Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved?

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Sun 28 Apr 2019 19:12
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - guygamps

Loving driving my mk 5 Golf R32, the engine is just so sweet and responsive and the power delivery so flexible, it munches up hills barely even needing a change down. BUT, the tyre and road noise is very obtrusive, gives me a head ache, today it is running on Michelin Pilot Sports. What can be done to reduce this noise? engine and exhaust noise are and wind noise are NOT the issue, I am only talking about tyre/road noise. Out of interest, which cars would be rated best for tyres and road noise (should I decide to change the R32).. I think intolerance is increasing as I age.

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Sun 28 Apr 2019 19:30
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - trebor1
Have a look in black circle tyres and read some reviews of other users of the tyre make and size and ratings you require.

Ref changing cars, lots of people will be along soon to recommend various Japanese cars.....
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Sun 28 Apr 2019 19:36
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - badbusdriver

If you are a handy DIYer, you can buy soundproofing materials off t'internet. You'd have to strip out the interior so you can get to the bare floor underneath (so quite a big job), but if you plan to keep the car long term, probably worth it. Alternatively, there are companies who do this kind of thing, and while there are probably a few, the only one i know of is this outfit,

www.nkgroup.co.uk/

the specific page that would be most relevant to you would be this,

www.nkgroup.co.uk/noisekiller/

I came upon them as i was looking for a means to quieten the engine noise for my Caddy van. I wouldn't be doing the full thing myself, probably just the accoustic engine blanket.

As for the tyres, if you look up tyres on Ebay, there is usually the db rating there. I'd imagine this would be the case if you were looking up any tyre seller. Another option would be to ask on a relevant forum to your car.

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Sun 28 Apr 2019 20:41
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - gordonbennet

Had Pilote Sport thingies on SWMBO short lived Cit C2VTS pocket rocket, very noisy tyres and a noisy car in general, replaced them with the then current Vredestein Sportrac (i'm going to say version 5 but that could be wrong), not only was the noise better but the handling improved, the ride slightly softer...any help in that dept would be gratefully received...and they gripped better to boot.

So yes there are other alternatives in tyres, all you can do is hope you make the right choice for your car.

I would have thought a VW of that cost would be well soundproofed anyway, but having ridden in my friends GTD 7 fitted with 19" wheels they are noisy and the ride is boneshaking, not sure new tyres would help there (he's on Contis IIRC) but maybe smaller wheels and more sensible tyres would.

I soundproofed the C2 with self adhesive pads designed for that purpose, made a big difference but then the little Citroen had almost no soundproofing of any description fitted at the factory so anything would help, have done the same with the family Aygo, again to good effect.

It might help if you temporarily cover suspect noise sources with spare duvets and such and see what if any difference is made, maybe help you pinpoint where the noise is coming from, and then fix the issue a suspect area at a time, often the worse areas are the rear wheelarches and boot floor/side panels, and sometimes from under the rear seat and rear edge of the rear footwell.

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Sun 28 Apr 2019 21:07
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - Senexdriver
The only thing I disliked about my A3 sportback was the tyre noise - it was appalling! It was in s-line trim, so it had 18 inch wheels and low profile tyres. My wife now has an A3 in s-line trim, so same wheels and low profile tyres, but tyre noise is not an issue with her car. Mine had Continental Conti 5s whilst hers has Dunlop Sport Maxx.

I believe the Dunlops are a softer tyre so the other difference is likely to be in wear rate. When I parted company with my A3 it had covered 17,000 miles and there was plenty of tread left on the fronts. My wife’s has only covered 9,000 miles so far, so it’s a bit soon to be able to draw comparisons.
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Sun 28 Apr 2019 21:59
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - csgmart
The only thing I disliked about my A3 sportback was the tyre noise - it was appalling! It was in s-line trim, so it had 18 inch wheels and low profile tyres. My wife now has an A3 in s-line trim, so same wheels and low profile tyres, but tyre noise is not an issue with her car. Mine had Continental Conti 5s whilst hers has Dunlop Sport Maxx. I believe the Dunlops are a softer tyre so the other difference is likely to be in wear rate. When I parted company with my A3 it had covered 17,000 miles and there was plenty of tread left on the fronts. My wife’s has only covered 9,000 miles so far, so it’s a bit soon to be able to draw comparisons.

I've got an Audi S3 - just about 1 year old. Stupidly I didn't order it with the variable suspension and from the showroom the ride was appallling hard. I checked the tyre pressures the minute I got home and found they were all massively over inflated. Reducing them to the manufacturers spec helped and I dropped them 2 or 3 psi lower than that which made the ride compliant and a huge improvement. After 1,000 or so miles I had a puncture near the side wall (screw) and it couldn't be repaired. Unbelievably no replacement tyre of the same make could be found (it needed to be an 'AO' marked tyre too) so I decided to replace all 4 tyres to Michelin Cross Climate as regularly recommended by HJ. Again, I dropped the pressures by about 2 or 3 PSI over the quoted figures. Not only is the car a pleasure to drive in terms of road noise, it's compliant over potholes etc too. For a car with reasonably firm suspension I simply don't notice it.

