Bridgestone Ecopia is loud. I want quieter tires. Fuel economy be damned.

Depends on which version of Ecopia's they are and what road surface you run on. I did find that the stock Bridgestones on my car got much louder when they were near end of life 3mm. I'm guessing with only 18k miles it's your front that are getting low and the rears are fine?

You don't say where you are in the World and Bridgestone offer different models for different areas depending on weather, heat etc.

 

+1 on the Michelin Primacies - I noticed a quieter ride immediately. If "mileage be damned", then set them all at about 35 PSI.

 

I upgraded from Ecopia to Primacy MXV4 and noticed a big reduction in noise.

At the time, the Primacy did not show up on a Michelin Canada search for Prius tires and I concluded that this was because the Primacy had a higher speed rating than was the minimum needed for the Prius.

 

I rather live with some noise than killing my PiP MPGs. My titres are at 42/40 psi......
I can muffle the road noise with a lauder music tho

 

I have used MXV4s on several vehicles and have been pleased.
I don't pay THAT much attention to gas mileage.

 

Michelin Defenders hands down.

 

Get Michelin Defenders. Quiet comfortable ride and good handling plus 80,000 mile tread wear warranty.

 

Likely EP20, but yeah please check, OP. I can recall swapping back to EP20 from snows, and seriously thinking something was wrong. Especially noisy as they wear, I think.

Be careful what you wish for tho, you may get quiet AND a mph hit. I think Tirerack surveys include loudness, worth checking.

 

Looking on TireRack, quietness ratings, in 195/65R15 (10 best, 0 worst), just Michelin:

Premier A/S: 9.0
Defender: 8.3
Energy Saver A/S: 7.7

For mpg, the Michelin site rates the above (best to worst): ES, Premier, Defender.

With Michelin at least, maybe your sweet spot is the Premier A/S.

The Premier's currently on my preferred list, especially since I'd be looking for 215/45R17.

 

OK Canada...I had the GY Assurance Comfortred for a long time. Seemed like they got noisier as they got older... I mean old...they are a long life tire. USA we do not have that exact tire anymore, so I went with the Continental True Contacts from Tire Rack.com. On my van I went with the Defenders.

EDIT: I see now TireRack does have the ComforTred again...for a while it was off the list

 

Defenders on my 2010 Prius, 2006 New Beetle and will go on the 2014 Corolla S when factories wear out.

 

weird, the OEM EP20 were quiet tires in my experience. i switched to conti purecontacts at 40000 miles and got more noise and lower MPG.

 

I'm not saying that there aren't quieter tires than the EP20s, but the Prius isn't known to be a quiet car. It could use more sound proofing. There are threads on Prius Chat on that topic.

 

Seems to be a lot of tires that get noisier as they wear down. So you go from noisy worn tires to quiet new tires. Much better! Then the new tires start to wear, get noisier, you vow you won't be getting those again.

 

You bought a Prius Plug In.
Most of us on this site own a Prius or Hybrid of some incarnation.

I think if it is really "Mileage Be Damned!", then thinking about changing your vehicle might be the better way to reach a higher level of quietness and comfort.

In comparison to vehicles I have owned in the past, I think because of it's low speed electric motor operation and turning off at stops, coupled with the eCVT transmission, The Prius is one of the quietest vehicles in operation I have ever owned. Can't get too much quieter than "turned off" at a stop light.

Does it produce road noise? Sure, but not more than any other light vehicle I have ever owned. Guess when I'm on a long drive on the highway I'm just good at turning that road noise into white noise and ignoring it. Admittedly I've never owned a vehicle I think anyone would classify as a luxury automobile, most have been lightweight, so I don't expect a high degree of quietness at highway speeds.

You can research, and get recommendations for "quieter tires". But IMO, although tire manufacturers will certainly advance the idea that their tire and tread design is quieter, I think it's mostly just marketing hype. Road noise produced I think has much more to do with the insulation of the vehicle and the road surfaces you happen to be driving on, than the tires.

If it's something you absolutely cannot stand, I'd investigate sound insulation (There are Threads) before I would expect a tire change at only 18,000 miles would make much of a lasting difference. As stated above, I think there can be some benefit perhaps when a good quality tire is brand new, but as they wear, they all become rubber on the road, and at that point the insulation of the vehicle, and the conditions of the roads you are driving, I think impact the road noise you are hearing, much more than the tires you are riding on.

I don't think there is a "tire" magic bullet. The audible noise that reaches the cabin, is the audible noise that reaches the cabin.

 

Stated that way, maybe you are right but there is a LOT of difference in the road noise that some tires make over others.

Most any tire can be quiet on a perfectly smooth brand new asphalt (except maybe swamp knobbies) but the good ones are much better on a "difficult" old worn surface.

I guess maybe you have to hear and feel it to believe it.

 

I agree I guess.

But I still think most claims of a tire making a long term significant difference are primarily simply manufacturing sales "hype".

I mean think about it, no manufacturer designs a tire to purposely BE loud. I think there is a limited amount in regards to what actually can be done to make a "tire" quieter in operation.

In fact, my last vehicle (Honda Fit) I purchased brand new tires. I actually enjoyed doing the research on the tires. I thought the vehicle was loud in terms of road noise, and a "quieter" tire was a priority that I wanted.

When I actually had picked out the tire I thought best, and actually went to the local tire "chain" to order them, I mentioned that I hoped the tire would be "quieter".

The guy that worked there? Well he said over the years he actually refused to sell anyone a tire, and tell them it would be quieter, because of the vast number of times people would inevitably be disappointed when the new tire wasn't significantly "quieter". He said, he'd sell a tire based on tread wear, riding comfort, traction, handling...but NOT based on whether it was a "quiet" tire or not. He said too often the problem is so much based on the vehicle itself, and the surfaces the vehicle is driven, and the tire can have so limited an impact in that area.

I went ahead and ordered the tires, which were ones I had probably over researched. And they were fine tires. My honest evaluation however was that with the Honda Fit...a light, compact vehicle, these tires that did advertise being "quiet" did not make a difference in terms of road noise.