Looking for tires that do not get noisy...

[pgall]

I guess I'm getting old because silence has become a a major requirement when choosing tires these days. Having said that, I'm on my third set of tires on my 2004 545i 6 spd. The original Dunlop RFTs became impossibly noisy (I do mostly highway driving) after 15k miles. They got so bad, I replaced them with Yokohama Decibels (advertised to be quiet) non RFT and battled with BMW when I later learned later that this was a common complaint with the OE RFTs and that they would replace them for free. Bottom line is, they reimbursed me for the new tires including installation.

But the story continues... The Yokos got noisy after about 20k, but not as bad as the Dunlop RFTs. I noticed in both cases that the inside edge of the rear tires (175/35-18 that are very wide) were scalloping badly and I surmised this that has a lot to do with the noise. Unfortunately, both of these tires were directional so could not be rotated.

So I purchase a new set of Pirelli P-Zero Nero due the the positive revues on Tire Rack and because they are NOT directional. I have been able to rotate them at least side to side. But I also had my BMW service department reduce the rear camber to just under the minimum specification reasoning that the flatter the tire nuns on the road, the less wear to the inner edge.

This has worked very well and I have not noticed any serious degradation in the handling. The P-Zeros are wearing much better, but after another 20k are just starting to get noisy. Interestingly, they still have about 60-70% of their tread left!

So I am in the hunt for a new set. I'm looking for a tire with close to a solid inner edge with fewer sipes. I'm hoping that the solid edge will reduce scalloping and therefore noise as they age. It looks like the new Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport might fill the bill. They are also non-directional so I can rotate them side to side. I may give them a try. Another plus—they are inexpensive!

One down side: these are summer tires only. But I have an SUV I use in bad weather, so I doubt it will matter.

Any feedback? Hey, you guys at Tire Rack, if you read this, have any comments?

[Jeron]

Did the BMW service dept also inspect the rear bushings for wear and do an alignment for toe?

You can swap/flip directional and non-direction tires on the rims to increase longevity. Swapping rims side to side isn't going to help increase longevity. Just don't get asymmetric and directional tires.

[pgall]

Yes they did. No issues there.

Examining the scalloped blocks, I observed that the cupping occurs at the rear edge. This is readily felt by running your hands over the blocks. This was true in both the Dunlops and the Yokos. Swapping the tires side to side helps in equalising the wear and that is what I have observed.

Unfortunately, since the tires are a different size front and rear as are the rims (different widths), swapping front to rear is not advised. This is the down side to owning a Sport Package.

[Jeron]

If they are certain about the alignment and the suspension bushings are fine there isn't much you can do but take out the camber, which you have already done.

Sport package 5-er's have been complaining about rear tire wear for years. If you get 15k out of a set of rears, I hate to say it, but you are doing pretty good.

Try what I said, get symmetric and have them taken off the rims and moved side to side. I do that on my M3 and it works well.