Excessive Road Noise, seems to be from Tyres?

[VDT]

Evening All,

Approx. 27,000 kms into the original Pirelli P ZERO tyres that came on the car. 255/40/19
I have the car from new. Sure they are 'largish' rims but I don't expect an Audi model in this category to be as noisy, and I'm guessing it is the tyres that are at fault. Anyone suffering from the same ailment, or perhaps suggest a tyre brand I can move to when the current ones are up for renewal?

I had a 2011 A6 (C7) with 18" rims and it wasn't as loud at motorway/cruising speed.

Thanks, Charlie
- 2013 A6 2.0TDi 177bhp Auto S-Line

[jk88]

My A7 came with PZeros that had 3-4mm remaining and the tyre noise was quite bad. Fortnuately I'd negotiated a new set of tyres as part of the deal and swapped soon after to Goodyear F1s which made a dramatic improvement.

[johnsimcox]

Evening All,

Approx. 27,000 kms into the original Pirelli P ZERO tyres that came on the car. 255/40/19
I have the car from new. Sure they are 'largish' rims but I don't expect an Audi model in this category to be as noisy, and I'm guessing it is the tyres that are at fault. Anyone suffering from the same ailment, or perhaps suggest a tyre brand I can move to when the current ones are up for renewal?

I had a 2011 A6 (C7) with 18" rims and it wasn't as loud at motorway/cruising speed.

Thanks, Charlie
- 2013 A6 2.0TDi 177bhp Auto S-Line

As a tyre wears it will become noisier as there is less flex in the tread to absorb the noise, however the Pirelli is rated as quite a noisy tyre 73db vs say a Dunlop Sport Maxx GT, the quietest of the premium brands, which is 69db (remember that the db scale is logarithmic so a drop of 4db is significant). However there is a trade off. The Dunlop only gets an E rating for economy and C for poor weather performance whilst the Pirelli get a C and B respectively

[VDT]

Thanks for the info guys. Yeah in hifi amplifier land you need to double the amp output power to get a 3db increase so 4db is a fair reduction.
I'll have to choose carefully when renewal time comes around. I traded in the last C7 before the tyres needed replacement.
Reckon theres another 10,000 kms on these yet :-) The tyres will be €325+ per corner in Ireland so they'll be slicks before replacement.

On a related note, is there any truth in the high tyre wear on the Quattro models? Suppose its more attributable to driving style.

[johnsimcox]

Thanks for the info guys. Yeah in hifi amplifier land you need to double the amp output power to get a 3db increase so 4db is a fair reduction.
I'll have to choose carefully when renewal time comes around. I traded in the last C7 before the tyres needed replacement.
Reckon theres another 10,000 kms on these yet :-) The tyres will be €325+ per corner in Ireland so they'll be slicks before replacement.

On a related note, is there any truth in the high tyre wear on the Quattro models? Suppose its more attributable to driving style.

Don't know where you are in Ireland but Kwik-Fit are currently selling those tyres for £191 fitted. Could be worth a trip over the border. Think Quattro cars do wear tyres faster, especially the rears as they are driven, compared to a front wheel drive car. If nothing else they are heavier, but quattro tends to be offered only on the more powerful versions of the range (on an A6 there is only one model 204bhp 3.0 where you could do a side by side comparison) and that will also have an effect

[leftyuk]

My P-Zeros that were on the car when I picked it up were getting near the limit and were very noisy, tramlined, and caused significant vibration at 75+ mph. I've never known tyres be that bad just through wear.
I replaced them with Michelin Pilot Super Sports on the second week of ownership and they transformed the car completely.

[VDT]

That's good to know leftyuk, thanks for the info. Gosh you have a lovely spec Audi there, the cars in the UK are much more affordable, and the options are more popular. I dread to think what a 3.0 TDi Quattro would cost over here !
Thanks for the tip johnsimcox, at that rate it sure would be worth a trip north.

[NewAudi]

In April I took delivery of mine and as standard the car came with Pirelli's PZero (20") and I never found them to be particular noisy, but outright dangerous when wet instead! Changed not long ago for new Michelins Super Sport that transform the car when wet. A bit quiter too

[chet_cc]

replaced the continental sportconti's on my passat cc with dunlop sport maxx's (18") all round and this has made a significant difference (reduction) in road noise. they are rated at 68db.

[jcdub]

Hi Charlie,
If your thinking of changing, go for Goodyear F1 asymmetric tyres. I had then on my previous CC and octiva rs you'd seen and the grip / noise level are excellent. If I ever have to change that's what I'll be fitting.
There are new contisports fitted to the front of my car before I purchased it and I do find them a little vague and noisy.
I normally purchase my tyres from camskill in the UK and get them fitted here. Fitting costs €15-20 per tyre.
Goodyear Tyres / Car / Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 - 255/35 R19 96Y XL FP TL Fuel Eff.: C Wet Grip: A NoiseClass: 1 Noise: 69dB Car Tyres - MPV Tyres - People Carrier Tyres - 19" R19" - 255/35/19, 255/35R19
P. S if you'd like to go back to 18" wheels I'd do a swap lol. The 18" version are £27 each less expensive to purchase, over €130 less per set !

Thanks for the info guys. Yeah in hifi amplifier land you need to double the amp output power to get a 3db increase so 4db is a fair reduction.
I'll have to choose carefully when renewal time comes around. I traded in the last C7 before the tyres needed replacement.
Reckon theres another 10,000 kms on these yet :-) The tyres will be €325+ per corner in Ireland so they'll be slicks before replacement.

On a related note, is there any truth in the high tyre wear on the Quattro models? Suppose its more attributable to driving style.