Excessive Road Noise

[PJ300]

Hi All,

Got my new A6 c7 SE TDI auto in Jan 2012.

There seems to be lots of road noise. I am thinking that it's due to the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires that came with the car.

Has anyone noticed this?

Regards
PJ300

[Timothy Nathan]

My SE TDI Avant Auto has almost no road noise. It has Pirelli Cinturatos on 17" wheels.

[PJ300]

Hi Timothy,

Were the Pirelli's on the Avant when you bought it?

Regards,
PJ300

[Timothy Nathan]

Were the Pirelli's on the Avant when you bought it?
Yes.

[BigAid]

Nope no extreme levels of road noise - mine was 2011 SE - but sure it was original tyres given the milage when I bought it.

Pirelli P-Zero 255/35 R20 97Y XL AO

20" wheels - been on 18" wheels for last 6 years so used to a firmer ride and there doesn't seem much difference going from 18"s to 20"s in firmness - although there is the common 'wince' due to uk roads. The noise hasn't got noticeably worse but then i'd expect the same level if not better level of quietness from a new model.

[nealeb]

I believe that I have the Bridgestone on my SE with 17" wheels, and it seems pretty quiet to me.

[gwc7]

Hi there i two have the bridge stones on a sline saloon on 18" Feb 2012 and the road noise is very bad i am now looking at low noise options to replace these, i had the same size wheels on my previous a4 with bridge stones and changed to hancock tyres made the car feel smother on road and dropped road noise totally and got close to 15000miles from front tyres , i may get new set for my a6 now, if any one can suggest a mid range tyre with low road noise please reply as i want to change straight away.
thanks for reading.

[Timothy Nathan]

It might be worth people editing their posts with wheel size, as I am fairly sure that the bigger the wheels the louder the noise (and the rougher the ride.)

[cip82]

hi,just bought a used audi a6 reg 61,,,with bridgestone tyres,same problem with noise. i have a question the 4 tyres are bridgestone but the spare tyre is continental. does anyone has the same or maybe i am thinking that they replace the original tyres with bridgestone ??? anyone ???

[Guest 2]

Wide tyres + low profile sidewall = horrendous road/tyre noise

Totally normal

Even my a3 with 225/45/17 tyres suffer too.

[gwc7]

the bridge stones are standard on the 18s i got on my sline, i gave in and changed to the Hankooks v12 evos much nicer rubber to sit on. no rumble noise.

[5678]

I hope my car doesn't come with Bridgestones. Horrible things that I've never managed to get on with.

[a8toa6convert]

I'm also having issues with excessive tyre roar on Bridgestone Turanza ER300s on standard S-Line 18s. Quiet enough on smooth tarmac, but on coarser surfaces (not potholed or even old, just with chippings proud of the tar), there is far too much NVH transmitted straight through the suspension and into the body structure. It's structure-borne, not simply airborne, and it's not good enough on a £42k car. Shame, as the ride comfort and handling on these latest C7 models is generally very good and the drivetrain and steering and suspension components generally have virtually zero NVH.

It's slightly better on Bridgestone Potenza RE050A's on 17s, even though they're supposedly more of a sports tyre and the Turanzas are supposed to be a touring tyre, but it's still rubbish compared to, say, an F10 5 series on 18s (even though the 5 series is on runflats).

I suspect Audi have committed 2 NVH sins: (i) tuning the bushing and dampers based on smooth continental tarmac, (ii) using more aluminium in the front end, which damps this kind of vibration less effectively than steel.

Michelin Primacy HPs in 225/55 17 are "only" about £125-130 each plus fitting if you search online. They're on both my other cars and seem very quiet on those (Golf convertible on 17s and S-Max on 18s). Might be worth me giving those a try and flogging the almost new Potenzas to someone who's less bugged by road noise, but who's to say how much difference it will actually make.....

[PowerhouseDan]

Was bankin on getting the pirelli with my Sline Avant on 18th but now this has thrown a spanner in the works....

[markludgate]

Bridgestone Turanza 18" on my sline avant with loads of road noise!

I thought I'd got a wheel bearing issue to start with!!!

Mark


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[MFGF]

It might be worth people editing their posts with wheel size, as I am fairly sure that the bigger the wheels the louder the noise (and the rougher the ride.)

Not from my experience. A car I test drove with 18" wheels was not detectably different in terms of ride or road noise from my car with 20" wheels.

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[robbyg]

Markludgate
Wheel bearing noise? I am feeling the same with mine (on brand new 18" pirelli pzeros).

