Hi all. I'm new here and new to Audi. I just purchased a certified 2015 A3 Premium Plus. Love the car but still getting used to it. I am coming from a 2007 Mazda 3, so quite a jump for me.

One question/concern I have is that the car feels a bit louder than I expected when cruising at 70mph-80mph on the highway. I know this isn't a large Lexus and sound is part of the fun but this is a bit different.

70mph is 2100 RPM for me and as soon as I cross over 2000 RPM I hear a hum or growl. The sound is a constant hum but it also has a repetitive whine that makes me wonder if it's coming from the tires. I can't pinpoint in the sound is coming from tires/road noise or engine noise. As soon as I lay off the gas and drop below 2100, the car gets much quieter.

Any clues? Does this sound familiar to anyone?

 

All tires have a sound rating but I very much doubt this would be the cause of your problem, you could eliminate this by changing each wheel for the spare one at a time and taking the car for a spin. The first place I would suspect would be the wheel bearings. You wont hear it at low speed but will increase friction as your speed increases. It can be very difficult to pin down the axle (front of rear) even harder to find the wheel. Try to listen with the window down on the drivers side first, then the passenger side. I have used this method in the past.

Hope this helps.