# Massive Road Noise in new S-Line



## archieatkins (Dec 9, 2017)

Hey everyone,

I have had my car 2 weeks and I am really surprised by the high amount of road noise i am getting, even at 40mph and below. i was struggling to hold a conversation the other day. I am surprised because all the reviews I read stated how quiet it was and I have seen people say the same on here.

apart from tyres would anything else be contributing to the noise? it doesn't seem to be affected by the road types either.


----------



## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi, Get the alignment checked. Are the tread blocks wearing unevenly, feathering as it's called can cause excessive noise & usually caused when wheel alignment is out or faulty tyres. 
Hoggy.


----------



## Edinburra (Aug 19, 2016)

Most likely to be tyre noise. What brand are you running?
I notice a huge difference between my Summers, Bridgestone and my winters, Dunlop's.


----------



## moro anis (May 27, 2010)

Yes, sounds like a tyre / geometry issue. TTs are very quiet even though some tyres are noisier than others. I had Yokohamas on my last TT and P Zeros on this one which are considerably louder IMO. Both cars were runningh 20s.


----------



## falconmick (Mar 12, 2018)

Possible simple fix, have you checked tyre pressures when cold? Main dealer technicians are notorious for not inflating to correct pressure, last car I picked up was 6psi 20%ish under inflated, a mate collected a new Golf R and tyres were 25psi over inflated (showroom pressure for ease of manoeuvring). Either way the 35% sidewall on 19s is too harsh and noisy for me, 18s much better.


----------



## Pugliese (Aug 4, 2010)

moro anis said:


> Yes, sounds like a tyre / geometry issue. TTs are very quiet even though some tyres are noisier than others. I had Yokohamas on my last TT and P Zeros on this one which are considerably louder IMO. Both cars were runningh 20s.


Very interesting. My TTS had Yokohamas and current RS P Zeros both on 20's and my experience is the opposite to Moro Anis. The P Zeros are much quieter. My test is over the concrete section of the southern part of The M25 and whilst noise is subjective there is a major difference. This leads me to conclude that geometry is the likely culprit.


----------



## ChadW (May 2, 2003)

On some surfaces my Bridgestone's are awful. Thought the windscreen blower was on.

Why don't car manufacturers give you an option of paying a bit extra to specify exactly what tyres you want on your new car. If only it had Pilot Sports on it................


----------



## RenZo (Feb 14, 2006)

I have Bridgestone's. They are really loud.. Poor grip too. Can't wait to change them!


----------



## moro anis (May 27, 2010)

Interesting Pugliese. Looks like we've both got the same now and before. Did you have 20s on your TTS?

I've not had the RS all that long but am aware of tyre noise and they frequently sound as if they're flicking up muck into the wheel arches, like I've been on a muddy road. Never had any of that with the Yokos. Time will tell.


----------



## Pugliese (Aug 4, 2010)

moro anis said:


> Interesting Pugliese. Looks like we've both got the same now and before. Did you have 20s on your TTS?
> 
> I've not had the RS all that long but am aware of tyre noise and they frequently sound as if they're flicking up muck into the wheel arches, like I've been on a muddy road. Never had any of that with the Yokos. Time will tell.


Yes 20's on the TTS.

I also get the wheel arch noise, I put this down to Audi finding ways to lighten the vehicle by removing sound deadening material, not the tyres, but that is a pure guess.

The other issue I have, is when accelerating on full lock or close to full lock the tyres start to grab the road surface, a sort of shudder. Now is that tyres or a geometry issue? I suspect tyres as it has improved as tyres have worn but it is booked in with Audi to be looked at. Be interesting to know if you have experienced anything similar.


----------



## jabiqq (Apr 24, 2016)

Pugliese said:


> The other issue I have, is when accelerating on full lock or close to full lock the tyres start to grab the road surface, a sort of shudder. Now is that tyres or a geometry issue? I suspect tyres as it has improved as tyres have worn but it is booked in with Audi to be looked at. Be interesting to know if you have experienced anything similar.


I`m generally quite amazed how well traction control/torque vectoring works if you do something silly such as WOT on full lock, especially in dynamic mode. From my experience, tyres may shudder a bit and you can feel torque vectoring working (braking?), but no issues when you do it progressively.


----------



## 90TJM (Sep 30, 2013)

I have Potenzas and they are noisy,but on my way to work part of the Motorway has just been resurfaced and the car goes silent.I think the surface condition is a big factor.


