Anyone go from 19" Goodyear SoundComfort OEM tires to non-SoundComfort Goodyears?

[somnambule]

I've seen the article linked in other threads here that suggest the foam padding in Continental tires don't help much with noise reduction. I'm wondering if anyone has first-hand experience that corroborates (or refutes) that about the OEM Goodyear Eagle Touring SoundComfort tires vs. regular Goodyear Eagle Tourings. Basically, is the ~$350 premium (for a set of 4, based on TireRack pricing) worth it on the SoundComforts?

The other option I'm considering is Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ based on other threads here. However, I already feel the ride is a bit harsh with the OEM Goodyears, so a bit concerned about going to something stiffer. If anyone has perspectives on the OEM Goodyears vs. the A/S 3+, particularly in terms of noise and ride harshness, that would be very much appreciated as well.

 

[commasign]

Not a fair comparison, but on my Model X I went from Goodyear Eagle F1 with noise reduction to Pirelli Scorpion non-noise reduction and I think the Pirelli is quieter and has a softer ride. Other point worth considering is that a lot of (or most?) tire stores won’t even attempt to repair punctures in noise reduction tires. If it were me, I’d stick with the cheaper tires without foam.

 

[Kinetics]

I have replaced the two rear tires with the regular Goodyear eagle touring tires. I haven’t noticed a difference in sound at all. I am debating on the two fronts as I am closer to the wheel wells. I am not sure it’s worth the extra price in my opinion. I do live in Los Angeles though and the roads are pretty bad.

 

[ahkahn]

I've seen the article linked in other threads here that suggest the foam padding in Continental tires don't help much with noise reduction. I'm wondering if anyone has first-hand experience that corroborates (or refutes) that about the OEM Goodyear Eagle Touring SoundComfort tires vs. regular Goodyear Eagle Tourings. Basically, is the ~$350 premium (for a set of 4, based on TireRack pricing) worth it on the SoundComforts?

The other option I'm considering is Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ based on other threads here. However, I already feel the ride is a bit harsh with the OEM Goodyears, so a bit concerned about going to something stiffer. If anyone has perspectives on the OEM Goodyears vs. the A/S 3+, particularly in terms of noise and ride harshness, that would be very much appreciated as well.

I went from those to the Pirelli Cinturato P7's and wow, major positive difference.

 

[Mike Robinson]

I went from those to the Pirelli Cinturato P7's and wow, major positive difference.

I’ve never had Pirelli tires before. I’ve only had Michelins. Do you have any experience with Michelin’s vs. Pirellis??? My primary concerns are comfortable and quiet ride.

 

[BerTX]

I've seen the article linked in other threads here that suggest the foam padding in Continental tires don't help much with noise reduction. I'm wondering if anyone has first-hand experience that corroborates (or refutes) that about the OEM Goodyear Eagle Touring SoundComfort tires vs. regular Goodyear Eagle Tourings. Basically, is the ~$350 premium (for a set of 4, based on TireRack pricing) worth it on the SoundComforts?

The other option I'm considering is Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ based on other threads here. However, I already feel the ride is a bit harsh with the OEM Goodyears, so a bit concerned about going to something stiffer. If anyone has perspectives on the OEM Goodyears vs. the A/S 3+, particularly in terms of noise and ride harshness, that would be very much appreciated as well.

This would be pretty difficult for the average owner to assess. Tires generally get louder as they age/wear. Someone replacing their acoustic tires with regular would be comparing the noise level of worn tires to that of new non-acoustic. People almost always report that their new tires are quieter, no matter what tire they had previously or what they replace it with.

 

[TMeister]

This would be pretty difficult for the average owner to assess. Tires generally get louder as they age/wear. Someone replacing their acoustic tires with regular would be comparing the noise level of worn tires to that of new non-acoustic. People almost always report that their new tires are quieter, no matter what tire they had previously or what they replace it with.

Ding, ding ding!

Replies here reinforce this. The guy who replaced two foam tires with non foam reports no difference. Kinda means that the new tire that should be quieter is not as good as a worn tire with foam.

And people should just stop dissing foam tires because they are difficult to repair. That is false. Every tire manufacturer has published procedures. It is your tire guy who is the issue. Find someone who knows what they are doing.

 

[ucmndd]

And people should just stop dissing foam tires because they are difficult to repair. That is false. Every tire manufacturer has published procedures. It is your tire guy who is the issue. Find someone who knows what they are doing.

I mean, it’s cool to take a principled stand and stick it to the incompetent dinosaur tire shops that refuse to get with the times.

Also 100% irrelevant when you need a tire fixed NOW and the shop you’re at looks at your fancy foam tire like it came from the Mars rover.

