Do deep section wheels sound different?

Question

I normally ride regular 700c alloy wheels around town and for sport. Not deep section in any way. They're great, no noise or complaints.

Recently I got a pair of really nice mid section wheels (Zipp 303 firecrest disc).

Last time I was riding them, I noticed a "wooshing" sound when cornering hard and certain times while just riding fast.

I've also heard this noise when being approached from behind by a rider who is passing quickly, much to my chagrin. Often they are riding a nice bike with a pair of deep section carbon wheels.

Since I've never heard this on any other bike I've ridden except the one with the 303's, I've attributed the sound to the wheels.

So my question is, am I correctly attributing the sound to the wheels and, if so, why do deep section wheels sound different than a regular wheel?

If it is the airflow over deep section wheel hoops thats "wooshing", does that mean a less turbulent airflow, i.e. that of the 303's vs an alloy hoop, can and does generate more noise than a less aerodynamic wheel with more turbulent airflow?

Answer 1

The source of the whooshing sound is contact between tires and road. The sound is present with all road bikes, but much quieter with aluminum rims and tires with thick sidewalls.

What makes carbon wheels loud is that they resonate like acoustic instrument's sound box at the tire noise frequency range and the larger surface is more efficient at transmitting the sound. You can hear the resonant frequencies if you just tap the wheel with your finger nail, a carbon wheel will have a lower pitched and much louder sound.