I still have the remaining 3 tyres which came with the car and I'll probably put them on it near the time the car goes back to Audi or gets traded in. It helps that my b-i-l owns a local tyre garage and can get me the best deals in town.

Edited by csgmart on 28/04/2019 at 22:02

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Sun 28 Apr 2019 22:22
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - SteveLee

Excessive tyre roar is a problem with lots of German cars, but then who cares about the noise? - you've got a nice German badge to keep up with the neighbours.

The other issue of course is the db ratings for tyres is a complete and utter farce. Manufacturers set their own noise and wet grip ratings which makes them really rather pointless.

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Mon 29 Apr 2019 14:22
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - alan1302

but then who cares about the noise? - you've got a nice German badge to keep up with the neighbours.

Is that why you bought your German cars?

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Wed 1 May 2019 22:10
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - SteveLee

but then who cares about the noise? - you've got a nice German badge to keep up with the neighbours.

Is that why you bought your German cars?

The BMWs and Audis I've owned were back in the day when they ran sensible profile tyres before chasing Nurburgring lap times became the #1 design priority and when they were built on a foundation of solid reliable engineering. Now they are on-the-whole over-priced, gizmo laden ticking time bombs.

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Sun 28 Apr 2019 22:18
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - SLO76
Nice car, a future classic in my view and that lovely V6 sounds great at full chat but they were never the most refined fast hatches and I doubt you’ll see massive improvement from the significant cost involved in changing all four tyres.

If you need a more hushed driving environment it’s time to go car shopping or possibly get a cheap older larger family sized car as a commuter (Toyota Avensis, Mazda 6, Honda Accord) and keep the Golf for sunny day B road blasts when you’re in the right mood. £1,000 is enough to get a useable example of any of them. My Avensis is stable, peaceful and economical at motorway speeds. It would pay for itself through the fuel savings and the reduction in depreciation on the Golf. Fast VW’s like fast Fords always reach a point when they start to go up in value if they’re nice, well maintained and have reasonable miles up and the R32 is there already.

If you decide to get rid of it in search of peace then larger more family oriented cars will be more refined but to offer suggestions we’d need to know your budget, rough annual mileage and space requirements.

Edited by SLO76 on 28/04/2019 at 22:19

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Sun 28 Apr 2019 23:54
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - guygamps

Thanks for the answers, looking at tyre specs, the best I can hope for is a small improvement, sound deadening being worth investigating. If I replace it, I will want something equally powerful and smooth in terms of power delivery , safe, but much more refined in terms of road noise. I travel regularly in a friends BMW and don't find it especially refined. Comments above don't encourage me towards Audi (similar platform anyhow). Jaguar don't make small hatch/ C segment....and I really don't need anything bigger. So what's left.... Merc? Lexus? . I am a bit of a petrol head, would rather keep a 10 or 15 year old V6 or V8 on the road for another 5 years then seen it scrapped while driving around in some newish diesel. Also I prefer manuals .

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Mon 29 Apr 2019 13:44
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - kiss (keep it simple)

Can't beat a duvet in the boot for a quick fix!

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Mon 29 Apr 2019 14:10
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - corax

Thanks for the answers, looking at tyre specs, the best I can hope for is a small improvement, sound deadening being worth investigating. If I replace it, I will want something equally powerful and smooth in terms of power delivery , safe, but much more refined in terms of road noise. I travel regularly in a friends BMW and don't find it especially refined. Comments above don't encourage me towards Audi (similar platform anyhow). Jaguar don't make small hatch/ C segment....and I really don't need anything bigger. So what's left.... Merc? Lexus? . I am a bit of a petrol head, would rather keep a 10 or 15 year old V6 or V8 on the road for another 5 years then seen it scrapped while driving around in some newish diesel. Also I prefer manuals .

Probably best to ask on somewhere like Pistonheads. They are more likely to have experience with powerful small cars/classics, where this forum is more about sensible, reasonable to run cars.

If you want to soundproof it, be prepared to remove door trims, carpets, seats to do it properly, although some sound deadening in the boot is a good place to start. Use the right materials and it can make a big difference.

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Mon 29 Apr 2019 14:17
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - RT

The idea of hot hatches, any performance car in fact, is to reduce weight and maximise grip/handling. Noise suppression and ride comfort are low on the list of priorities.

I'd suggest the OP is expecting too much to get a nice quiet, comfortable ride as well as stonking performance - other versions of the Golf range with smaller wheels (higher tyre sidewalls) would have been a better choice.

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Mon 29 Apr 2019 19:31
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - Engineer Andy

My thoughts exactly.

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Thu 2 May 2019 13:43
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - SteveLee

The idea of hot hatches, any performance car in fact, is to reduce weight and maximise grip/handling. Noise suppression and ride comfort are low on the list of priorities.

