What tire brand/model was on the car before and what have you got on the car now. Reason I ask is that my XC60 came with Pirelli noise canceling tires (foam inserts). I replaced them with a Continental tire and instantly heard hum from tire. Almost a hollow/harmonic sound. Went back to tire shop and replaced with same OEM tire that came with the car. The hum went away. But because of defect in the new Pirelli tires I had them replaced with a Michelin Primacy and guess what, hum is back. I'm convinced that the hum is coming from the wheel and Volvo heard that in testing and went with the noise canceling tires from the get go. I'm getting used to the hum and eventually wont notice it anymore.

 

comp1, thanks for the interesting reply. Yes maybe you're right. "Old" tyres were Michelin Cross Climate (I had similair in my 3 old cars withaut problems, I've ordered it with new car), and new are Nokian Seasonproof SUV 235/55 R19 105 W XL. The sound remained the same, hollow/harmonic resonance booing, regardless of speed.
I have been riding all-season tires for over 10 years and have never had such a problem before. I know such tyres can be more noisy, but this sound is loud at 20 km/h doesn't change at higher speed (then is less audible because of normal road noise).
Maybe I will go to dealer and try with temporary replaced other wheels?

BTW, I haven't heard before about foam inserts and Pirelli noise canceling tires - maybe this is the solution?

 

I too have never had this problem before in any car I have owned. I would replace tires as necessary and never once had any noise problems (other than rougher road surface noise). I just find it odd that I had no noise with the foam tires and had noise in both new sets of tires. The sound can vary dramatically depending on road surfaces but it is always there. It just makes me wonder if the wheel design itself has some inherent issues that cause this harmonic sound. I have the 19" 10 spoke wheel that came on my Inscription. Wonder if the other wheel types that were offered on the XC60 have the same issue. BTW our XC40 has the same Michelin Primacy tire that I just put on and does not have any noise whatsoever. This just maybe, confirms my theory about the rim itself.

 

Very interesting. Just found this for more info:

PNCS - Tires with foam inside | Pirelli

Discover the details of PNCS technology, the Pirelli Noise Cancelling System™ to reduce tire noise inside the vehicle!

www.pirelli.com

I am wondering though why my XC90 with the same tires are so much more noisier (droning thread noise) than my XC60.

 

OP : You said you measured the frequency. Try do it again at different speeds. If frequency is fixed regardless of speed it can't be from tires.


2018 V90 CC T6 P*

 

OP : You said you measured the frequency. Try do it again at different speeds. If frequency is fixed regardless of speed it can't be from tires.

The frequency is still the same - about 220Hz (measured it at different speeds - not changing). Also volume does not depend on speed and changes irregularly. The sound is most present at about 20-30 km/h, and under 15 suddenly disappears. The question is what could boo/hum so at constant frequency (if not tires)?

 

After some reading of this forum and Google (thanks comp1's answer) - it looks like my sound being described is so called "cavity resonance" of tires, giving a harmonic tone around 224 Hz. It's simply resonance of air vibrating inside the tire, which moves to the cabin. In some cars it is very audible, in others it is less, it also depends on the rims. It is the tires with foam inside that reduce this resonance and maybe that is why Volvo gives oem tires like this

 

Wow, thanks.
I learnt something new.


2018 V90 CC T6 P*

 

Have tried at the dealer my car with OEM Pirelli (with foam) - no booing at all.
So I've ordered Pirelli Scorpion Zero All Season PNCS VOL (Volvo homolog.) - and hope my tibetan monk will stop singing

 

It took a while, I got new tires, but after replacing - victory - it is quiet, the monk has stopped singing!😀
So it was definitely the "cavity resonance" that can be heard clearly in my (quiet) car. It's finally gone.
New tires are: Pirelli Scorpion Zero AllSeason 235/55 R19 105V, XL, VOLVO, PNCS.

Thanks for all the answers that explained the problem to me.

