This is an offshoot of my other thread about my 2007 Toyota RAV4. Now that I’ve put in seat extenders and it is more comfortable to drive, I’m more inclined to actually drive it.
Unfortunately, my RAV4 has a hard and noisy ride, primarily due to the tires. They are currently Goodyear M+S (P215/70R16) tires installed in 2007. (No, I’m not kidding. My father got a free set of tires each year as a Goodyear retiree. He had them put on to replace the originals less than a year after they bought the car in 2006. They’re probably hard as a carp.)
I’m not anxious to replace the tires, but I figure that they are about due. I live in central NC, so mud and snow are not a concern. I’d like a smoother ride. I don’t even really care about gas mileage or wear…I drive less than 2500 miles a year. And it is NOT a 4WD model.
Has anyone bought tires that they found made the RAV4 ride “like butter” and slightly quieter?
BTW, I’m retired, so I’m open to no-name specials and cheap tires that only last 20K miles.
If they are a decade and a half old, that is why they are so hard. ANY tires would feel like you are driving on a cloud compared to them I would think.
Put the smallest wheels that will fit onto the RAV4, then contact a company like Tire Rack and check their tire noise and comfort ratings. Mount the tallest tires (high sidewalls) that will fit the wheels and the vehicle. This will give you the most sidewalk flex in the tires which will help a great deal with ride comfort.
Oh and as others have said, replace those 16 year old tires. Ultraviolet sun rays have degraded the rubber such that it is stiff and also slick, with greatly reduced road grip.
Yes, they are (almost) 16 years old. The car only has 32K miles on it. And I’m quite confident that they have hardened. Thus my inquiry about suggestions for new tires. I don’t think under-inflating tires this old will help much.
Just interested in people who might have a RAV4 (or similar weight/size) who have found tires that provide a nice, quiet ride. Again, don’t care about great traction, good mileage, or long life.
Unless unusual measures are taken, you shouldn’t drive a vehicle with tires that are more than six years old, regardless of how many miles are on them.
Some people like consulting the Tire Rack website or other specialty websites and magazines but personally, I rely on the advice of the tire store staff. For my most recent purchase (for my 2010 Honda Fit) I asked for quieter tires to replace the OEM Dunlap tires, and they recommended Yokohamas. If they are quieter, it may be subtle, because there’s a particular stretch of highway that was always noisy and still is.
If you want quiet, find some bias ply tires. The only company that I know of that still makes them is Coker, they make reproductions of older tire designs. Modern radial tires are noisy, it comes with the way they are made. Narrow tires would be quieter too but you give up a lot in handling and braking.