Just got my black coupe AT with 18'' package. Tire noise very loud, especially on cement highway. Do you think change to 17'' will get any better? If yes, which tire will offer quiter ride?

 

Although you will lose alot of aesthetic value, I think with the right combination of 17 wheels and tires, you could make your car as quite as a lexus, which it seems like you must be going for. I suggest Toyo tires

good luck

G35C 6 MT
Volk GTC 19'x8.5' front; 19'x9.5' rear
Dunlop Sport 9000 245/35/19 front; 275/35/19 rear

 

jh,
don't know where you're emailing from so not sure of all the details, but:
If you have the Pilot Sports, mine were loud for about 600 miles. This is normal, as the tread blocks need to "round off" a bit before the tires settle down. You'll find the traction goes up a bit too at this point. The balance job on the tires of my G from the factory was quite poor too, which added to the prob (re-balanced by dealer under warranty- all four were off). As well, the warmer it gets, the happier the tires, and you will be. Pilot Sports are superb tires- perhaps one of the 2 or 3 best on the market today for performance. The 7-spoke 18" wheels are gorgeous too. The noise has little to do with size and much to do with tire type/ tread pattern/tire construction/tire compound, as well as yes, the surface you drive on. Go for a rip in the rain with some standing water- make a rooster tail out the back, while being firmly planted on what would otherwise seem like just too much water not to be hydro-planing, and then ask yourself if you don't like the Pilots. BTW, have you gone to some tire websites and checked the price on your OE tires? Wait till you have more time on your beast before deciding, but I'd suggest your G is just fine as she is.

DB

 

Thanks for the replies! I agree the 18'' looks so nice and your point about letting the tires settle down makes sense to me.I do like my car quite as luxus. I wonder if anyone acutually go from 18'' to 17'' and did notice a significant improvement. I am not sure if I can wait for 800 miles, because I traded in my G35 sedan for the coupe and really feel the different about the noise. The coupe will be just perfect if I can fix the noise now!

 

I have a set of stock 17in sedan wheels sitting around in my apartment. They have around 6000 miles on them so you might want to purchase some new higher performace tires. Ill sell them to you if you are intrested.

G35C 6 MT
Volk GTC 19'x8.5' front; 19'x9.5' rear
Dunlop Sport 9000 245/35/19 front; 275/35/19 rear

 

Where are you located? I have my 17" Coupe Wheels and willing to trade for your 18"s. Wheels have only a couple hundred miles on them, I'm assuming yours are too.


-Blk/Blk G35c

 

i am in harrisburg, pennsylvania

 

I have a set of 17's taken off my coupe with 3750 miles on them. will trade for the 18's also. & yes, there is a difference in ride and noise. More so in the ride than noise but my wife says I'm deaf.... I'm in SC

 

JH, i have lower miles than 3750... about 2,500 less or so. If you are interested, we can exchange rims through shipping. Are you interested?


-Blk/Blk G35c

 

"I am not sure if I can wait for 800 miles, because I traded in my G35 sedan for the coupe and really feel the different about the noise."

Wow, you're pretty impatient. No offense, just an observation.

 

JH,
You may want to ask yourself why there is such strong desire from some of the other fellas for those wheels and tires of yours (pretty obvious actually, dontcha think?). Don't know your financial sit, but it's not size that's the prob- if you bought a different tire, you could get the result you're looking for. For example, the Bridgestone hi-performance all seasons that come on the 17s are also available for the 18s. The car I first test drove, for almost 2 hours total (on 2 separate occasions), in Toronto (lots of concrete and varied surface highway) was with the 17s. I can honestly say that I am unable to detect any difference in ride quality with the 18s, but the Bridgestones were a bit quieter than the Pilots, on some surfaces (last 3 words emphasized). And at a noticeable cost in cornering. Pirellis and Yokos are reknown for being sticky, quiet (and shortlived). I haven't driven their latest hot tires (brand new in the last year), but if they're good enough for Lamborghini's Murcielago and Aston Martin's Vanquish respectively, they'll probably do in a pinch. Contis SportContacts are the same, although I made a set of those disappear in 10K miles. Talk to a tire dealer, maybe call Tirerack, and find out what they think to meet your desires for tires. Just know that adding some sidewall does not necessarily mean quiet. In fact, in search of performance, it usually means the manufacturer needs to go really stiff on the sidewall to meet the speed rating. Softer walls (comfort) mean more flex, more flex means more heat generation, more heat means more stress on the tire compound, more difficult to keep the tire together at speed.
Cheers,
D

DB

 

derek
I was really suprised that many people want to trade their 17'' with mine (several people sent me private messages). Thanks for the great information. I am going to test drive a 17'' with my dealer, and also look up optional tires. I will just keep the 18'' for now. A update will be posted after I make a decision. Thanks again.

 

I am thinking getting a set of 17" for the winter, but I don not know the exact offset for the rims that will fit while I got the big brake. Anyone can help for giveing out the numbers? Thanks

 

Derek hit it right on the head. The size of the wheel has no relation to the noise level. The noise is related to the make/model of tire. Switching from 18 to 17 will give you a more comfortable ride (more sidewall to absord impact), but it will not make it any quieter (unless it is wrapped in a quieter tire model).