I'd suggest the OP is expecting too much to get a nice quiet, comfortable ride as well as stonking performance - other versions of the Golf range with smaller wheels (higher tyre sidewalls) would have been a better choice.

Or it could just be rubbish engineering - go and drive a Lotus - lighter, quicker round the bends than any hot hatch - what's the ride like?

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Thu 2 May 2019 14:47
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - badbusdriver

Or it could just be rubbish engineering - go and drive a Lotus - lighter, quicker round the bends than any hot hatch - what's the ride like?

I'd agree, up to a point (though it is worth pointing out that the OP is not complaining about the ride, but the noise levels). The Lotus is designed as a stripped out, pure and basic sports car (and while an Elise may well have a surprisingly supple ride, it is definately not a quiet car). A hot hatch driver expects a little more in the way of seats, creature comforts, practicality, etc. This is also where RT's comments fall down,

The idea of hot hatches, any performance car in fact, is to reduce weight and maximise grip/handling. Noise suppression and ride comfort are low on the list of priorities.

as this is simply not the case, certainly not for hot hatches. The idea of hot hatches is not to 'reduce weight and maximise grip/handling', but to make a fast and practical car which can double for family car duties. Yes there are hot hatches which are much more hard core, including removing the rear seats, but that (IMO), makes the car completely pointless as a hot hatch, and moves the competition from other hot hatches to things like a Porsche Cayman (another 2 seat 'hatchback'). But even hardcore examples which retain the rear seats are very much in danger of falling outwith their point. If they have no, or very little soundproofing, no air-con, no elec windows etc (to reduce weight) and a hard ride (to maximise grip/handling), then very few would be used as family cars, but only as 2nd cars, or 'toys'. If that were the case, surely there are much better and more focussed options, such as the aforementioned Porsche, or an Elise?.

Edited by badbusdriver on 02/05/2019 at 14:48

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Thu 24 Oct 2019 08:49
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - landmarked

I got good results (better grip and less noise) switching to Goodyear Asymmetric 3's on my MK5 GTI. They don't wear quite as well as the Michelins but they are significantly cheaper.

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Wed 12 Feb 2020 19:54
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - Terry W

Cars are compromises - for hot hatches you get:

  • light weight which means limited insulation
  • rubber bands for tyres for better grip and cornering stability
  • stiff suspension to limit roll (springs and shocks)
  • non-compliant suspension bushes for responsivenes and road surface feedback
  • exhaust tuned for performance not noise suppression

All this will feed vibration and noise back into the cabin. You may mitigate some of this with better insulation but if you want quiet and civilised, sell it and buy something designed for refinement not performance.

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Wed 12 Feb 2020 20:47
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - sajid

Goodyear dunlop tyres they quieter had all seasons on my civic 2.2 now currently shod on conti all seasons.

Because they have winter compound the rubber is softer also they all seasons the tyres are 50 percent winter and summer.

Ride is softer and quieter suggest tyre reviews read owner reviews

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Wed 12 Feb 2020 21:33
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - gordonbennet

  • rubber bands for tyres for better grip and cornering stability
  • stiff suspension to limit roll (springs and shocks)

Only on perfect surfaces, which rules out most of the England.

The above combination hops around corners and scrabbles for grip on rough roads, nothing could be further from sporty when an 80's Renault standard car would laugh at such surfaces with passengers barely noticing the pot holes.

I have a friend on 19" wheels 35 aspect tyres on his Golf, suspension presumably designed by a sadist, every tiny bump transmitted straight through to the car, and the noise is dreadful.

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Thu 13 Feb 2020 18:09
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - S40 Man

The EU (remember them) tyre labels which give wet grip and fuel efficiency also give a tyre sound level.

I checked a, rapid fitters website and these range from 68 dB to 72 dB. Pilot sort 4 (225/45/17) were 70 so not too bad.

Check that out when you buy some more tyres maybe.

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Thu 13 Feb 2020 18:18
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - gordonbennet

The EU (remember them) tyre labels which give wet grip and fuel efficiency also give a tyre sound level.

Just remember the figures given the manufacturer submits from their own tests, as far as i know there isn't an independent testing system involved.

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Thu 13 Feb 2020 21:39
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - S40 Man

Re tyre testing: testing is based on a standard. There might be some scope for messaging the figures but at least everyone should follow the same method.

www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-tyre-labelling-regulation-c...e

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Fri 14 Feb 2020 08:13
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - kiss (keep it simple)

Much of the noise is transmitted as vibration through the car's suspension, this wont be measured in the figures. A difference of 3dB for external noise is actually very little to the ear.

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Fri 14 Feb 2020 09:19
Volkswagen Golf R32 - Tyre and road noise, can it be improved? - John F

Our Mk1 Focus has carpety-type material in the wheel arches, not solid plastic or metal. Tyre noise is not particularly noticeable at speed. You could try attaching some cheap synthetic thin office carpet to the insides of the wheel arches.

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