Prius Disappoinment - Road/Wind noise

Hey Truman,

We are all pretty sure this guy is a Troll. He has not replied at all to the many comments to his thread. In other words, don't waste your breath (typing) on him....

 

I find its road noise very quiet, but I am used to cheap entry line cars, never have owned a luxury brand and quite possibly never will.

 

Somewhat, but remember, Prius is not a luxury car and will be noiser than one.

 

I wonder how much road noise is communicated via the trunk area, and whether or not the rubber trunk liner Toyota offer as an accessory makes much difference?

 

You think the Prius is noisy? Try driving a current generation Honda Accord, CRV, Fit, or Civic. My Prius IV is quieter than my previous 08 Accord EXL V6.

 

On the contrary, I have 2 of the 2010 Prius' and they both seem quiet to me. On the interstate at 70 mph, didn't have any noise issues. In fact, my wife commented on how quiet the wind noise was while passing an 18-wheeler.

Maybe you have a loose window seal someplace, something must be wrong to produce noise at a level you are describing.

Vic

 

Add to that list an Acura Integra or RSX. There are many things I like a lot about Hondas, but man, they gotta do something about that road noise. The Prius (other than the dash rattles) is like a tomb in comparison.

 

Yes.

A Prius is not quiet compared to luxury cars, but you shouldn't have to shout unless there is something unusual about your Prius. As others have suggested, bad weatherstripping or a mal-adjusted door are two possible sources of your noise.

 

Add Pilot to the list. That's my biggest complaint about my wife's 2008. I tried installing a parrot bluetooth system, but yanked it out because the wind and road noise was louder than her voice.

 

noisy in Austin

you have something wrong with your car based on your writing

 

I'm going to invest in Dynamat, starting with the four doors, to try and eliminate some of the road noise. I'm sure my hearing isn't what it used to be 10 years ago, but the overall din whilst on the highway is tiring -- especially since they're concrete in this area.

 

The OP cannot be a troll.....

evpv hasn't rushed in to defend him!!!

 

I have not read all of the post above, so my comments are based solely on the thread title.

This week I have been driving a 2010 Ford Fusion (rental). It is not a hybrid.

Prior to buying the Prius, I considered a Fusion Hybrid. I was unable to find one at the time, and the dealer was anything but interested in finding a Hybrid.

I find the rental Fusion to be no quieter than the Prius. I personally think tires and road surface are the cause. Previously, I owned a RSX and the road noise was bad ..... until I changed tires. The Prius is quieter when climbing mountains and accelerating hard than the Fusion. The Prius brakes are far superio,r as are the lights. I really miss the Prius illumination projection ... especially since I raise the lights.

The controls in the Fusion are confusing, and not instinctive. I have yet to learn how to change the displayed information.

The seats in the Fusion initially felt pretty good. But after 8 hours behind the wheel, my back is complaining. I have driven the Prius several times over 12 hours without problems.

Handling is nice; the body is tight, with only one serious rattle. The Fusion, IMO, would have been a good choice, but not a better choice than the Prius.

 

thanks felt, that is a very interesting comparison. my wife has been thinking about a fusion hybrid. should be an interesting test drive compared to her hycam which is whisper quiet and better than the prius in every way except mpg and storage space. imo!

 

Road noise is proportional to the roughness of the pavement. I would think it takes a lot of insulation to keep out tire noise on rough freeway surfaces. Even my Accord Coupe gets a bit noisy on the rough stuff, but it's pretty quiet on smooth freeway.

Prius is pretty quiet on smooth freeway also. I don't remember a lot of wind noise of howling - it was pretty good in that department. If you're coming from a luxury car, maybe the downgrade is a little disappointing, I don't know. Prius noise is certainly reasonable for the class of car.

 

Actually, the new Jetta TDIs are remarkable quiet and there is NO interior sound associated with a diesel engine. I own and sdrive a 06 jetta TDI and I drove it to work this AM instead of my Prius V (with 15-inch wheels/tires) and the Jetta is much quieter in all resopects, even after having installed sound dampening material in the Prius last week. Also, there is not one squeek or rattle in the Jetta and none, thus far, in the Prius. Guess I got a good one.

I knew about the noise problem in the Prius and I knew I would have to install sound dampening material in it. That job will be completed in about a week and then it will be as queit as the Jetta, TDI engine aside.

 

The Gen III is in fact a mid-size sedan.

 

The Prius is a mid-sized sedan according to the EPA.
(So is the Nissan Versa....)

It doesn't matter for 2 important reasons.

1. The OP is (was) a fake. I'll avoid using the "T" word to protect evpv's sensitivities.
2. Size, speed, comfort....all relative, and it has little to do with your perception of whether the Prius is an Econo-box, an Eco-box, or a Luxury Sedan. The EPA had to snap the chalk line somewhere, and cars like the Versa, Prius, Sentra and Optima came in on the good side. Be happy.
If you're used to driving an Aveo....yeah, the Prius is big and roomy. If you're used to driving a Hummer H2, then Priuses are probably rather diminutive and economical, given the H2's heft and price.

 

Having recently posted about my experience with a Ford Fusion rental, I just returned from a 800 mile trip to California. Concrete roads are now grooved .... and they are noisy. Talking is difficult; the radio must be elevated to hear. The "thump, thump" road imperfections are very annoying. Asphalt, especially new asphalt, is almost silent. Welcomed and refreshing.

But the worst surface is a treatment that most of the western states are now using. They spread a thick layer of some sort of tar/oil on an existing roadway. The layer, is a black slurry type material that, no doubt, is petroleum based. On that they spread a thin layer of pea sized gravel, and roll it into the slurry. It is applied over asphaslt and concrete, and covers most blemishes, cracks, and patches. The surface is heavily textured from the gravel, very nosiy and I suspects, increases the road to tire friction. I am sure the fuel efficiency is deminished a bit. Every car that passes, regardless the size, make or model, emits a roar on the road that is easily heard inside the vehicle I am driving. I am certain the surface is durable and cost effective ................ but it is noisy. I cannot imagine that any car would be able to mask the sound.

 

Yep, it all depends on the car you drove before the Prius and the roads in your area. I think my 2010 Prius is pretty loud on the roads around here, but it is an economy car that gets the best MPG in the nation, so lets put it in perspective. On my G2 Prius, I tried lots of dynamat and mass loaded vinyl barriers in my car and it really didn't make a noticeable difference (just added weight and decreased my MPG). After reading multiple books on sound behavior, isolation, and dampening, I've realized that retrofitting a car to cut down on road noise is a futile game. Noise is like water. Even if you can seal 99% of the cabin, that 1% hole will make all your efforts pointless. Remember, sounds travels very very fast through that little gap and it bounces around like crazy. Luxury cars get the NVH treatment with the car completely stripped down and every aspect is looked at from the initial design. Sure, dynamat can make your speakers sound better, but is has little effect on keeping sound out of the car. It's just my opinion folks, you may pray to whichever god you like

I'm working on a different solution to solve my road noise issues and the ringing in my ear (reminder of onset of hearing loss in some frequency). Once I drive the car long enough, that range of my hearing will be gone and I will no longer get the ringing