Road Noise

[Heidfirst]

5 hours ago, MDX said:

 Had not looked at Lexus as I think the Toyotas generally have better styling, but will test drive the Corolla equivalent for context. 

There isn't currently a Lexus equivalent of the Corolla as they have dropped the CT (which was based on the Auris). They would show you an UX "compact SUV".

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, Heidfirst said:

There isn't currently a Lexus equivalent of the Corolla as they have dropped the CT (which was based on the Auris). They would show you an UX "compact SUV".

UX actually is same as Corolla, just lifted up a bit. Same drive train, suspension etc. , it is really a nice car IMO and there are some good deals on used ones. 👍

[Luke717]

As ever, questions with "It depends..." as the start of a response.

I can speak only of my own experience. Reading my post from last November that @MDX referenced, I wouldn't change much. And while I tend to agree with @TonyHSD about low-profile tyres in general, I'd argue that much depends on tyre brand, where and how you drive and probably a lot of other things. I've been a big fan of Goodyear F1 Eagles in the past on 18-inch wheels, especially on an Audi A4 SLine I owned for some years, which gave the least intrusive tyre noise I can recall on any low-profile tyres I've bought. I'm not comparing that with my Corolla, though - entirely different cars with different levels of sound proofing and other insulations (the Audi had thermal glass, boy do I miss that!).

But the low profile Falkens that come with the Corolla's 18-inch wheels are pretty good in my view.

And to @MDX, I think test driving a Corolla as you intend is a good idea, the only real way to judge for yourself. I guess the ideal is two test drives, one with 18-inch wheels and low-profile tyres, the other perhaps with 17-inch wheels and 'normal' tyres.

[Cyker]

My Mk4 came with Bridgestone Ecopias on ridiculous 17" alloy rims - Ride was very rough and noisy; Switched to Hankooks on 15" steel rims and the ride was much smoother, quieter and it even seems to have slightly improved mpg and acceleration!

 

[Cheerypete]

Can I throw my two penneth into this conversation? Having just changed the front tyres on my 2020 Corolla TS 2Ltr Design, for Michelin Primacy 4 after ditching the rather noisy Falken's that were fitted from new.

Now what can say, but what a revelation after the Falken's, as the car has suddenly become very quiet, with Michelin's being 69Db, as opposed to 72Db for the Falken's, which makes one hell of difference after pounding the M1/A1 corridor to the east of Leeds, where most types of road surface from broken worn out tarmac to coubik lumpy concrete and everything in between can be encountered, and resonate through the car!!!! 

So if your looking for tyres, the Michelin Primacy 4 is well worth considering, especially at about £90 a corner from Kwik-Fit.

[StreetHawk]

6 hours ago, Cheerypete said:

Can I throw my two penneth into this conversation? Having just changed the front tyres on my 2020 Corolla TS 2Ltr Design, for Michelin Primacy 4 after ditching the rather noisy Falken's that were fitted from new.

Now what can say, but what a revelation after the Falken's, as the car has suddenly become very quiet, with Michelin's being 69Db, as opposed to 72Db for the Falken's, which makes one hell of difference after pounding the M1/A1 corridor to the east of Leeds, where most types of road surface from broken worn out tarmac to coubik lumpy concrete and everything in between can be encountered, and resonate through the car!!!! 

So if your looking for tyres, the Michelin Primacy 4 is well worth considering, especially at about £90 a corner from Kwik-Fit.

Thanks for posting this, I’m was thinking I’ll change to Primacy 4’s when my Falkens wear out, this is exactly what I wanted to hear. 

[50p]

I have the 18 inch wheels and the Falken tyres show as being 69Db ....

[TonyHSD]

2 hours ago, 50p said:

I have the 18 inch wheels and the Falken tyres show as being 69Db ....

But the thing is that sometimes the tyres with higher db for external noise are actually quieter inside than tyres with low ratings. Hardness of tyres and depth and shape of protector are  playing a big role in noise transmission into the cabin. Car suspension set up too. Tyres are actually tricky to pick the right ones and honest reviews are really helpful. 👍

[nielshm]

Don't forget that some, including my self, gets heel/toe wearing. When the car is new, the soft fresh rubber does'nt make much noise, and heel/toe issues is'nt much of a problem. 

