Road/tire noise.

[RLittle]

The sound I hear is a buffeting like a rear window or sunroof is partially open.

 

[Grayt 8]

The sound I hear is a buffeting like a rear window or sunroof is partially open.

I've experienced a similar thing in my wife's SUV sometimes after it sits parked in one place for awhile. I think it is flat spotting of the tires, and it goes away after about 5 miles of driving. That could be happening on a test drive of a car that has been sitting for a bit of time.

 

[Waynerm002]

It’s not a flat spotting. This has been discussed in another thread and no one has found the answer to it yet. I know when mine develops flat spots as the ride will be harsher and be felt in the steering as well.

 

[RLittle]

I'm going to wait to test drive a 2019 and buy the car that is the smoothest.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I'm going to wait to test drive a 2019 and buy the car that is the smoothest.

They're all smooth and quiet and fast.

 

[RLittle]

Just drove a 2019 with 18" wheels and it was waaaayy better than the other 3 2018s I drove.
Just a little vibration in the rear tires when cold. Front was tight and vibration free.
I think the dealers are too cheap to put air in the 2018 s that have been sitting for 6 months!

i have yet to drive one with 19" tires.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I think the dealers are too cheap to put air in the 2018 s that have been sitting for 6 months!

How much will the air drop from 50+ psi? Because all of the tires are over inflated from the factory. All four of my Michelins were at c. 55 psi when I took possession.

 

[RLittle]

Did not check air pressure.
Will bring a gauge next time.
Makes sense they would over inflate in Korea.

Maybe the 2019s are just set up better? They wear the same Potenza 18” tires.

 

[RLittle]

Well I drove the original 2018 GT1 that all kinds of noise and vibration on its 18” wheels.

On long test drive with properly inflated tires it was 90% gone once tires heated up.

I bought the car!

Never drove one with 19” tires.

 

[Waynerm002]

Congrats! Now when you get a chance ditch those tires for some wider, better ones.

 

[RLittle]

Congrats! Now when you get a chance ditch those tires for some wider, better ones.

I'm going use the 18" Bridgestones for winter tires and buy some Rohana 19x8s for square summer tires.

 

[Waynerm002]

Not sure where you are located and if you get cold weather, keep on eye on them as the 1st gens were not that good and so far these are not proving to be that much better. Since you did get the GT, if you drive hard, they won’t be the tire you want on th car.

 

[RLittle]

I’m in NJ and it’s freezing.

Are you referring to the rims or Bridgestone tires?

What do you recommend?

 

[Waynerm002]

The Bridgestones. Up your side, the Michelin AS 3+, Continental DWS 06, BF Goodrich Comp 2 AS, Pirelli P0 AS+ would work well for winter. Going to 235/45 18 would give you a good fit and ride comfort for the car. Oh yeah, the Nitto Motivo’s as well as General G-MAX AS05. In the size mentioned, you can find a number of UHP AS tires to pick from. Check tire rack and other tire site reviews for more info and decide which is best for your needs.

 

[RLittle]

Yeah, I wanted to buy a car with 19" rims as I thought the Michelin Pilot 4 were better tires, but I did not really want a staggered set up.
I will use the stock tires for the winter and get a set of Rohana 19" wheels with summer tires all the same size so I can rotate tires.

Are the Pilot 4S the best summer tires for the car?

BTW, the larger size 18s for winter sounds like a good idea. They will fit for sure?

 

[Waynerm002]

They will fit, the wheel is 8" wide so that size will work well on them. Usually for winter you want skinnier, if you are going to get bigger wheels and tires in the future and if the Bridgestones work for you, then stick with them. If you were keeping them 18's all year long, then get better and wider tires.

 

[Mike_TX]

A tad OT, maybe, but the Michelin MXM4's on my 2017 Optima SXL can get noisy as hell on some road surfaces, and can't really be called quiet on ANY surface. I don't know how they compare to the Bridgestones on the 2.0 Premium, but surely the 'Stones can't worse (?). On many interstates at 70-80 the Optima occupants can't converse very well without raising their voices, and the occasional coarse road surface will really roar.

I like Michelin tires in general, but I really want something a little more civilized on my next car. I doubt the 'Stones are the answer, though ...

 

[Waynerm002]

You can try the Nitto Motivo’s, those are pretty quiet on my Stinger. Pirelli also seems to be the more comfortable and quieter ones in their category. I’m running General G-Max AS05 on my 2017 Optima Hybrid and they are pretty quiet for an UHP AS tire. If you watch tire rack video reviews, put on some headphones and listen to the tire noise on the various tires during the review. This is what got me to choose the Pirelli P7 AS+ when they first came out, I knew they weren’t the best in class for overall performance (no winter rating was out at that time) in wet and dry but they ended up being a lot quieter than my OEM tires. Plus, the winter performance was much better than I expected and the wet performance trailed off as they wore.

Mike, you should take a Stinger 2.0T out for a long drive on varying surfaces and if they have AWD GTs with 18” tires, try those as well. Drive the cars as you normally would to get a good feel of them on both cars. I suspect the 2.0T cars will have similar insulation to your Optima so you can get a good comparison on those.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I like Michelin tires in general, but I really want something a little more civilized on my next car. I doubt the 'Stones are the answer, though ...

I second the Nitto Motivo UHP A/S. They run quieter than the Michelin summers. Not a huge difference on most surfaces. But in addition they are a smoother ride. And they have almost the same performance as the Michelins. Close enough for me. I'm not tracking my car, after all.

 

[Mike_TX]

Thanks, Wayne and Merlin.