Winter operation car makes special demands on tires. In addition to acceptable grip on ice and snow, tires must provide good handling on asphalt and driving comfort.

From this article you will learn:

However, comfort varies. In addition to the high smoothness of the ride, many motorists need and minimum level noise from the road, so quiet winter tires will always be relevant.

It is worth mentioning in advance that it is impossible to identify an unambiguous leader according to this criterion, and there is a reason for this. The fact is that winter tires There are two types: studded and non-studded ("").

Michelin X-Ice North 3

These tires are designed for winter conditions with moderate precipitation and shallow snow. At the same time, their best qualities exhibits on dry pavement and snow covered road. Handling remains clear and crisp even at high speeds, and smoothness in potholes is high, which perfectly complements the excellent acoustic comfort.

The disadvantages are a short service life (thorns fly out) and mediocre traction on bare ice.

Nokian Nordman 5

Following the French tires, Finnish ones follow. However, it is the opposite. French tires are focused mainly on asphalt operation and on roads with a mixed type of surface (ice + snow), but Finnish 5 are better on bare ice and snowy roads. In this situation, one can speak of high stability movement and commendable grip. Comfort, both acoustic and driving is good due to the composition of the rubber.

Toyo Observe GSi-5

Tires round out the top three in the silent friction tire category. In all respects - a solid average. At the same time, they are most effective on asphalt - both on dry and wet.

But on ice and snow they can behave unpredictably, handling and directional stability on ice are not the best sides this tire. In addition, the stopping distance on a typical winter road(ice + snow) can be quite mediocre.

Today's article is devoted to an issue that often worries motorists who place high demands on the comfort of movement. The noise of car tires is far from the first place in importance among performance indicators. However, the mood of the driver behind the wheel largely depends on this parameter, and general level noise pollution environment.

Of course, the level of sound from the friction of the tire on the asphalt plays by no means a decisive role when choosing an automobile “shoe”. However, ceteris paribus, it is this factor that will help the consumer to finally decide on the model of tires.

Today we will consider what tricks tire manufacturers use to increase the comfort of using their products, and how you can “by eye” determine whether the rumble of tires will interfere with enjoying music in the cabin.

What factors affect acoustic comfort

The noise level largely depends on the design of the tread. So, if the tires are heavily indented, have blocks of the same size, located on the same line, then the noise waves that arise during movement will increase. This is due to the fact that the generated sound vibrations will have the same frequency and, according to physical laws, their amplitudes will add up.

In order to eliminate this drawback, tire developers resort to the following engineering solutions:

• make tread blocks of different shapes, due to which, when they hit the asphalt, they create waves of different frequencies;
• checkers of different rows are placed with some offset relative to each other;
• create closed shoulder elements that absorb noise waves.

When choosing the next set of tires for yourself, pay attention to the tread pattern and evaluate how well the damping of unpleasant sounds is thought out in it.

The tread material and profile width are also important. So, tires made of soft rubber create much less unpleasant sound background than harder counterparts.

The size of the area of ​​contact with the road is directly proportional to the emitted noise level. The wider the tread, the more of its elements come into direct contact with the road surface, and the louder the result of this interaction will sound.

Different levels of comfort are provided by tires of different seasons. usually noisier than summer ones, which is due to design features. And this is the case when comfort cannot be created at the expense of safety.

In addition to choosing the “correct” tire pattern, do not forget about the control of the level of internal pressure. Under-inflated tires are much more noisy because their contact area is increased.

The nature of the road surface also has a great influence on the noise level. And it's hard to do anything about it. Surely, many have noticed how the load on the eardrums increases when smooth asphalt is replaced by paving stones. Exit? Plan your route carefully and avoid difficult sections or close your car windows more tightly. It is highly undesirable to create a complete cacophony, turning on the music in the cabin at full volume when open windows. Have pity on those around you, because they also have a hard time.

How to determine tire noise before buying

You already know at least one way - to estimate the ability to absorb noise from the tread pattern.

But there is another method. Fortunately, European Union legislators have taken care of motorists and other participants traffic and obligated tire manufacturers to test their products for noise and apply the results to the Euro label. Environmental noise data is provided along with wet grip and fuel efficiency.