 

I had Nokian Hakkepeliitta R3s on an XC90 last year. Same thing. They just have that deep droning. I wasn't too surprised - they are winter tires after all. I find it a bit more surprising that you are hearing it on Nokians that are supposed to be all seasons - but those "Seasonproof" Nokians are really more akin to winter tires, especially in the shape of the thread. Both 60s and 90s do not have the greatest road-noise insulation, to be honest, compared to other vehicles in the same class. And the lack of laminated windows is a shame.

I actually moved to Nokian after having the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Seasons that the car came with. Those were really quiet, and did well in most conditions. But beware - they are not winter tires. I went skiing with them last year and, let me tell you, at 4am in a blizzard over Rabbit Ears Pass in Colorado, at -15F, I was really, really, kicking myself for deciding to brave it with all seasons...

 

I went with Vredstein Quatrac Pro's for all seasons and they don't have the drone for whatever reason. I moved to a mountain pass for the entire winter this year so I've switched over to R3 SUV's and definitely hear the drone. Interesting. The all seasons were on 20's and the winters on 18's so maybe that factors in.

 

Is there anything that can be done to combat this "cavity resonance"? why is this not an issue with other cars? I switched to michelin primacy tires and the ride quality is MUCH improved over the stock scorpion zeros pncs OEM. The tire absorbs more shock, rides far more comfortably and has less noise. The only issue is I have that hum described in this thread. Id prefer not to go back to the pirellis as the ride was horrendous on my 21" wheels but the hum is starting to get frustrating.

 

Why is this not an issue with other cars?: It certainly is. Especially less expensive cars. My guess is since volvo spec'd foam-equipped OEM tires, they shortchanged some sound deadening on the chassis/drivetrain.

Is there anything that can be done? You can add some sound deadening to body panels around the wheel wells. Try to pinpoint where the sound is the most apparent in the cabin and go from there. If the sound is being conducted via the axle that can get a bit trickier to attenuate. You can also shop around for tires that don't have as apparent a noise. I'm using the newer continental DWS06 plus, and I'm very happy with the handling and haven't noted any additional noise.

 

Took the car to the dealer to review the suspension and wheels. There is nothing wrong with the XC60s wheels or suspension. However, they noted that there is minor cupping on the tires that (arent too much of a concern). The minor cupping could be a cause for the hum they mentioned.

Question is, how could a new michelin tire have minor cupping on all for corners? Would minor cupping genuinely cause an annoying hum? I have the option of purchasing a new set of the same tires hoping theyre all square and the issue is resolved, and Michelin said they will cover my initial set of tires once I invoice them (as part of their guarentee).

 

Took the car to the dealer to review the suspension and wheels. There is nothing wrong with the XC60s wheels or suspension. However, they noted that there is minor cupping on the tires that (arent too much of a concern). The minor cupping could be a cause for the hum they mentioned.

Question is, how could a new michelin tire have minor cupping on all for corners? Would minor cupping genuinely cause an annoying hum? I have the option of purchasing a new set of the same tires hoping theyre all square and the issue is resolved, and Michelin said they will cover my initial set of tires once I invoice them (as part of their guarentee).

Yes, cupped tires can make a noise almost exactly like a bad wheel bearing, a kind of roaring hum at speed.

Why would brand new tires be worn that badly? That's hard to say. It's usually caused by worn out suspension. A busted tie rod end can cause it, but not on all four wheels. Tires badly out of balance can cause it, but you'd have likely noticed the vibration. A bad alignment can cause it, but again, you'd likely have noticed if the alignment was way off. Finally, bent wheels can cause it, but again, this should manifest in steering wheel shakes and the idea that's it'd happen to all four wheels is pretty out there. I'd take michelin up on their offer and then watch carefully to see if it starts happening again.

 

The footwell in SPA cars is not well insulated. They also lack laminated windows, which many cars have at this price point, which also contributes to you hearing road noise. Chances are, there is nothing "wrong" with you car or tires. Except poor road noise insulation, which, of course, is an issue, but not a defect.

