Softer rubber tires are quieter, but have shorter life. Softest tires have a rating of A. The B rating is middle, and C rating is the hardest rubber.

I am interested in this topic also as my wife’s XT5 road noise has gotten quite loud as the tires have aged after 1 year

 

We replaced the OEM Michelins with Michelin Defender LTX and noticed an improvement in ride and noise, but from the reviews I've read here and in the CT6 forum, people really like the Crosscuts as well.

BTW, we got around 22,000 miles out of the OEM tires, and we're approaching 40,000 on the Defenders and the tread still looks good.

 

I second the Michelin Defender's. Put a set on my 2018 and can't believe how quiet they are.

 

My 18, still has the Michelin Premiere LTX 235/55R20. They have 76000km(47600 mile) and still have 5/32 on the tread. When they require replacing I just might go with 18 inch Steel Wheels and Tires, just to get a Less Harsh Ride.
Maybe Michelin makes their Gas Saver in 18". I put those on my STS, after fighting with the Tire Guy at Costco for over an Hour because the Tires were Rated H, and the Car was speced for some Higher Letter. I argued that both Specs were for highly Illegal Speeds, so what difference would it matter at 100kmh. They were much Quieter and better Riding, over OEM Tires, and weren't too bad on Snow, unlike the OEM. They did increase the MPG by about 3 on the Highway, which brought it close to 38mpg(bigger Gal in Canada).
Michelin Cross Climate 2 look interesting, but appear to drop Fuel Economy

 

Have you visited www.tirerack.com? They have tire reviews including quietness.

 

Don't discount a set of Cooper CS5-Ultra Touring. Damned good tires on the Cadillac, Explorer, two F-150s.

Road surface, vehicle speed, air/road temperature, age, tire pressure, vehicle loading - all affect perceived noise and ride quality. TANSTAAFL

 

A new Acronym!!!

 

Have you visited www.tirerack.com? They have tire reviews including quietness.

Thanks for that! I had looked at tirerack for recommendations but had not gone deeper into the more granular ratings. For my needs, with "Ride Quality and Noise" at the top, everything else a notch lower and with cost almost a non-consideration, the Pirelli Scorpion Weatheractive beats out the Continental by a nose.

I had a set of Pirellis on one of my performance cars 50 or so years ago; they were at the time unusual in that they were unidirectional and had different rubber on the inside and outside, one soft and the other hard. The ride was terrible, but they were quick, especially on curves, which that two-rubber composition was designed for. (Of course, that noisy ride bears no resemblance to the tires we are considering today; I'm simply pointing out that Pirelli was at the time and probably remains an innovative tire company, favored for high-performance cars!)

. . . Road surface, vehicle speed, air/road temperature, age, tire pressure, vehicle loading - all affect perceived noise and ride quality. TANSTAAFL

Well, yes! And, of course, I can control only some of these noise and vibration factors: road surface, vehicle speed, temperature, age, vehicle loading, NO; tire pressure, YES, to a degree; tire make and model, YES, and that is what I am looking for.

That isn't, of course, the end of my research. I will, as usual, take tirerack's recommendations with a bit of hesitation and look further, including with the local tire company with whom I have been doing business since I moved to central Virginia 28 years ago.

But another thought and concern. How quickly does that wonderfully quiet ride disappear as treadwear increases. These original tires have always been very noisy and treadwear has been minimal at 41K miles, so I can't judge from these. The Continental has 12/32 tread; the Pirelli 11/32, and the Continental has 10K additional warranty. Does this mean that the quiet ride may last longer on the Continental?

Thanks so far. This is very informative.

 

The Continentals are an excellent choice, I replaced the original Michelins with Continentals about a year ago, very smooth and quiet, you couldn't make a better choice! Way, way better than the OE Michelins!

 

Check the Pirellis on tread life. They've not been the longer lasting tires historically. My original Michelins now have 23k miles and noticing a vibration upon braking. Had the wheels balanced a couple of weeks ago was better but still there. Again, seems to be a common problem.

 

My instinct says vibration only on braking would not be the tires, but maybe an out of spec rotor. Tire vibration would be at all speeds (and worse as you go faster not worse as you brake)... no?

Max

 

It is much better after the balance. Just a bit noticeable to me (being picky). Which brings me back to the tires just wearing badly, as noted here many times here. And I've recently noticed them spinning more than when new. Again, only 23k miles is pretty lousy no matter how you slice it.

 

I have noticed increased wheelspin on any tires as they age. Probably as a result of the rubber at the tread getting harder and loss of grip to the road surface. I especially notice it in my Corvette with loss of traction when accelerating.

 

My wife's '18 XT5 is due for new tires soon so I'm shopping too. Right now the highest ratings seem to be (no particular order, just the ones that bubble to the top):

• Pirelli Scorpion WeatherActive
• Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3
• Michelin Defender 2 (various versions of Defender so make sure you are looking at this latest one)
• Wrangler Steadfast H/T (brand new entry to the market so not many reviews but so far ratings are great)

Just FWIW -- I had 2 sets of the CrossContact LX25's on my 1500 truck. I know it's not a one-to-one comparison to a compact SUV, but they were the best tires I have ever owned FOR 25,000 MILES. But both sets wore out around that mileage, which was only about 2 years of life. If you don't mind putting them on often they are great, but I just couldn't live with replacing them that often (when the first set wore out early Continental gave me a prorated warranty for the second set, but once that set did the same thing I changed brands).

 

The Michelins on my XT5 aren't ready for replacement yet but I can tell you that I've replaced noisy Michelins on Mercedes, Lincoln, and a previous Cadillac with Continental and I've been happier and driving a much quieter car every time. I don't think you can go wrong with the Continental for a quieter ride. I live in Florida so I can't speak to things like ice and snow and I don't have to be concerned with them so I'm generally just looking for good wear and quiet ride.

 

I did purchase the Continental Crosscontact LX25's on Thursday, but besides the 20 or so miles home on mostly good interstate surfaces, I haven't driven the car since. The tires are very quiet as compared to the OEM Michelins. When I have been out on some of the noisy road surfaces that I normally drive, I will update this thread. Thanks to all who commented!

 

We replaced our originals with Michelin Cross Climate 2. All season, that actually has a snow rating. Check them out on Tire Rack. Great dry, wet and light snow. Plus ride great and vey quiet.
Just returned from a vacation, about 450 miles in the Adirondacks, and they performed great on the highway, RT 81 and the twisties on RT 3.
Only drawback that some point out is that they are directional -I just do front to back.

 

 

Final thoughts: The Continentals are significantly quieter than the OEM Michelins. Aside from that, trying to be much more specific would move too much in the direction of total subjectivity. My wife thinks they are much quieter as well, and she is not nearly as sensitive to the noise level as I am. Another difference is that while the Michelins transmitted more of a mid-range vibrational sound and feel into the cabin, now gone, the Continentals transmit a softer sound, more like one would think of as the difference between hard and soft rubber. Of course, this is at least partially true because of the additional tread on the new Continentals.

I believe that the best thing I can say about that Continentals is that after driving for a couple weeks with them, I no longer think about tire and road noise. I am looking forward to a long road trip in September...

 

I have about 5,000 miles on my Continentals, I think they're getting quieter...very happy with them.