Consider what the acoustic comfort pictograms mean:

1. One wave. The tire is considered quiet, its noise level is much lower than allowed by law.
2. Two waves. These tires are medium noisy. They are about 3 decibels noisier than single wave tires on the label. The acoustic parameters of this rubber correspond to the norm.
3. Three waves. The tire is loud, its noise level is about 6db higher than single wave tires.

We remind you once again that the parameter of acoustic comfort is far from being the main one when choosing tires. Much more important is the level of safety and handling of rubber.

Choose wisely and enjoy driving!

Often when it's noisy winter tires, we experience very unpleasant sensations from excessive hum and unpleasant vibrations in the car. Sometimes this factor is the main one when choosing rubber. Few people can endure for a long time an obsessive and unpleasant noise that does not stop for a minute. Some seek to drown it out with the help of radio or good acoustics, then such noise is only supplemented by all sorts of loud noises from the inside, which simply mask it.

It is impossible to constantly drive with loud noise in the cabin, and a monotonous annoying sound is also unacceptable. What then to do, and are there any methods of dealing with noise? To understand how to deal with noise and unpleasant annoying sounds, you must first understand how such noises arise and what is the nature of their origin.

Why are winter tires noisy? There may be several reasons for this, and one of them is that the granularity of the asphalt or other road surface can cause different fluctuations and noise amplitudes. It is important to understand that with a minimum grain size of the coating, vibrations and, accordingly, noise will be minimal.

But in most cases, the noise is not caused by asphalt, but by the characteristics of the tire itself. Most often, the sound comes from the contact patch of the tire with the road surface. The contact patch is the part that touches the roadway. The fact is that when driving, some part of the wheel always comes into contact with the roadway, and this happens for quite a while. high speed when there is a large number of wheel revolutions per second.


At the same time, the treadmill of the tire captures almost all the existing bumps in the road, and it is they that lead to the resonance of many elements. shocks propagate throughout the entire structure of the wheel, and they stop only when the rolling of the wheel is completed. Also, an additional sound effect is provided by air that enters the space of the tread pattern. Naturally, there can be no question of any quiet ride without a noise effect.

So, it’s basically clear why winter tires make noise, the reasons for this phenomenon. But there is another factor that can affect the noise level. This is the speed of movement. It often happens that the higher the speed, the louder the tires will make noise. But it also happens that sound effects occur only on certain speed modes, and if you drive at a lower speed or increase the speed, then the noise evens out and acquires less annoying parameters.

Noisy winter tires - what to do?

Winter tires make a lot of noise, the sound of music in the cabin interferes, is inappropriate for any reason - what to do in such cases? There are a few tips and tricks to help you fix this situation and allow the issue to be resolved. Basically, these tips relate to the selection and installation of tires on the car.

So, if winter tires are noisy - what to do? First of all, you need to determine the parameters of the rubber at the time of its purchase. In many ways, tire design plays a major role in noise. Sometimes the whole pattern, including slots and checkers, affects not only how dynamic the car will behave on the track, but also what acoustic unpleasant moments will be accompanied by trips with such tires.


It is sometimes impossible to independently predict how and how loudly a new winter tire makes noise based on the tread pattern or other external signs. It also makes no sense to contact the manufacturer with such questions, since each manufacturer will only praise his product and will never express an objective opinion about its shortcomings. The same rule applies to sellers of winter tires.

What to do in such cases? It is enough to chat on forums on the Internet or ask car owners who use similar tires. Usually they are always ready to help, giving good advice. After listening to the opinion of some of them, you can form your own impression about the operation and noise level of tires of a particular model.

But some opinions may not be completely objective. It may seem to some that winter tires are very noisy, while to others such noise will seem quite acceptable, therefore, an ordinary motorist is not always able to adequately regard such an indicator as noise. AT this case it is worth looking for special test drives - there are a lot of them on the Internet. In such test drives, the noise level is measured by special priors. And if it is really high, then the device will definitely show it.

It is important to understand that with the right choice of tires with a certain pattern, with acceptable noise parameters that were determined on a test drive, rubber can still make very unpleasant and annoying sounds. Then what winter tires do not make noise?

