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[sgnirts]

I have a BMW 328i with 17" wheels. I'd like to quiet down the road noise I hear from the Contiprocontact SSR that I have (nearly new) by switching to a non-run-flat. I have a hearing disability called hyperacusis so quiet running tires are paramount so I can drive further distances when required without undue ringing in my ears. I'd like to prioritize my requirements as:

1. Quietest

2. Best handling that won't lose too much performance from the contiprocontact SSR I have now.

3. Reliable winter performance on reasonably plowed roads.

I have read the copious Tirerack surveys and tests. But, I have not seen a direct comparison. I spoke to a salesperson (Dallas?) and he said the Tirerack noise testing is "purely subjective" and they did not use decibel meters to verify objective noise measurements. The human ear/brain is not a reliable method for testing sound levels because it is very subjective and easily influenced...How loud is water running in a sink when you have a migraine vs when you just found out you won a million dollars while eating German chocolate cake?

I did not want to assume that grand touring tires are always quieter than ultraperformance tires, especially since my current run flat grand touring tires don't seem to be the quietest option for my car. Dallas did say that the 3rd gen Bridgestone was quieter than my current Conti, but info on Tirerack's website seemed to suggest a conflict of opinions there. Decibel readings would make this a much easier thing to research instead of begging sales guys for info and hoping they truly have the accurate info...again a $39 radio Shack db meter would give tests a nice layer of objectiveness.

If anybody has direct experience with these two tires I'd love to hear about it especially if there was a decibel meter involved.

[Gary@TireRack]

No dB meter involved, but I and most others who have driving on both tires when tires were new on identically set up cars felt the Primacy MXV4 tire was quieter. It also stated more quiet throughout testing (as the tires wore down).


Tires http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AH8&...ires/index.jsp

[sgnirts]

Thanks for the info Gary! it is nice to hear from someone who has tried them back to back on the same car. I had a set of Perelli PZero Nero on my 530i that were quiet when I got them and 10,000 miles later they growled and vibrated...even with excellent care and attention to tire pressure, long term quietness is just as paramount as how impressive a tire is on day one.

A few more questions if you don't mind. :-)

1. Is the Primacy's handling comparable to my Contiprocontact SSR? Maybe better? Snow performance?

2. My wife has Michelin Primacy MXV4 on her BMW X3, is the Michelin Primacy MXM4 quieter than the older primacy?

3. Out of curiosity, which is actually quieter, the Contiprocontact SSR or the latest gen BridgestonePotenza RE960AS Pole Position RFT?

[Gary@TireRack]

Originally Posted by sgnirts

Thanks for the info Gary! it is nice to hear from someone who has tried them back to back on the same car. I had a set of Perelli PZero Nero on my 530i that were quiet when I got them and 10,000 miles later they growled and vibrated...even with excellent care and attention to tire pressure, long term quietness is just as paramount as how impressive a tire is on day one.

A few more questions if you don't mind. :-)

1. Is the Primacy's handling comparable to my Contiprocontact SSR? Maybe better? Snow performance?

2. My wife has Michelin Primacy MXV4 on her BMW X3, is the Michelin Primacy MXM4 quieter than the older primacy?

3. Out of curiosity, which is actually quieter, the Contiprocontact SSR or the latest gen BridgestonePotenza RE960AS Pole Position RFT?

1. Actual road grip is better with the Primacy but because it is not a run flat tire the steering response will feel more slow compared to the Pro Contact SSR.

2. Neither tire is really an 'older' or 'newer' version of the other. The MXM4 has a bit better dry grip and faster steering response (very small difference) while the MXV4 has a bit softer ride and slightly better snow traction between the two.

3. ProContact SSR is slightly quieter than the 960A/S RFT.

[sgnirts]

[QUOTE=Gary@TireRack;11187768]
2. while the MXV4 has a bit softer ride and slightly better snow traction between the two.

Does softer equate to quieter? Or would you say the produce about the same noise level?

Thanks for all the help with my questions, if you know of another quieter tire that I should look at, please feel free to suggest. I arrived at the tire choices that I have been asking about by reading internet articles, but a first hand knowledge of the tires is very helpful and much appreciated!

[Gary@TireRack]

Road noise should also be lower with the Primacy MXM4 or MXV4 or even the Pro Contact SSR compared to the RE960A/S.

[sgnirts]

I think I messed up the phrasing of my question. I have it narrowed down to Michelin as being the quietest tire available for my car if I understand correctly.

1. Between the Michelin mxv4 and mxm4 which is quieter? Or are they so close in quietness that it is difficult to hear the difference?


2. Is there a difference in quietness between the 16" and 17" size, basically 205/55R16 vs 225/45R17?


Again I really appreciate you answering these questions, I know I am down to the trivial minutia, but my hearing disability unfortunately demands I get the quietest option so I can take longer car trips when necessary.

[Hooy]

THe MXM4 is insanely old though, isn't it? My mother has it as OEM tires on her 2004 car.

[sgnirts]

Originally Posted by sgnirts

I think I messed up the phrasing of my question. I have it narrowed down to Michelin as being the quietest tire available for my car if I understand correctly.

1. Between the Michelin mxv4 and mxm4 which is quieter? Or are they so close in quietness that it is difficult to hear the difference?


2. Is there a difference in quietness between the 16" and 17" size, basically 205/55R16 vs 225/45R17?


Again I really appreciate you answering these questions, I know I am down to the trivial minutia, but my hearing disability unfortunately demands I get the quietest option so I can take longer car trips when necessary.

I guess I should say "primacy" more often in this thread. I think it's pretty new. I'm sure Gary knows the age of this model.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....l=Primacy+MXM4

I'm down to figuring out which all season Primacy tire is quietest (if discernible) and if a smaller wheel (going from 17" to 16") would be even quieter while using the primacy tires.

[sgnirts]

bump

[Gary@TireRack]

The size change itself in this case would make little difference in the road noise.

[sgnirts]

Originally Posted by Gary@TireRack

The size change itself in this case would make little difference in the road noise.

Between the Michelin Primacy mxv4 and Primacy mxm4 which is quieter?

Thanks for the info.

[Gary@TireRack]

The MXV4 would be quieter, but the difference is very minor.

[sgnirts]

Thanks for the help Gary. I ordered a set of Primacy MXM4 from Tire rack today...I'll report back.

[rrandyy]

Originally Posted by sgnirts

Thanks for the help Gary. I ordered a set of Primacy MXM4 from Tire rack today...I'll report back.

Any update? I'm looking into buying the same set for my 2007 328 coupe. Costco also sells it online.

[sgnirts]

Originally Posted by rrandyy

Any update? I'm looking into buying the same set for my 2007 328 coupe. Costco also sells it online.

New 17" Primacy MXM4 is 1.5 decibels quieter than new stock 17" Continental contiprocontact run-flat at steady cruise-controlled 40mph driving on fairly decent asphalt. There is a noticeably more comfortable ride, but not night and day. I consider them a worthwhile improvement over the very good Conti run-flat, but it's not "life changing" as some have described. The decibel readings show it's not a massive difference. The measured difference was consistently about 1.5db from 40mph-55mph. I measured with a RatShack meter (dba & dbc), American Recorder Technologies meter and I also used a laptop based RTA with Behringer omni to see decibels per frequency based differences. The midrange showed a little more improvement (2db) than freqs below 250hz. I'll be trying going to 16" wheels next with MX4V to see if I can get another decibel or two...maybe I won't see any difference, but it's worth a shot.