I have a 2007 Camry with 49,000 miles on it. The car has a set of Michelin tires and the noise from the tires, especially when I reach 40 MPH and higher, has become very loud. I’m getting ready to buy a new set of tires now that winter is approaching (I live in Massachusetts) and I’m looking for advice on make/model of tire to buy. I’d also like to know if anyone else has experienced the same problem with a newer model Camry.
The reason for loud noise could be many reasons. I would suggest having a decent tire shop check your car(alignment etc) before replacement if you did regular rotations. Some tires though simply turn loud at the end of their life and 49k is a decent life if original tires.
Look at tirerack for some ratings on tires by them. User reviews is somewhat useless the person reports having more than 10,000 miles on them.
As was said, it is not unusual for tires to become noisy, sometimes VERY noisy as the tread wears down, and this situation is not limited to any one brand of tire. Unusual tread wear can result from lack of tire rotation, from bad alignment, or from rotation that is not done at a similar mileage interval each time.
I suggest that you cut your losses and begin shopping for new tires. As andrew suggested, the tirerack website is a very good source of information, no matter where you wind up buying your new tires. One caveat is to AVOID buying Bridgestone Potenza RE-92 tires as they are absolutely useless on slippery winter roads and are not especially good in any other characteristic.
If you are a member of Costco, they have good prices on Michelin and B.F. Goodrich tires, and the price includes a lifetime road hazard warranty at no extra cost, as well as lifetime rotation and balancing at no extra cost.
I have an '03 Camry in MA and run these in the summer- http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=AVID+TRZ
and these in the winter- http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Blizzak+WS-60