Tires for Texas concrete: 2009 JSW

[tdiatlast]

Help! I'm moving from mostly asphalt (DC region) to mostly concrete (DFW region). I'm at 70k, stock suspension, need 225/45 x 17 to replace my awful, loud, grinding, lumpy Goodyear Eagle LS2 tires.

I just spent 2 more days in the DFW region, rental car, (Ford Focus) ContiProContacts, and they were LOUD on concrete. Must have been aired to 35psi+, as they were very nervous, as well.

Any first-hand advice (as in JSW, preferably same tire size) for a quiet tire? Tirerack lists Pirelli P-7s, I've got Conti DWS on my 2012 Passat, which are much quieter than the OEM Hankooks. They're $137 each today, and are highly rated.

Thanks in advance. I'll also be looking for a guru in the DFW region (actually, Fort Worth!)

 

[kydsid]

I can't give you jsw advice. But can say I tested the contis and the Michelin primacy mxm4 before buying and bought the Michelin because they were quieter.

Have to say though it isn't the concrete roads that are loudest in Texas. If you think they are loud you have a shock coming when you drive on our asphalt state highways.

 

[Midnight Rider]

I put mxm4's on my wife's wagon while still living in west Texas and I think they do a pretty decent job. So much so that I now put them on my sedan as well.

My wife had contis on her wagon stock, they were not bad, but or course louder in the end.

 

[geoman]

do you really have to have 17's on the vehicle? tirerack or a competitor might give you a prorated discount on your good used rubber to get your business offsetting the 16" rims cost. 16's will help take some of the jarring over bumps and still perform & look pretty good. can't speak to 17" nokian ntyres but my 205/55/16s are fantastic & quiet. like every tire i do notice a 'drone' noise difference from one tire surface to another.

 

[roadhard1960]

Concrete roads are noisier than blacktop? I drive on smooth new blacktop, concrete, big aggregate rain draining blacktop, and older rain draining blacktop. The old blacktop is loud as can be but all the rest is quiet. For those who have never seen the rain draining asphalt I guess they use 1/2"-3/4" aggregate instead of 1/4"-1/2" aggregate. You can see a difference when following trucks as they spray a nearly blinding mist from the smooth roads but the rain draining stuff barely makes a tire mist. OK a concrete road might sing a bit more than an asphalt but a well worn asphalt road should have the same sing. Same aggregates (different size) but different binders.

I use the Michelin Primacy tires but in a smaller fuel mileage size.

Last Ford Focus I drove was my brother in laws. It was so noisy I got out a floor jack and spun the tires to see what was going on. The tires had 20,000 miles on them and a visible lateral runout when spun in the air. Sister inlaw's car had the same noise.

 

[Bill W]

I just put the Pirelli P7s on my 09 sedan and love them. They are quieter than the Goodyear tires that just came off. On the plus side for the P7s, on tirerack.com, the taller 60mm sidewalls were cheaper than the 55s.

 

[tdiatlast]

Thanks for all the responses. I'm hoping for more input from Texas, for 225/45 x 17 tires.
I've driven multiple rentals in the DFW region. I've also driven several of my own cars there, with various brands of tires/dimensions. I've found the concrete in the region to be very noisy (high-pitched drone), and yes, the country road coarse aggregate asphalt as well (grumbly). I'm just looking for a decent tire, in the above size, with the least noise.

 

[Roshermoore]

Michelin Primacy MXV4

I switched my OEM tires two years ago to the above tire. Much quieter than the OEM tire (forgot which one, but was another Michelin tire) I don't know if Michelin has your size in this tire but one of the other Primacys should be just as quiet and give you good tread life.

 

[robbinsresort]

Continental Extreme Contact DWS. Best tire I've ever owned. Quiet and rides great. Excellent wet and ice traction.

As for shops in Tarrant County, you can't go wrong with TDI GUY or Dubsquared. I can highly recommend both shops.

Chris

 

[aja8888]

Continental Extreme Contact DWS. Best tire I've ever owned. Quiet and rides great. Excellent wet and ice traction.

As for shops in Tarrant County, you can't go wrong with TDI GUY or Dubsquared. I can highly recommend both shops.

Chris

I'm with Chris above on all counts. I had the 17" DWS on two Passat TDIs and they were fine. Stop by and get to know Steve Glover (TDI GUY). He is mtbr297 in this forum.

 

[tdiatlast]

Thanks to both the above posts. I've got the DWS (18s) on my Passat, glad to hear you like the 17s as well. They're cheaper than Pirelli by a little, and the Michelin by a lot!
Thanks for the tech advice, as well. Moving in July, and hopefully it's just one less thing to have to worry about!

 

[aja8888]

Thanks to both the above posts. I've got the DWS (18s) on my Passat, glad to hear you like the 17s as well. They're cheaper than Pirelli by a little, and the Michelin by a lot!
Thanks for the tech advice, as well. Moving in July, and hopefully it's just one less thing to have to worry about!

Besides Steve's help, Alphasenior (Brian Hoage) has a good shop in Richardson outside of Dallas. He's the fellow that wrote the long ALH 5 speed swap thread a few years ago.