I have just purchased a 2021 Fiesta Trend and find the road noise to be much louder than my previous 2017 Fiesta Zetec.

The new car has 16" 195/55/16 wheels and continental tyres where my previous car had 15" 195/55/15 wheels and Goodyear tyres.

I have a hearing condition that makes me very sensitive to noise and was wondering if anyone had any advice.

Would a change of tyres help, I have seen some Hancook tyres on blackcircles that have a lower dB rating.

Also what about changing to 15" wheels ?

Any advice greatly appreciated,

A change of tyres and even slightly bigger diameter wheels will make a slight reduction in noise, but as a cost verses benefit it will be a costly exercise.

The issue is that the level of noise inside the vehicle is related to the level of trim specification. For example the Trend will have much less sound insulation compared to a Titanium. An 'ST spec' will have more road noise and a firmer ride than say a Titanium X which will have a softer and quieter ride.

I'm also very sensitive to noise.  The tyre DB ratings don't seem to make much difference in my experience.  Not quite sure how they work them out.

If the tyres on both are 195/55 then you've got exactly the same amount of sidewall on both.  If you do want to drop a rim size on the new Fiesta, you would need larger profile tyres to take up the inch lost.  That should reduce the noise a bit and also make the ride softer but may make it more wallowy.  (Not necessarily ideal for ear conditions if you're prone to vertigo!)  The new size should be 195/60/15.

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

I'm also very sensitive to noise.  The tyre DB ratings don't seem to make much difference in my experience.  Not quite sure how they work them out.

The mistake that many folk make is that Db sound levels are not caluculated on a linear scale, but on a logarithmic one. ie 60db is twice as loud as 50db, not 20% louder as you may initialy think. (I knew that 'A' level physics would come in handy LOL)

1 minute ago, StephenFord said:

but on a logarithmic one.

very true. The actual log value is every change of 3dB is either double or half depending if you are increasing or decreasing.

The noise of a tyre rated at 9dB will be twice that of a tyre at 6dB

10 minutes ago, unofix said:

very true. The actual log value is every change of 3dB is either double or half depending if you are increasing or decreasing.

The noise of a tyre rated at 9dB will be twice that of a tyre at 6dB

That's certainly the theory...  But changing from 72dB tyres to 69dB tyres on the Mk2 Focus seemed to have no real world effect on road noise at all.   

I'm guessing it's measured in a lab test that doesn't accurately represent real roads. 

38 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

I'm guessing it's measured in a lab test that doesn't accurately represent real roads. 

Yep, that'll be the same lab they use to determine fuel consumption LOL

Testing of tyre noise (2008)

 

3 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

I'm also very sensitive to noise.  The tyre DB ratings don't seem to make much difference in my experience.  Not quite sure how they work them out.

If the tyres on both are 195/55 then you've got exactly the same amount of sidewall on both.  If you do want to drop a rim size on the new Fiesta, you would need larger profile tyres to take up the inch lost.  That should reduce the noise a bit and also make the ride softer but may make it more wallowy.  (Not necessarily ideal for ear conditions if you're prone to vertigo!)  The new size should be 195/60/15.

Lol, I suffer from benign positional vertigo syndrome (BPVS) which is one reason why I tend to prefer the "sportier" versions of cars.

But I agree, the scientific aspects don't necessarily seem to apply to our individual perception of tyre noise. I've never gone to the lengths of swapping tyres before they're worn (unless faulty or dangerously rubbish brands) but have done so on normal tyre changes. Sometimes it seems to work, occasionally it makes things worse, more often it just moved the issue to a different speed or type of road.

I mentioned on another thread the high degree of road noise from a Puma I tried this morning. That had 215/40x18s, yet to my ears was much noisier than the 235/35x19s on the Hyundai i30N Performance I test drove yesterday. 

8 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

That's certainly the theory...  But changing from 72dB tyres to 69dB tyres on the Mk2 Focus seemed to have no real world effect on road noise at all.   

I'm guessing it's measured in a lab test that doesn't accurately represent real roads. 

I'm under the impression that a 3dB change in Sound Pressure Level is just detectable by the human ear......

Dynamic range of an Orchestra is IIRC about 108db...... and a CD 96db

 

7 minutes ago, Paulkp said:

Dynamic range of an Orchestra is IIRC about 108db...... and a CD 96db

 Those numbers they seem high, but I suppose possible.  At 110dB sound most humans will experience considerable pain. If I remember correctly concord's engines were about 119dB which would be 3 times louder than an orchestra but they would still be boarding on causing permanent hearing damage if exposed for any length of time.

3 minutes ago, unofix said:

... If I remember correctly concord's engines were about 119dB which would be 3 times louder than an orchestra but they would still be boarding on causing permanent hearing damage if exposed for any length of time.

I'm pretty sure my other half, when on full tilt after I've done something wrong can easily beat that!! 

12 hours ago, Paulkp said:

I'm under the impression that a 3dB change in Sound Pressure Level is just detectable by the human ear......

Dynamic range of an Orchestra is IIRC about 108db...... and a CD 96db

I guess the other consideration is the 'distance' from ambient.  Similar to easily telling the difference between 18 and 21c, but by the time it's over 30c it's just too hot to estimate with any precision.

Thanks for all your replies, not to sure what the answer is - whether to change anything or just put up with tyre noise. Sounds like I could end up spending a lot of money and be no better off !!

7 hours ago, Keith250 said:

Sounds like I could end up spending a lot of money and be no better off !!

.... and that I'm afraid is the truth of the matter. 🤔