Cromax

That is the reason why (if he bought his car new) he should get the tyres replaced for free ... or at least the dealer should chip in a bit. If the car's been serviced by the same dealer, it's worth a shot still.

auzoom

Assuming the dealer took on the responsibility of doing the wheel alignments. Mine wouldnt and that was fine by me.

enforcer

I've just come back tonight from a 1,000 km round trip to Coffs Harbour and whilst we had a great trip, at times the tyre noise drove me mad. Oddly enough there other sections of the highway where the tyres were whisper quiet, so I can't figure it out.

When Mazda checked out the wheel bearings, gearbox and transmission I got the thumbs up. I'm going to have to ask them now to do some serious examination of those wheels, and as you say.....re-examine the balance.

I should get a sound level meter reading of the noise inside the car and post it up as well!!!

auzoom

trevor, I think I mentioned it before but the RE040's have an extremely tough sidewall which in itself is prone to noise. As they wear down you end up running on the sidewall more than when they were new. This equals more noise.

Curiosity...did you take note of what road surfaces made noise and which didnt? I have found, regardless of tyres, pure ashphalt roads are very quiet, "pebblemix" surfaces are terrible.

Cheers

Andrew

thisllub

I suspect that the noisier the road the harder it is on tyres.
Asphalt is usually a finer grain and quieter. The concrete roads around the back of the Gold Coast are a disgrace, noisy and uneven.
The standard b-road around here is blue metal and spray seal. It takes tough feet to walk on them without shoes, imagine what that does to tyres.
No surprise my tyres are nearly spent.

enforcer

Interesting point Andrew. The most noticeable section of road was between Bellingen and Coffs Harbour, where the divided road section appeared to have dense stones and produced some very loud tyre noise.

Conversely, there was a section of divided road about 30 kms north of Grafton where it was absolutely whisper quiet. The surface was lighter in colour and the stone size grading much smaller.

This graph backs up the smaller the stone, the lower the db rating...

labrat

I fled from the RE040's after barely making it to 40,000km and near unbearably noisy for the last 25,000km on virtually all road surfaces. The Fulda Exeleros I am now running have nearly 40,000km on them, and still lots of meat left. They are very quiet on most surfaces, but on some surfaces I can experience a range of noises. On some very smooth suburban roads, there is almost a rhythmic whine.

I understand that tyre noise is a very complex thing, and while the size of the road metal substrate is no doubt important, there are other factors such as tread design, tread block size and shape, and the way in which the various block sizes and shapes and patterns of shapes are arranged around the tyre. Inevitably you will get a combination of tyre speed, tyre pattern and road surface which will generate more noise than other combinations. I doubt envy the job of a tyre designer, particularly those people engaged in designing performance tyres where extreme roadholding has to be put alongside with noise, wet and dry weather performance and longevity.

Rotor Convert

Hi there,

Reading this thread with interest and I know your pain! I complained to Mazda Australia, to my dealer and to anyone who would listen! I hate the stockie tyres and they are now gracing the tyre rack in the shed along with the waste of space spare. I put my ever quiet yokohama db's on the car and they are whisper quiet. They are 1 inch too small but for my peace of mind and mental state I don't care at all. They are a lovely tyre, quiet, getting good wear, they grip in the wet and the dry and they weren't too expensive. I have done about 20,000 kms on them now and did about 10,000 kms on them when I had my Honda. The Bridgestone Rubble tyres lasted for about 35,000 kms before I turfed them. I am in the market for new tyres for my stockie rims as thinking of turning the car over...it's got 11 more months on the lease....

Anyway I think what Labrat has said is what I have been told by the WD and the tyre fiend we have who sets up our race cars. The bigger the block pattern the more noise the tyre makes. The firmer the sidewall the firmer the ride but the better the handling. The softer the rubber the more fanging you can do...but you get less k's. You cannot have your cake and eat it too otherwise we would all have the same tyre......maybe we should design one!!!

Anyway I think IMHO that Mazda should put a better stock tyre on their cars like the 8. Maybe it's endemic though as I seem to remember the Honda had the same issue with it's Bridgestones......that's why I got the yokies....

Sigh....is there ever anything that doesn't turn to crapola with cars???

enforcer

It was very refreshing to read your post Rotor Convert.

Its also interesting to read that Yokohama claim the DB S2 is one of the quietest tyres on the market.

Is this the same tyre you are referring to?

The Viking

I have also had problems with scalloping on my OEM tyres. They are now at 36,000 km and in severe need of replacement. I got a quote for Bridgestone Adrenalines in August at $260 per corner, but because I was trying to squeeze out a few extra kms held off a bit. I rang around today at the best I could get a quote for in Adelaide was $379. When I queried this they said there had been a slight price increase! This about a 30% increase - ridiculous. I was pretty set on the Adrenalines but may now have to reconsider.
Looks like I have a lot more ringing around ahead of me.

thisllub

I just got back from a similar trip. Murwillumbah to Coffs & Dorrigo via the Pacific then back via the Armidale - Grafton road and Summerland way. Great fun.

