maybe these are not yet coming into Australia? Does this mean folk who are using them on their Disco's are buying overseas and shipping them in? Hopefully somebody who is running them will fill us in - maybe jwb?

[Graeme]

Bob Jane may have imported a shipment of various AT3 sizes but now only have a few left. Yokohama didn't release the G015 in Australia (they were in the warehouse though) whilst they still had a fair range of sizes of the G012 so perhaps GG have stocks of AT2 that they want to sell before starting on the AT3.

[scarry]

Thanks to RobA, Graeme & others who have replied recently - more useful thoughts there. I'm well aware there is no "perfect" tyre (or we'd all be using them and discussions like this would go the way of the Dodo), but I guess it's a case of trying to create a spectrum from highway on the left to hard-core on the right, and then pick the point that suits one's own uses best.

I spoke to a highly recommended tyre dealer this morning, who suggested that G015s are particularly good value at present, with a buy 3 get 1 free deal running. He also pushed the Scorpion ATRs as a more highway-oriented cross-over - and commented that Pirelli do three versions in 18", with different load & speed ratings. Load rating is an interesting one, with a 110 rating giving 1060kg per wheel - which raises the question that if one is not towing how much more does one need? By my dodgy maths that is 4240 kg in total, which should allow a good 1000 kg or more for load (over the vehicle, even with bits like bars etc added) - or am I missing something here?

Most interestingly, he said that the General rep here in WA told him AT3s are not yet available here - non "on the water" so at least 6-8 weeks away. Which raises the question for those who have GG AT3s already fitted: where did you buy them from?

You are overthinking the load rating.If you want a tuff,strong tyre,then go the higher load rating.
Lower load rating may be slightly less money,and may even have a slightly better ride,but has much more chance of being damaged.

[Graeme]

According to their website WRANGLER SILENT ARMOR, Goodyear, Australia (http://www.goodyear.com.au/dotCMS/TyreDetailAction?website=GYR&websegmentcode=RV&websegmentcode2=&mtpcode=00386&from=nPerPage)

RobI know a person who will be very happy to find they're available again. He has 265/60R18 on his D3 as they suit his usage well which includes a lot of serious track work and aren't noisy for everyday use. I had them in LT225/75R16 on a D2 including for a Madigan's trip.

[RobA]

Graeme we rate them very highly for outback travel, particularly the 123LR version which sadly is only in 17" or lower sizes. We put around 50,000km on them rotating across two cars within 6 months including Cape York, Simpson, High Country and Kimberley. No punctures, heavily loaded and around 45% of that distance one of us was towing an Ultimate. Not a muddy but a great all rounder. Would put a set on if they had a better LR but can's see any reason to move away from the 697's

Rob

[AK83]

..... Yokohama didn't release the G015 in Australia (they were in the warehouse though) whilst they still had a fair range of sizes of the G012 ....

So they list it on their local (.com.au) website, but don't sell it here? :p

Yokohama's website can lead you to a dealer near you, Bob Jane seems to be their primary retailer.

As a price guide, a 265/60/18 retails at about $399(according to their webiste) .. so you could probably chase it up a little cheaper at an actual store.
Bob Jane appears to be about the only retailer selling them tho... and don't appear to have many sizes in stock(majority of them are listed as 'get quote')
But of the listed prices, they appear to be around $10 less listed on the Bob Jane price list compared to Yokohama's RRP list.

I do have these as one of my options for my D2(18") .. but I'm in no rush. The D2 will primarily be a hwy vehicle(D1 is offroader), so in order of priority I'm looking for (1)quiet, (2)durable tyre, with (3)a bit of off road capability, but that isn't so important tho.

[Jesse B]

I can confirm that a limited number of G015's in the 265/60x18 size are available through Bob Jane. I've been quoted $360 each by a couple of dealers, but at present there is a "buy 3 get 1 free" deal on the go, which means 4 will cost $1080 or 5 $1440 - though I've been able to get that price with a wheel alignment thrown in. Having read through all the excellent feedback in this thread, and much more out there on the net - and having considered my needs carefully - I've decided to fit these, and the job will be done on Friday.

I have a couple of long country runs coming up in the next two weeks, and will make a diary note to post some impressions on this thread somewhere around the end of May.

Thanks again to all who have contributed!

Jesse

[Graeme]

So they list it on their local (.com.au) website, but don't sell it here? :pNo, they weren't listed on their web-site but a local tyre outlet that's owned by Yokohama several months ago advised that the tyres were indeed in Australia awaiting the run-down of the G012 stocks. I had been inquiring about 275/55R20 which had been available overseas for quite some time.

[AK83]

No, they weren't listed on their web-site but a local tyre outlet that's owned by Yokohama several months ago advised .....

I checked the site a few weeks ago(maybe even a month??) .. Yokohama AU website (http://www.yokohama.com.au/Tyres/Geolandar-AT.aspx) .. and they've been listed since then.

Like I said, I've been looking for 18" tyres(new to me, being used to 16" wheels for so long!) to see what's available, for about the last 4-5 months now, so regularly check prices to find a decent tyre at a good price for the D2.

[Graeme]

My inquiry was late January.

[jwb]

As a matter of interest - a question for jwb: what pressures are you running in your AT3s?

36 front 40 rear

[mowog]

I put General Gabber AT2's on mine and I am surprise at how quiet they are.

[Alfa156Melb]

D697s were good. I'm finding BFG A/T KO2 louder.

Coopers, quiet but I had 2 broken ones so changed brands.


I'd second that.. but I'm a forum nooby so take it with a grain of salt. :) I had D697's on the car I just traded in for my new Disco and loved them, whisper quite, fantastic off road too.

As soon as I can stomach the cost, I'll fit the same to the Land Rover.