Swapped my pair of Yoke A539's from the rear to the front of my Plus today and boy oh boy do they make a racket on the road...almost like a wheel bearing 'rumble'...anyone else had this? Swapped them for a pair of new Toyo T1-R's and the noise went...

They are the ones with the criss-cross pattern aren't they ?

Not surprised they make a din if they are, the tread isn't directional.

you should try full-on trackday tyres, along with a stripped-out interior

The tyre noise was so bad on the motorway, I had to slow down to talk to a passenger for any length of time.

Made up for it in the corners though

yoko's are notoriously loud, well they were on my bravo. I run Kumho's now

Hmmm, so tyre noise related to tyre patterns, I've never thought about this before

Would I therefore be right in assuming that the water dispersal pattern on wet weather tyres channels air through in the same way in the dry and makes for a quieter tyre?

Put the Yokes back on the rear now and got a new pair of Toyo Proxes T1-R's on the front (£70 each all in ) and all is pretty much quiet again apart from the faint whine from the rear which I always assumed to be a bearing on its way but now realise not! Odd really, swore by Yokes on my Uno T & Punto GT and never had noise issues?!

Oh and yes, A539's have the criss-cross pattern...

Experienced the same at the barchetta of the missus.
The tyre noise was caused by cupping.
In the case of the barchetta I was told this was due to the lack of weight on the rear tyres. If you'd stroke your hand over the surface of the tyre you can feel a 'jagged' pattern. This is what causes the noise.

Cupping (also called dipping or scalloping) is more common on the front tyres, though your rear tyres can cup as well. It may be a sign that your wheels are out of balance, or that your car's suspension or steering system parts are worn out.

oh, interesting stuff and can see the logic...don't think I've got any worn suspension components but I'll give the once over...