Tires: tire noise, mazda 3, tire noise

Question
I just bought a new Mazda 3, it is a wonderful little car.  But I get quite a bit of road noise which I am convinced comes from the tires.  They are Toyo's with a lot crosscut slices between the grooves.

Question is, is there a way short of changing tires to reduce the noise, (I tried aftermarket soundproofing which amounts to a rustproofing substance applied to the bottom of the car which had little impact.) And if I do change tires what should I look for in a "quiet tire."  I live in Michigan and the winters take a heavy toll on the roads.

Thanks!

Mark Kershner

Answer
Mark,

The only tricks I know to reduce tire noise is to make sure the tires are properly aligned (even the factory doesn't always get this right), and a bit more inflation pressure. (3 to 5 psi above the placard )

Other than that, there isn't much that can be done.

But I would warn you that part of what comes along with this noise is wet traction.  So changing to quieter tires is probably going to increase your fuel consumption, decrease your wet traction, or both.

Hope this helps.