So in term so ride quality there are two things to consider of course, noise and bumps absorption.
Now of course generally these tires are noisier compared to on road tires with their aggressive tread pattern. But here a lot of variables are involved and its best we check them out.
(I will get to the vibrations part after covering noise).
So What Factors Affect Tread Noise?
Well, to understand that, let me first explain what tread noise is.
Noise is just unwanted sound waves generated by air particles hitting the tread and moving in and out of the grooves (mostly entering through the shoulder gaps).
So, tread pattern has a huge role to play here, which is a good starting point.
Tread Pattern
All-terrain tires typically have more aggressive tread patterns than regular (passenger) tires.
So, with larger tread blocks and deeper grooves, these tires have more space available for air to move around, which produces noise pollution.
Similarly, tread depth has a similar role to play here. Deeper tread voids again provide more area for the air to strike the walls of the tread with full force.
And worth reminding, with greater tread depth, these tires also tend to create more groove resonance as well, and it’s not helping the overall noise either.
Although all tires have pitch sequencing technologies (described below), they differ a lot from one another, where some are effective, while others are not able to dampen the noise levels properly.
Pitch sequencing occurs when various parts of the tread create different sound tones, and they cancel out each other, or at least try to. This is done by varying the geometry of the lugs from one another, in a very subtle way.
Tread compound
Tread composition also has a huge role to play in overall noise levels. Some tread compounds have higher silica density, which makes their structure elastic.
With an elastic compound, the grooves create an echo with the generated noise, and the bounced-off noise waves cause amplification, generating a wobbling sound in most cases.
This type of noise gets worse if tires are not balanced properly.
Sidewall construction
Most all-terrain tires come with reinforced sidewalls, making them harder to puncture, especially when driving on rougher tracks. These tires tend to be stiffer on the sides, while their middle part of the tread stays soft.
With this, a difference in pressure is created, so the air particles entering the grooves strike the middle part of the tread with greater force, generating noise.
Though this is mostly common with sidewalls having spirally wound nylon cap plies.
Shoulder design
All-terrain tires have more aggressive shoulder designs with wider grooves in between (compared to on-road tires). And as most of the air comes in/goes out through here, they become a major deciding factor in whether a tire will be silent or not.
That’s the reason why tires have ridges placed in between and some tires like Cooper have Whisper Groove Technology doing the same, restricting noise from getting in.
You can check it out on Cooper AT3 4S (review): https://tiredriver.com/cooper-at3-4s-review/
Tire’s Weight
The heavier the tire, the more friction it creates with the road, and more noise is generated. This happens because the rubber tends to flex more with extra mass while rolling.
And with more flexing, larger in-groove resonance is generated.
For Your Info: With this bending of the lugs, all-terrain tires also give out worse gas mileage as well, of course compared to on-road tires.
Now for the next part…
Do All-Terrain Tires Cause Vibrations?
When it comes to vibrations, all terrain tires basically tend to do a little better compared to their road noise performance.
And to know why, considering this question.
What causes vibrations in all-terrain tires?
Well, factors such as the tread pattern, rubber compound, and tire size plus aspect ratio can all contribute to vibrations.
I’ve discussed them all below.
Tread Pattern
All-terrain tires have wider tread voids, and these basically generate more vibrations due to compound having enhanced elasticity.
The larger spaces between the tread blocks allow for more movement of the tread as it comes into contact with pavements. This added flexibility causes the lugs to bend more, creating vibrations (that can even be felt in the steering wheel).
Moreover, these wider grooves also make it difficult for the tread to make a consistent connection with the surface, decreasing overall stability, and and with it comfort.
(Though comfort also depends on tread noise, and I covered that one here).
Tread Depth
Tread depth can also cause a lot of vibrations, if the the lugs are not supported.
Although some of the all-terrain tires have higher tread depth, with supporting reinforced foundations and ridges, they still don’t allow the blocks to move that much, keeping them firm.
While others which are left unsupported can bring about more vibrations on higher speeds and during cornering and braking.
Tread Composition
The tread compounds typically include different types of polymers such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, and other materials such as carbon black, silica, and various oils and fillers.