First of all, these are those tires that have correct pressure. Experienced car owners have long noticed that inflated wheels make a lot more noise and are louder than those tires that are inflated in accordance with the manufacturer's requirements.

It is also worth considering such a factor as the purpose of rubber. Why are winter studded tires noisy? This is usually because it is naturally soft in texture. Accordingly, such rubber is perceived much more fully and simply by the road surface. A wide contact patch is formed, in some cases the main role can be played by low profile, and all this does not contribute to normal sound absorption.

Many motorists know what happens, publishing car tires an unpleasant sound to the ear. The reason for its occurrence is often the process of friction of the wheel on the surface of the road.

Tires have a very direct impact not only on traffic safety, but also on the comfort of people in the car. And first of all, this is the acoustic accompaniment of the ride, in other words, the noise. And if in winter with closed windows and a sunroof, with roads rolled with snow, the situation remains tolerable, then in summer all sounds made by tires penetrate into the cabin.

Medical research proves that continuous noise above 40 dB has a negative effect on nervous system a person can cause insomnia, depressed mood, irritability and outbursts of aggression. The noise emitted by low-quality tires on the track exceeds this threshold sometimes twice, which means that drivers who choose the wrong tires can be prone to all of the above symptoms.

Why is rubber noisy?

The level of sound produced depends significantly on the tread pattern, as well as the design of the location of the lamellas on the wheel surface. In the process of collision of individual sections with the asphalt surface, sounds of different frequencies arise.

Tire manufacturers themselves are aware of the need to reduce noise, and it is for this reason that in advertising of some of their products you can see such characteristics as “silent” or “low noise”. But, as you know, the improvement of some qualities inevitably leads to the deterioration of others, such as, for example, adhesion to the roadway and the length of the braking distance.

Are there perfect tires?

An ideal rubber requires an optimal combination of a very large number of characteristics. It is not possible to test absolutely all tires on your own, but you can study the experience of other motorists, journalistic tests and read similar topics on specialized forums to understand which tires to buy to minimize noise.

The softer the tire, the less noise it makes. But there is back side- braking on such rubber will be “smeared” on the asphalt, and the tread itself will wear out very quickly. The conclusion is this - when choosing a low-noise tire, find the braking distance in its tests. The shorter it is, the longer the protector will last. Very soft rubber in the summer may simply not stop in right moment at the same time in winter soft tires- a good choice.

Note! Wide tires make more noise than narrow ones. This becomes especially noticeable at high speed.

Small overview

Leadership in the "silence" of rubber, as practice shows, belongs to the French company Michelin. Noise reduction is due to a good ratio rubber compound and a special tread pattern.

Rubber Michelin Michelin Pilot Sport 3, Michelin XM2 Energy, Michelin Energy Saver really quietest when driving on a straight dry road. But in this case, the risk of aquaplaning increases - the tread does not have time to remove all the water from the contact patch. But the grip is of high quality, the car turns confidently, the wheel practically sticks together on the road, due to this there is almost no noise.

The first competitor of Michelin products is Japanese Bridgestone tires. This manufacturer also produces quiet tires such as Bridgestone Ecopia EP150, and the French do not even always keep up with the novelties of the Japanese. In addition to low-speed tires, Bridgestone tires are characterized by increased wear resistance.

For the title low noise tires Goodyear and Yokohama are also constantly struggling. In their model range there are "quiet" tires: Efficient Grip and ADVAN dB V552. And although they are still far from the title of “quietest”, they do not lag behind Michelin and Bridgestone in terms of safety and reliability.

What not to buy

Choosing quiet rubber, you should definitely pay attention to its other characteristics. Some manufacturers for the sake of "silence" sacrificed everything else. Here are a few examples where, apart from acoustic comfort, the tire offers nothing to the car. Moreover, it is even dangerous - traction is lost, the braking distance increases greatly, which is most noticeable on wet surfaces. It is unlikely that anyone is willing to sacrifice all this for the sake of low noise.