----------



## Edinburra (Aug 19, 2016)

90TJM said:


> I have Potenzas and they are noisy,but on my way to work part of the Motorway has just been resurfaced and the car goes silent.I think the surface condition is a big factor.


Surface is a huge factor, however the tyre make is the influencing factor, look at the dB ratings for different makes. 
I'm aware that the reading given is for drive by noise, that said a difference of up to 4 to 5 dB is massive.


----------



## deeve (Apr 5, 2004)

Road condition is the biggest culprit no matter what tyres you have. The concrete section of the M25 and M1 is so bad you can barely hold a conversation, the new tarmac stretch of the M3 is silent by comparison.


----------



## Anthony_Manton (Feb 12, 2018)

On my drive last night in my TT it went from lovely and quiet to quite noisy. All depended on the road conditions but I can't really complain as Audi can't do much about the crappy British roads  Just turn up the B&O System and drown it out 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## PRAStoneFish42# (May 21, 2020)

Hi,
For years I wanted a TT, finally got one a few weeks ago Mk.3 2.0 TT S line.
Just love the looks and styling, not too bothered about high performance, advancing years makes me now prefer a less noisy and comfortable ride.
Boring I know but I've been there and done all the quick stuff I need in the past......
So right now I'm really disappointed in my investment because of overall noise in the cabin, I presume coming from the Potenza's fitted on the front pair. Can't hold a conversation on some roads and whilst a bit of Guns n roses cures most noise problems it's not always welcome.
So, I appreciate there can be many causes to road/tyre noise not least the road surface itself but I can't control that !
Starting at the most obvious to me ... tyre replacement .....as the current ones are not brilliant anyway, any recommendations for a quieter life ? (245x35xR19 93Y) All year round tyres would suit my driving needs.
Any help REALLY appreciated.


----------



## BarrieB (Aug 24, 2011)

I have Hankook tyres on my s-line (19") and they are extremely noisy. I really notice the difference on European roads which the car was designed for , even though they seem to sell most of them here.

Best you can do is check the geometry and pressures, or failing that, go for a quieter tyre and maybe sacrifice some handling.

When I had a mk2 s-line I changed from Potenzas to Dunlop and the difference was significant.

Good luck.


----------



## PRAStoneFish42# (May 21, 2020)

Hi Barrie,
Thank you for your reply, I note your comments re geometry and pressures.
The geometry I can certainly get checked...but re tyre pressures I have noticed the recommended pressures can vary from one info source to another.
Normally I would go by the makers guidelines as per the plate in the car and of course I'm not ruling that out as such.
But in my case I have Potenza's all round , now when looking up the makers recommended pressures for the approx. same load there was a difference. So is it best to go by Audi figures or the tyre makers?
The car is pristine but not brand new so I do not know what if anything has gone on before I bought it nor for that matter what Audi fitted when the car was supplied from new. The car has 8000 mls. on it and all treads are good but that said the front pair have differing manufacture dates but it's tough to suggest that the difference would be that much?
Sad to say we have an 6 yr. Fiesta in the family and it's behaves a lot better than the TT.

What dunlop's did you get? There's a lot of so called "quiet" tyres out there but is it all so critical?
Many Thanks


----------



## Blade Runner (Feb 16, 2018)

PRAStoneFish42# said:


> Hi,
> For years I wanted a TT, finally got one a few weeks ago Mk.3 2.0 TT S line.
> Just love the looks and styling, not too bothered about high performance, advancing years makes me now prefer a less noisy and comfortable ride.
> Boring I know but I've been there and done all the quick stuff I need in the past......
> ...


I have the exact same tyres on my TTS, fitted from new. Audi cheapskates! They are certainly not the quietest (and there are other issues with them too), but to say that the noise in the cabin is so bad that you can't hold a conversation with the passenger on some roads - which can't be any worse than some round here - suggests to me that something else is wrong. The TTS has adaptive dampers ('mag ride') which I assume your doesn't, but I find it hard to believe that that could be the difference between 'fine for a sports car' and 'unacceptably noisy'. All very subjective of course, but sounds odd to me. Did you test drive it (or similar) before purchasing? If you do decide to swap the tyres (which will definitely help) then Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's are excellent, but pretty expensive..


----------



## 90TJM (Sep 30, 2013)

I think all wide tyres are loud on the UKs worn roads.