A tread compound that includes a higher percentage of natural rubber will be softer and more “bending” compared to the composition that has larger synthetic rubber density.
Therefore, the composition of the tread on all-terrain tires can affect vibrations on the road, and the choice of polymers can vary the durability, flexibility, and wear resistance of the tire which in turn decreases overall comfort.
How to reduce vibrations caused by all-terrain tires?
So we learned A/T tires aren’t the most comfortable, but what can be done about it? Let’s find out.
Check Tread Wear
So this is the first things that you do. Make sure you check out the tread depth on all tires.
As tires wear down, the tread depth decreases and this can negatively affect the tire’s ability to grip the road surface, leading to more vibrations.
That’s why I recommend checking tread depth of tires at least once a month. And if tread is worn down to 2/32″, it’s time to get them replaced.
For Your Info: Some tires have tread wear indicators, and these further make things easier.
Check Alignment and Suspension
The second most important thing is to see if tires are properly aligned, as this not only causes a lot of different tread wear patterns, but is also one of the major cause of creating vibrations.
Basically if alignment is out, the other tires would be stressed (rub off with the road with uneven force), causing the ride to get bumpy.
I recommend getting tires aligned after every 6 month, at most.
Get Tires Rotated
In order to get smooth ride, the tires should have very minimal tread depth gap between them.
In FWD, tires on the front get to wear off faster, and the opposite happens on RWD, that’s why with tire rotation, the gap between the tires get minimized, and the smoothness of the tire is returned.
Similarly, keeping the same tire pressure also removes the uneven stress on the tires, so makes sure you get that right as well.
Which All Terrain Tire Comes With Least Vibrations?
Out of all, the Yokohama Geolandar G015 gives you the most comfortable ride, out of all.
That’s because the tire has a spongy rubber, and a good amount of thickness to it (it’s tread depth which reaches up to 17/32″ offers a lot of rubber matters between you and the surface).
Moreover, it’s internal construction consist of very malleable (only one) cap ply, which is also spirally wound.
All of these account for settling down the vibrations on road.
That’s why I added this tire in my list of best all terrains, check it out here: https://tiredriver.com/best-all-terrain-tires/
Which Is The Quietest All-Terrain Tire Overall?
The Continental TerrainContact A/T (review), from my perspective as a tire engineer, is the quietest all-terrain tire. Let me explain why.
On roads, although noise is generated with rolling and surface texture differences, most of it comes from air.
All the grooves that you see on the tire have air in them, and as the tire rolls, that air starts pumping in and out of the tread, generating noise in two ways.
One, in the form of whistling, going out and coming in through shoulder blocks, and two, by hitting around through the tread.
And this tire deals with both in a beautiful way.
If you consider its shoulder lugs, you’d note that they are very packed together. There are very few gaps in between and even those small ones have ridges. This restricts the air from coming in in the first place.
And the little air that does manage to get in is dealt with by pitch sequencing, which you may have heard of as variable pitch technology.
TerrainContact A/T basically has a very well-engineered design where its lugs vary in shape throughout the tread. This way air particles hitting different parts of the tread create different frequencies. And they then try to cancel out each other, allowing this tire to become even quieter than some of the on-road tires out there.
I ranked this tire for it in my list of best all-terrain tires: https://tiredriver.com/best-all-terrain-tires/
Conclusion
So, to sum up, although all-terrain tires are notorious for being loud on roads, there are some on-road-oriented tires that are better.
That’s because with an aggressive design, tires having wider grooves and deeper tread voids allow more air to come in through the shoulder gaps and hit around the tread, generating noise.
Moreover, some tires have stiffer shoulder lugs, due to the spirally wound inner plies, and these encourage air particles to hit (especially in the middle part of the tread) with full force, generating unwanted sound waves.
Plus, you can also expect some limited comfort overall, especially with more aggressive tires, as their more number of plies internally causes an overall stiffness, resulting in less absorption of vibrations in the tread.
Moreover, with bigger grooves, especially on aggressive A/T tires, the tread isn’t able to make a consistent contact with the smooth surface, and this causes the ride to get bumpier.
But as A/Ts come in a large variety, there are some tires which are actually pretty great at cushioning the bumps, and out of them, the Yokohama G015 ranks on top.