For example, English company Avon has a summer model in its lineup Euromaster VH100. The tire is shockingly quiet in the car, but everything else is just awful. Braking distances on a wet road will be an additional four meters above the safe, due to bad clutch with the road deteriorates and handling vehicle. Also, the tire is very resistant to rolling, which means fuel consumption will increase.

Another example, Toyo Roadpro R610— attractive cost and low noise level. Moreover, there will be no complaints about this rubber on a dry road. But as soon as the car is on a wet surface or the driver has to perform a sharp maneuver - that's it, controllability will be lost. And this poses a direct threat not only to people in the car, but also to neighbors downstream.

These tires are trying to hydroplan, blowing both the front and rear axle. Yes, the rubber does not offer much rolling resistance, fuel consumption will not increase, but does this make it attractive in the eyes of potential buyers?

So what to choose

First of all, analyze what kind of road surface you have to move on most often: asphalt, dirt or gravel. Ride, acoustic comfort and traction should not be mutually exclusive.

If you buy tires European manufacturer, then the marking, valid since 2012, which contains data on energy efficiency, wet grip and noise level, will help you find your way. The pictures below will give you an excellent guide when choosing tires.

Decryption:

Level G tires will require an extra 6 liters of fuel per thousand kilometers compared to level A tires.

The wet braking distance of class A tires is 18 meters shorter, all other things being equal, than class G tires.

The movement of a car on the roadway is not silent, which is due to the simplest laws of physics. Although summer tires compared to winter ones, they create less noise when the wheels of the car come into contact with the road surface, however, they also provide an unpleasant sound background. Therefore, in addition to the parameters of hydroplaning resistance and wet braking performance, the noise factor is of particular importance for consumers when choosing tires. Of course, the noise level of tires is also largely determined by the surface on which the movement is carried out, as well as by the pressure in the rubber. If a road surface uneven or the tire pressure level is less than recommended, it is obvious that the noise will increase significantly. However, much depends on the composition of the rubber compound, tread pattern and tire width. In particular, tires made using soft rubber compounds and having a relatively small spot contact with the roadway, they make much less noise. The reduced noise level ensures a smooth ride and makes driving more comfortable for the driver.

Despite the growing demand from consumers to reduce the noise produced by tires, tire manufacturers are stepping up efforts in this direction for yet another reason. The fact is that many environmental organizations and individual states in last years seriously attended to the problem of excessive noise on highways. For example, the European Federation for Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) proposed to EU officials the question of what can be done to reduce noise from road transport. According to this authoritative organization, a significant part of the noise on road routes It does not come from the car's engine, but from the rubber that is in constant contact with the road surface. Already at speeds over 30 km/h for cars and 50 km/h for trucks the noise from the tires exceeds the noise of their engines. Considering the increasing demand for wide tires this problem is becoming more and more urgent. That is why it is expected that in the new European Commission regulations, which should come into force on November 1, 2011, in addition to wet grip and tire labeling requirements, noise levels will also be included. This state of affairs forces global tire manufacturers to develop new tire models with reduced level noise.

How can you reduce the noise level emitted by the tire when in contact with the road surface? The noise level is affected by tire parameters such as tread pattern, stud and sipe design, and rubber compound characteristics. Each time an individual tread block hits the pavement, noise of a certain frequency is created, and if all blocks are the same size, noise of the same frequency will be created, which in turn leads to an increase in the overall noise level. Therefore, many manufacturers use blocks different size in separate parts of the tread, so that tire noise is distributed more wide range frequencies. Similar design features Tires reduce the overall noise level.

Special tire tests help to determine the noise level and, accordingly, driving comfort. As a rule, they are carried out in conjunction with tests for braking on dry and wet surfaces, hydroplaning resistance and other tests. Tire noise is measured in decibels, to the right and left of a moving vehicle. It also records the speed of the vehicle.

We bring to your attention tests of summer tires of dimension 205/55 R16, carried out by experts from the authoritative magazine Za Rulem. In traditional tire tests, in addition to dry and wet pavement, exchange rate stability on a straight line, fuel consumption and smoothness were also tested for the noise level of summer tires. Eleven summer tires participated in the tests: Pirelli P7, Michelin Energy Saver, Nokian Hakka H, ​​Yokohama C. Drive AC01, Maxxis Victra MA-Z1, Goodyear Excellence, Kumho Ecsta HM, Bridgestone Potenza RE001 Adrenalin, Continental ContiPremiumContact 2, Toyo Proxes CF- 1 and Vredestein Sportrac 3. The magazine's experts evaluated the tire noise level, as well as other indicators, on a ten-point system.

