I bought my 2015 Prius 2 months ago. While I'm not super happy about the extensive hard plastic used the looks I can live with but I'm finding the noise it makes over moderate rough roads very annoying. The issue seems worse now that I have my snow tires on and I believe my tires are about 4 lbs more inflated then the old 3 season tires I had. Anyone else finding the interior trim noisy? If so, any solutions? Thanks.
thousands have found it noisy. tires are first, pressures second wheel wells, spare tire area, doors, then floor with dyna mat plastics require felt application where squeaking occurs
Trims are quiet in mine. But then again people with the same tires as i do w less psi says their tires are crazy LOUD.
My old gen 2 Prius was noisy. My new gen 4 Prius is just as noisy, and IT came with OEM sound deadening installed - incl what appears to be sound-absorptive trim panels (but I wouldn't swear to it). I was able to reduce road noise generated in the rear wheel wells and cargo area with Kilmat80 which helped a little, but the forward cabin is still noisy - to the extent that I discontinued installation of sound deadening until I could get a better idea what was going on. Right now I am looking at possible sources/paths of road noise in the mid and forward cabin areas, but I have yet to find anything that stands out. The OEM sound deadening in the front wheel wells looks adequate, so how the road noise penetrates the forward cabin, I have no clue. Maybe someone else here can shed some light on this problem. Some here have suggested that it depends on what tires and tire pressure you use, but I find that answer doesn't completely satisfy. I keep my tires at 2psig above the sticker values (36 & 38psig), and it still gets too loud above 50mph. If the source/path of the road noise can be identified, it should be possible to mitigate.
Listen for the wheel bearings. They used to last forever, but part quality seems to be post-peak across the industry. Lately I've noticed a lot of Asian cars with noisy wheel bearings occurring between 60k-100k. They get louder gradually, so most people become attuned to the noise. When you buy a used car it jumps right out, though you may not recognize the source.
A quite interior isn’t the Prius’ claim to fame. The car is made from the lightest materials available. Extensive use of plastics are used in just about ever application. Even the sound system uses all plastic speakers. On top of that, it is very thin skinned and has very thin glass windows. If it weren’t for its aerodynamic shape, it would be probably be overwhelming. Aside from all of that, it’s an engineering marvel!!!
Aerodynamics cannot explain road noise. Wind noise, yes. Road noise, no. And road noise is, by far, the greatest offender in a Prius.
I haven't tried Kilmat or Dynamat on the floor or doors yet. I am afraid to try it on the doors because of the SRS airbag system used in gen 4 vehicles. The floors and front wheel wells are on hold for now until I get a better understanding of the problem. However, I have been leaning towards using Second Skin Spectrum paint-on / spray-on deadening (exterior undercoating) instead of the interior butyl mats.
Only if you want to talk about noise deadening in the gen 4 doors which, as stated, I am not attempting. Last I checked, road noise was common to all Prius generations.
As Click & Clack the Tappet Brothers would often say, just turn up the music. I will also put in a vote for near-future infrastructure improvements, particularly roadways using recycled rubber in the mix. They sure are quiet out here in Arizona. I have also thought about noise-cancelling headphones, but I think any hearing obstruction is still against the law no matter where you drive (city, interstate, etc.)
I know. But I was hoping to avoid that. Cranking it up is fine for rock and progressive, but I listen to multiple genres, including classical. Classical is not meant to be played loud.
I wonder if a DB app on the phone could localize the area of noise.. Drive the car and have someone move the DB app equiped phone around and look for the highest amount of noise. I used mine on the highway and showed my V4 only emitted "moderate" amount of noise. Don't remember the DB's... Loud with the radio on. . That was doing 65-70 mph. .YMMV. mitch
Well yes, if you are referring to pop pieces like Toccata & Fugue. However, try listening to the Brandenburg Concertos while driving 60mph in a Prius... ...Can't do it. When you crank it up to hear the harpsichord, the rest of the chamber ensemble becomes obnoxious. Classical music has the highest dynamic range of all the genres. Generally, you cannot listen to it in a high noise environment without loosing timbre and soft passages.
