Polyurethane foam-insulated tires contribute to a quieter ride

Your car's tire is a drum that makes road noises. Rubber absorbs bumps in the road the same way a drumstick's head absorbs taps. The tire's hollowness acts like a drum cavity, allowing noise to amplify and reverberate.

Polyurethane Foam Noise-Canceling Insulation

Tire manufacturers have been trying to reduce road noise for years. They have been successful in reducing road noise by using noise-reducing polyurethane foam as a tire liner. The polyurethane foam works in the same manner as insulation in a sound studio. The polyurethane foam absorbs noise and vibrations along the road nearest to their origin.

You wouldn't be able to tell the polyurethane foam was there by simply looking at it. The tire functions and looks the same as any standard car tire from the outside. The special polyurethane noise-canceling tires can be mounted on the most popular makes and models of vehicles.

All major tire manufacturers now make acoustic polyurethane-insulated tires. This option is available on certain high-end vehicles.

Electric Vehicles with Noise Reduction Technology

We are witnessing the dawn of electric vehicles and this presents some unexpected challenges to car manufacturers. For example, an electric motor's silence makes road noises much more visible than a combustion engine. Tire manufacturers are now focusing on road noise reduction in this rapidly growing segment of the car marketplace. Tire manufacturers have developed tires for electric vehicles. This will increase the interest in tires as an important component of a quieter ride. By 2030, the number of electric cars on American roads will reach 18.7 millions. This is an increase of just 1 million vehicles in 2018, which was only one million.