Tyre noise can be annoying and unpleasant, and most of us want it to go away completely, so today, we will share some tips on how to make your vehicle tyres less noisy.
Wheel size
Bigger the wheel size, the more road noise will be generated by the tyres. This means if your car has 18-inch wheels, then it will surely make more noise than the car with 15-inch wheels. This also happens because of the tyre height. More tyre height translates to less noise and vice versa. 15-inch wheels will leave more room for a thicker tire than the 18-inch ones. It’s better to know your vehicle’s ideal wheel size the answer to which you will find in the user manual. To put it simply, you have to make a balance between the visual looks of the car and the noise made by the car tyres. So choose wisely.
Tire width
When more and more rubber of a tyre will come in contact with the road, the more noise it will make. In order to cope with this situation, we recommend you to install the narrowest possible tyres on your vehicle. However, there is a limit to narrow tyres that as well. You cannot simply go and choose the narrowest possible rubber, but instead, look in the owner’s manual where you will find the exact dimensions of rubber your manufacturer recommends for your car. The smaller the area of rubber rolling on the road, the less road noise will be generated. This also means less drag and better performance.
Speed & Weight Rating
While getting yourself a new set of tires. Most owners overlook the fact that there are different tyres for different maximum speeds, as well as weight specifications for various cars. We often hear about tyres descriptions such as 185/60R14. ‘185’ in this specification tell about the tyre width (millimeters), whereas the second number (60) tells the aspect ratio.
To put this into simple terms, a larger aspect ratio means a thicker layer of rubber that eventually rolls on the road. The ‘R’ stands radial construction, and at last number ’14’ refers to the rim diameter, thus meaning a 14-inch wheel size. It advised you to have a look at a chart of load index and maximum speed respectively and pick a tire that works for your specific load size and your driving habits because tyres designed for high loads are inherently noisier because their construction contains sturdier materials.
Weather conditions
This is another major factor that contributes to nosier tyres. Choosing a tyre fit for the environment you drive is vital. For winter, go with studless tyres since they are much quieter. With that said, also make sure you take the safety measures in equal consideration since losing all the noise isn’t the only objective. The studless winter tires are made of a rubber composition softer than that on summer tires, making them quieter. It, therefore, feels attractive to drive with them year-round, but don’t get too excited because non-studies tyres can also be very dangerous. Never drive on them in summer days on hot surfaces and go for studded tyres for such conditions.
Tyre Materials and patterns
Lucky for us tyre manufacturers also conduct their own tyre noise tests and share their ratings as well. And there is a huge selection of different rubber compositions and tire tread patterns available for you to buy. Try to contact the manufacturer’s support to know what tyres will roll the quietest in your driving conditions. When that’s not possible, see a trusted dealer who might know a thing or two about tyres. Normally a tyre manufacturer will give out a dB rating for their particular set of tyres which may warry but still enough to give you an insight. Also, read tire reviews in your local market to find out about the ones with the best noise ratings, and speak to the local car and tire dealers to gain expert insights.
As we know, road conditions and road roughness/smoothness differ widely across the world. It can be safely said softer rubber composition will be generally quieter, and the same goes for tyre patterns.
With that said, however, you might want to test out some tyres beforehand to make a perfect decision since experiencing is all that matters.