But after a year, the rubber gets harder, and hard rubber it self is noisy, even in perfect conditition. Heel/toe can start to develop. After two years, the rubber gets even harder, and heel toe can clearly be felt on the tread. 

My car has done 36000 miles so far, and with rubber still getting harder, the tyres has come to a point, where they only wear out slowly. I would guess that I could do another 36000 miles before they would need replacing, but noise level and discomfort won't allow that to happen. 

I think noise level with new tyres, no matter the brand is pretty acceptable. Everything is perfect, soft, fresh, flexible. But how does different brand of tyres perform after 1, 2, 3 years of service? My guess is, that differences are huge, but no one knows, and testing has never been done like that. 

[Trewithy]

Auto Express tyre reviews have ratings for cabin noise.  The noise ratings on tyre labels relate to the external drive by noise.

[TonyHSD]

6 hours ago, nielshm said:

Don't forget that some, including my self, gets heel/toe wearing. When the car is new, the soft fresh rubber does'nt make much noise, and heel/toe issues is'nt much of a problem. 

But after a year, the rubber gets harder, and hard rubber it self is noisy, even in perfect conditition. Heel/toe can start to develop. After two years, the rubber gets even harder, and heel toe can clearly be felt on the tread. 

My car has done 36000 miles so far, and with rubber still getting harder, the tyres has come to a point, where they only wear out slowly. I would guess that I could do another 36000 miles before they would need replacing, but noise level and discomfort won't allow that to happen. 

I think noise level with new tyres, no matter the brand is pretty acceptable. Everything is perfect, soft, fresh, flexible. But how does different brand of tyres perform after 1, 2, 3 years of service? My guess is, that differences are huge, but no one knows, and testing has never been done like that. 

You are right about that and that’s why I believe a fair review left from an average consumer are the most important. Journalists reviews usually for entertainment purposes only. Just want to add something, in the first year when tyres get worn out a bit they become even quieter than new, and then after when rubber ages and get hard they start to be noisier, here the better is the make the longer they lasts. I noticed that Goodyear and Michelin’s usually preserved their properties longest even they get low on thread depth and only the aquaplaning risk gets a bit higher but lower speeds in heavy rain sort that out. Usually budget and some mid range tyres plus one premium brand are well known for been plastic, some even brand new and those are not good for the uk climate plus the noise. 

[TonyHSD]

Here I accidentally found a video of Corolla driven hard on German autobahn , it seems a lot quieter than videos from Uk for example, is that me or really is the case? Perhaps German spec Corolla has more sound proof than Uk spec ones and the asphalt there it’s much smoother. The car seems to be on 16” wheels 

 

[Red_Corolla]

Actually seems quite noisy to me, Tony. Notice how he's got the engine pegged at the redline, yet the sound of it is barely noticeable above the ambient noise?

But do not be fooled into thinking that everything in Germany is wonderful and their road surfaces are perfect everywhere you go. I've traversed the country on the way to Austria on my motorbike. As I recall, large parts of the autobahn network have only 2 lanes and are surfaced with concrete.

[AisinW]

From Germany most trusted review ADAC. The road noise of Corolla at 130 Km/h is less than Golf https://www.adac.de/_ext/itr/tests/Autotest/AT5988_VW_Golf_1_5_eTSI_Style_DSG/VW_Golf_1_5_eTSI_Style_DSG.pdf  vs https://www.adac.de/_ext/itr/tests/Autotest/AT5923_Toyota_Corolla_Touring_Sports_2_0_Hybrid_Club/Toyota_Corolla_Touring_Sports_2_0_Hybrid_Club.pdf 

If you are honest and has no prejudice, they both are very close in term of road noise at highway speed.  I rent StadtMobil in Germany. Corolla 1.8L is a tad quiter than similar class Leon, Golf, or Focus, and defiinitely better than Skoda counterpart.   Go take a look under the body, it is really well coated with accousting paint (rubberized) and a lot of body adhesive.  Under the carpet, more than 1/2 of the floors is also coated with bitumen.  You can improve the quietness by putting econd Coat Luxury Liner  or foam there. The noise mostly from the glass/window that no Toyota has accousting glass. We need to go to certain Lexus for that.   

