I have a 2011 R55 manual trans with about 70k on the odo. Bought it new. Replaced the original 195/55r16 tires at 30k with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3. They've been fine. I live near Boston, so snow (but I don't use winter tires).

I've noticed a very loud boomy road noise for a while now. It is loudest at around 65 MPH. Loud enough to make it hard to hear the radio/conversation. Not sure what it is.... the tires or just the "everything else." It's not engine related (nothing changes when I depress the clutch and take my foot off the gas). I don't actually know whether it is a new noise or just something I ignored. My girlfriend's Honda Fit makes a similar noise at 45 MPH.

Anyway, it'd be great to know what it is and also if it's tire related. If it is tire related, any recommendations for a quiet tire? I don't drive like an maniac (not that there's anything wrong with that). But I do spend a lot of time driving 65-80 MPH. So it's loud.

 

I am assuming that the sound is not concentrated at any particular area, so to answer your question, yes, tires can cause road noise. However, wheel bearings can also be noisy as well, and they sound like a roar when they are fussing. Has your ride quality changed?

 

I should have also said that the noise seems to come from behind me. Doesn't sound to me like wheel bearings which I think of as more of a grinding, metallic noise. The sound is not metallic. Doesn't change when I'm turning left or right. Just a steady, boomy, rhythmic sound that intensifies around 65 MPH and quiets down over 70 MPH.

 

No help from here with your noise, sorry ... just a tire comment.

I recently acquired a '13 JCW R55 with a relatively new set of all-season tires which performed nicely during spirited twisty driving on Highway 1 on the California coast ... along with being quiet and smooth on the Interstate.

An option to consider ...
http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tire-brand/driveguard

 

I think my R55 is doing something similar. My mechanic found that my rear struts are shot and leaking oil... need replacement. They said the first clue was cupping on the inside shoulders of the tires (the Mini has negative camber to help in cornering, so it rides the inside shoulders a bit more) and that worn tread can cause a noise like that in a specific speed range.

 

Dude yes. My clubman is soo loud inside it's embarrassing. Have gone through a few different types of tires with no luck. I am doing some unrelated suspension work tomorrow so I'm hoping I'll either find the issue or it will solve itself with the new parts. If not I'm going to have the bearings replaced next weekend. Let's try to figure this out because it's been a problem since I bought the car a year ago.

 

My noise is G-O-N-E. I bought a new set of Michelin Pilot A/S3 to replace my old set of same. Quiet as the dead. Struts were OK. The issue for me was probably that I didn't rotate my tires. Will do that now. That's all I got...

 

My Mini dealer does not rotate the tires. I think it came down to, when they did rotate runflats, they'd become really loud and have to waste the time swapping them back to their original position.

My old Continentals were loud as hell at 25k. Got the new DWS 06's and they are extremely quiet, well the 6k I've put on them.