Tired of the constant droning noise filtering into your car when driving at highway speed, even with your windows rolled up? Well. That’s tire noise. Your tires keep you on the road by sticking firmly onto the surface.
As they rotate, they have to peel them off the surface. Moreover, road imperfections and air going through the grooves in the tire also vibrates, creating more noise.
The silence and comfort of your car depends on how well the cabin is insulated from all these noises. While most cars come with basic stock insulation, high-end or well-designed cars can give you fantastic insulation at no extra cost.
First, we will look at things that increase road noise and then look at what you can do to reduce it or keep it out.
Why Are My Car Tires So Loud?
The amount of noise you get from your tires varies from day today. While some factors like road type are beyond your control, there are other factors that you can control or modify.
The top causes of tire noise that are in your control include:
Worn out or Damaged Tires
When your tires age, they will start wearing down the tread. The tire will become smoother and make more noise as more rubber makes contact with the road.
Other imperfections like uneven wear, cracks, and tire bulges will also make your tire noisier.
Old tires are not only noisier but also a safety hazard. They are more susceptible to punctures, blowouts and provide less grip, especially on wet surfaces.
Underinflated Tires
An underinflated tire is more pliable. It bends more as it rolls against the road and is stickier. This will translate to more tire noise in the cabin.
Underinflated tires wear out faster and can make the car wobbly when cornering. Moreover, you will get worse gas mileage when driving on underinflated tires.
Check your car tire pressure regularly and ensure that they are inflated to your vehicle’s specifications. You can find this information on a sticker on the driver’s door sill or in your user manual.
Debris Stuck on Your Treads
It’s common for rocks and debris to get stuck in the tire ridges, especially after off-roading or driving on an unpaved road.
These pieces of debris will cause an annoying vibration every time they hit the road surface. As you pick up speed, the thuds will turn into noise vibrations that are hard to miss.
Cleaning the tires and getting rid of any stuck pebbles or debris will restore your tire’s noise rating.
A Noisy Set of Tires
Though not heavily hyped, different tires have different noise ratings. The tread pattern and rubber compound have a profound impact on how much tire noise you get.
For instance, offroading tires with aggressive tread might be great off the track but make a lot of noise when cruising on the highway.
If you noticed your vehicle’s tire noise increase after changing tires, chances are you bought a tire that makes more noise than what you were using before.
Wider Tires
Wider tires increase the contact patch between the tire and the road. While this is good for traction, it creates more surface for noise production. Wider tires produce more road noise than thinner tires.
How to Reduce Tire Noise
Reducing tire noise partly mitigates how much noise your tires produce and improves how well insulated the cabin is from these noises. Here are some invaluable tricks to try out before thinking about your insulation.
Service and Maintain Your Tires Well
You can keep your tire noise low by servicing and maintaining your tires more often. This should cost you next to nothing since it all involves cleaning and ensuring your tires are inflated to specification.
Inspect your tires immediately after driving offroad and remove any persistent debris and stones between the treads. Note that driving a mile or two at speed on a paved surface should get rid of most stuck debris.
If it doesn’t, clean and remove them physically.
Finally, check your car’s tire pressure at least once a month if you don’t have TPMS. You can check it at the fill-up station or using an accurate tire pressure gauge. Alternatively, you can install aftermarket TPMS for closer monitoring.
Inflate your tires to spec as soon as you notice the pressure dip below the recommended figure early in the morning.
Finally, take your tires in for balancing now and then. Wheel balancing uses additional weight to ensure that tires spin as smoothly as possible. Minor dents and imperfections on your wheel’s diameter translate as wobbles which in turn either cause noticeable vibrations or tiny vibrations that you perceive as tire noise.
ProTip: Avoid inflating your tires when it’s very hot or after driving around for a while. Hot air expands, and your tires will have a higher pressure reading. Most car manufacturer tire pressure recommendations are on cold tires.
Finally, replace your tires as soon as they show signs of wear. Running on worn-out tires not only reduces grip but also increases tire noise.