 

[Wratran]

When I had my wheel Powdercoated...I have them remove the foam.... not much difference on sound isolation

The foam is very hard to plug a flat...especially with no spare

 

[acevolt]

I mean, it’s cool to take a principled stand and stick it to the incompetent dinosaur tire shops that refuse to get with the times.

Also 100% irrelevant when you need a tire fixed NOW and the shop you’re at looks at your fancy foam tire like it came from the Mars rover.

I carry a pliers and tire plug kit in my car along with fix a flat with the hope that I won't get stranded. I have used plugs before and they work great and are easy to use. No need to go to a tire shop for that. I also switched from OEM Michelins on my 19" rim Model S to the foam Goodyear tires and really like them. Not sure how much quieter they are.

 

[BerTX]

I carry a pliers and tire plug kit in my car along with fix a flat with the hope that I won't get stranded. I have used plugs before and they work great and are easy to use. No need to go to a tire shop for that. I also switched from OEM Michelins on my 19" rim Model S to the foam Goodyear tires and really like them. Not sure how much quieter they are.

I switched from GY to Michelins. I don't know if they are louder, but they already have 5000 more miles and still 7/32 tread left. I'm a lot quieter.

 

[somnambule]

Thanks for the input, everyone.

It looks like new EU tire labels have a noise rating and there doesn't seem to be any difference between the foam and non-foam Continental ContiSportContact 5s (both are listed as 71dB). However, it's hard to tell if they even test the two variants separately (one would hope they do, as this is the key reason for having the two variants), and what that single number really represents.

I'm leaning towards going with non-foam Goodyears at this point.

 

[ahkahn]

I’ve never had Pirelli tires before. I’ve only had Michelins. Do you have any experience with Michelin’s vs. Pirellis??? My primary concerns are comfortable and quiet ride.

Yeah, I've had both. Overall I'm very happy with the Pirelli's. In fact, I just put the Cinturato P7's on my wife's car. They're fantastic tires. I don't like making blanket brand statements like "Michelin is better than Pirelli or vice versa", but the Cinturato P7's are highly rated both by me and by Consumer Reports. I've had good Michelin's and good Pirelli's, as well as bad sets of both brands. It all depends on the model of the tire itself. The tire shop may try to convert you to a different Pirelli or a different Michelin. Be very mindful of that.

 

[jbdvm1988]

Ahkhan - I was always a Michelin fan but on my wife’s A7 moved to the same pirellis and I totally love them. I was debating moving to pirelli P7 for my Model S. Can you give any feedback on the energy consumption differences between the pirelli and Goodyear oem tires

 

[ahkahn]

Ahkhan - I was always a Michelin fan but on my wife’s A7 moved to the same pirellis and I totally love them. I was debating moving to pirelli P7 for my Model S. Can you give any feedback on the energy consumption differences between the pirelli and Goodyear oem tires

Good question. I noticed a slight positive difference at first (more efficient), but as I read through the forums I realized that will happen with any new tires. Old ones get less efficient the more they wear, so changing any tires will help. Honestly, I can't say positive or negative overall on the efficiency. It wasn't drastic. I believe the Cinturato's are low rolling resistance anyway, so it may be tit-for-tat.

 

[ahkahn]

I'll also say on the Cinturato P7's that my OEM Goodyears had to be replaced at 28,000 miles or so. I've got another 25,000 miles on the Pirelli's and they still look nearly new (maybe 15-20% down?). Big difference in wear.

 

[jbdvm1988]

Thanks so much. I was looking for firsthand info. Our A7 goes great in the Michigan snow with the P7 tires. I’m likely going to switch to pirelli for my S. I’ve noticed other tire discussion threads seemed to say that brand new tires were less efficient than older, worn tires. And that older tires tend to be noisier than new tires. I wonder if it’s even significantly different between new and old

 

[somnambule]

FWIW, the Pirelli Cinturato P7s are rated as having slightly higher road noise than the Goodyear Eagle Touring and Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ in the EU tire labels (72dB vs 71dB for the other two). 1dB difference is typically less than 10% increase in noise, so not a big deal, but figured I'd mention that.

 

[thimel]

FWIW, the Pirelli Cinturato P7s are rated as having slightly higher road noise than the Goodyear Eagle Touring and Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ in the EU tire labels (72dB vs 71dB for the other two). 1dB difference is typically less than 10% increase in noise, so not a big deal, but figured I'd mention that.

Can you please point to a web site that has these EU ratings for most tires? I’ve found many that describe the EU labels but have had no luck at finding one that gives the ratings which would allow me to compare tires as you have done.

Thanks

 

[JPRiver]

Just to verify are the Cinturato P7's everyone is refrencing the "all season plus" version? And are they good in snow?

Ps my oem goodyears are done in at 20k miles... 2016.5 s75d 19" stock rims