[Ji m and Samantha]

Just purchased a 2002 CVT Insight. Have been surprised by the amount of wind noise I get. Expected tire noise from the higher tire pressures. Didn't expect the additional wind noise. Didn't notice it during test drives on other vehicles. Is this normal? If yes, does anyone know why occurs? :?

 

[gomarlins3]

Where do you hear the wind noise- i.e. around the outside mirror driver/ passanger side, 'A' piller driver/ passanger side, everywhere, at certain speeds, etc.?

 

[Ji m and Samantha]

Wind Noise

Wind noise heard around the driver's side door.
May be around side mirror. Haven't road in the passenger seat yet. Additional noise above tire noise occurs at 20 -30 mph and above. Noise louder when heading into wind or have a cross wind.

 

[Ji m and Samantha]

Wind Noise

Where do you hear the wind noise- i.e. around the outside mirror driver/ passanger side, 'A' piller driver/ passanger side, everywhere, at certain speeds, etc.?

Probably should have replied this way. Just learning to use system.

 

[gomarlins3]

I haven't noticed anything like that, but I am leaving home now and will listen better to see if I can help.

 

[james]

Check that the window is actually in its track. Mine was a bit noisy, and I found that it had popped out. It should ride in the channel with rubber on each side, mine was between rubber and metal.

 

[ucffool]

I never have road noise issues, but I ride with windows down and stereo cranking. Suppose it's just a problem for those A/C people

hug FL.

 

[Guillermo]

To save weight (and cost) the insight doesn't have much (if any) sound dampening and sound absorbing materials. Most cars have 100 to 200 lbs of the stuff!

In most cars you hear the tires and the engine and some wind noise.
In many cars the engine noise is just as loud as the wind noise. There are so many different noises that it becomes white noise, which is easy to get used to. Because the Insight's engine is so small and quite you hear fewer different noises which then become more noticeable.
If you compare the noise decibel level of the Insight with other compact cars it's almost identical at highway cruizing speeds.

Yes I hear mostly wind noise on the highway as well.

 

[james]

But since I got the window back in its track, I hear very little wind noise with the windows closed - which is what I'd expect, since wind noise is a product of turbulent airflow, and that's what's minimized in order to give the Insight its low CD.

The most noticable component of what I hear at highway speeds sounds like tire noise.

 

[Rick]

It is the tire noise. One sacrafice we make to have low rolling resistence. I've been contemplating squirting the wheel wells with a noise deadening material for that reason. What really helped though was the carpet pad material I installed. Check the mods section, I believe it was called "has anyone installed dynamat xtreme or similar product." As far as weight of sound deadening materials I deffinitely used only a few pounds, the material is quite light really. The rear of the car is where the majority of the noise comes from. It's like a big hollow plastic echo chamber, and that dead space where the shoe box sub might go makes it worse. Between lining that rear well, putting pieces under the front carpet and gluing some of the material to the door panels it dropped 3 db in the car at ~50mph so it's effectiveness would go up wih speed.

If you were to just change the tires though you'd get a significant reduction in road noise.

 

[Will M]

Sounds like you picked the best places to cancel noise. I doubt that spraying the wheel wells would make much difference. I'd expect most road noise to conduct through the suspension to the frame, then amplified by the large, flat interior panels, like the floor, doors and the rear, as you've noted. The roof would be less of an issue, but that is already insulated, probably well enough.

The Insight does have noise deadening insulation in it, but less than most cars. Without it, you'd REALLY hear noise.

 

[Rick]

Well... I'd have to disagree. In my tearing the car apart I found almost no noise insulation at all. Under the drivers carpet there is some rubber looking stuff. Under the rear carpet ther is some more, but thats about all I found. The doors have none. I just did my door panels yesterday finally and it made another noticable difference. And so what if I added maybe 10 pounds to the car, the noise doesn't drive me crazy any more.

All I really did was put the automotive carpet pad material in it similar to how other cars are done. It sounds more like a normal car now. Where is it that these factory sound insulating materials are located?

 

[joe4ska]

Well its a noisy car to sit in and drive compared to most Sedans and Coups. Before i bought my Insight I had a 95 Hyundia Accent. A really noisy car on the highway.

I found that the Insight is much less noisy. I guess it depends on your personal perception of noise. After all its a small car.

What kind of car did you drive daily before Jim and Samantha?

 

[james]

Yeah, it's all in what you're used to. I've always had small, sporty cars - ftom the Jaguar & Austin-Healy up to the CRX that the Insight is a replacement for - and it's noticably quieter than any of them except maybe the Subaru Turbo...

 

[Will M]

Well... I'd have to disagree. In my tearing the car apart I found almost no noise insulation at all... Where is it that these factory sound insulating materials are located?

I know it is minimal, in order to save weight, and I have not torn the car down to investigate. I just poke at the ceiling and notice that it feels like there's rigid foam between the liner and the sheet metal and figure that other areas likely get similar treatment. The car generates less engine noise than most, but high-pressure tires generate more road noise.

I don't expect the car to be an anechoic chamber, sealed off from the driving experience like a limo. I think the noise level is not bad. I intend to own the car long enough to find out if the doors and windows get wind noise when the seals harden in a decade or so.