Do 20s make a ride that much quieter?

[Vortechtral]

Hey, so I test drove a used 2011 limited with 20 inch rims. However decided to go with a 2013 SEL with only 18 inch. I don't know if there was a difference any more of not being so long from the test drive (mid October or late September when we test drove and took possession) but I want to say the limited had a quieter ride. Maybe we were still used to the G5's horrible road noise.

 

But I first want to know before going to a dealership and test driving a limited again to be sure, does a limited have any more sound deadening materials then its SEL counterparts? Our dealer said it was the 20s that gave it such a quiet and smooth ride.

 

I want to know all this cause I would like to upgrade from 18s to 20s, especially if it will make the ride more softer and quieter! Dont get me wrong, as long as there isn't a head on wind, the ride is on the quieter side, but I still find it on the loud side. Maybe its because I'm finally used to the vehicle.

 

Thanks!

[RustyEdge]

I'm not an expert but going from 18" wheels with a 60 series tire to 20" wheels and 50 series tire shouldn't make it quieter or softer. Maybe the tires themselves might make a difference. I think the 18's might be paired with Michelin's where the 20's have Pirellis which are probably softer in general.

 

-Russ

[akirby]

Noise has more to do with the tire compound and tread design.

[fishx65]

More sidewall on the 18's should give a smoother ride. A tires air pressure will also make a huge difference.

[Feirstein]

Major difference is ride and weight. Both favor the 18" size. Handling is not improved by the 20" size.

[rheller]

more times than none, a lower profile tire will be louder. a 50 series tire has less sidewall to soak up energy. Maybe the limited has more sound deadening features.

[Scorpio]

Not sure about current models, but when we purchased our 2012 Limited, one of the main reasons was it's quieter interior over both the SEL and Sport models we also looked at. Salesman said that the Limited had different windshield (it does say "sound design") and other sound deadening measures taken from the MKX version. Who knows, but it was noticeably quieter than the other versions, and still is a very quiet ride even at highway speeds with snow tires (always a louder tire, no matter the size) on there.

[omar302]

Check your front windows, are they made of two layeres each? You can see it from the top of the window, if it is then you have sound insulating side windows. I am geussing that the Limited has them, but not the SEL, if so, this might explain what you experienced.

[edge1217]

I'm pretty sure the difference in quietness has more to do with the Limited's sound deadening properties in comparison to the SEL. The SoundScreen glass is intended to cut down on noise that's transmitted through the glass, which is apparently a major source of noise entering the cabin. I know the Limited has it, not sure about the SEL.

 

As far as the 20's vs 18's, that was a big issue for me when I was shopping the Edge. I thought the initial test drive on a Limited with 20's was pretty harsh, and while I like a firm ride, it was enough of a deal breaker at the time that I took the Edge off my list and went to check out other makes. The other makes that I drove also had 20's and they all seemed stiff. I started thinking that maybe it was the 20's that were causing the harsh ride, so I went back to the Ford dealer and did a side by side test of an Edge Limited with 20's and another Limited with 18's, back to back on the same afternoon. Both my wife and I thought there was a huge difference, with the 18's giving a much smoother ride, and we had a whole different impression of the Edge so we went with the less "cool" 18's. Handling seemed a little better with the 18's too, seemed like less steering wheel effort was required going around tight corners at low speed, as in a 90 degree turn through an intersection. I don't recall there being a difference with the noise level, but then again noise was never an issue for me with either the 18's or 20's. Maybe I'm dead wrong in the way the 18's struck us, but at the time we did end up with a strong preference for the 18's. BTW, when I asked my dealer about the 18's vs 20's, he told me the opposite of what your dealer told you (my guy said the 18's would be smoother and I think he was right).

 

My 2013 Limited is by far the quietest car I've ever had, and the ride is very smooth but without being "soft" and I'm still very glad that I went with the 18's. Everyone has different perceptions and preferences, but I'd guess that if you went to upgrade to the 20's for a smoother, quieter ride, you'll be disappointed based on my experience. Upgrading tires and rims would be an expensive proposition, so be sure to test it out before you take the plunge.

 

BTW, if you decide not to change wheel size, when it's time to replace your tires you might want to shop around for a tire with a quieter compound. A few months ago I replaced the tires on my Accord with Bridgestone Turanza's and they made an amazing difference in the quietness of the ride. They are made with a somewhat softer compound and a less aggressive tread design, yet they still handle very well.

 

Good luck!

Edited January 27, 2013 by edge1217

[rheller]

edge1217, I had the exact same impressions! 18's just rode better than the 20's in everyday driving!

[Vortechtral]

Well, on my wind shield on the bottom left corner there is one decal "Soundscreen" maybe that's the double pane. Id check though we are getting quiet a bit of snow at the moment.

 

Well either way, thanks for the input. Now I can at least put to rest the tire theory, not not go about buying extra tires/rims for no real reason

[edge1217]

Yep, Soundscreen is the sound-deadening glass. I swear it's a softer glass but maybe not. By 3000 miles I had a fair number of tiny scratches from the arc of the wipers. Nothing big or annoying but it does seem a bit early to have that start happening. And that was before any winter driving with sanded roads. I applied some Rain-X, thinking the polymers might help shed some of the grit before the wipers grind it in. Seems to have helped a bit, the scratches don't seem to have gotten any worse.

