Road Noise
I've taken the decision to bite the bullet and change the tyres to Goodyear Efficient Grip 2 SUVs. Get good reviews on TyreReviews and BlackCircles and gave the lowest cabin noise on an AutoExpress test last year, although they came 3rd and 5th overall in comparison tests, but I'm less bothered about the driving dynamics. I couldn't find a noise cancelling tyre in the right size hence landing on the Goodyear.
I realise this is a punt, but it does make logical sense that the part of the car that in contact with the road is the most likely to make a difference, and once I've flogged the old tyres on ebay, the cost of changing the tyres is barely more expensive than adding the bonnet pad, and about four times cheaper than having the whole car torn apart and sound insulated.
I'll post here a new dBA test result when I've had it done in case it's helpful to anyone.
I realise this is a punt, but it does make logical sense that the part of the car that in contact with the road is the most likely to make a difference, and once I've flogged the old tyres on ebay, the cost of changing the tyres is barely more expensive than adding the bonnet pad, and about four times cheaper than having the whole car torn apart and sound insulated.
I'll post here a new dBA test result when I've had it done in case it's helpful to anyone.
T3 R-Design, Fusion Red, Early 21 (hers). Fully loaded.
B4 Ultimate, Fjord Blue, Late 23 (mine).
B4 Ultimate, Fjord Blue, Late 23 (mine).
Just thinking outside the box - what are the treads like on your other XC40 - if they’re the same size wheel, is it worth swapping the tyres on yours and keeping them for the other XC40, so you’ve a spare set ??
As they’re the same tyre on both cars and you don’t have an issue with the other car …
As they’re the same tyre on both cars and you don’t have an issue with the other car …
Would have been interesting to swop the wheels over but probably not worth the hassle.
Fingers crossed the new tyres do the trick.
Fingers crossed the new tyres do the trick.
2023 B4 Plus Dark FWD in Silver Dawn. Tinted Rear Windows. Spare Wheel & Tow Bar dealer fitted.
Gone - 2019 T4 R-Design FWD in Bursting Blue. Winter & Convenience Packs, Power Seat, Front Park Assist, Rear Camera, Spare Wheel & Tow Bar.
Gone - 2019 T4 R-Design FWD in Bursting Blue. Winter & Convenience Packs, Power Seat, Front Park Assist, Rear Camera, Spare Wheel & Tow Bar.
Yeah good thought. My wife suggested this too and we talked it through. She does about 4k a year in hers and her tyres still have 5 mm on them after three years so it'll be a while till they're needed and we're really tight on storage space (even with two garages (don't ask!)), plus neither of us were wow about the grip tests on the Conti's so when hers do need replacing we'll probably not fit Contis. In the end we plumped for getting some cash back.Andy40 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 31, 2023 3:22 pm Just thinking outside the box - what are the treads like on your other XC40 - if they’re the same size wheel, is it worth swapping the tyres on yours and keeping them for the other XC40, so you’ve a spare set ??
As they’re the same tyre on both cars and you don’t have an issue with the other car …
T3 R-Design, Fusion Red, Early 21 (hers). Fully loaded.
B4 Ultimate, Fjord Blue, Late 23 (mine).
B4 Ultimate, Fjord Blue, Late 23 (mine).
Just read your first post again and see that yours is a B4 mild hybrid. If it's not the tyres could you be picking up noise from the hybrid electric motor/starter which has been the subject of noise on another thread.
As I said earlier, Contis can be very good, just not those EcoContacts and probably true of most if not all energy saving tyres.
Weight on the front wheels is I guess heavier on your car which could produce more noise?
Tracking down the source of noise can very difficult but at least by changing the tyres you remove the main suspect.
As I said earlier, Contis can be very good, just not those EcoContacts and probably true of most if not all energy saving tyres.
Weight on the front wheels is I guess heavier on your car which could produce more noise?
Tracking down the source of noise can very difficult but at least by changing the tyres you remove the main suspect.
2023 B4 Plus Dark FWD in Silver Dawn. Tinted Rear Windows. Spare Wheel & Tow Bar dealer fitted.
Gone - 2019 T4 R-Design FWD in Bursting Blue. Winter & Convenience Packs, Power Seat, Front Park Assist, Rear Camera, Spare Wheel & Tow Bar.
Gone - 2019 T4 R-Design FWD in Bursting Blue. Winter & Convenience Packs, Power Seat, Front Park Assist, Rear Camera, Spare Wheel & Tow Bar.
