Hi everyone!

I've installed a new set of Hankook Ventus V12 EVO2 K120 summer tires on my 2011 c63 AMG stock 18 inch rims (235/40 r18 on the front and a tad wider 265/35 r18 on the rear).

The grip is awesome but I'm getting a loud humming / droning sound from 80 to 100 km/h (50 mph - 62 mph).

My wheel bearings and suspension was checked and alignment was done 2 times - everything is perfect. Moreover while I was on my winter tires - everything was ok.

The k120 tire is advertised as being very quiet. The temperature where I live is still rather chilly, but still above zero.

I get this noise on perfectly even roads but it changes tone dependant on the grain of the road surface.

The car has only 32000 miles on the odometer so I really doubt it's the bearings.

Has anyone had this problem on the c63?

UHP tires normally have some road noise, its an unfortunate trade off. It gets worse as they wear. Hope this helps.

The MPSS on my car do that as well. Perfectly quiet on new pavement and varying degrees of noise on older pavement and condition. You should not be driving on these tires if local ambient temps are less than 7C.

High performance tires work best in warm temperatures and behave like hockey pucks in freezing temps.

Thank you for the input, gentlemen! I have a feeling that this is just a ****ty type of tire for such a heavy car.

I scanned through c63 owner reviews on the TireRack website - they all seem to be unhappy with the noise levels of this brand of tire.

I should have gotten the good old Hankook RS3 which I admired on my 400 hp mk6 Golf GTI

Anyways I had my front tires replaced by Hankook and the drone is still there. The sounds seems to go away when I turn right which could be a sign of a wheel bearing issue.

Surprisingly the bearing demonstrates no play when checked the classic way.

Doesn't matter the weight of the car, hankook is a ****ty tire on any car

I can't agree with that. I've had 2 sets of their semi-slick RS-3 tires. They were awesome!

Sounds to me that you just confirmed a point a service rep in Ontario used to bust my chops over when it came to tire issues just popping up after a tire change be it winter to summer.
You have dealt with all the mechanical causes and these are new tires. The issue was not present before change but is now. So to Carlo's point. It's the tires.
The point about 7C is exactly right but even so the rubber will be stiff above that until you get up to higher temps.
Thanks for the heads up. I expect I will need tires soon so I know what not to buy.

I mean, no. The RS3 is a great tire.

Just to update this thread - a faulty front wheel bearing (hub) was the reason of my problem. I had it replaced and there is no noise anymore.

My wife has been droning on about how many rear tires I keep replacing.

Ahah


those droning wifes - better replace one as soon as she starts droning :-D

Yes, if you wait too long, performance really declines.

Jim G

... and replacement costs increase... next time I'm leasing.

o god

Hahahah you guys

I just prefer to go on lots of test drives.

I have a fairly wealthy uncle who used to tell me:

"If it flies, ****s, or floats, just lease it"

WTF! So you was just messin' with us when you posted "My wheel bearings and suspension was checked and alignment was done 2 times - everything is perfect. Moreover while I was on my winter tires - everything was ok."

Dude!

I have the same setup and experience no issues... it's good though that you found the root cause, but too quick to judge. We're human. Now go smoke them tires!!

The faulty wheel hub had zero play! The Mercedes dealer sweared that all suspension components were perfect.

The humming sound decreased when I turned right, so I decided to give a shot and change the right hub. Well it fixed everything up!

If you had told us that in the OP I could have saved you a lot of heart ache.
When I got my car last September I could not get it on the highway due to rain and very heavy traffic so I never got it to speed.
The next day when I did I heard this droning noise from the front end which when I turned the wheel slightly right went away and got worse when I turned the wheel slightly left. Close examination of the front tires showed perfectly even wear across the surface so I took tires out of the equation and figured bearings.
I took it in, they confirmed it was and they changed both. Problem solved.Sound familiar?
Now do yourself a favour IF your car is under warranty.
Go back and argue they should have changed both. You now have mis-matched bearings and the other will go too.
Glad you got it sorted. It is a damned annoying noise isn't it.

Thanks for sharing your story, it really was a very annoying sound to hear indeed.

Now I am trying to resolve my final nuisance - a whining/groaning engine speed dependant sound from my motor, which increases when I drive through more or less deep puddles with my left front wheel.

I described the problem here, but unfortunately didn't receive any feedback yet:


https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...ving-rain.html