I've found pirelli scorpion verde tyres for £129.90 a corner so decided to replace the Goodyear wrangler so I can find out if it is the tyres that are making all the racket as the dealer claims. Still 4mm left but the noise has been driving me nuts. I'll be giving the dealer some earache if the car is not significantly quieter and it turns out there is mechanical rumblings after all.

I'll give an update when the new tyres are fitted

They'll claim those tyres are noisy too. Ask them which tyres are quietest or better still, get them to swap wheels with another vehicle to confirm tyre noise.  Past: FL2 TD4 HSE Auto
Evoque SD4 Dynamic Lux Auto
Present: Audi A3 S Line.

It was the dealer that recommended pirelli's which is one of the factors that I took in to account when choosing them (although not the only one).

I am open to the suggestion that the intrusive noise that I can hear may be a result of tyres that are over two years old and may have worn in a manner that would contribute to excessive noise (e.g. feathering on the leading edge) and a number of posters on this forum have said that Goodyear Wranglers can be extremely noisy once worn.

Unfortunately I have only ever driven one other Freelander 2 , a 2013 dynamic as a courtesy car, this was much much quieter but I don't know if during the 2013 facelift they increased the sound proofing to eliminate intrusive noise.

I intend to measure the sound level (using my iphone, non calibrated but will give some indication)before and after the new tyres are fitted on the same stretch of road and at the same speed to provide a comparison. if there is no difference then I'll have to ask the dealer to investigate further.

Anyway, Lets see if the tyres make any difference before I come to any conclusions.

Let us know how you get on 23Skidoo, I had the noise issue with worn Wranglers which disappeared with a new set. I have a MY2013 with Pirelli tyres now and they are quiet, but the whole car is, especially the engine over the pre '13 cars.

Good luck. 2016 BMW X3 30d SE in red
MY2013 SD4 XS Firenze Red, 19" 10 spoke contrast paint wheels, Signature Strips, Grand Black Lacquer trim, Cold Climate Pack - gone!
2007 TD4 S Stornoway Grey - gone!

I found the Wranglers getting very noisy once down to about 4mm. The replacement set were even worse than the originals. Pity, as they were an excellent tyre otherwise.

I had wranglers and they sounded like a wheel bearing had gone, swapped them for Pirelli and covered a further 20k miles and no noises now Black FL2
L200 Warrior

I hopefully will be having the tyres fitted tomorrow, should have been today but the fitter is still waiting for delivery.

I think the Goodyear Wranglers are the original equipment I bought the car ( a 2011 61 reg TD4 GS Auto) just after Christmas and took it back to the LR dealer on the 6th Jan complaining about the drive train noise. The dealer reported that they had a good run through and couldn't pick up any wheel or diff bearing noise but that the tyres were the the source of the noise.

I had asked about the tyres when I bought the car but the "policy was that they wouldn't change tyres if they were over 4 mm (which they were). the tyres seem to be very hard (in terms of the compound and I can see some slight feathering so I hope that by replacing the tyres I see a vast improvement. if freelander 2's are "all like that Guv" then I'm quite disappointed as my old 300Tdi Disco transmission seemed quieter (to me at least)

the sound is really intrusive and sounds like a really loud transmission noise to me (but I have to admit my hearing is really bad due to tinitus).

I guess the moment of truth will be tomorrow but I will be slightly annoyed with the dealer if it turns out that the tyres are not the cause of the noise.

I've chosen the 235/65r17 108V XL Pirelli Scorpion Verde all season as after two weeks of research they seemed to be the best alternative to the Wranglers.

A bit late perhaps, but it should be possible to determine whether it's tyre noise - it will vary depending on road surface. As I wrote above, my Wranglers got very noisy, but they would go quiet on some surfaces. I find that the FR2 has noisier tyres than other vehicles I've owned, but I put that down to its also having comparatively wide tyres, as well as M+S being generally noisier than standard tyres.

Well Tyres changed to the Pirelli Scorpion Verde's

Couple of observations

Good: weights were fitted to the inside so no clip on ones to the rim on the outside

Bad: Why can't they give the wheels a wipe down and get all the crap off the wheel and tyre that they've just fitted!

I've only driven a short distance on the new tyres. As I said I was going to, I measured the sound level before and after but in all honesty the iPhone sound meter I've got is nowhere near good enough to measure to a resolution of 3 Db so no objective measurement possible.

I do think that there is a discernible reduction in the noise level inside the cabin so the Tyres are definitely quieter. however I still think that I can hear some drive train noise. The question is whether this is the normal sound level in the cabin and I'm being over fussy or if I can hear the beginnings of a bearing failure. I'm still not sure as I don't have a reference to measure from. I only know that the cabin is louder than I expected it to be so my plan is to put some miles on the car and see how it develops. I have the full LR warranty until October and then some LR Approved Used Car Warranty after that.

The bottom line for the moment is that I was unhappy with the state of the tyres so I'm glad I've changed them.

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Just 'cause you're paranoid doesn't mean the diff hasn't gone!

And good to have new tyres just in case winter ever does arrive out here in Fenland!

Definitely, Just been out for another longer spin and the noise level is much lower than it was so at the moment I'm a happy man. the car is steering and handling better too.

Glad things have improved and you think it has been worth the trouble.

I found the noise started at about 30mph and if it came from the rear...eventually at 60mph plus it was really intrusive.

New tyres definitely changed all that. 2016 BMW X3 30d SE in red
MY2013 SD4 XS Firenze Red, 19" 10 spoke contrast paint wheels, Signature Strips, Grand Black Lacquer trim, Cold Climate Pack - gone!
2007 TD4 S Stornoway Grey - gone!

Just had a look at AJS new website, which gives the official noise level for tyres. Allegedly the Wranglers are quite a lot quieter! Of course it may be that they have changed the formulation - apparently the manufacturers are constantly updating tyres which look exactly the same - but from memory the Wranglers start OK but then get noisier as they wear.