I'm inclined to think that it's not the mild hybrid system tbh. It does have a somewhat bovine tone to it, but that doesn't really bother me and it's very quiet in anycase. I'm pretty sure that the issue is road noise transmission because - and here's a gem that I completely forgot to mention in my OP - on brand new smooth asphalt it is really very quiet indeed. No issues there, but get it on chipseal and it's a different animal completely. The problem is that virtually all the roads near me are chipsealed and poorly maintained chipseal at that, with big patches of it wearing off - but I appreciate that Leeds isn't unique in that respect. I'm hoping that the Goodyears will be just that bit more polite over those surfaces. National Tyres are coming out on Friday.ChrisLF wrote: ↑Mon Jul 31, 2023 3:36 pm Just read your first post again and see that yours is a B4 mild hybrid. If it's not the tyres could you be picking up noise from the hybrid electric motor/starter which has been the subject of noise on another thread.
As I said earlier, Contis can be very good, just not those EcoContacts and probably true of most if not all energy saving tyres.
Weight on the front wheels is I guess heavier on your car which could produce more noise?
Tracking down the source of noise can very difficult but at least by changing the tyres you remove the main suspect.
T3 R-Design, Fusion Red, Early 21 (hers). Fully loaded.
B4 Ultimate, Fjord Blue, Late 23 (mine).
B4 Ultimate, Fjord Blue, Late 23 (mine).
For anyone that's geeky enought to be interested, I have now had the Goodyears fitted. There is a noticeable improvement in the overall comfort of the car and it feels much more planted than with the EcoContacts. Crucially they are definitely handling rough road surfaces better. I ran my SWAG test again and there is a reduction in noise, particularly in the lower frequencies and the average dB(A) level has dropped from 64.4 to 63.5 - so a reduction of .9 dB(A). It's subtle, but it is detectable (new trace from the spectrum analyser below!). Has it solved my problem....? No. I'm still getting nasty tinnitus flare up after driving it, so it's booked in at Noise Killer Acoustics next week to have their full kit fitted - which is currently £395 if you take the car to them, which I am doing as I'm only 45 minutes away, assuming the M62 is nice to me.
T3 R-Design, Fusion Red, Early 21 (hers). Fully loaded.
B4 Ultimate, Fjord Blue, Late 23 (mine).
B4 Ultimate, Fjord Blue, Late 23 (mine).
Not surprised at the improvement that the tyres have given. Pity it hasn't solved the problem though. Has the noise reduced in the band in which your wife's car is quieter?
Problem you might have is that as you say the noise emanates from poor road surfaces, is that the noise will be transmitted through the suspension and into the body and obviously you can't do much about that. Having said that, the additional insulation should alter the resonance?
Hopefully it does the trick and you will have a very quiet XC40 to boot! Your wife might want the kit then!
Problem you might have is that as you say the noise emanates from poor road surfaces, is that the noise will be transmitted through the suspension and into the body and obviously you can't do much about that. Having said that, the additional insulation should alter the resonance?
Hopefully it does the trick and you will have a very quiet XC40 to boot! Your wife might want the kit then!
2023 B4 Plus Dark FWD in Silver Dawn. Tinted Rear Windows. Spare Wheel & Tow Bar dealer fitted.
Gone - 2019 T4 R-Design FWD in Bursting Blue. Winter & Convenience Packs, Power Seat, Front Park Assist, Rear Camera, Spare Wheel & Tow Bar.
Gone - 2019 T4 R-Design FWD in Bursting Blue. Winter & Convenience Packs, Power Seat, Front Park Assist, Rear Camera, Spare Wheel & Tow Bar.
Yes it is quieter in the key frequency band - but not by enough unfortunately. I'm pretty sure that the resonance of the 'body panels' in response to the suspension movement is the issue as you say. It feels a bit like being inside a drum. I talked it through with Grant at NoiseKiller and he was pretty confident they could reduce that. The T3 just feels and sounds more solid. It seems to me that they've been round the design and looked for cost savings, under the guise of 'rationalisation'. No bonnet insulation, no mat clips in the passenger footwell, no aluminium pedal covers for example, so I suspect that they've been through the design and left out whatever they can to reduce direct component cost and simplify the assembly and supply chain, but keep the car competing in its sector. I would not be surprised if they'd done a load of acoustic tests and decided that they can reduce some of the damping, but still have the car compete with the likes of the Tiguan and X1 for example, and it's still definitely quieter than my SIL's 21MY Kia Sportage.ChrisLF wrote: ↑Tue Aug 08, 2023 11:24 am Has the noise reduced in the band in which your wife's car is quieter?
Problem you might have is that as you say the noise emanates from poor road surfaces, is that the noise will be transmitted through the suspension and into the body and obviously you can't do much about that. Having said that, the additional insulation should alter the resonance?
I'll report back after it's been deadened next Thursday - the jaunt over the Pennines to the dark side should be a good test!
T3 R-Design, Fusion Red, Early 21 (hers). Fully loaded.
B4 Ultimate, Fjord Blue, Late 23 (mine).
B4 Ultimate, Fjord Blue, Late 23 (mine).