The lowest score in noise tests was received by South Korean Kumho tires Ecsta HM - only six out of ten. Such a low rating is due to the fact that in tests the tires showed a very serious general rumble, howl of the tread at speeds up to 80 km/h, however, it practically disappears for more high speed. Having taken the last, eleventh place in terms of noise level, Kumho Ecsta HM summer tires, however, in the aggregate of all parameters, were able to bypass some competitors and take the overall eighth place.

Several summer tires at once received an average score of seven out of ten from the experts of the magazine. In particular, the Maxxis Victra MA-Z1 tires, which took the last eleventh place in the tests thanks to increased consumption fuel at any speed and sharp shocks when driving through single bumps, also distinguished themselves by an increased background rumble. Even the original tread pattern of the Maxxis Victra MA-Z1 "flame" type tires did not prevent this. Summer tires Yokohama C. Drive AC01 hum when changing direction, amplifying the sound. At speeds of 120 km / h and above, they pop loudly at the seams and other irregularities, despite the use of a new rubber compound in these tires "Micro Flexible Compound", which, according to the developers, should provide a minimum level of noise. Therefore, the experts of the journal put Yokohama tires C. Drive AC01 score seven out of ten. A similar assessment was deserved by high-speed summer tires with asymmetrical pattern protector Potenza RE001 Adrenalin. On single bumps, they sharply push the car, thump on the transverse seams and emit a corresponding background rumble. Summer tires The Continental ContiPremiumContact 2, which features a three-dimensional groove with steep and flat edges, also performed well in noise tests. The background noise of these tires is increased, especially on coarse-grained pavement. On a good road Continental tires ContiPremiumContact 2 allows you to roll comfortably, but medium and large bumps are tough, making an unpleasant rumble. As a result, the score is seven out of ten. Summer Michelin tires Energy Saver, characterized by increased efficiency at any speed, respond differently to changes in asphalt grain size. On dry pavement, they caused minor complaints about noise from the magazine's experts, for which they received a seven-point rating. The Vredestein Sportrac 3 summer tires, which came out on top in the braking and handling tests, also scored only seven points in the noise test. The experts were confused by the unpleasant background hum that provides insufficient level comfort.

The best in terms of noise level were four brands of tires, which received an eight-point rating from the experts of the Za Rulem magazine. It's summer good year tires Excellence, which are designed with a double-pitch block sequence for reduced noise levels. Based on test results Goodyear tires Excellence showed low noise and high smoothness. Experts also praised Pirelli tires P7 with asymmetric tread pattern. In spite of high flow fuel, these tires are different increased level comfort. Unusually quiet, they only slightly voice the unevenness of the road surface. Finnish summer Nokian tires Hakka H, ​​ranked by results general tests honorary, third place, showed good level comfort. Quiet, comfortable tires, at a “pedestrian” speed of up to 10 km / h, slightly transmit shocks from road bumps to the body. But if you go faster, they become softer and roll better, with almost no noise. Rating - eight out of ten. Finally, summer toyo tires Proxes CF-1 that replaced popular model Toyo Proxes R610 are distinguished by high acoustic comfort, which was shown during noise tests. Taking the final second place overall, the Toyo Proxes CF-1 tires also excelled high level comfort and low level noise. Using cheats and codes for GTA, you can turn the game into a real pleasure

According to the tests carried out, summer tires that have shown best results such important characteristics such as wet and dry handling, hydroplaning resistance and directional stability, may be characterized by increased noise levels (Vredestein Sportrac 3). While, tires with not the most best performance in handling and braking, it can earn the highest ratings in terms of noise level (Goodyear Excellence). This tells us that when choosing summer tires it is necessary to focus not on one specific characteristic, but on a whole set of indicators, including the behavior of the tire on wet and dry pavement, directional stability, hydroplaning resistance, acoustic comfort level and ride smoothness.