Excessive tyre noise

[Mayor of Newark]

Picked up my Superb 170 Elegance Combi last week. I'm amazed by the (to me) excessive tyre noise and I'm wondering if there is a tracking problem or a noise short. There does not appear to be a 'sawtooth' problem. The car has 225/40x18 Conti SportContact 2s all round, with 7k miles on them, and I'm running them at the recommended 2.2 Bar pressure.

Any suggestions most welcome.

Edited 26 August, 2012 by Mayor of Newark

[Caspian]

I have a 170 dsg Hatch, not the combi but for what its worth here are my comments.

On my car the Conti 2's got a bit noisier as they wear down. As far as tyre pressures are concerned, I was advised by the dealer to run at 32 lbs/sq in (2.32 bar) all round for normal loads. I found that made me less likely to damage the front wheels on potholes and also gave me slightly sharper turn in. In fact I now run at 33 lbs/ sq in (2.39 bar) for normal loads. The recommended 2.2 bar for the front which equates to 31 /32 lbs /sq in is in my opinion dangerously soft for such a low profile tyre allowing it to come down on the rims and damage them. The rear recommendation which equates to about 34/35 lbs /sq in makes an empty rear end bounce too much and is much more suitable for a loaded boot.

[Danny 57]

I have got 18" on mine. I will check later as to what make but I do not have a noise problem although I thought that there would be more noise when i bought the car because they are 18".

[mandp]

I have the same tyres on my Petrol Twindoor. I keep them at the recommended 32PSI all round and road noise is certainly a concern for me. I have considered insulation under the bonnet (Petrols don't have any) but was told it would have little beneficial effect. I'm hoping the don't get noisier as they age!

[jonnb]

I have Michelin Pilot Sport 3's on my combi, all at 35 p.s.i., and have to say, they are very quiet.

[BOBW]

I have Pirelli P7's on my SE 4X4 estate and they are very quiet.

[kilworth]

I have had my new 140 twindoor back at the dealers with road noise and a slight vibration felt on the central arm rest , they have said can't find any issues. Car is 3 wks old on Dunlop sport . I have read other people commenting on these tyres being the issue, can't wait to change to see,if this resolves . Overall I feel the suspension picks up every change in the,road surface or is it the tyres ?

[Alfaspider]

Can't wait to get rid of dunlops on mine. As I remember, winter tires were much better. Will probably opt for michelin or pirelli next year.

[Richf]

Try an extra later of soundproofing under the spare wheel and under the "lid" over the spare wheel

I find tyre noise is mostly dependant on road surface I've not noticed a great deal of difference between brands but some types of concrete roads are horrendous

[gianthotdog]

I had dunlop sports on my elegance. They were very noisy. When I changed them to michelin pilot 3s I could not believe the difference. I had to stop and check (not sure what for?) on the way home because I couldn't believe how much quieter they were.

[Mayor of Newark]

As Caspian pointed out earlier, it seems Conti 2s, according to my local independent tyre specialist, do have a reputation for increased noise with wear. So probably the Michelins when replacement is needed.

Good tip from Richf. Although I've already stuffed the spare wheel well with overalls, dog towels, etc, and have a rubber boot liner complete with folded blanket (for the dog) which ought to help.

Thanks to all for the feed-back.

[kilworth]

Just to update on issue above with vibration through the chassis while driving , car back at dealers , they took for s test drive and came back telling me they could find no problem and the vibration was just dsg echo ? . I also got all 4 wheels balanced and tracking done , same issue . Can just isn't as smooth over any surface with vibration felt on central console and off passenger seat. Anyone else in this situation or is it all related to Dunlop sport tyres , or am I expecting too much from the ride comfort

[SamsterXX]

That just sounds like a wheel's thrown a balancing weight

Edited 7 September, 2012 by SamsterXX

[kilworth]

Had the balancing redone , same problem

[kilworth]

Car back from dealership today , problem with vibration resolved . Left rear wheel needed to be balanced . Drive home vibration free . Excellent service from main dealer couldn't recommend more .

