Michelin Energy Saver Tires Becoming Noisy

[Curious Dave]

Hi all,
I have a set of the Michelin energy saver tires on my 2003 CVT Insight that now have approximately 10,000 miles on them with some minimal wear, but the tires have become very noisy to the point that the tread literally makes a loud roaring sound when I'm cruising at around 55 MPH or when I jump up to 80 MPH. I have rotated the tires from front to rear to no avail and also from side to side with no decrease in the noise level. Has anyone else experienced this problem with the Michelin tires? They were bone quiet when they were brand new.

[Mark Elvin]

Originally Posted by Curious Dave

Hi all,
I have a set of the Michelin energy saver tires on my 2003 CVT Insight that now have approximately 10,000 miles on them with some minimal wear, but the tires have become very noisy to the point that the tread literally makes a loud roaring sound when I'm cruising at around 55 MPH or when I jump up to 80 MPH. I have rotated the tires from front to rear to no avail and also from side to side with no decrease in the noise level. Has anyone else experienced this problem with the Michelin tires? They were bone quiet when they were brand new.

I have covered around 12k on the Enrgy Savers & have noticed no issues at all.

[UK_MJN]

My experience with these tyres is the same as Mark's.

Usually tyres get a little quieter in use as the edges wear and the tread depth reduces, so the ruibber blocks 'squirm' less under deformational loads.

I'm at a loss to explain your symptoms though. Are you confident that it's road noise and not wind noise? If it could be wind noise, have you checked your underbody panels are intact and firmly fixed? Are the driver's window door seals correctly seated and nothing is sticking out into the airflow?

[retepsnikrep]

The Michelin tyres in the US could be a different tread to the ones in the UK, a bit like the OEM UK B391 and US RE92 don't look that similiar.

[samwichse]

Sometimes you just get a bad tire too.

I would go to your Michelin dealer and demonstrate the problem to them. Is it one of them or both are noisy?

I was able to get Firestone to make good and swap out some cheap tires I bought on a road trip at another of their stores for some Bridgestones because the noise became ridiculous (+the price difference of course).

Sam

[Curious Dave]

The noise is definitely road noise from all four of my Michelin tires that will literally create sort of a loud resonant roaring sound at up around 80 MPH. The noise seems to reach a loud resonant frequency at 55 MPH and gets higher pitched and louder at 80 MPH. All four tires have uniform and equal amounts of wear on the tread surface, but my best guess at this point is that the tread pattern and the spacing between the curved tread grooves has something to do with it. I'm going to look closer at the tread and see if I can put my finger on just exactly what is making my car sound like it's fitted with a set of truck tires and then see if I can get them swapped for a different brand. Are there any brands available now other than Bridgestone and Michelin?

[Hugh-Falls]

Originally Posted by Curious Dave

The noise is definitely road noise from all four of my Michelin tires that will literally create sort of a loud resonant roaring sound at up around 80 MPH. The noise seems to reach a loud resonant frequency at 55 MPH and gets higher pitched and louder at 80 MPH...... Are there any brands available now other than Bridgestone and Michelin?

The Bridgestone Potenza tires were specifically engineered and tuned to the GenI Insight suspension. This tuning is a specialized lengthy process involving many automobile and tire engineers and a lot of cut and try on their part. You may be able to stumble on to some kind of a more favorable compromise solution but it is highly unlikely considering the meager selection of suitable alternate tires available. Most will agree that the Bridgestone OEM spec tires are still the best compromise.

[jonnyvtec]

The OEM tyres are the noisiest I've had, that says the Michelin Energy Savers and Fulda EcoControl are definitely quieter.


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[Curious Dave]

For those living in the UK, is this what your energy saver tires look like? Mine are different with only two rain channels, and the inner and outer tread groove spacing is non-symmetrical like the photo shows, meaning that the spacing between the curved grooves on the inner and outer tread varies around the circumference of the tire. I've pretty much concluded that the odd groove spacing is what's causing the annoying roaring noise as the tread wears, but I still need to investigate this further. I also agree that the Michelin's are much quieter and provide more stable handling (at least when new) than the OEM Bridgestones.

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