I had Nokian R3s on my Q7 and on our XC90. You could not hear them on the Q7. In the XC90, you could barely talk on the phone at 40mph. One of the reasons I don't have that car anymore...

 

I had Nokian R3s on my Q7 and on our XC90. You could not hear them on the Q7. In the XC90, you could barely talk on the phone at 40mph. One of the reasons I don't have that car anymore...

I have R3 SUV's on my XC60 and just did a 3 hour trip on them (in summer, I'm sure I shaved a year off, but gotta do what we gotta do) and could make calls and hear podcasts at 80. I can't speak to the XC90 but I don't have a huge issue on my 60. It could be better, for sure, but making a phone call at 40 seems hyperbolic in my case.

 

Cruising along on smooth roads, the car feels great. Road noise is quite limited.

I was hoping something was wrong so I could have it fixed and the noise would be gone but realistically I think that @VxF you're right and the issue is just with the tire and noise insulation.

I guess my next question would be:

Has anyone insulated the wheel wells to any level of success? I've searched online but can't seem to find any reliable guides of removing the liners and deadening the wells. I assume that normal buytl mat like dynamat would work underneath the liners (therefore protected from the elements)? Or additionally, Does anyone know how to access the wheel wells from the inside of the engine bay? If there is a significant amount of exposed metal of the wheel well, laying some kilmat might be effective?

 

Interesting from everyone.

Looks like the laminated all around windows in the V90CC do a better job, because I have few months with Crossclimate2 and no bothering noise.


2018 V90 CC T6 P*

 

I have a 2020 XC60 with the Volvo 20” rims and hear this noise. Has anyone replaced with another set of rims (not Volvo) to see if the sound still exists? Could be a combo of poor sound insulation + noise specific to the Volvo 20s.

 

I test drove one with the stock 20s and thought it was a little noisy. We ended up buying one with the 19s, and it's pretty quiet even with the Pirelli tires. I think a pretty narrow sidewall tends to bring the road noise into the vehicle.

 

I also notice this 220Hz cavity resonance. It is louder on rougher road surfaces, and very faint on very smooth surfaces - but fairly constant on most roads. Has anyone had any success in insulating the XC60 to reduce the noise? I notice it in my Hakka R3s, and also the stock Pirelli Scorpions (which should have the insulation, unless it was removed by the previous owner). I am also considering replacing the tires but not sure that would make any difference.

 

I just had a look at my tires and noticed that although they are the OEM Pirelli Scorpion Zero's, they do not have PNCS written on them. Looking at Pirelli's website, there are indeed 2 version's of this tire for Volvo. One with and one without PNCS. My tires are on the 19" rims.

VOLVO XC60 XC60 AWD 2.0 T6 320 | Pirelli

Can anyone else confirm this?

 

I just had a look at my tires and noticed that although they are the OEM Pirelli Scorpion Zero's, they do not have PNCS written on them. Looking at Pirelli's website, there are indeed 2 version's of this tire for Volvo. One with and one without PNCS. My tires are on the 19" rims.

VOLVO XC60 XC60 AWD 2.0 T6 320 | Pirelli

Can anyone else confirm this?

Ive had my car for about 3 months now and don’t notice the humming sound as much any more.It’s still there but I’ve gotten used to it. The dealer put brand new Yokohama x-cv tires on when I bought it so I’m stuck with those for a few years but when i need new tires it will be Michelins with the foam. That’s the only way to kill the cavity resonance from the wheels as far as I know.

 

I dealt with this on my 21s.. the scorpion pncs were trash to ride on but they didn’t have cavity resonance.

I ended up swapping to primacy tour as which were leaps and bounds better riding but came with the downside of unbareable cavity resonance. I went thru an annoyingly lengthy process of exchanging the tires thru satisfaction gaurentee and basically changed into the same model that came with acoustic foam tech. Seemed to resolve the issue!