It is pretty much silent until about 50mph then its like a driveshaft or wheel bearing is vibrating. A steady grind sort of noise up to about 90mph where the wind noise takes over. Only done about 90miles so far, doesnt feel like tyre noise. Cant hear anything from outside with window open.

Not sure if its "normal" or some sort of fault. Will check tyre pressures over weekend and try again. Guess if i let them downa few psi and try again, then add 10psi, if its the same noise at 0, -5 and +5 psi then it must be mechanical and not tyre based?

[Guest 2]

It probably is tyre noise - new tyres need time to 'bed in'.

[markludgate]

I am fairly confident it's just tyre noise on mine, I do quite a few miles a year so if it's mechanical I'll find out soon enough!!

Mark


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[5678]

Bumping this back up.

My car has 255/40/19 Pirelli P Zeros on and I've noticed road noise at higher speeds on certain surfaces. Its not consistent and a little odd. I'm used to large, low profile tyres so know that this isn't normal. I'll see how they are after another 500 miles and if it quietens down a bit.

[ti rich]

I am fairly confident it's just tyre noise on mine, I do quite a few miles a year so if it's mechanical I'll find out soon enough!!

Mark


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I think we live in the same street Mark!

Rich

[krupatel]

Might be the odd one out here but my S-line saloon with standard 18" twin spokes are wrapped in Goodyear efficiencygrip. Can't say I am affected by excessive road noise. (built in May 2012).

[By-Tor]

Bumping this back up.

My car has 255/40/19 Pirelli P Zeros on and I've noticed road noise at higher speeds on certain surfaces. Its not consistent and a little odd. I'm used to large, low profile tyres so know that this isn't normal. I'll see how they are after another 500 miles and if it quietens down a bit.

I'm on those exact same tyres (car's an ex demo with about 6500 miles on so the tyres aren't brand new) and I've noticed a heck of a lot of road noise, almost like a wheel (or more than one) is resonating -- it's more a musical hum (constant pitch that doesn't change with the road speed) than just standard tarmac rumble, and this starts and is very noticeable at 30mph+ on smooth or rough surfaces. As previously mentioned, almost as if it's a wheel bearing.

I'm going to ask one of the technicians at the local dealership to do a road test with me at some point this week, and see what they've got to say about it.

[Judge404]

+1

Just took delivery of an A6 2.0 TDi with 19" wheels and P-Zero's (255/40). On first high-way drive I heard the humming/resonance. Definitely a trend here relating to the Pirellis. I had a similair problem with Dunlops on a 2005 A4 Sport - sounded like the rear wheel bearings were on their way out. Changed to Michelin and all was quiet.

[bmoster]

Got my C7 S Line with 18s yesterday and it has Goodyear Efficientgrip tyres. Road noise seems fine, not too loud.

[maverickguo]

+1

Just took delivery of an A6 2.0 TDi with 19" wheels and P-Zero's (255/40). On first high-way drive I heard the humming/resonance. Definitely a trend here relating to the Pirellis. I had a similair problem with Dunlops on a 2005 A4 Sport - sounded like the rear wheel bearings were on their way out. Changed to Michelin and all was quiet.

I am on 255/35/20 P Zero and I thought it's wheel hub bearing too. Almost going to workshop until I come across this thread.

[wildbore]

I have 285 21" tyres on a facelift (so with double glazing at the front). The car is amazingly quiet. That's partly the double glazing but also because the car is on Continentals, which have the sound deadening foam strip fitted inside. Not sure which other manufacturers are fitting the foam strip currently but it makes a huge difference. If you are bothered by road noise I strongly recommend trying tyres fitted with foam sound deadening.

[SammysSon]

I know this is an old thread but I’m seeking info on what the issue is with my 2018 C7 S Line Avant 1.8TFSI.
I’ve got a rumbling/grinding sound emanating from the front of the car which is deeply irritating & sounds like worn bearings to me but which might just be tyre noise!
Car has only done 20k so a bearing issue would be a surprise… but you just never know!
Local Audi dealership were less than helpful, suggesting I drop some 300 quid for an alignment/suspension test, which I think is bull - surely a simple spin of the front wheels with the car off the ground would indicate if there’s a bearing issue??
The car currently has Turanza 245/45R18s fitted.
Your thoughts & insights much appreciated.

[gareth23]

I've done both front wheel bearings on my last A4 and the current one, they all failed around 140k so I'd be surprised if one of yours has gone at 20k.

None of the bearings showed any sign of roughness, play or warm hubs when they went - just the rumble of doom which suddenly appeared, not a slight noise that got worse, literally silent to loud in a few miles.

Any decent mechanic should be able to tell you if its wheel bearing, tyre noise or brake related.