The ride is fantastic.... I cannot point to one particular thing though and tell you "doing X made all the difference in the world". I added rims, tires, bilsteins and a lift. You certainly will NOT be disappointed with the ride if you go the route I did. As far as noise, that's more subjective since I may find something very harsh, where it doesn't bother you at all vice versa. I will say the tires have a noticeable hum to them. If you ride with the windows down, it's much more pronounced than with the windows up. It's not bothersome to me.... I turn the radio up two numbers from where I was at stock and I carry on. Conversations are still pleasant in the vehicle and the biggest judge (my fiance') doesn't seem to notice or mind the noise at all.
I certainly did not have to go with an M/T, however this was the "look" that I really wanted. You'd certainly be fine going this route or you may even consider looking at a glorified A/T such as a Toyo AT2 Extreme or Toyo RT.... those have a little less aggressive look while still providing a MUCH better feeling of confidence for those 1% moments.
