Road Noise

[Alan J]

I just had a test drive of the new UX 250 and was disappointed by the amount of road noise. I expected a Lexus to be smooth and quiet, but it anything but. The salesman said it was down to the “run flat” tyres. I really wanted to love this car.

Has anyone else experienced this, or am I expecting too much.

[First_Lexus]

I had one as a courtesy car and don't remember it being noisy. Tyres do make a big difference - I've just had my Winter Bridgestones fitted to my NX today, and they offer a much quieter and softer rider than the Summer Yokohamas.

What car do you drive currently? Is it an SUV?

[scudney]

Run flat tyres are definitely noisier and also provide a harder ride too

[P M R]

The UX is available in the UK with only two brands of run flat tyres.  Bridgestone and Dunlop. Prior to purchase we had many test drives and found that the Bridgestone were extremely noisy on every UX but the Dunlop very quiet. We placed an order for the UX but requested Dunlop tyres. It arrived with Bridgestone but the Dealer ordered Dunlops and changed the tyres for us. We are very,very pleased with the low road noise. Hope this is the answer to your concerns regarding tyre/road noise.  Maybe your local Lexus Dealer has a demonstrator with Dunlops you can compare.

 

Paul

[John Hutton]

Hi Alan

There have been previous postings on this subject.

The big difference is that the Bridgestones are all weather tyres and the Dunlops regular summer so the tread patterns are vastly different. I have Dunlops on my Takumi and they are very quiet but actually wanted Bridgestones so I did not have to faf around putting winter tyres on.

I am thinking now about getting some all weather tyres fitted and keeping them on but might look for a different brand as there has been a lot of comment about the Bridgestones being noisy although I did not notice that when I test drove a car with them on. There are a few options available for runflat all weathers in the right size for the UX.

I run my Classic 60's Lotus Elan with Vredestein all weather tyres on and they are great all year round (I am one of those rare classic owners who drive their car all year round!)

Hope that helps

John

 

[Alan J]

20 hours ago, First_Lexus said:

I had one as a courtesy car and don't remember it being noisy. Tyres do make a big difference - I've just had my Winter Bridgestones fitted to my NX today, and they offer a much quieter and softer rider than the Summer Yokohamas.

What car do you drive currently? Is it an SUV?

I currently drive an Audi A5 Quattro with Pirelli tyres. Thanks for your reply

[DanD]

On 10/22/2019 at 7:03 PM, scudney said:

Run flat tyres are definitely noisier and also provide a harder ride too

I agree. My wife drives a Mini that has runflats. The ride, which is pretty hard on normal tyres, is very firm, and it is also rather noisy.

[Roey Leon]

Hu

I have the Lexus 2019 UX250H also. 

I wish to change the tyres to Dunlop (instead of Bridgestone) 

Does anyone have the exact model of the tyres I need? 

Thanks! 

[P M R]

Hello,.

We changed to Dunlops on delivery. They are only available through a Lexus Dealer, who swapped them as part of the deal. So glad we did as they are so quiet.  The tyres are,  Dunlop (Made in Japan)   Size   225/50RF  18  95V  SP SPORT MAX

Hope this helps 

Paul

  PS:-     I spoke to Dunlop Technical who advised that these Run Flats can be repaired, with a patch, if punctured across the middle of the tread---which is good news.  The Lexus parts dept also stated that they were not expensive at £95 each plus vat.plus fitting.

[Nick_S]

I’m looking to buy a UX 250h and was interested to see the reports above.  The road noise does stand out a bit, although I’m currently driving a Volvo with their D4 two-litre Diesel engine, which probably drowns out some road roar.  The UX is definitely a lot quieter than a Toyota C-HR that I tried a week earlier.  I tried a regular UX with 17” wheels and that seemed quieter than a F Sport on 18” shod with Dunlops.  

What I’m puzzled about is the suggestion that the Bridgestone Turanza T005A is an all weather tyre.  It doesn’t seem to be according to Bridgestone.  
 

 

[royoftherovers]

What I’m puzzled about is the suggestion that the Bridgestone Turanza T005A is an all weather tyre.

 Where has this been suggested?   
 

[NemesisUK]

On 10/23/2019 at 8:01 AM, John Hutton said:

The big difference is that the Bridgestones are all weather tyres and the Dunlops regular summer so the tread patterns are vastly different. I have Dunlops on my Takumi and they are very quiet but actually wanted Bridgestones so I did not have to faf around putting winter tyres on.

Here ..

[John Hutton]

I never said that the T005A was an all-weather. Bridgestone do an all weather run flat under the Turanza brand that is the right size.

BRIDGESTONE TURANZA EL450  
225/50 R18 95V

When I first test drove the UX it was shod with these and I was LED to understand by the dealer that all UK UX's would come with that tyre. Mine came with Dunlop summers and obviously others have the Bridgestone summers. The EL540's are available in the UK from Tyreleader for just over £150 a corner. I presumed that the Bridgestones being fitted to production tyres were the same as those on my test drive car which seems may be not the case

From feed back on this forum the Dunlops are apparently not so noisy as the Bridgestones but can not say for sure as have not driven them back to back.

 

John

 

[Nick_S]

Thanks for clarifying, John, and apologies for my misunderstanding of your point.  Only after I drove the F Sport yesterday did I see they were Dunlops, which surprised me, as I wouldn’t want any more road noise than they produced.  It wasn’t a new car, however, but one with over 8,000 miles on the clock. 

[Alan F]

Alan F I have just purchased a new ux250h and have never experienced as terrific road noise now back with dealers to try to rectify this fault the car is on Dunlop run flat tyres. 

 

[cadman2k]

This is a huge subject in itself.

You would need to understand if you are experiencing this on various road surfaces or if it just particular roads you are using.

No doubt it will also differ as to what part of the country you are in as the difference in roads is night and day across the country.

If you think noise is being compounded by run flats then the only test would be to replace all tyres with a sub 70db standard tyre.

(Likely from Michelin/continental)

With the softer compound it's going to improve it, but again will vary on road surface.

Assume you don't think you have a fault with the car and it's only the tyres. Is it a MY2023

It will be interesting to see what the dealer comes up with on this .

 

The following is from national highways in relation to noise and road surface.

Road surface

On high speed roads, most noise comes from vehicle tyres on the road surface.

Changing to low-noise road surfaces can make a big difference to the noise level.

Over recent years we've installed low-noise surfaces as standard on new roads and on existing roads when they need resurfacing.

We use Designated Funds for resurfacing in areas which have high noise levels

[Gary H]

I must say, I haven’t across bad road noise in my own UX. It’s still on it’s original Bridgestone Turanzas, too. There's a little bit of a 'roar’ over surface dressed roads, but certainly nothing above what I’ve had in the past. Overall, I find it quite quiet more than anything. 

I’m only assuming Dunlops are either noisier or it may possibly be a 'bad batch' of tyres.

[cadman2k]

It was mentioned by some that Dunlop run flats were quieter than Bridgestones.

It would be good to get an update to see if any tests/resolution to this issue is sorted.

[Lmafudd]

I'm certain it's the run-flats. I have the same moan. The UX is generally a very quiet car but when one hits the 'surface dressed' areas the rumbling thunder is horrendous. I've decided to try Goodyear Eagles. Most people that have commented have said that they improved their noise issues.