Corolla is actually quieter than RAV4 but not as quiet as Camry.  

[TonyHSD]

In UK there are many motorways and A roads covered with rough asphalt and they make any car ultra loud when you drive on them. I had only seen similar asphalt in high mountains regions of Europe on A roads but almost nowhere on motorways, even on German autobahn that a large part goes through mountains. Add the 18” wheels with 40 height ratios tyres and the results are obvious. 

[Gaz Jones 1]

I have recently  bought  Toyota  corolla GR 2l with 225 18 40 tyres 

I find there is excessive  tyre  roar with these tyres (Falken)

Has anyone had this problem 

[Gerhard_Corolla]

On 6/3/2022 at 12:27 PM, Gaz Jones 1 said:

I have recently  bought  Toyota  corolla GR 2l with 225 18 40 tyres 

I find there is excessive  tyre  roar with these tyres (Falken)

Has anyone had this problem 

Yes...

I've been driving on the 225 17" Falkens and they're not, by any stretch, a loud tyre. They're extremely poor on the wet, but tyre noise and comfort are OK. In winter I drove the car on 224/40 18" Continentals Wintercontact TS and haven't noticed a huge difference in ride comfort or tyre noise, yet the handling felt a tidy bit better.

But the 18" Falkens on the other hand...

It's almost a universal perception: the tyre noice and comfort of that tyre are way below average.

[mjjferreira]

On 6/3/2022 at 12:27 PM, Gaz Jones 1 said:

I have recently  bought  Toyota  corolla GR 2l with 225 18 40 tyres 

I find there is excessive  tyre  roar with these tyres (Falken)

Has anyone had this problem 

Tyre noise it's not falkens fault. You can try different tyre brands and you will always have the same result - tyre noise.

It's due to the suspension/chassis setup. I don't know what the hell toyota was thinking on making it so "hard". It can't filter poor tarmac roads. My 15 years year old peugeot 308 and renault clio (both with original shocks) are far, far better on tyre noise, almost non-existent!

[TonyHSD]

39 minutes ago, mjjferreira said:

Tyre noise it's not falkens fault. You can try different tyre brands and you will always have the same result - tyre noise.

It's due to the suspension/chassis setup. I don't know what the hell toyota was thinking on making it so "hard". It can't filter poor tarmac roads. My 15 years year old peugeot 308 and renault clio (both with original shocks) are far, far better on tyre noise, almost non-existent!

Toyota are not the most comfortable cars especially the smaller ones but if your car is hard as you described and it’s not a sport model best to get it check as most Corolla owners share positive comments about suspension set up especially how nicely the cars absorb roads plus how well handle in turns. My auris always been on the more harder side but never uncomfortable. Tyre change to 16” did help for better road insulation against  noise and vibrations. 

[Gerhard_Corolla]

On 6/5/2022 at 2:48 PM, mjjferreira said:

Tyre noise it's not falkens fault. You can try different tyre brands and you will always have the same result - tyre noise.

It's due to the suspension/chassis setup. I don't know what the hell toyota was thinking on making it so "hard". It can't filter poor tarmac roads. My 15 years year old peugeot 308 and renault clio (both with original shocks) are far, far better on tyre noise, almost non-existent!

 I concur with @TonyHSD, it's definitely a 'firm' suspension setup, but no where near a hard or not compliant one. Different markets get specific suspension and engine setups, could it be that your car is a fluke from a production line and a mistake was made?

Cabin noice is definitely a multi-factorial issue and tyre noice certainly is a part of the equation. The Falkens are universally known to be terrible on the wet and with low rolling resistance, qualities that speak volumes about the hardness of the rubber and construction of the tyre, specially the 22/40 18".  Everyone reports having better experiences with softer rubber from other brands, without gravely impacting the fuel consumption.

