Prius Disappoinment - Road/Wind noise

The best thing I have done to lower the noise level in my 2010 III is change the tires to Bridgestone Ecopia's.

 

x2. I love my Ecopias!!! Noise level has gone down significantly.

 

Nice, I think this is the only way mortals can control some road noise. I went with Comfortreds.

 

Mine came stock with Ecopia's from the dealership, and I love them! I'm coming from a 2008 Honda Civic (notorious for road noise), so driving my Prius sounds to me like driving a Lexus. I was thinking about getting some luxury liner or some cheap sound proof liner, or even carpet foam, but I really dont want to add weight to a extremely FE car. It just gives me more reason to pump up the music! :rockon:

 

Mine is much quieter on the highway that it is rattling down a bumpy road.

 

The best way I get rid of road noise is I just turn my hearing aids off.

 

Nice...instant sound proofing!!

 

You are right about the Honda Civic. Very Noisy. I have a 2006. But my old BMW is quieter than either the Civic or the new Prius.

 

Note that the submitter has a Model I, which I believe was intended only for fleet sales. Given that every 2010 Prius has the same drivetrain & body, features like soundproofing and interior details are the only differences. It makes sense that a Model I has the least or no soundproofing to minimize the price.

"There ain't no free lunch"

 

Other than a bit of wind noise on the rear passenger side that only a right rear passenger mentioned, I would say the inside of my Prius and my last car (Infiniti G37) are very similar and the G was very quiet. My brother and I both agree that the Prius is more quiet than his 2011 Audi A6 3.0T as well.

 

lol

 

I have a 2010 prius 3 , It has about 8.5 k on it. Road noise on this car seems to be mostly dependant on road surface. If I am driving on a gravel/tar back road(abundant here in rural Texas) then the road noise is very noticeable.. but no worse than any other high mpg car I have driven in fact more quiet than most, exception for VW TDI. I have noticed is that wind noise on this car is very low.

One thing that people have to get into their head is that this car was engineered and built for mpg first and foremost. Things were sacrificed for weight and aerodynamics. Comparing this cars ride and noise levels with your landyacht SUV or luxo sport sedan is very unrealistic.

I have a fullsive 4x4 pickup truck, it rides very quiet and smooth on pavement. It carries heavy loads in the bed well and it can go offroad/roughroad very well. It doesnt get vey good gas mileage. What can I do to this vehicle to get the gas mileage up to economy car levels?.... sounds silly doesnt it?

 

I totally agree! Also, when it comes to road/wind noise, the glass windows in our vehicles play a big factor too. Many of the luxury vehicles that do not market mpg as their #1 selling point usually have thicker glass for better soundproofing, but heavier. And you all know what that little extra weight does to our fuel economy.

 

I note that the Prius is very noisy on concrete surfaces but to be fair this taxes all vehicles. Concrete really is just a very noisy and in my opinion fairly dreadful surface for roads.

 

For me driving a Prius the last 45 days, the road noise also appears to be a factor of the car's noise level. Meaning, my family has noticed that we hear the road noise a little bit more, simply because the car is so quite. Our last cars were Ford Taurus's.

 

Certainly some road surfaces are noisier than others. However, tires can make a big difference in road noise level.

 

My 2010 was the quietest car I've ever owned at first, then poor alignment cupped a rear tire and it got loud when the tire was put on the front. Fixed the problem, Toyota gave me a new set of tires, all was quiet again. But now cupping is back, and noise is higher. This time, it seems to be poor tire balance when I changed over from winter tires.

If your Prius is noisy, check your tires and wheel alignment.

 

When I test drive a car I will turn down/off the radio and lower the speed on the a/c so I can listen to the car. Road noise, yep I heard it and knew what I was getting in to (pun intended), so it came as no surprise. I hope the OP test drove it and heard the wind/road noise.

 

Also check out the Bridgestone Ecopia 100. I find them very quiet at a reasonable price.