Choose the Right Tires for Your Driving Conditions
If your tires are already old and need replacements, be careful what type of tire you go for. The choice of tire should depend on what kind of surface you drive the most on.
Slapping on off-road tires on a frequently on-tarmac car is not only dangerous but also a noise trap. The aggressive tread on off-road tires translates to less grip on a paved surface and more noise when you speed up.
ProTip: Unless you drive an offroading rig or a farm vehicle, regular road tires will always be sufficient for a daily driver. Well, assuming you daily drive on tarmac and don’t live off-grid
In addition to shunning off-road tires unless you need them, you should also consider the noise rating on the road tires you buy. Most manufacturers have a line of tires marketed for its silence. If possible, shop for such models to enjoy reduced road noise.
ProTip: Winter tires also have a softer compound and aggressive tread. This is great on snow but translates to more noise when used in summer. Take off your winter tires as soon as possible to enjoy a more silent ride.
Add Some Soundproofing Material to the Wheel Wells
You can make more improvements with strategic sound insulation. Most manufacturers ship their cars with some form of sound insulation. However, it is rarely enough.
Adding your own will insulate you better from wind noise, tire noise, and other noises on the highway.
The first and simplest place to insulate is the wheel wells. This is the space on the outside in the wheel arches.
It is the closest to the wheels and an easy way to capture wheel noise before it gets into your cabin. In most cases, you can insulate the rear wheel wells since most vehicles have the front wheel wells open into the engine bay (no point in protecting those.)
Spray-on insulation on the wheel wells from the outside is a simple DIY improvement. Most manufacturers will already have some insulation sprayed on. Adding more material could give you marginal gains.
Spray more insulation if:
- The existing insulation is already chipping and falling
- your vehicle has no spray-on insulation on the rear wheel wells at all
A thick layer of spray-on bed liner like Raptor liner should do the trick. Just ensure that you spray on a clean surface, let layers dry up before adding another one, and don’t make it so thick that tires scrape. Anything between 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch is enough.
Replace Old or Damaged Door Seals
Another quick way to fix road noise is by replacing worn-out or damaged door seals. Door seals are the rubber strips around your doors. They create a perfect seal with the door sill once the door is firmly shut.
They are great at keeping wind, moisture, and noise out of the cabin. Installing near seals on an old car can noticeably reduce road noise.
Apply Sound Deadening to the Door Panels
Another relatively simpler improvement you can make is by applying sound insulation mats to your door panels. This is a bit more involving than insulating the wheel wells.
You will need some sound insulation mats like Kilmat or Dynamat and the tools to disassemble your doors.
If you are not comfortable removing your door panels, get a sound installation shop to help you do the upgrade.
Insulating all the doors and the tailgate should give you way better insulation from road noise.
Go a Step Further and Insulate the Cabin Floor
For maximum results, you can go a step further and insulate your cabin floor. This is a massive undertaking involving removing all the seats, peeling back the carpet, and prepping the cabin floor.
It will take a whole day or a couple of days if you do it yourself. For faster results, you can let a car audio shop handle such extensive sound insulation projects.
ProTip: Insulating door panels and wheel wells are more straightforward and will often yield better than factory sound insulation. Your vehicle will be noticeably quieter, will vibrate less, and your sound system will sound way better.
An alternative and perhaps simpler approach to insulating the cabin floor is undercoating the car.
You can apply the same rubberized spray insulation like Raptor liner to strategic spots of the undercarriage.
The fill doesn’t have to be 100%. Covering a couple of patches could yield excellent results. Steer clear of:
- Places near the exhaust system. The heat will burn it out
- Any vent holes. Don’t block these. Leave them open
- Clipped on wiring and plumbing. It has to be accessible for servicing.
- Don’t Want to Spend Money? Drive Slower
Warning: This is not an alternative to replacing old and damaged tires.
Sometimes, tire noise only gets unbearable when driving above a specific speed. Be keen and note at what speed your tires become extremely noisy. You can set it as your defacto speed limit and solve the problem without insulating your car if it is an acceptable speed.