[Ade77]

The biggest flaw I have with the titanium x with low profile tyres is with road noise. I've tried to sou d proof the car, which although not completed yet, seems to make no difference.
I wondered whether changing to smaller wheels and normal(higher profile) tyres would make any difference. I'm thinking that the deeper walls on the tyres would give more flex and reduce transmission of noise through them. Any comments anyone?

 

[cianpars]

I find wind noise more annoying on mine. Don't really notice road noise much at all ( still on the original goodyears).Edited by: cianpars

 

[Ade77]

Thats good to know, but what size wheels do you have?

 

[redfive]

Hi Ade77, i have a 64 reg Zetec withe the standard 15" wheels and the road noise on some surfaces can be quite noticable. I check and make sure that my pressures are correct and generally only have one passenger in the vehicle.i would therefore expect larger diametre wheels with skinnier tyres to suffer even more with road noise. (although the larger wheels DO look better). I also find that the ride can be quite rough on all but the smoothest surfaces, so it looks like this is a charactoristic of the B -Max we just have to live with.

 

[cianpars]

Thats good to know, but what size wheels do you have?

Same as yours. I have the Titanium X too.

 

[Ade77]

Ok, thanks chums. I'll live with it, how much are ear plugs......?

 

[cianpars]

It's odd that you are experiencing road noise and i am not, Ade, and I have driven dozens of cars over more than 40 years and I am sure I would be quick to notice a provlem with road noise.

If you are used to driving expensive cars, i guess that the road noise may be greater than say a C class or a 5 series, Mine is no noisier than my previous fiestas or mondeos.

All in all, I would say that the b max is very quiet, save for a bit of wind noise. The 1.0 l turbo is a very smooth quiet engine too.

It may be worth experimenting with different tyre pressures. Try 38 psi on all 4 wheels.

I wonder whether there is a problem specific to your vehicle but not sure where to start without hearing it.

What part of the country do you live in? (just checked your profile - Malvern). Happy to have a listen and compare with mine if you venture anywhere near Bristol.Edited by: cianpars

 

[Ade77]

Thanks for your comments.it does seem puzzling. Thank you for your offer to compare at your home but that is not practical at the moment. However we use Bristol airport from time to time, maybe then.

Overall, I like the car and the engine is very quiet. Around town it's fine, but on most motorway surfaces it is noisy. Sometimes when you hit new tarmac it goes all quiet which is lovely. Maybe I'll try inflating to 50psi with helium!!!!

 

[Nick]

Beside my B-Max, sometimes I am using the company car (that is a diesel, doesn't matter which brand now), and compared to B-Max, it sounds like a bulldozer under heavy machine-gun fire

Some road noise is normal, especially if you have winter tires, so just enjoyyour B-Max experience

 

[Ade77]

Thanks for your comparison and I've had noisy cars in the past and , I guess, it's my pet hate. I'm about 1/2 what through sound proofing it so maybe it'll get better.
That noisy diesel of yours, was it made by Massey Ferguson!!!?

 

[Willow]

Road noise is not an issue with mine. I have to say it's the quietest car I have driven. Some tyres can transmit more road noise than others. What tyres are you using?

 

[gadgee]

The motoring journos mostly state that the BMax's ride is firm but not hard and won't make the kids travel sick!

 

[Hadrian1]

I've found in most vehicles I've owned, that I seem to get wind noise from the door and window seals.

 

[TheInstructor]

I thought I'd let you know my thoughts and experience. I have the 1.6 diesel, not the quietest engine by far, with the 195/55/16 tyres on, and having just changed from the stock tyres after 30k miles. I have put Kumho Ecsta HS51 tyres on and the road noise is noticeably lower. I also have window wind deflectors on all 4 windows which I'm not sure whether this helps or creates wind noise.

 

[cianpars]

Choice of tyres can have an affect on road noise as of course can low tyre pressures.

 

[Willow]

It has to be said, low profile tyres do increase cabin noise. That' a fact I'm afraid. Some are better than others.

 

[Ade77]

I've just changed the fronts to Yokohama which are advertised as 67db. This of course is exterior noise ,I'll have to see if this translates into interior noise. Thanks for your comment.

 

[Ade77]

I've just changed the fronts to tyres that are supposed to be low noise. I've thought about changing to 15" wheels but that is expensive if it doesn't work.

 

[TheInstructor]

Ade77. I think you'd be weeing into the proverbial wind changing wheel size to reduce cabin noise. If you've gone down the route of low noise tyres, by my reckoning, you will be wasting money on wheels and tyres you don't want or need.

 

[Hadrian1]

I tend to agree, the type of tyres used will have little effect on road noise. Don't go into a tyre fitting establishment and ask their advice, as they just want to sell you the tyres they get the best discount on.

Regarding tyres in general, I found this video most illuminating: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbMti7VQC1k