----------



## phazer (Apr 2, 2018)

The 20 inch P-Zeros I had on my TTS were pretty quiet for the most part but extremely loud on wet roads.

Pilot sports are my tyre of choice.


----------



## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Have had various tyres on my current and previous RS over the years, yokohama, pirelli, Conti. By far the quietest tyres I've had were the last Goodyears Eagle 3 and my current Eagle 5. The 3s I think were quieter by a smidge but they were also 19s not 20s so less sidewall might affect it too.

Hard to be exact as to what is quieter as you never compare new with new only old with new, however have been in another RS on 20s with oem Advans and my Goodyears are without a doubt a lot quieter, although of course as mentioed biggest factor is the black top.


----------



## BarrieB (Aug 24, 2011)

PRAStoneFish42# said:


> Hi Barrie,
> Thank you for your reply, I note your comments re geometry and pressures.
> The geometry I can certainly get checked...but re tyre pressures I have noticed the recommended pressures can vary from one info source to another.
> Normally I would go by the makers guidelines as per the plate in the car and of course I'm not ruling that out as such.
> ...


The tyres I put on the mk2 s-line were Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT (Audi AO). Not the first tyres which might spring to mind for a TT but handling was good and ride comfort and noise levels superior to the Potenzas. I always set the pressures as per the handbook and use my own pressure gauge, as so many of the garage forecourt gauges are inaccurate. The tyre manufacturer's figures might vary slightly but not by much.

Don't forget that the standard s-line suspension is quite hard in any event and prone to road noise.


----------



## Blackhole128 (Dec 24, 2015)

I noticed a significant drop in road noise when I moved to Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tyres. Ride comfort improved too, as did longevity with no adverse impact on handling that I can detect.

Still, on a concrete road surface, it's hard to hear a conversation. Tarmac is fab though.


----------



## PRAStoneFish42# (May 21, 2020)

Hi,
Thank you all for your posts in response to my noise problem.
Generous of you to give your time and advice.

I have in the meantime although not previously mentioned rotated the tyres as is the normal procedure and that has very slightly improved the situation but not to the point where I could say the problem is solved.
So I will be investing in new rubber very soon, as no clear leader has emerged in the quest for a "quiet tyre" , I would ask if anybody else has any further comments / recommendations ? So soon after buying the car I don't want to make costly mistakes.
One further point that has come to light that I never considered re noise is that 18" wheels are generally thought of as giving quieter more comfortable ride than the 19" I have right now....apart from the cost any comments on the pro's an con's ?

Many thanks....


----------



## blackvalver (Jan 6, 2020)

I was surprised by the noise levels from the tyres too, I suppose it's a combination of firm suspension transmitting the noise through the body and a low car with large wheels, I've bought extra sound proofing to improve things a bit and I've done that on every car I've owned, pain and time consuming but can be really worth it especially if you like improved sound quality of music in the car.
Best I can suggest is that you read up on tyre reviews and other forums because I've found that tyre brand/model can make big differences in tyre noise, just don't expect any brand to solve the problem completely on the TT sadly.


----------



## BarrieB (Aug 24, 2011)

Have a look on the Black Circles website. Enter your car reg and a list of tyres comes up showing the decibel rating. I've used them before and the prices look good. They seem to use local tyre dealers but the prices are often better than going direct.


----------



## PRAStoneFish42# (May 21, 2020)

Thank you all again for your help with my noise problem....

I have now had all suspension components/adjustments etc etc checked in terms of there being a fault - all clear!
So I guess we are back to tyres, but before I finally take the plunge ......

As I said before I love the look of my S line and would not want to spoil that at all, however it is high gloss black and I been thinking of getting some new all black wheels. So obviously making more questions to be considered not least the costs.
Any overall comments re this would be greatly appreciated.

Also any comments re the 18" v 19" wheel size with regards to noise and comfort would be very helpful.
Can there really be much of a difference?

Can you recommend any particular brand or type of replacement wheel ?

Again, Many thanks.


----------



## Barmybob (Nov 4, 2015)

About two years ago I had a brand new black S-line roadster on 19's as a courtesy car. The car was so noisy that it actually put me off the MK3 for a while, wife's MK2 was so much quieter. A few weeks later I tested another car on 20's and it was so much quieter, had me baffled :? it had to be tyres


----------



## Barmybob (Nov 4, 2015)

Just checked pictures I took of both cars... The noisy S-Line was on Bridgestone Potenza, the other car was on Pirelli , same as my RS!


----------

