Prius C Highway Wind Noise

I was surprised at how noisy it is too...but I usually listen to music pretty loudly and don't notice it.

 

It doesn't become noticeably annoying for me until I get over 75 MPH

 

You will nto get away fron wind,road noises unless you are inside a Lexus which is near 'dead silence' in high trim models. It's only a Toyota. Get use to it.

 

The louder wind noise tells me lower MPG rating I will get on that trip.

 

I thought the same thing initially, but I think it's because they left out so much of the sound proofing insulation to keep the weight of the car down. A couple years back I read that either Toyota or Honda did to lighten the car and therefore get better mileage on the Prius or Insight, respectively. Makes sense, but it's kind of a bummer.

An option with a little mileage traded for a quieter ride would be nice for some folks that hit the interstate a lot. I get what the Prius C was designed for, but it's still going to take me on an eight hour drive to the beach this summer and I'm not going to love hearing all that noise on roadways where the speed limit is 70mph... which is basically the entire trip.

 

I haven't noticed that the wind noise in my C4 is any worse than my Gen II. I'll try to pay attention to it this week while on my commutes.

 

The wind noise is a bit bothersome, but it's the road noise and vibration I notice most. Of course, I have my tires at 40/38 so some of it's my fault. I'm going to experiment when WeatherTech finaly gets floor liners for the Pc.

 

On a recent trip from Chicago to Des Moines, we heard loud wind noise at 70 and faster. Granted, we had a stiff headwind going west, but still it was loud. This is not to say that it was bothersome however. With music playing it was easy to forget the wind noise. I suspect it is not caused by the lack of noise abatement materials. I think it's just the shape of the car, and unless you change the shape there's not much one can do to quiet things down except of course driving slower.

I think a lot of the noise is coming from the tires. Our GoodYears seem to whine a lot.

 

Not sure what car you had prior, but I think its pretty quite for a small compact. Its not my Lexus LS, but then it did not cost $50k either.

 

It's only a Toyota. Ouch. I'm thinking I should save up money to buy the $80K Cadillac Volt just to get out of that lower class.

 

Or buy the Volt and add the Caddy crest to it, 90% of the public would no know different.

 

I too have a Prius c. I don't find the noise any different than any other sob compact. I have driven compacts my whole life and I don't find this any different than them. It's a great car.

 

Hi fellow Pc owners. I know this thread is antiquated a bit, but I've been desiring to get my Pc a bit more sound proofed from the outside elements while driving. It's already pretty good...but I'm interested in making it better without breaking the bank to do so. Soon i'll be installing some all-weather automotive door molding on the frame of the car all around (front and back molding as well as the hatch). If you look at your Pc...there's only molding on the actual doors and hatch...not the frame where the doors makes the seal. The adhesive insulation strips that I purchased are not too thick with a double barrel hollow tunnel on them. I'll test it on the passenger door first and, with hope, the door will seal even better than it is now, thereby helping to reduce ambient noise while also keeping the outside temp from affecting the inside temp through some small gaps and whatnot that currently may exist. My only fear is the seal is so tight afterwards that it hinders opening the door easily (if at all) after install. lol. Obviously cleaning the frame of the car prior to adhering the strips is crucial for adhesion, but the closed doors will keep the pressure on them to ensure the adhesion is secure for the long haul. I'll update this with results after install and let ya's know how it went.

 

When a car is too airtight, the usual problem is closing the doors instead of opening them.

Not a problem in one of these, though. The car can still breathe through the HVAC system and the big vent in the back. That big vent is to allow air out when your airbags pop with all the windows closed, so it can totally handle a minor overpressure event when you slam the last door closed.

 

Where is that big air vent you refer to Lead?

 

Never looked for it in mine, but in most Japanese cars it's very low in the extreme rear side, so that air is vented from the spare tire well area into the space behind the plastic rear bumper cover.

 

Interesting. Didn't know about that. I'll look for it. Thanks for all your input Lead! Appreciated.

 

Pretty sure it's under the rear bumper, but it's been a while since I've seen it.

 

Update: So I installed 1/2 inch width weatherproof automotive molding all around the frame of the car doors and hatch...even some under the hood sides. When I closed the final door, all air bags went off due to pressure build up. jk. Actually...installing the molding went pretty good and it helped quiet the noise a little from the outside. Was worth it so far in my eyes. Once the heat of the summer hits though, my hope is the adhesive under the molding will stay in place. I wouldn't use anything thicker than 1/2 inch, or you're going to run into issues closing and opening any door. As it is right now, I can feel the pressure popping the door open the moment I pull the door handle from the inside or outside...but it's still fine and functional. Anyway, looks good and helps deaden the sound just a bit more. Something to consider for those interested in reducing sounds from the outside just a little.