Why do tires hum?

Acoustic comfort is one of the important factors when operating a tire, regardless of whether it's a summer or winter tire. And to a large extent, this indicator is very subjective. It's difficult to measure it before installing the tire on the wheel and starting operation. But when the tires hum, you need to figure out the reason, and there can be many of them.

The greatest influence, of course, is exerted by the tire's design and the characteristics embedded in it. It's essential to pay attention to this indicator when choosing tires. After all, different manufacturers design their tires differently. If you're concerned about noise, it's worth paying attention to comfort-class tires. Sports tires are a priori noisier because traction is a more important indicator for them. When choosing winter tires, you need to understand that studded tires will be noisier than non-studded ones. However, as a rule, studded tires have better traction on icy surfaces. In addition to the primary characteristics of the tires, there are also operational nuances that affect acoustic comfort.

Almost always, when changing tires seasonally, the sound from the installed tires will be different. If you're putting on winter studded tires after summer tires, for example, it will be unusual at first because of the clicking sound of the studs on the asphalt. Moreover, winter tires have more blocks in the tread and are more deeply cut by lamellas, so they're always noisier. When changing tires in the spring, when you switch from winter to summer tires, they may also seem very noisy to you. And in fact, in the spring, when the weather is still cool, many car owners complain about the noise of summer tires. However, over time, this noise disappears as the weather warms up. When the evenings are still cold, the rubber mixture of the summer tires hardens, and therefore the tire starts to make noise. As soon as the weather becomes truly spring-like, the tire becomes quiet in its working temperature range. Also, keep in mind that when replacing worn-out tires with new ones, you'll also think that the new tires are noisier (even when buying the same model of tires). The main thing that creates noise is the various elements of the tread. On "bald" tires, there's simply nothing to make noise. A new tire with a full-fledged tread will always be noisier.

The cause of increased noise when driving can also be other elements of the car, such as wheel bearings. Therefore, it's necessary to deal with the problem comprehensively, including checking the technical condition of the vehicle.