Tire Noise

[GmbHouse]

Anyone with Pirellis experiencing fairly high tire noise? Sort of a droning sound? How about other tires? I seem to remember the Pirellis on my Porsche being loud too.

[JAXRS6]

Then again, I'd been driving an S4 with SO3s when my RS6 arrived, so maybe I'm used to a certain level of tire noise. Performance tires do tend to be louder than all season tires, it seems, but the main noise I hear from my RS6 is that wonderful standard exhaust.

During a long drive into the western U.S. a few weeks ago, when it was warm-to-hot, a whining/whirring sound became apparent once or twice on I80. I think it was some sort of harmonics that resulted from a certain combination of speed and temperature, because it disappeared after a rest stop...but I could be wrong. I do recall hearing similar sounds on long trips when I was a kid, in the 50s & 60s.

[eph94]

I think you're right... the Pzeros may be loud. I had the S03's on my 540 and I thought those were loud. I distinctly remember my wife saying in our maiden voyage that the RS6 was louder than the 540 . Her comment went in one ear and out the other at the time, but now that you mention tire noise, I do have a recollection of it. I was also able to induce tire squeal which I never did with the S03's on the 540; however, I think I may have taken the same long sweeping bend at 20+ MPH faster than I would have dared in the RWD Bimmer. Quattro pulled me right through...

At any rate, no one else who I have ever taken for a spin mentioned excessive tire noise. I think their senses are so bombarded that cabin noise is the last thing on their minds.

[andyp]

I have the PZeros and haven't heard much tire noise under normal operation but I was surprised the first time I heard the tires squeel. I had Dunlops 8000(?), S02 and S03s on my M5 and never heard the tires squeel, not even just before they'd break loose. Anybody else noticed this? I haven't played with tire pressures yet, but if anybody else has, I'd be interested in what you've found to work best (street and track).