New member and wheels/tyres

[Lexman8]

Hi,

I'm thinking of buying an XC90 and hopefully I'll gather more info from you all over the next few weeks.

I've noticed a few posts about the noise level in the car, particularly from the 20" wheels. I can't stand noisy cars and that's one of the reasons I want to get rid of my CR-V. There's been a lot of discussion on tyre noise over on the Mercedes forum I contribute to and the consensus is that Continental and Pirrelli tyres are very noisy and that the Continentals in particular get stupidly noisy as they wear down. I had Continentals on my Merc CL500 and changed them out for Dunlop Sport Maxx RT. I noticed a significant reduction in noise with the Dunlops as well as a more comfortable ride.

In case anyone doesn't know, the noise levels quoted for tyres use a logarithmic scale so a 3dB reduction is a halving of the (drive-by) noise level. Some examples:

• On 19" wheels, Pirelli Scorpion are rated at 71dB and Dunlop Sport Maxx GT are 68dB. A 3dB difference means the Pirellis produce twice the noise of the Dunlops.
• On 20" wheels, Continental Sport Contact 5 produce 73dB while Goodyear Eagle F1 produce 69dB. So the Goodyears produce less than half the noise of the Continentals.
• Again on 20" wheels but a more extreme example. Continental Cross Contact LS Sport produce 76db (!), more than 4 times the noise of the equivalent Goodyears.

The above figures also demonstrate how much quieter the XC90 with 19" wheels/tyres is compared to the 20" - there's a 2db difference (assuming I've got the tyres correct). Of course there are other factors to take into account (handling, braking, tyre life, etc) but none of the big tyre manufacturers produce a 'bad' tyre. It's down to personal preferences and for me noise and comfort are more important than how quickly I can go round a corner.

Also, these 'drive-by' noise levels don't equate directly to the noise level inside the cabin but are a good indicator.

(For the geeks... There's a difference between sound pressure level (the figures above) and perceived volume because the human ear doesn't 'hear' in a linear way. In other words, in the extreme example above the noise you hear won't reduce to a quarter of its previous level by fitting Goodyears but it should reduce substantially.)

[yeoman]

Originally Posted by Lexman8

Hi,

I'm thinking of buying an XC90 and hopefully I'll gather more info from you all over the next few weeks.

I've noticed a few posts about the noise level in the car, particularly from the 20" wheels. I can't stand noisy cars and that's one of the reasons I want to get rid of my CR-V. There's been a lot of discussion on tyre noise over on the Mercedes forum I contribute to and the consensus is that Continental and Pirrelli tyres are very noisy and that the Continentals in particular get stupidly noisy as they wear down. I had Continentals on my Merc CL500 and changed them out for Dunlop Sport Maxx RT. I noticed a significant reduction in noise with the Dunlops as well as a more comfortable ride.

In case anyone doesn't know, the noise levels quoted for tyres use a logarithmic scale so a 3dB reduction is a halving of the (drive-by) noise level. Some examples:

• On 19" wheels, Pirelli Scorpion are rated at 71dB and Dunlop Sport Maxx GT are 68dB. A 3dB difference means the Pirellis produce twice the noise of the Dunlops.
• On 20" wheels, Continental Sport Contact 5 produce 73dB while Goodyear Eagle F1 produce 69dB. So the Goodyears produce less than half the noise of the Continentals.
• Again on 20" wheels but a more extreme example. Continental Cross Contact LS Sport produce 76db (!), more than 4 times the noise of the equivalent Goodyears.

The above figures also demonstrate how much quieter the XC90 with 19" wheels/tyres is compared to the 20" - there's a 2db difference (assuming I've got the tyres correct). Of course there are other factors to take into account (handling, braking, tyre life, etc) but none of the big tyre manufacturers produce a 'bad' tyre. It's down to personal preferences and for me noise and comfort are more important than how quickly I can go round a corner.

Also, these 'drive-by' noise levels don't equate directly to the noise level inside the cabin but are a good indicator.

(For the geeks... There's a difference between sound pressure level (the figures above) and perceived volume because the human ear doesn't 'hear' in a linear way. In other words, in the extreme example above the noise you hear won't reduce to a quarter of its previous level by fitting Goodyears but it should reduce substantially.)

Hi,

If you haven't already, get as many test drives as you can before you decide.

Whilst not intending to be ageist, the truth is that the vast majority of people here are in that age bracket where many have significant hearing loss!...lol.

Multiple test drives on various road surfaces will give you the best information.

Good luck.

[Carl Sberglager]

Agree with Yeoman, you really need to test drive and decide yourself.

My V40, which I drive most of the time, has 19" low profiles, which makes it pretty noisy and the XC90 seem almost silent in comparison (plus I usually have the sub woofer on full!).

I think it's really down to what you're comparing the noise against.

[Lexman8]

I'm deffo at an age where my hearing isn't what it was!

I understand about the different road surfaces, etc. My Honda is actually okay on a stretch of the M62 near me where they've used noise reducing tarmac but just a few miles away on the M1 to the east of Leeds the noise is horrendous. Before the Honda I had a Lexus RX that was very quiet in nearly all conditions. My Merc is supremely quiet having a ton of insulation, double glazing, etc. However, even the Merc is a bit noisy on that stretch of the M1.

