Noisy tires, how to sound isolate Corolla TS?

[nielshm]

As my tires gets older, the rubber slowly gets stiffer and more noisy on rough tarmac. Also, there's a cleary a difference between 10 C and 20 C. 

I only have the standard 16" Conti, but the difference between fresh smooth tarmac and older more rough surface is extreme. I find that road noise is much worse sitting in the back. 

Are the any easy places to sound proof without taking the whole car apart? I was thinking about the boot,  whats behind the sidepanels?Starter Battery is stored to the right. My guess is, that steelplates are bare metal without any cover. 

The boot it self is covered with fabric, I would hate to ruin that!! 

Whats under the rear seat? Apart from the hybrid Battery.... Can anything be done there? 

[oldcodger]

Extra and Effective Soundproofing is a big and expensive job, probably a lot easier and cheaper to buy some quieter tyres.

Sure other members will have done enough miles in thier new Corollas to advise which tyres are quieter.

[nielshm]

I know that Falken tyres was known to be quote noisy. Conti often wins tests or finishes in top 3. 

My Conti can be very quiet, but only on smooth new tarmac. On German motorways made of concrete is pretty loud. 

[Catlover]

I reckon your car is quieter then you think. Being a hybrid the engine will not be running for a fair chunk of the time - so less noise then you had pre hybrid days.  So you down to tyre noise. It would be nice if all roads were covered in the “quiet” stuff, and yes, some surfaces are very noisy. Doesn’t bother me too much, I can just turn my earring aid down a notch (like I do sometimes when the wife is having a go).

Just be careful working around the hybrid Battery, for your safety. And remember the hybrid Battery needs cooling, and relies on air for that.  So don’t soundproof and restrict air flow that’s what I saying.

[TonyHSD]

Hi, good soft rubber tyres can make a huge difference, also V- shaped winter and all season tyres are generally quieter than standard summer tyres that looks like aircraft tyres with only straight water drains canals. The worst tyres for noise and comfort are the asymmetric ones, left different from the right side, and the ones that are over inflated or has hard rubber plus large gaps between the protectors., off road, mid and sand. I drive with Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance 2 and can tell one of the quietest tyres I ever had, the car is Auris 2010 hybrid. I also have winter tyres Nexen Winguard sport 2, also very quiet, tyres that you need to look for should be classed as touring tyres not UHP with side rim protectors, these are noisier.,  I drive exclusively on motorways and believe me Uk ones aren’t the best or any better than German ones., been there too. Your car has sound proof although not the best in class or as good as vw for example or other eu brands however as mentioned the quieter drivetrain also helps outside noise from wind and tyres been more intrusive inside the cabin, Tesla are one of the noisiest Ev’s, since their have glass roofs and no ice. 👍 

 

[nielshm]

All tyres have a noise level rating. "A" is the most quiet one. How ever, the rating indicates a 'drive by' noise level, and not what can be heard in the cabin. 

My question is: Will a 'A' rating tyre also be the most quiet inside the car? Or can a tyre be noisy on the outside, and quiet on the inside?? 

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, nielshm said:

All tyres have a noise level rating. "A" is the most quiet one. How ever, the rating indicates a 'drive by' noise level, and not what can be heard in the cabin. 

My question is: Will a 'A' rating tyre also be the most quiet inside the car? Or can a tyre be noisy on the outside, and quiet on the inside?? 

Good question. I don’t know for sure but I believe these two might not be related all the time, if the car makes a lot of drive by noise very likely to be transferred to the cabin noise, although my winter tyres are noisier outside but quieter inside in comparison with my summer tyres., that tend to be quieter outside but at specific surfaces I can hear them more than the winter tyres inside. Tyre pressures are ultra important, just had a go in a brand new electric car with 11psi overinflated tyres and I can feel them rolling like I am in cart. My summer tyres if overinflated are becoming much noisier than when set correctly. One more thing I believe make difference, if the tyres has side rim protection and harder walls they will transfer more noise and vibrations into the cabin, when they are soft and with small or without rim protector lip they will be more insulated., like you are driving on air suspension. Here interesting video what happens inside the tyre when car moves . 