I also have a set of 19s I use during the winter with scorpion as3+ which don’t have cavity resonance and ride quite well.

 

....changed into the same model that came with acoustic foam tech.

Are the sidewalls marked to show the tire has acoustic foam? Maybe PNCS somewhere?

 

Have any of you tried an alignment to see if it impacts the cavity resonance?

Also, chawklet1, do you find the Scorpion AS3+ an improvement over the Scorpion Zero's?

Thx!

 

Have any of you tried an alignment to see if it impacts the cavity resonance?

Also, chawklet1, do you find the Scorpion AS3+ an improvement over the Scorpion Zero's?

oh dont get me started on alignments, I had some random issue causing my xc to pull to the left slightly at speed above 60. Drove me crazy, alongside the cavity resonance of the non acoustic primacy tours. I had done maybe 3 alignments, nothing fixed the problem, then one day when i put on my 19s the problem was fixed, even when i went back to my 21s, the car drove straight again, no idea what caused it!

That said the alignments did not change anything whatsoever with the humming from the wheels. My scorpion zeros were on my 21s, and the AS3+ on my 19s, so it is difficult to compare. However, I still think the model itself is more comfortable than zeros by a good margin, They might not handle quite as well but the ride much better for sure. The Primacy tour AS is the most comfortable though. however, the acoustic foam only comes in 21", I would 100% have bought these for my beater 19" winter wheels if they manufactured the 19" tires with foam.

Thx!

 

I just had a good close look at my OEM Pirelli Scorpion Zero's. They do have VOL imprinted on them, but I could not find PNCS anywhere. Should I assume they do not have acoustic foam? I really can't tell much from the sound on our winter battered roads around here. I do admit they transfer a little road noise, even on smooth asphalt. Although coming from my Jeep, I find the XC60 to be pretty quiet on the highway.

 

Correct, no PNCS means no foam.

As an update, I ended up having to replace my stock 19" Pirelli Scorpion's due to sidewall damage. I replaced them with the CrossClimate 2's. They don't have foam either, and the resonance is still there. However, they appear to be quieter and the tires themselves are superior to the Pirelli's. Very smooth and grippy.

I'm still wondering if anyone has found any solutions to this resonance outside of installing tires with foam? A bit annoying that even cheaper rental cars seem quieter due to their lack of tire resonance. Now that I'm back to my winter tires (Haka R3's) - the resonance is much loader.

Thanks!

 

Went back to tire shop and replaced with same OEM tire that came with the car. The hum went away. But because of defect in the new Pirelli tires I had them replaced with a Michelin Primacy and guess what, hum is back. I'm convinced that the hum is coming from the wheel and Volvo heard that in testing and went with the noise canceling tires from the get go.

 

100% from wheel. It’s a trade-off: big rims low pro tires with a wide footprint. They handle great but make a bunch of noise. Engineers failed by not sound insulating the cabin to compensate. I’ve learned to live with it but I’m not rotating the tires in order to speed up replacing with foam-lined up front. Interested to see how much of that noise is transmitted from the rear but my assumption/hope is very little…

 

Im going through this exact situation on our 2020 xc60. Came with Continental tires with the foam from the factory. I switched to Continental Control contact Sport. Great tires bad sound. I had discount tire order me continental cross contact RX with the foam. Not as good for snow but should be quiet again. Jeez what a hassle. Kinda pisses me off this is even an issue. That a car company like Volvo would not have addressed this with a more engineered fix instead of making us by expensive sound insulating tire.

 

Love it - came here to post about this "blowing over a bottle" noise and BAM - topic!
I just acquired two 2019 XC60's (R-Design and Inscription) and they BOTH have this "monk howling" (<- that should get some Google search hits eh?).
One has Michelin Pilot's and the other CrossClimates.

 

Just wondering, what size are your tires on your XC60s?