Pilot Sport road noise?

[edlvrt]

My ZHP came with a set of Pilot Sports that now have ~15,000 miles on them. There is heaps of tread left, but recently they have started making so much noise they sound like Super Swampers. Is this related to the cold, or do they all behave like that? The price to pay for grip?

[Hermes]

I don't have crazy amounts of noise on my Pilots (also around 15k). I honestly think the Potenza's I had before were louder

[webster]

i had some worn Pilot Sports on the car when i bought it and they were very noisy. i especially noticed them making more noise between 10-20mph. i even created a thread about it cause i was worried it might be a suspension issue.

i replaced them with Hankook Ventus V12s and the difference is night and day. highly recommend the Hankooks.

[derbo]

check your tire pressures and make sure there is no uneven wear on the tires. Feathering or cupping in the tires can also lead to louder noises from the tires.

http://www.procarcare.com/includes/content/resourcecenter/encyclopedia/ch25/25readtirewear.html

[kayger12]

check your tire pressures and make sure there is no uneven wear on the tires. Feathering or cupping in the tires can also lead to louder noises from the tires.

http://www.procarcare.com/includes/content/resourcecenter/encyclopedia/ch25/25readtirewear.html

This. I'd bet you have feathering on the inner shoulder.

Take a tread-depth gauge to them. It's not always apparent to the naked eye.

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

[danewilson77]

This. I'd bet you have feathering on the inner shoulder.

Take a tread-depth gauge to them. It's not always apparent to the naked eye.

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

Feathering = low noise

Cupping = Casey loud

True?

[GSEN820]

^^TRUE

[edlvrt]

Thanks for the info guys. I had the car in the shop the other day and they didn't notice anything loose/work in the suspension other than a slight leak at the right rear shock. Could that have any impact? I tried to measure the tread depth at different spots, but I will need to pull the wheels to do it more thoroughly. I'll see if I can do that this weekend. By the Mk1 eye, the look even. Tire pressure has been checked and maintained regularly since I purchased her.


i had some worn Pilot Sports on the car when i bought it and they were very noisy. i especially noticed them making more noise between 10-20mph.

Yeah, they are loudest from 15-20 mph, especially when you are slowing down to come to a stop and can't hear the engine singing as much.

[GSEN820]

The ZHP we have has Pilot Sports. The 325ci has Hankooks.

The Pilot Sports are louder than the Hankooks. My car is slammed too, but no issues. The ZHP will be getting Hankooks.

Whatever you do stay away from KDW those were the worst tire I have ever had. I had a Toyota Tacoma with Mickey Thompson Super Swappers and they sound the exact same. = )

[zhpnsnv]

My buddy had pilot sports and they were raucous. He had some cupping due to a bent wheel, but the damn tires were just angry loud all the time. I think mileage is obviously a concern as high perf summer tires aren't guaranteed to go much past 15k miles, but I think age is also a consideration with those tires.

Solution: buy new tires.


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[webster]

Yeah, they are loudest from 15-20 mph, especially when you are slowing down to come to a stop and can't hear the engine singing as much.

exact same symptom i was having. get new tires, you will be amazed by the difference :)

[edlvrt]

I'll keep them for a bit more as there is still a lot of tread left. I'll see if I can get them on a track a time or two before I get something newer.

[zhp43867]

The original Pilot Sports have a V pattern, and are the tire it seems like you all have. V Pattern tires always get very noisy when they wear down, otherwise the Pilot Sport is a more stable feeling tire than the V12 that inspires more confidence.

The Pilot Sport 2 and Pilot Super Sport do NOT use a V Pattern and don't really inspire any road noise complaints, I can tell you from experience that they are much quieter than the original Pilot Sports.

The PS2 and PSS are debatably the best tires you can buy for our cars, if you are thinking about buying Pilot Sports (the original tires for our cars) I can tell you there is absolutely no reason not to buy the newest version, the Super Sport. It is superior in every single way.

[Jon D]

The PS2 and PSS are debatably the best tires you can buy for our cars, if you are thinking about buying Pilot Sports (the original tires for our cars) I can tell you there is absolutely no reason not to buy the newest version, the Super Sport. It is superior in every single way.

I just put on a set of PSS on the rears replacing some Nitto Invos and they are as quiet if not quieter and very stable - agree with the above. The Tire Rack test are right on the money. I will put them on the fronts as soon as needed.

[antcamp]

mine are @ 16k and sound like mud tires too. Inside of tires is wearing slightly faster. and my tire pressures are ALWAYS EXACTLY at the psi front/rear on the drivers door. Has anyone tried continental extremecontact? i love the tread on them and same with the pilot sports. Mine are just too noisy now

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/BigPic.jsp?sidewall=Blackwall&tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ExtremeContact+DWS&partnum=535YR8ECDWS&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

[antcamp]

also like these

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Hoosier&tireModel=A6&partnum=535ZR8A6HC&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

[HokieZHP]

My dad has pilot sports on his audi a3 quattro and they're not loud. He's had them for about 20k or so. I drive it occasionally and they aren't any louder than my DWS's

[mLuMaN83]

I had Pilots on my Tiburon when I bought it new. Tiburon GT with sport package came from the factory with them. They were stiffer and a bit louder than other tires I have used. They were great tires tho for sure.

[gr330zhp]

I've only had Pilot Sports on my ZHP, they don't make much noise. Experimented with different tires on the M3 and Toyo Proxes were by far the worst. Noise, wear and hard to find too

[redwagon]

I just bought four new michelins mostly due to noise...... sticky goodyears were on and the rears were done. FRonts maybe half gone......but they all rumbled crazy loud between 20 and 35mph on certain surfaces......it was so loud I couldnt use the car for business anymore or hear anything on the phone. They had slight cupping, but more about tread design and miles I think. Amazing. And yes its quiet now.......wonderful.....just me and that lovely 6 cyl exhaust note.

I was going to look at a set of square rims so I could rotate, but momentum and time got the better of me and just bought another set of tires for the stock staggered 135's. next time........being able to rotate tires would probably get 50% more miles out of them as a guess.

Tim

[KevinC]

I had original Pilot Sports on a GTI years ago. Those degraded into the noisiest tires I've EVER driven on by the time I dumped them. It was so bad I was convinced that I must have had a bad wheel bearing someplace, maybe all 4. Nope, it was the tires.

I just replaced the Potenza RE040's on my ZHP. Just bought the car recently and it's at 52k miles - jeezus, they might even be the original stockers? Anyways the rears were well-worn and the fronts not far behind, and they were getting very loud too. Replaced them with Pilot Super Sports, and oo la la, what a difference! Pricey, but they'll be worth it.