[Chauf4]

Mine was suffering excessive tyre noise but now I've sorted it. My car came from a dealership with Fullrun tyres fitted, looking almost brand new. No idea if it was the garage or the previous owner who had fitted them but I would highly recommend that if anyone is ever considering getting a set of these to forget about them instantly. They are by far the nosiest tyres I have ever known but also the most useless in the wet. Anything beyond the most modest of sensible driving would see you on the edge of losing what grip there was, and that doesn't bode well should you find yourself in an emergency braking situation.

Anyway, solved my problem by picking up some part worn Michelin Pilot S3's, driving in virtual silence now :-)

[kilworth]

Just to update on the issue above concerning tyre noise with Dunlop sport tyres , replaced them yesterday at 31k for Goodyear f1 tyres . Difference is amazing , tyre noise reduced by 80 % , the most unusual aspect that I would never have believed is that the car feels much more comfortable over the bumps . Already told dealer if I am to purchase another superb he will have to bin the dunlops first .

[Mayor of Newark]

Fitted Michelin Pilot S3s to the front today whilst the £50 fuel offer is still on. Already quieter. Backs soon, as they are close to worn out at 16k miles. Had a full 3D alignment check done at Silverline in Warwick - every thing spot on. Seems rapid rear tyre wear on the Superb Estate and Passat Estate is due to the designed-in negative camber on the rear axle to give improved high speed stability with heavy loads. Mine certainly has that. Apparently, Audis are even worse rear tyre eaters, especially the A5.

[JakeBlade]

Wow, with that £50 fuel cash, I work out 2 x Michelin Pilot S3 (incl. wheel alignment, and Quidco discounts/cashback) to be £106.10 per tyre, when fitted at Halfrauds Autocentre. Not bad at all.

I'm going to try the sound deadening in the boot trick tonight - see if I notice any difference on my Contis, not that the noise is bothering me terribly.

[lowedb]

Only this week put the summer contis back on mine, was running avon winters until the weekend. The difference in noise is remarkable. I will think twice about buying contis when these go! The difference in this case is not down to size / profile either, the winters and summers are the same size, on the same style rims.

[Richf]

Bet the contis have more grip though, you pay your money and make your choice

[Always time for a car]

For some strange reason my economy has gone right down since I put the summer wheels back on. I also still have the OE conti sport contact 2 on my car.

I would have thought that winter tyres would have a greater rolling resistance.

[pasky]

Just about to change my 3 year old greenline elegance combi. Took a 170 elegance manual combi for a test drive, 600 miles on clock. It had the low profile Continentals on. Was horrified by the row on the motorway. Really couldn't live with that drumming sound. Is there a solution or do I have to go for a greenline again?

[superbdreams]

I replaced the front two contis at 10.5k miles which were on the wear limit and because I couldn't stand the noise anymore, also sent them back to continental for analysis as that mileage is unacceptable from a tyre.

 

Noise didn't improve greatly but the dealer replaced both front bearings and that cured it. (yes at only 10.5k)

 

Certainly worth jacking the cars up and spinning the wheels to check.

[Andrewjag]

Just replaced my Superb 2 's half worn Conti's (very noisy) with Michelin Primacy 3's. Significant reduction in tyre roar. Very quiet on smooth surfaces. Nonetheless, the intrusion of surface dependent tyre noise lets this car down. This car is noisier than the $500 14 yo old Holden Commodore I traded for it.  (the Michelins cost more than I received for the trade in). 

 

Could it be the problem is structural. The Holden's front wheel arches were enclosed in fully welded in wheel arches. The Superb guards are open at  the rear and adjacent to the front door . The guards are lined only with a plastic panel immediately adjacent to the front door skins. Is this why the interior is so vulnerable to noise? Riding in the rear seat the noise does not seem to vary as much as in the front.    

 

Andrewg