I've arranged a test drive on Friday of a T6 with 19" wheels and I'll try the diesel version another time.

The sales guy I spoke to said they have 6 or 7 cars available between now and March and any factory order placed now would be built April onwards to the spec of the 2017 model year.

[Deman77]

The issue with xc90 is that it has serious resonance issue. 20in conti on certain surfaces (concrete sections of m25 particularly) demonstrate it. Because of that its not so much the noise level per se but the noise level at certain frequency that's important. Now those sections of m25 are bad in any car. The issue with xc90 is that it's louder than most cars on those sections (sometimes unbearable) even though it's quieter than most cars in general. There is noticeable resonance and noise gets much louder than you would expect in this car. There is no point test driving for this issue - it's there on all 20in Conti sport contact 5 with or without air suspension, both inscription and momentum so the rim makes no difference.

For me it's less so on same size winter contact I am using as my winters but is still there. So your idea of trying different tyres might work. I wouldn't necessarily say go with lower noise rating. It would be about what frequency the noise is so just a different tyre make might work. I would definitely pay for a new set to get rid of this but unless I can try it which I cant imagine anyone will let me do or someone else tries and confirms I am not spending 1k to replace a brand new set of tyres - whatever you say about those contis they are ridiculously grippy.
Volvo might change noise insulation for next model year or change the stock tyres (they had tons of complaints in the UK) - so you may want to test drive it then (Sep the next model year ships). If you are after the car asap you should check if people are getting the same issues on 21s and 22s (don't buy 19s - it's criminal).
Otherwise find a way to try different tyres you might just find a solution and a lot of people will say thank you.
Using a noise level app is a good way to compare this objectively.

[Carl Sberglager]

Originally Posted by Lexman8

I'm deffo at an age where my hearing isn't what it was!

I understand about the different road surfaces, etc. My Honda is actually okay on a stretch of the M62 near me where they've used noise reducing tarmac but just a few miles away on the M1 to the east of Leeds the noise is horrendous. Before the Honda I had a Lexus RX that was very quiet in nearly all conditions. My Merc is supremely quiet having a ton of insulation, double glazing, etc. However, even the Merc is a bit noisy on that stretch of the M1.

I've arranged a test drive on Friday of a T6 with 19" wheels and I'll try the diesel version another time.

The sales guy I spoke to said they have 6 or 7 cars available between now and March and any factory order placed now would be built April onwards to the spec of the 2017 model year.

I think I know the stretch of M1 you're referring to, just North of the M1/M62 interchange, by the Arla factory - the road surface there has been awful for every make of car I've driven - VW/Audi/Toyota/Volvo

[Lexman8]

Originally Posted by Carl Sberglager

I think I know the stretch of M1 you're referring to, just North of the M1/M62 interchange, by the Arla factory - the road surface there has been awful for every make of car I've driven - VW/Audi/Toyota/Volvo

Yep, that's the one.

[Lexman8]

Originally Posted by Deman77

For me it's less so on same size winter contact I am using as my winters but is still there. So your idea of trying different tyres might work. I wouldn't necessarily say go with lower noise rating. It would be about what frequency the noise is so just a different tyre make might work. I would definitely pay for a new set to get rid of this but unless I can try it which I cant imagine anyone will let me do or someone else tries and confirms I am not spending 1k to replace a brand new set of tyres - whatever you say about those contis they are ridiculously grippy.
Volvo might change noise insulation for next model year or change the stock tyres (they had tons of complaints in the UK) - so you may want to test drive it then (Sep the next model year ships). If you are after the car asap you should check if people are getting the same issues on 21s and 22s (don't buy 19s - it's criminal).
Otherwise find a way to try different tyres you might just find a solution and a lot of people will say thank you.
Using a noise level app is a good way to compare this objectively.

I take your point about frequency and resonance. Over on the Merc forum people have suggested that certain makes/versions of tyres suit some models better than others, all things being equal. The Goodyear winters (17") I have on the CR-V right now are noticeably quieter and smoother than the Dunlop summers (18") that are fitted for most of the year.

Interesting that you say there's a model year change in Sep which is what I would expect. The salesman deffo said a change in April 2016 so I'll double check that. I'm not in any rush to buy and waiting until Sep/Oct is an option.

Sorry but I'm not a fan of big wheels. Yes they look good but with the state of UK roads today the 'smaller' wheels make more sense to me. Of course, it's all relative; a few years ago 19" was huge!

Good suggestion about a noise level app. I'll look into it.

[Walter Eagle]

... I'm not a fan of big wheels. Yes they look good ...

But I always tend to think to myself, "How long do I spend actually looking at the wheels?" I'm either nowhere near the car, or else I'm inside the car. Choosing wheels based on aesthetics isn't something that's ever convinced me. Now, if this noise discussion were going the other way round . If larger wheels were proven to be quieter than smaller wheels, that I would count as a reasonable argument ...

[NewVolvo]

Why not simply swap the tyres for quiter ones (ie Michelins) and sell the original ones on the bay or whatever?

Done that many times when the factory tyres are downright either bad or dangerous, like the Pirelli PZero that came on my current A6. Expensive perhaps but well worth it!