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Excessive road noise and hard suspension on my Polo 1.4SE - will new tyres solve this problem?
Two months ago I bought a used Volkswagen Polo 1.4SE from a VE dealer. The safety checklist prior to sale showed the car to be fault-free and the car is well appointed and looks pretty, but the ride is awful, particularly on secondary roads. Tyre noise is excessive and the suspension is harsh. The car is fitted with two Firestone radial 185/60 R14 tyres on the offside, a Firehawk Fuel Save radial on the nearside rear and a Pirelli P6000 radial on the nearside front. Tread depth ranges from 3.5mm to 5mm - all tyres are the same size. Would a new set of softer tyres help and if so which?
Asked on 28 July 2012 by BJ, Croydon
Answered by
Honest John
In my experience, Firestones were always the noisiest tyres. I used to buy a lot of Mondeos and this was particularly noticeable on them. At the time, the best tyres were Continental Eco Contacts. Now I'd say Michelin Energy Savers (just replaced by Energy Saver +). I did 300 miles on a set of them today in a Fiat 500 1.2 with no stress at all.
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