V70 Road Noise

My big disappointment with my 2001 model V70 2.4T is road noise, which on many normal surfaces drowns out the radio. I guess this is a lot to do with the tyres- mine are Pirelli P6000 215/55 R16 93W on 16" wheels. Does anyone know whether I could get less tyre noise by changing tyres without sacrificing too much on grip or wear?

MartinL

I have a 2000 V70 (not turbo). My radio is certainly not drowned out by road noise. I recently changed the tyres from Dunlops to a budget brand and didn't notice any consequent difference in road noise.

My V70 is only marginally noisier than the Merc E240 it replaced. Every car I've had suffers on the motorways made with a concrete surface.

Thanks for the response. Which budget brand have you bought? From the lack of interest in this issue I have to assume I'm just more sensitive to road noise than most, and that this problem is not a common perception of Volvos. In my case I replaced an Omega estate, which was much quieter.

Fulda Attiro 215/55R16 93W. £150 for the pair including fitting and invisible balancing. Surprisingly, they are wearing pretty well too. I've done 12K on the fronts and there is still 5mm of tread left.

I've never driven an Omega so I can't comment on the difference. I would however say that I'm pretty fussy about cabin noise and it was a major decision criteria for me when choosing the Volvo. The brand new Merc I had as a company car was the quietest I had owned up until then and there isn't much difference.

I happened to visit my local tyre place today and saw a leaflet on a test of the Dunlop SP Sport 01 'the quieter tyre' done by What Car? in June 2003.

Some quotes:

"Dunlop claims the new designs of the shoulder blocks on each side of the tyre will help reduce the high-pitched sounds associated with fast cruising .... and I can honestly say it worked", "noise kicked up from the road at all speeds is noticeably reduced", "...we recorded volumes that averaged two decibels less within the cabin."

Maybe that will be of some use to you. I have no affiliation with Dunlop by the way! If you do try them, let us know how you get on.

I also noticed the new Dunlop tyre advert today, and since they promise to deliver on the very issue I'm interested in, I guess I'll give them a try. Expensive though- Kwik-fit offer to fit at same price as Pirellis £119 per tyre, and I suppose I will need a 100% change. I will let you know how they turn out.