Special sponge to add more hush to Audi

AUDI will soon start selling cars in Australia wearing tyres fitted with a special sponge that helps to cut the bain of European cars – road roar.

The firebrand, twin-turbo V8-engined RS6 sedan will come fitted with the special Pirelli-branded tyres – they contain a strip of foam core that cuts road roar from the tyres in half – while the similarly twin-turbo-strapped, V8-engined RS7 due here early next year will also feature the technology According to Pirelli, tyres generate noise when the vibrations produced by air are compressed when the tyre is squashed against the road. The noise is then transmitted from the tyre to the wheel hub.

It says the noise will eventually reach the inside of cabin via the car’s steering and suspension systems.

“Pirelli’s innovative system makes use of a polyurethane sponge on the inside of the tyre that is designed to absorb these vibrations and so reduce the amount of noise passed through to the cabin,” the tyre-maker said.

“The Pirelli noise cancelling system reduces noise by between two to three decibels, or on average by half, with a consequent improvement in driving comfort.” Tyre and suspension packages tuned for Europe’s smooth road surfaces will often struggle with Australia’s coarse-chip surfaces, making the level of noise an issue for some owners.

Audi is the first car-maker internationally to adopt the Pirelli technology.

According to the tyre-maker, the sponge does not affect the tyre’s performance in any way.

Pirelli’s noise-cancelling technology arrives just as European car-makers are having to deal with tightening noise pollution laws that will force the companies to make vehicles that set new standards for how quietly they move across road surfaces.

Pirelli said it also had to meet growing demand from customers for reduced noise levels inside and outside their cars.