 

[Leo63]

I have change my 17 inch falken tyres and fitted Michelin primacy 4 tyres  just over 5 weeks ago and what a massive difference its made in grip and lower road noise the tyre rating is Fuel C Wet A Noise 69db 

[shufman]

Is there a big difference in noise on rough surfaces? Thinking about getting the same on my 18” wheels. 
 

[Leo63]

Yes even on rough road surfaces it is quieter and road holding in the wet is a big improvement. 

[nielshm]

Today I maneged to get boot partly sound insulared. The fabric covering the boot is actually one big piece that can be removed pretty easy. Beneath are only raw steel plates, so it easy to apply insulating material. 

The removable floor board also got a layer on the back. 

It does make a pretty big difference. I did'nt have enough material, and could only cover 75%, so I guess it can be even better. 

[clix]

Can you please be a little bit more specific about what did you insulate? Did you only insulate the boot or also the rear wheel arches, doors? What material did you use?

I am also thinking about doing this, am still collecting information and courage 🙂

[Cheerypete]

Like Leo63, I too change my front tyres way back in August from the dreadfully noisy Falkens for a set of Michelin primacy 4's, only to find what a revelation the Michelin's were, especially on poorly surfaced motorways and higher speed A roads.

I guess most folk wouldn't out what the noise difference is, till they've actually had new tyres fitted?

But it will be interesting to hear if there is an easy sound deadening solution, and what the associated costs and work are. 

[JoaoM]

I also found the Falken noisy but the worst part was the grip, clearly not enough for the power and torque of the 2.0. Changed to the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 and they are much better in both wet and dry grip. Noise is as lower as it can be in a UHP tyre, but it's always a tough balance and I prefer "gripier" to quieter..

I had previously Primacy 3 on my Corolla Verso and they were much more quieter than the Turqnza ER300 but lost grip after 2 years with lots of rubber (km) still to run.

I searched and found some guys placing some thinsulate mats over the plastic wheel well cover and claiming good results. Some added a portion of damping material. That thinsulate is inexpensive and it's a simple job if one have the means to lift the car 

[SUPERIOR MUDFLAP]

How are the Bridgestone OEM tyres on the Corolla noise-wise? I just received my Corolla TS but it's still running winter tyres, and I'm considering whether to keep the Bridgestone summer tires - if they're ok - or to replace them with something nicer.

[Stopeter44]

57 minutes ago, SUPERIOR MUDFLAP said:

How are the Bridgestone OEM tyres on the Corolla noise-wise? I just received my Corolla TS but it's still running winter tyres, and I'm considering whether to keep the Bridgestone summer tires - if they're ok - or to replace them with something nicer.

How much do you need real winter tyres ?

I chose to use all season tyres, that have the 3 peak logo making them, where I am, in conformity with winter tyre requirements. If we had a lot of snow here I'd stick with winter & summer sets, but since I have put winter/all season tyres on my car I have only been in one snowfall, and I have only driven for a few days at altitudes where there are patches of packed snow.

[SUPERIOR MUDFLAP]

14 minutes ago, Stopeter44 said:

How much do you need real winter tyres ?

