Tires: Anybody have Michelin Premiers?

I can't take it anymore! I'm talking about the constant loud "hum" these tires put out. The noise increases or decreases with the speed, but it's always there. It almost sounds like I have 4 bad wheel bearings. Today it was 93 degrees when I was driving, and I swear the noise gets even worse during the hotter temps. (But I still hear it in Winter, too.) I have close to 11,000 miles on the tires.

Multiple rotations, a wheel alignment, and experiments with various psi have failed to quiet the noise.
Anybody with Michelin Premiers, any generation of Prius, let me know how yours sound. Thanks.

 

Yep, kind of like a 4X4 truck tire sound. But mine don't quiet down when I reach 50mph... the faster I go, the louder it gets. It's actually difficult to have a normal conversation when driving at freeway speeds. That will shut up the little woman! Any road surface, it doesn't matter. They are just as loud on a nice new smooth road.

krmcg, They were on sale, plus a $70 rebate credit card in the mail. Plus they gave me another $70 for my noisy Toyo tires. But I think these Michelins are even louder than the Toyos. I can't wait for them to wear out!

 

Maybe something is wrong with my suspension. It is just not normal to have this much tire noise. The dealer supposedly checked everything.... but we all know how that goes. I even called the Michelin customer service rep. No help there. She just told me how quiet their tires are.

One last desperate move. I'll go to another tire shop and have them turn around each wheel, so that all of them are rotating in a new direction. Can't hurt to try. I doubt if the noise can get any LOUDER!

 

Thanks. I checked a few months ago. No arrow. And the Michelin rep confirmed that the Premier tires can be rotated any which way. I'll try one more time with a rotation.... do a big X.... make all 4 roll a new way. My last attempt, then just leave them alone (and wear earplugs)

 

Thanks bisco. Some people have no complaints whatsoever. That's why I think that possibly something is wrong with my suspension, and/or the wheel bearings. There's got to be a reason for all that unusual noise.

About the only thing good I can say, is the MPG is still right up there in the normal range. I average a pretty steady 55 mpg overall.

Is there a way to check/grease the wheel bearings? Can they actually go dry on such a new car? The wheels spin freely, I watched him do that.

 

I'm glad some people out there have quiet Premiers.
I don't understand what's wrong with mine. If I wanted all this noise, I would've bought a Tacoma!

 

Starship16 does not like this. Somebody out there must have noisy Premires like mine... Anybody??? Could mine be defective? They are definitely not old, the manufacture date is only a couple months before I bought them. Maybe krmcg has the right idea. Slow down, and never drive over 15 mph, and I won't ever hear any tire noise. And I can go 900 miles on a tank!

The Admiral is about ready to kick me out of the Starship Federation.