The best bit is the singing road on the new freeway section near Brunswick Heads. On one 2km section the tyres play a descending arpeggiated minor triad about 4 times. I have been on the same section of road twice now. It cracks me up.

enforcer

Jaxfix tyres currently have the Bridgestone Adrenalin 235/40/R18s going for $325 fitted.

I'm tempted, but I'm curious if theres any difference in performance with the 235/45/18's?

LINK.......http://www.jaxquickfit.com.au/tyre-s...formance.html#

auzoom

All I can suggest is be patient. If you can hold out, do so as the manufacturers have specials towards end of month/quarter. I always pop into my local tyrepower to find out what RX-8 friendly tyres are on special. 2 or 3 times a year there are some really good bargains.

DrewMan

Ill need new rubber for my new rims once i get them!


The nangkangs are just refusing to die!

Im taking them to the skidpan this weekend to see if I can give them a good sendoff

auzoom

those tyres will die when your rims turn up...never

Rotor Convert

Hi Enforcer,

My tyres are DB V550 their size is a little 225/45/R17. They are starting to get a little thin on tread now I have taken the time to actually have a good look. Still have a 1/4 of their life left though. I don't think they make this type any more.

If you want to get a good price on tyres in Adelaide try:

NOrth Terrace Tyres and ask for Dominic, tell him Julia sent you.

JAck Baker Tyres Adelaide. I don't know anyone there but they have a good rep here.

Although reading that Nankangs don't die I might look at them!!! I had a set of tyres that lasted on my Datto 1600 for years....can't remember the name of them though.....couldn't tell you if they were noisy cause the engine noise used to deafen me!!! Oh now I remember....they were SKYWAYS.....remember them

Rotor Convert

I have found the Federals for $245 here in Adelaide but am sure I could get some $$ off this $.
Also got following prices: Nankang $210 per corner Traction $140 (although I don't know how good they would be??? at that price not very I suspect.
Also got info on Neuton tyres....they seem to be ok. They are non-directional type pattern.....so ?? should be a bit quieter. They come in at $180 each. There are some called a Full Run as well at $175 each.

Just as an aside. Bruce ran rally tyres on his car in a recent rally. One lot were Kuhmos' and one lot were a "like no name" brand tyre. He said the difference was astonishing in the tyre. He liked the no-name tyre so much better. I think these days there are only so many places pumping out tyres and we pay more for branding and prestige rather than a good tyre. When talking to the guy at the tyre shop he talked about tyres having a good look to them!! WTF. Quite frankly it can look as ugly as sin as far as I am concerned as long as it holds in the wet, holds in the dry doesn't get noisy and wears reasonably well. Are we becoming victims of the tyre fashion police????? I have to get new tyres too....but will do some research and then get something that will be quiet when I sell the 8. The next person can deal with the whir whir whir.......not me :-)

The Viking

After putting this off too long already I have decided to go with the Hankook Ventus V8 RS H424. The best price I could get in Adelaide was $261 each from Kevin Kenny tyres. Getting them fitted tomorrow.

mdr

I went to Bob Janes here on the Gold Coast and picked up a tire called the Corsa for $170 a corner.
So far only 1000k on them but they are very good in wet and dry.
Ride is very quite they are a non directional tire, which I wanted for the quite ride since this is an everyday driver.

Not sure how the wear is going to be but the price was right and the tire seems to stick good.

auzoom

Th pirelli pzero corsa is a very good tyre. That is a fantastic price. In fact I would be questioning why its so cheap. Not sure if a lot of people are aware but tyres have a shelf life. Im only aware because of research into R Compound tyres. Basically the softer the rubber (or the higher the performance rating) the shorter its shelf life. Not terribly scientific but a good rule of thumb.

From Car Bibles
Also some good reading here http://www.gt40s.com/forum/gt40-tech...helf-life.html

Cheers

Andrew

enforcer

Thanks Andrew - you have provided all of us with some very valuable advice. I was going to get my newbies today, and the second thing I'm going to be doing after negotiating the price is checking out the DOT code.

I'm with you though...that it a fantastic price....

auzoom

No worries mate. I sometimes worry I am sounding a little to negative. I dont mean it that way, it really is so to help people be aware and not get taken for a ride.

mdr

These are not the pirelli pzero corsa, these are a brand name of Corsa.

Never heard of them before nor can I find anything on the net about them.
But they have a pretty decent DOT rating, W speed 400 tread life, A tread wear and A heat rating. The dealer said they were an import sold in the US but I think they are made in Indonesia.

Anyhow they have a nice tread pattern and it will be interesting to see how long they last.

mdr

Some more info I found out on the tires.

http://www.americanpacificindustries...ory=Passenger#
Same tire same tread pattern UTOG rating and made by the same manufacturer in the same plant in Indonesia.

enforcer

What size Corsa tyres did you get....?