Looking for tyre recommendations

[Trendseeker]

A new member with a Mondeo is looking for advice on tyres that give a quieter ride. Here’s his post in the new member’s section:

https://www.fordforums.com.au/showpo...postcount=6849

[Shepherd]

I can't recommend a particular tyre as my Continental SportContact5 tyres (which I find to be moderately noisey) have been replaced by the SC6, with the SC7 released in Europe.

What I would do is make up a list of tyres available in the size needed & check the details for them on tyrereviews.com. For most, under "Summary", noise is shown as a decibel range (depending on size) according to the Euro standard.
For example - Falken FK520 68-72, Michelin Primacy 4 68-72, Pirelli Cinturato P7 66-72, Bridgestone Turanza T005 66-74, Hankook Ventus Evo2 65-75.

Further down the page under "Label Scores", noise is shown for each size. For example, in the required size, the Pirelli P7 (96W) is 69 & the Hankook Evo2 is 70.

There are also links to tyre comparison tests, some of which include noise level.

[Shepherd]

As I indicated in my earlier post, noise level for a given pattern can vary by tyre size.

So I went back to tyrereviews.com and searched for reviews by size - 235/40R19.
Note these are user, not expert, reviews.

Highest rated for Comfort (ride & noise) was the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 at 85%, with the Asymmetric 5 81%. However neither is available in Australia in the required size.

The best I found that is available is the Michelin Primacy 4 at 83%.

Some others - Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 79%; Maxxis Victa Sport5, Michelin Pilot Sport 4 & Continental Premium Contact 6 78%; Falken Azenis FK510 & Continental Sport Contact6 77%. Then a drop to Bridgestone Potenza Sport & B Turanza T005 & Kumho Ecsta PS71 73%.

[The Marmot]

Thanks for the tyre advice to date. I'm sure that some of the problem is caused by the 19 inch wheels and low profile tyres. My current thought is to source a set of 18 inch wheels from a wreckers, and fit 235/45/18 tyres. The agcoauto.com Tyre Speed Calculator indicates that the difference in revolutions per km is only 1.43, and when driving at 70kph the speedometer will read 70.2kph. I assume the offset would be the same. What I don't know, and maybe someone can tell me, whether Mondeos come with different suspension settings (ie, springs, shock absorbers) depending on the wheels and tyres fitted to the specific vehicle, and if fitted with 19 inch wheels, you need to stick with them.

I have to say I really am shocked at the ingress of road noise in the Mondeo. I find it hard to understand how Ford can have produced their premium (Titanium) model and not included some extensive noise mitigation. I took it for a test drive around the streets of Perth and on the mainly smooth suburban asphalt it was perfectly fine. But on the open road at higher speeds the noise level in a modern car is unacceptable.

Having said that, there is a lot to like. The creature comforts and safety features are impressive, and the engine (turbo petrol) is powerful and very quiet. The vehicle (a 2018 model) is still virtually like new.

So any advice re the uncomfortable ride and high road noise levels would be welcome, also the fastest way to find some replacement wheels. I know the solution won't be cheap. I also have a problem with the rear view mirrors, but will post separately about that.

[Shepherd]

I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you sure the tyres aren't over-inflated?

My Ambiente wagon, with 17 inch rims & 50 profile tyres has a firmish but comfortable ride while still having very responsive steering.
I said my tyres are moderately noisy, but that's perhaps because there isn't much other noise when cruising.

Perhaps you could have a drive of a Trend to see if 18 inch rims make for a sufficiently comfortable ride. But then the Trend has "standard" suspension where the Titanium has adaptive (& the Ambiente wagon self-levelling). I don't know what difference that would make.

Before changing to smaller diameter wheels & tyres you should check on any implications for registration & insurance - though you would have the same width & it should be enough to meet the load & speed minimums on your car's tyre label.

Perhaps you could find a Trend owner who would like to swap rims/tyres.

[The Marmot]

Thanks for your detailed reply Shepherd. Checking the tyre pressures was the first thing I did. They were too high, but adjusting them to the recommended levels made little difference. I suspect there would be a noticeable difference to the ride quality between 17" wheels and tyres and 19" ones. But I take your point about the legality of altering the tyre size --- something I will check with the Busselton Ford dealer. I can't remember now where I saw it but there was a post I read somewhere which indicated that Ford had latterly changed the tyre specification on the Titanium models to 235/45/18 because of complaints from owners about the ride and noise, so I thought that configuration might be the best compromise. I've tried the suspension setting on "Comfort" rather than "Normal", but "Normal" for some reason seems to to be the better of the two. I haven't tried "Sport" yet.

[NZ XR6]

I have recently fitted a set of Pirelli Cinturato Rosso tyres to the MB. These are much quieter than the previous Michelin Primacy 3, have decreased the understeer with quicker steering response, and grip well on wet and dry roads. The one downside so far could be wear, but it's too early to predict tyre life.

Not sure if they're available in your size?

Sent from my SM-S906E using Tapatalk

[The Marmot]

Hi NZ XR6. I see that you are running 16" wheels. That's a 3 inch drop in diameter from my 19" wheels. I'm sure the very low profile tyres on my vehicle are the problem. I'll have to get some advice from the Ford dealership to find out what changes to wheel size are permissible. They may, of course even provide a solution. It'l be some weeks before I can get to see them though.

[NZ XR6]

It used to be possible to access detailed build information through Ford ETIS, but I understand this is no longer on line. Others here may know of an alternative.

I am not sure how helpful a dealer will be. I fitted larger wheels to my Mondeo and the result was not good. I then found out from a tyre guy that the suspension on the models with larger wheels was different, and so I went back to 16" wheels with decent tyres.

I'm sure changing the tyres would make a difference to your car given what is currently fitted!

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[The Marmot]

Yes, that's what I feared NZ XR6. I certainly don't want to get into changing suspension struts or something as well. I've made a bit of progress in terms of noise abatement. I've purchased a boot shelf (or whatever you call it) because the vehicle came without one. That now seals off the very large rear cargo area, and I have found that by putting a thick carpet over the top, quite an amount of resonance seems to have been removed. I will check with the dealer about the effect of changing the wheel and tyre size before I take any further steps. Thanks for that useful advice.