Factory Tires and Road Noise

They seam quiet to me. Handle well in the turns. They are quieter than the Michelin on my Gen2

 

You didn't say what brand of 15" tires are on your Four model. Are they Toyo?

I believe the Gen4 Toyota Prius has inadequate sound insulation in the doors and floor. Sure, it's quieter than previous generations... many owners claim so... but the Gen4 road noise can still be pretty loud at times.

My Three has 15" Toyo tires, and at highway and freeway speeds there is considerable tire noise/cabin noise 100% of the time. It's very annoying and makes for an unpleasant drive. They rain grooves cut into the concrete may have something to do with it.

Around town, it all depends on the road surface. Certain types of pavement can cause lots of cabin noise in my car, even at speeds as low as 40 mph. But on other streets, my Prius is nice and quiet. Again, I blame this on the poor (or lack of) sound insulation. It appears Toyota improved the rubber molding around the doors, but is there any sound-deadening material inside the doors??

I'll bet you a large pepperoni pizza, there's not.

 

I have a three with ATP the 15" with toyos that everyone seems to be complaining about road noise and compared to the previous car (Toyota Matrix) I have no complaints.

My previous car had Michelin Defenders on it.

 

Yep, except on a new paved or smooth road you will hear some tire noise. I feel the door and wheel well insulation is very thin if at all.

 

Mine are a Bridgestone Ecopia - they're generally quiet, but on joints on concrete bridges etc, they thump quite loudly.

 

I knew Toyota lied to me, when I rode in a female friend's 9 yr old Ford F150 extended-cab pickup, and that big darn truck is quieter than my Prius!

 

Noisy with a capital N, not even at highway speeds. I have these 15 inch Toyos, and am contemplating replacing all 4 brand new tyres with quieter ones. However, if the car has less insulation than vehicles of a similar size, then I do wonder whether fitting quieter tyres would be of much benefit?

 

Rechecked this today and silent on a newly paved road. Old rough road was not good. But we are into LRR tires so that may be a factor.

 

There are others that will respond .... and perhaps be more up-to-date. (Not sure what tires you have)

The road noise my 2010 Prius created was very annoying (and embarrassing). Then I bought a set of Michelin A/S Energy Saver (as I recall). The difference was dramatic.

Here in the mountain west they "chip" the asphalt roads .... small pea-sized gravel embedded in a slurry of asphalt. It seems to wear well .... but the noise is terrible. Drive from a "chipped" road onto smooth asphalt, and you immediately turn the radio down. BTW, concrete is also noisy because it is grooved for better traction in the snow

 

Thank you felt. I see many of those "chipped" roads in my city areas. The tire noise is horrible on those streets. Wasn't there a big plan to recycle all the old discarded tires, grind them up, and add it to the asphalt??? Are any cities doing that? We have several newly paved black streets, they look nice, but they are just as noisy as the old pavement was.I don't know. Maybe, possibly, new tires would be a little quieter? But which tires do we choose? I read good & bad reviews about every tire brand. I put expensive Michelin tires on my Camry, and it didn't help the noise at all.

I've decided to just try and deal with the noise until my Toyo tires wear out. I don't have to drive on the freeways or expressways very often. I'm very happy I'm getting 60 mpg.

 

Reminds me of that song:
Girl in a flat bed ford slowed down to take a look at me.

"Take it easy"

Voice of wisdom by Coast Cruiser here folks. Been there, wore the shirt, and still got sunburned. The OEM/MIJ tires are on your vehicle for a reason and you need to be very sure your new tires will not lower your MPG. Other wise buy a van or truck and forget about it. Prius buyers bought for MPG, quality, and longevity. Not luxury comfort bread box/which are nice BTW.

 

Not sure about the US, but in the UK tyres are advertised with the noise ratings, and these Kumhos appear to be a trifle quieter than other models.

 

I'm very satisfied with the way my Toyo tires handle. The ride is nice and smooth, and my Prius seems to steer well. When I go over a bump or hit a dip, I rarely hear anything. And when I come upon that rare road that has that good kind of pavement, I can't believe how quiet the cabin gets! It's great.

I have to quit complaining so much. There's give & take. (Thanks ETP.) It's a great car, overall. And you sure can't beat the gas mileage.

 

The downside of this approach is that the road tend be quite slippery when wet.

 

Did they every find a real/practical use for old tires? I know the steel belts present a problem in recycle. Wonder if they would turn into coal after a million years.

Seems they would make great rubber baby bumpers

 

Thanks, booke. I wish we would get some rain so I could try them out.

 

Looks like forced consolidation of posts is alive. We deserve it.

 

The prius is terribly loud at speed from road noise. I bought my Prius in summer so I haven't had a direct comparison yet but I think once I get the top and doors back on my 2005 Wrangler it will be about as loud. My other cars are much more quiet than the Prius. I just chalk it up to lightweight and cheap. If you cared more about noise than weight you can take your Prius to a stereo shop and have them dynamat the doors and floorboards. A quick Google search tells me that the original dynamat weighs about 0.65 lbs / sq ft, 100 sq ft is probably enough to make a large impact in the Prius, so about 70 lbs. There are lighter and cheaper options available as well.

 

Way back in 2010 when I bought my G3, the were writers (with pictures) on PC that wrote about adding sound insulation to the vehicle.
I think that sound insulation requires mass, and mass tends to be heavy. I live in a townhouse, and I once investigated insulating the party wall between me and the neighbor. They do make deadening material specifically designed for the task ...... but it is expensive, and adds weight.

In years past we had cars undercoated. That made them quitter as well. But with the Prius under cladding I am not sure a dealer would do it.