V40 R Design tyre/road noise.
 

17 plate 18 months old. Just coming up to 20,000 and getting near to new tyres. The car has factory fitted alloys with low profile tyres. The road noise is so bad that we can't really hear the radio or have a conversation. Is it possible to change to normal profile tyres and low noise version and if so what to?

What engine do you have?

I have D4, they have larger break discs than other models.
205/50R17 come as standard
but i got Volvo wheels 205/55R16 for winter

I have recently put Michelin Cross Climates on 18 inch wheels (V60 R Design) it make a noticeable difference - it’s a D2 engine.

Tyre noise can be simply down to tread pattern & road surface . However my mondeo had a strange wear cycle to its tyres that was rectified with a four wheel alignment . Previously the car had driven very well , afterwards it was definately quieter & better handling . The geometry settings were within specified tolerances , but set spot on afterwards , so it might pay to get that checked as well

I had an S40 with 18" wheels fitted with Pirelli P-zero tyres which were really noisy and got worse as the tread wore down. I changed them for Goodyear efficient grip tyres, they were so much quieter. I now use them on my V40 with 17" wheels and again very quiet.