Tire Noise

[hero]

I'm wondering if anyone can explain this to me. I just put some 38 x 12.50 Bias ply TSL's on my Blazer. The tires are pretty loud, kind of sounds like you are riding in an airplane going down the road. I also have a set of 44 x 18.5 Bias ply TSL's on my Jeep. It seems that the 44's aren't really all that noisy, in fact I would say they are quiet compared to the 38's on my blazer. Why would this be? Is it because the voids are larger on the 44 than on the 38? I'm not complaining that the tires are loud, I expect these to be fairly loud, but I'm really curious why the bigger tire seem quieter.

Anyone got some thought as to why this is?

 

[txfiremank5]

Maybe it depends on the surrounding conditions. For instance, a jeep with a soft-top, or the top off.. may create more wind noise, that sort of drowns out the tires, where the blazer, having a quieter cabin, may make it able for you to hear the tires more. Age of the tires, vehicle weight.. theres probably several factors that come into play.

I never give it much tought... to me, it's just like being seranaded by my truck. Happiness is the hum of mud grips, on the open road.


It's pretty good for putting the little ones to sleep too.

 

[monster man]

generally, big huge lugs are what makes a tire howl, so I'm not sure why the 44's howl more. I know it also depends on lug orientation. If they're more in a "V", the louder they'll be. I was reading about tire CAD design and how orienting the lugs in one way made it howl, but the other way provided the same traction with barely any noise.

 

[hero]

Yeah the Jeep doesn't have a top so I was wondering if that was some of it, but it still seems to be a big difference. I kind of like the noise too, just was curious as to why the difference. I suppose weight or even tire pressure could have to do with it, but I'm guessing the Jeep weighs pretty close to the blazer because the Jeep has a 1 ton drive train while the blazer is still 1/2 ton .

 

[BigOrange90Jimmy]

The sound of the tire is created by air being compressed in the voids of the tire as they contact the road surface. This can be affected by tire wear, weight of the vehicle, air pressure, road surface....basically anything the tire is in contact with.

Hearing them though, is all on the vehicle and it's interior acoustics. Jeeps have usually always been louder sitting inside them when compared to other vehicles.

 

[pauly383]

It could also be the smaller tire turns at a higher rpm ( more revolutions to cover the same ground as the 44's ).