They're absolutely essential here, as well as legally required 🙂

[TonyHSD]

7 minutes ago, SUPERIOR MUDFLAP said:

They're absolutely essential here, as well as legally required 🙂

But these all season are also all weather tyres and fulfil legal requirements for winter tyres too in most countries in Europe and around the world. They are also as good as winter tyres or even better than some winter tyres on snow and ice. Plus very good in wet and perfectly fine in dry and summer use. Currently with that crazy unpredictable weather in all seasons these all weather tyres are one if not the best choice for all car owners, I do two sets w and s but after I finish those I am also switching to all season ones👍

[SUPERIOR MUDFLAP]

2 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

But these all season are also all weather tyres and fulfil legal requirements for winter tyres too in most countries in Europe and around the world. They are also as good as winter tyres or even better than some winter tyres on snow and ice. Plus very good in wet and perfectly fine in dry and summer use. Currently with that crazy unpredictable weather in all seasons these all weather tyres are one if not the best choice for all car owners, I do two sets w and s but after I finish those I am also switching to all season ones👍

That sounds convenient for sure! However I'm in one of the few countries where only proper winter tyres are legal (and safe) in winter conditions. Of course, I could run studless winter tyres all year round but that soft rubber compound really doesn't last very long in the summer!

Anyway - how noisy are the Bridgestone OEM tires? 😁 E.g. compared to Michelin Primacy 4.

[Stopeter44]

52 minutes ago, SUPERIOR MUDFLAP said:

However I'm in one of the few countries where only proper winter tyres are legal (and safe) in winter conditions.

That sounds like somewhere in the arctic circle ? Anything with the 3 peaks logo is considered in the EU a winter tyre, but sure there's 3 peaks all seasons and 3 peaks winter. I have a set of Nokian WR D4 with no home to go to in the garage, they are overkill here in the south of France, where I am.

[Tomv]

2 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

 I do two sets w and s but after I finish those I am also switching to all season ones👍

That is my plan too, but one question - can Toyota alloy wheels be used in winter? I'm afraid that the salt won't let them last for too long. Currently I use alloy for summer and steel in winter.

[TonyHSD]

18 minutes ago, Tomv said:

That is my plan too, but one question - can Toyota alloy wheels be used in winter? I'm afraid that the salt won't let them last for too long. Currently I use alloy for summer and steel in winter.

Tbh the salt and grit are the biggest enemy to the cars including the wheels. I have two sets both alloys and the one with the winter tyres are properly damaged from the salt plus kerbing and because they are the original of the car 11 years old now also had been refurbished previously and they have surface lacquer pilling off. Next all season tyres I will be mounting them on my new alloys that are actually smaller size and tyres will be cheaper, less kerb damage risk and more comfortable drive. More often car washes will help preserve the new alloys. , and for you perhaps fit the new tyres on the alloys and do the same , clean them more often 👍 Here I can show how bad my oem wheels are after all the years. 

[Tomv]

I expected it to be worse 🙂 but who knows how it would look like without the refurbishment.

[Red_Corolla]

39 minutes ago, Tomv said:

That is my plan too, but one question - can Toyota alloy wheels be used in winter? I'm afraid that the salt won't let them last for too long. Currently I use alloy for summer and steel in winter.

If you can manage it, a complete second set of wheels is the best solution to protect your alloys and have the best kind of tyre all year round. The obvious issues are buying and storing the second set.

All season tyres would be a good alternative for a mild climate.

The option I like least is using the same wheels all year round with different sets of tyres. The problem with having tyres changed a lot is that the levers used by the fitters can scratch the coating off the inside edge of the rim where the tyre seats. Combine this with winter corrosion and your tyres start to lose pressure as the wheels get older because of leakage around the corroded rim.

[TonyHSD]

6 minutes ago, Red_Corolla said:

If you can manage it, a complete second set of wheels is the best solution to protect your alloys and have the best kind of tyre all year round. The obvious issues are buying and storing the second set.

All season tyres would be a good alternative for a mild climate.

The option I like least is using the same wheels all year round with different sets of tyres. The problem with having tyres changed a lot is that the levers used by the fitters can scratch the coating off the inside edge of the rim where the tyre seats. Combine this with winter corrosion and your tyres start to lose pressure as the wheels get older because of leakage around the corroded rim.

Exactly my case 👌, spot on 👍 I do check and adjust pressure on weekly basis .