What are the top 10 quiet tyres? 

When it comes to tyres, there are a number of elements to consider. One of these is noise. Tyre noise can be categorised as either external or internal.  

External noise refers to the noise that is generated outside the vehicle and impacts on pedestrians, cyclists, and the environment more generally. This noise comes from both the tyres rolling on the road surface and also from the engine. External noise has been regulated for quite a while in the UK, and new cars cannot exceed 72dB, although there is some slight leeway for off-road vehicles, wheelchair-accessible vehicles, and armoured vehicles.  

Internal noise refers to the noise inside the vehicle that is experienced by drivers and passengers and is caused by the engine, the roads, and also wind. Internal noise can sometimes cause the driver to be distracted, and even to fall asleep!  

There is a relationship between speed and noisy tyres, as many tyres are quiet at low speeds but generate significant noise when driven at higher speeds. 

So what are the top 10 best quiet tyres? 

1. Michelin Primacy MXV4 

The Primacy MXV4 is an all-season touring tyre that is specifically designed to reduce road noise, vibration, and fuel consumption. The Primacy is particularly well suited to SUVs and light trucks.   

It features a special tread pattern that helps to reduce tread noise, a rigid tread construction that maximises contact with the road, twin steel belts that boost stability, comfort, and durability, and 2D sipes that increase grip. 

2. Goodyear Wrangler HP All Weather 

This all-season tyre is designed for light trucks and SUVs. It offers impressive durability, excellent snow traction, and an overall quiet, stable, and comfortable ride. Features of this tyre include a special all-season grip, oversized tread blocks, wide and deep grooves, a specially formulated compound, and a silent block design. 

3. Hankook Optimo H727 All-Season  

This all-season touring tyre features a computer-designed tread that helps to provide a quieter and more comfortable ride.  

The custom rubber compound enhances performance all year round, the four grooves reduce aquaplaning, the tapered lateral slots help to cancel out noise, the central rib offers better stability, and the high-density sipes offer enhanced rain and snow traction.  

Additionally, the Optimo H727 offers improved handling and cornering and has an impressive warranty. 

4. Michelin Defender T+H All-Season  

The T+H is regarded as one of the best all-season touring tyres available. Not only this, it is also one of the quietest. 

This tyre features a durable rubber compound extending lifespan, unique sipe technology that helps prevent aquaplaning, a bespoke construction that serves to spread the load and improve traction, and a special tread pattern that reduces both noise and vibration. 

The T+H All-Season is available in a huge range of sizes from 15-18 inches and comes with a six-year/80,000-mile treadwear warranty on top of the standard Michelin 60-day satisfaction guarantee.  

5. Bridgestone Turanza 

This all-season touring tyre offers impressive traction, lower rolling resistance and fuel economy, and better treadwear - whilst also keeping noise down.  

The Turanza features a special Long Link Carbon Black tread that provides enhanced manoeuvrability. The use of Resonance Noise Attenuated Silencer grooves within the tread blocks together with circumferential grooves helps to reduce trapped air sounds. The continuous shoulder and central ribs improve surface contact and stability and reduce noise. The three grooves reduce aquaplaning by reducing moisture, and the twin steel belts provide improved handling and comfort.  

Overall, this is one of the top Bridgestone tyres, providing excellent traction in dry and wet, impressive durability/treadwear life, and a quiet and comfortable drive. 

6. Michelin Defender LTX All-Season 

Another excellent (and quiet) all-season tyre from Michelin, the Defender LTX All-Season features a new tread rubber formulation that enhances durability, comfort, and traction.  

The high silica content provides improved wet traction, and the MaxTouch construction gives greater tread block road contact, resulting in improved braking, manoeuvrability, and acceleration. The interlocking zigzag sipes improve tread rigidity, whilst the four wide circumferential grooves improve traction on wet surfaces and also help reduce the tread noise.  

This tyre offers excellent dry and wet handling, good braking performance, and superior comfort with low noise. It also comes with a 90,000-mile warranty.  

7. Continental Extreme Contact DWS06 

The DWS06 is a high-performance all-season tyre (the DWS stands for dry, wet, snow). It offers excellent wet and dry traction, responsive steering, excellent tread life, and an overall comfortable and quiet ride. 

Features of this tyre include special traction grooves that give enhanced performance on snowy and wet surfaces, SportPlus technology for better grip in the wet, a silica-based enhanced compound with +Saline additives that improves tread life, and special sipe technology that gives better acceleration, braking, and manoeuvrability.  

The computer-designed criss-cross tread pattern combines with the lateral grooves and three full circular grooves to prevent air from being trapped, significantly reducing noise. Additionally, the asymmetrical blocks with chamfered edges maximise contact with the road and boost traction.  

8. Michelin Pilot Super Sport 

The Michelin Pilot Super Sport is a high-performance summer tyre that delivers excellent handling, traction, and durability, as well as improved tread life. This tyre is actually based on a number of tyres that were used with some success at Le Mans.  

This tyre features a special 80/20 bi-compound asymmetrical tread that enhances handling in both wet and dry conditions. There is a special sponge-like rubber layer between the treads that helps to reduce vibration and noise, improving overall ride comfort. The shoulders are low void similar to track tyres, there are notched central ribs that improve traction, and the sidewalls are extra-sturdy, providing better handling in tight curves/corners. 

9. Goodyear Assurance ComforTred  

The Assurance ComforTred is an all-season touring tyre that is designed to offer a quiet and smooth ride in a variety of weather conditions. It features an asymmetric tread design, twin belts, and exclusive ComforTred and ComfortEdge technology. 

The ComforTred technology provides improved traction and handling. ComfortEdge side walls enhance both handling and comfort. There is a spongy rubber layer in between the treads and steel belts, which helps reduce tyre sound and vibration. The wide circumferential grooves help improve traction in the wet, and the extra-dense tread blocks help reduce noise and improve comfort.  

10. Pirelli P ZERO (PZ4) 

When it comes to Pirelli quiet tyres have been a focus for a number of years and resulted in the development of the Pirelli Noise Cancelling System (PNCS), which reduces tyre-generated noise, resulting in a quieter ride both inside the cabin and out. 

The P ZERO (PZ4) is an Ultra High Performance (UHP) tyre that utilises Pirelli's experience and knowledge from the motorsport arena. This tyre, like many of their high performance tyres, was developed in partnership with a number of the most prestigious car manufacturers.  

It features an asymmetric tread pattern that provides improved braking performance and enhanced handling and control. The nano-composite compound guarantees maximum grip and stability. There are special 's-shaped' grooves in the tread area, which reduce cabin noise levels, enhancing comfort. It also benefits from Pirelli's patented Noise Cancelling System.  

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