It doesn't do any wrong if you seek council with your dealer and review if anything is wrong with your car...

[mjjferreira]

8 hours ago, Gerhard_Corolla said:

 I concur with @TonyHSD, it's definitely a 'firm' suspension setup, but no where near a hard or not compliant one. Different markets get specific suspension and engine setups, could it be that your car is a fluke from a production line and a mistake was made?

 

Cabin noice is definitely a multi-factorial issue and tyre noice certainly is a part of the equation. The Falkens are universally known to be terrible on the wet and with low rolling resistance, qualities that speak volumes about the hardness of the rubber and construction of the tyre, specially the 22/40 18".  Everyone reports having better experiences with softer rubber from other brands, without gravely impacting the fuel consumption.

 

It doesn't do any wrong if you seek council with your dealer and review if anything is wrong with your car...

I have switched from falkens to michelin primacy, and the tyre noise that gets into the cabin is the same.

The issue is not the tyres.

[forkingabout]

How old is the vehicle? 

Has the suspension been checked by a Toyota dealer? 

[Kental]

14 hours ago, mjjferreira said:

I have switched from falkens to michelin primacy, and the tyre noise that gets into the cabin is the same.

The issue is not the tyres.

Primacy tyres are still an eco tyre so not necessarily quieter.  My Skoda is quieter on Cross Climates than it was on the factory Premacies.  Our Yaris is quieter on Cross Climates than the factory Continental Eco Contacts.

[Gerhard_Corolla]

14 hours ago, mjjferreira said:

I have switched from falkens to michelin primacy, and the tyre noise that gets into the cabin is the same.

The issue is not the tyres.

As @Kental said, Michelin's Primacy is an 'eco' tyre as well, you could upgrade to a softer rubber sacrificing a little bit on the consumption side, but reducing your discomfort with the cabin noice.

 

What's your market?

 

A lot of people in Spain complaint a lot, and by 'a lot' I mean disproportionately higher to other markets, about the tyre noice. Nonetheless, it has mainly related with the tarmac surface on a huge chunk of Spain's northern and southern 'B' roads (... not the highways).

 

But the almost universal perception is: Falkens + rough tarmac = cabin noice above the average in its class.

[TonyHSD]

23 minutes ago, Gerhard_Corolla said:

As @Kental said, Michelin's Primacy is an 'eco' tyre as well, you could upgrade to a softer rubber sacrificing a little bit on the consumption side, but reducing your discomfort with the cabin noice.

 

What's your market?

 

A lot of people in Spain complaint a lot, and by 'a lot' I mean disproportionately higher to other markets, about the tyre noice. Nonetheless, it has mainly related with the tarmac surface on a huge chunk of Spain's northern and southern 'B' roads (... not the highways).

 

But the almost universal perception is: Falkens + rough tarmac = cabin noice above the average in its class.

Fully agreed.
Just came back from holiday to Bulgaria and I can confirm that the majority of road network there with some exception of mountain regions have ultra smooth asphalt surfaces including motorways, A roads, B roads and towns. Any car there will have significant reduction in road noise no matter what tyres they have fitted. I drive a lot anywhere I go and I have a good view on that matter. In UK  though we have rough asphalt surfaces most of the roads and the best and quietest tyres will be all season V- shaped tyres like Michelin Cross Climates, Goodyear Vector 4 season, Vredestein Quatrac. These type of rubber firstly are softer and secondly they have a tendency to absorb vibrations and to cancel road noise better than any other type of car tyres. Add the fact that they are safe and much better to drive in winter even without snow makes these tyres best choice to all Toyota owners. I had only have road noise issues with one Toyota model - Auris gen 2 diesel from 2013. The problem was not the tyres but the car body design and perhaps workmanship as simply you can hear the noise was coming from the car shape , side mirrors, door seals and undercarriage., just wasn’t a good car in comparison with Auris gen 1 hybrid which drives really well and it’s properly sound proof.