 

Good luck with your Edge!

[Kitulu]

I don't know about the glass, but when I took the door panels off of my 08 Limited, there was a lot of sound-deadening material behind the panel.

[omar302]

The front windsheild is soundproof, but also the front doors should have them. But there is no "SoundScreen" writing on them, roll down the side windows & the look at edge or feel for the double layer. The rear doors have normal single plane windows, so you can compare to them to the fronts to find out.

[Brock79]

My SEL has the soundscreen windshield, never checked the side windows. Also 18" rims will be smoother any day of the week, the 22"s on the sport have the harshest ride. My edge is dead quiet but I also dyno matted all four doors and the rear cargo area as well, except for the rear door.

[Dingo]

The 22s are smoother. They're heavy. Do a Google search for "inertia." The 18s and 20s will be similar to each other. Dynamatting the floor on the edge > Dynamatting the doors.

[wannabang]

The 22s are smoother. They're heavy. Do a Google search for "inertia." The 18s and 20s will be similar to each other. Dynamatting the floor on the edge > Dynamatting the doors.

 

Good to know. I'd assumed that was the case to stop the vicious road noise in my SEL. Except I won't be using Dynamat...

[Dingo]

You can actually kill a good amount of road noise by Dynamatting the hood.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

There's that much room for improvement even after the underhood liner? I need to get this done ASAP!

[Dingo]

Yup. I did mine last year.

 

[Limited59]

The 22s are smoother. They're heavy. Do a Google search for "inertia." The 18s and 20s will be similar to each other. Dynamatting the floor on the edge > Dynamatting the doors.

What does the weight of a wheel/tire have to do with its ability to absorb road imperfections? In my experience the more sidewall the better the ride quality, to a point of course.

[Dingo]

Well, there are several factors. First, you have a much softer tire (alleged performance tire). Second, the weight of the combo actually matters more than you think. From NASA regarding Newton's laws (http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/airplane/newton.html):

 

"The second law explains how the velocity of an object changes when it is subjected to an external force. The law defines a force to be equal to change in momentum (mass times velocity) per change in time. Newton also developed the calculus of mathematics, and the "changes" expressed in the second law are most accurately defined in differential forms. (Calculus can also be used to determine the velocity and location variations experienced by an object subjected to an external force.) For an object with a constant mass m, the second law states that the force F is the product of an object's mass and its acceleration a:

F = m * a

For an external applied force, the change in velocity depends on the mass of the object. A force will cause a change in velocity; and likewise, a change in velocity will generate a force. The equation works both ways."

 

Thus, when you go over a concave imperfection in the road, the inertia (based on mass) will carry you over it with a minimal disturbance to the vector (magnitude and direction) of the wheel/tire. This dampening is aided by the shock absorbers and their inherent tendency to slow the natural conversion from static energy to kinetic energy of the coil springs. When you go over a convex imperfection, the disturbance is mostly absorbed by the tire, with the rotational inertia acting as a damper. Additional forces are absorbed by the shocks/springs, and then the remaining forces are felt by the driver.

 

If you have doubts, ride a bicycle over a speed bump. Then, ride over it at the same speed in your Edge. The effect is more pronounced at higher speeds. In conclusion, no matter what women might say, size matters.

[Waldo]

Dingo, you've got it all backwards. A heavier wheel will always have rougher ride than a lighter one all other things being equal. Newton's second law works the other way once the wheel starts to move upwards (which it always will, even in a concave road event). Once that mass is moving upwards, it requires more force to stop it, in other words, it passes more force into the body of the vehicle. But the other major consideration is the vibration of the wheel. A larger mass requires more damping to stop it's natural vibrations after hitting bumps. In practice, that means that the heavier the wheel, the stiffer the dampers are tuned. Given equal dampers, the heavier wheel will always shake more over any given bump.

 

On my Focus I replaced the OE wheels with ones that were 7lbs each lighter, but otherwise the same size and I kept the same tires. There was a dramatic improvement in the ride with the lighter wheels.

 

By the way, gravity pulls a heavy wheel down into a pothole just as fast as it pulls a light wheel. Remember the feather vs ball bearing in a vacuum that we all learned in high school? Then the heavier wheel will hit the bottom of the pothole with more force, which then gets passed back up into the vehicle.

[Limited59]

It's a little late in the day for me to do calculus... But it seems to me that the less unsprung mass the easier job the suspension has to do and the better the ride will be.

 

I wouldn't dream of buying the Sport with our terrible roads. In fact, if I'm going with the MKX I will be sticking with the standard 18s.

[Brock79]

The 18" will be a smoother ride every time. I have the stock 20" and I can feel the ride difference every time they give me a loaner with 18". It's very simple to figure out as you go up in rim size you go down in sidewall height on the tire. The 18" rim And tire combo will have the same diameter as the 20" and 22" package. Once that side wall gets smaller it gets thicker and stiffer. Which results in a rougher ride. As for road noise from the tires, that can vary greatly from manufacture and tread patterns. It is possible for a 22" tire to be quieter than the 18"