Stiffer ride w/2 ply side wall passenger tires?

[sparky123]

My wife's Focus ZX5 has Cooper CS4's (P195/60/R15) and they are an excellent tire but I've noticed w/these tires the ride is stiffer than the previous General Altimax HP's. The CS4's have 2 ply side walls. The 99' Protege had Pirelli P4's which were a great tire as well but the ride was stiffer than the newly mounted Kumho KH 20's. 2 plies vs. single ply. Interesting while shopping @ Sam's Club noticed Pirelli tires on sale, (P195/65/R15), the P6+'s have single ply side wall's. What I've noticed w/the tires on our cars is that tires w/2 ply side wall's ride stiffer. Also, these tires seem to have a high treadwear rating as well. Given what I know now, for a lighter small car, I'll definately give this some serious consideration. Thanks for reading and posting your thoughts. Bill

 

[Cardenio327]

My Fit came with T-rated Pirellis with 1 ply sidewalls. I put on H-rated Bridgestone Potenzas with 2-ply sidewalls. Between the higher speed rating and the 2 ply sidewalls, handling improved greatly, went from somewhat better than a Geo Metro with blown shocks to almost as good as a stock Miata [exaggeration, but you get the idea].

My wife complained about the stiff ride for a couple of weeks then forgot about it.

 

[CapriRacer]

There are ways to make a tire handle better (and therefore, ride worse) that don't involve adding a second ply - but adding a second ply does increase the stiffness of a tire.

So be careful. Some single ply tires will ride harder than some 2 ply tires.