Active X Road Noise

[Pigbench]

Hi, I have recently bought a 2018 Fiesta Active X that comes with 17 inch alloys (Continental Contisport3 tyres) and I find that the road noise is excessive. It drones at speeds over 40mpg and I am fixating on it. The car has only done 5,500 miles but apparently there is some slight feathering to the tyres. I noticed that 17 inch alloys on other Fiestas usually come with Michelin tyres. I was wondering if any other Active owners have noticed this and if there is anything I can do to stop it. I love everything else about the car. Thanks.

[Jim H]

Hello and Welcome to the Forum.

If the tyres are feathering, I'd suggest going to a tyre centre and getting wheel alignment checked. I noticed my tyres feathered (saw-toothed) at the outer edge, so will get it checked when I buy new ones this month.  Mine came with Mich PS4s as standard when new. All cars of that age I understand did. I have now seen newer cars (on Auto-trader) come with Conti Prem 6. The Active model may have come with different ones to give a slightly softer ride, but I maybe wrong.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

18 hours ago, Pigbench said:

I find that the road noise is excessive.

Hi, I have Michelin PS4 tyres in the same 205/45 x17 size and suffer road noise on all but the smoothest of roads (if you can find any), so a change of brand may not help. I have encountered the same problem on all my previous cars with 40 or 45 profile tyres. It is particularly bad on roads which have been "surface dressed" with tar/chippings, which unfortunately are very common in my area, even on major roads.

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[TomsFocus]

The odd thing with the Fiesta Active is that they didn't increase the tyre profile at the same time as the ride height.  They also fit 18s to them with even lower profile tyres...makes the ground clearance a bit pointless.  

[pragmatix]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

The odd thing with the Fiesta Active is that they didn't increase the tyre profile at the same time as the ride height.  They also fit 18s to them with even lower profile tyres...makes the ground clearance a bit pointless.  

You get 18's on the focus active x Vignale so much for a nicer ride.

[TomsFocus]

5 minutes ago, pragmatix said:

You get 18's on the focus active x Vignale so much for a nicer ride.

Yes, but at least they're 215/50 profile.  The normal Focus Vignale gets 235/40/18 the same as the ST!

Roughly 15mm sidewall difference between those two.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

The odd thing with the Fiesta Active is that they didn't increase the tyre profile at the same time as the ride height.  They also fit 18s to them with even lower profile tyres...makes the ground clearance a bit pointless.  

Yes, when my neighbour got her Fiesta Active (which she loves) I was surprised to see the low profiles on there - though she does say the ride is still better than the "normal" Fiesta on 17s which she had previously. Never asked her about tyre noise though.

[Nismex]

Honestly, it's hard to say. I guess road noise is different person to person. But on my Fiesta Active (17" 205/45 Primacy 4) they don't sound any worse than on my previous mk7 on 15" 195/55 Dunlop bluresponse / Continental eco contact tyres.

[Pigbench]

It is odd that the Active doesn't have chunkier tyres to go with the crossover styling. It doesn't sound as though there is a solution to the road noise from your replies. I have to say that the car is a pleasure to drive but it is marred by the droning. I took it to my local tyre place and they said the feathering was minimal and the tryes should be okay. They felt it was the build quality of the car that was at fault.

[Nismex]

From owning the active I feel they come with 17's with 45 profile tyres in order to off set the suspension geometry/help with handling in response to the extra body roll/higher stance.

I can certainly tell the difference going around corners compared to the Mk7/7.5 (woth 15" wheels/55 profile tyres) however I love the way the Active drives/responds on the really bumpy/poor roads of the countryside round here. It feels really good on those surfaces, but does have more body roll in higher speed corners on normal roads for sure.

[Pigbench]

There is a happy ending to my tale. I returned the car to the garage I bought it from and they agreed to change the tyres for me to a quieter brand. I collected it this morning and it now has four Dunlop Sport Maxx tryes on instead (reviews say it is one of the quiestest tyres on the market). The difference is enormous - no more droning noise. I am very happy because I love the look and drive of the car and now I can just enjoy it!