Dealing with Road Noise

[NICAT]

Hi friends,
I usually drive my 2002 ML W163 on highways (our paved roads are somewhat abrasive), and it has almost no noticeable road noise even with unknown-brand Chinese tires (255/65/16).

Recently, I tried my 2011 Hyundai Sonata on the same roads, and the road noise was unacceptably high, Kumho 215/60/R17 tires.
I know many factors contribute to cabin road noise , sound insulation quality, tire compound, tread pattern, etc.

Thinking that most noise enters through the doors, I applied Dynamat-style insulation to them today. However, it made little to no difference.

So my question is: does road noise enter the cabin mainly through the air (via doors or floor), or is it transmitted mechanically through the suspension and chassis — meaning tire vibrations are physically transferred into the body? If it’s the latter, then door insulation might not help much.

I’m considering switching to comfort tires, but I’m not sure how big the improvement would be. Does sidewall height make a significant difference? I might move to a higher-profile tire if it helps.
Also, do you think floor soundproofing would make a more noticeable difference than door insulation?

By the way, I know comparing a Hyundai to a Mercedes in this context is a bit unfair!

 

[charbaby]

Tires are important but so is factory sound deadening insulation, laminated & thicker glass and noise canceling technology. Along with thicker steel panels and a refined drivetrain.

 

[KGMtech]

The floor is the biggest source of road noise, so any efforts should be done there. My QX60 has thicker glass in the front doors vs the rear and this is noticeable compared to my wife's Rogue that doesn't have the special glass. Not much you can do about door glass but floors and wheel well arches can be covered with dynamat.

 

[goblin]

Kumho tires are notoriously loud in my book.
I recently drove a brand new Kia Seltos with brand new Kumhos and they actually managed to get into a droning resonnance specifically only on brand new asphalt that was like an old style Soviet Penguin fan (which drones like a old style airplane propeller).

 

[Donald]

Play the rock music loud!!

 

[Oillover]

Kumho tires are notoriously loud in my book.
I recently drove a brand new Kia Seltos with brand new Kumhos and they actually managed to get into a droning resonnance specifically only on brand new asphalt that was like an old style Soviet Penguin fan (which drones like a old style airplane propeller).

+1
I tried them once and never again.

 

[Marcozi]

Play the rock music loud!!

Nah, ear plugs!

 

[97prizm]

Hi friends,
I usually drive my 2002 ML W163 on highways (our paved roads are somewhat abrasive), and it has almost no noticeable road noise even with unknown-brand Chinese tires (255/65/16).

Recently, I tried my 2011 Hyundai Sonata on the same roads, and the road noise was unacceptably high, Kumho 215/60/R17 tires.
I know many factors contribute to cabin road noise , sound insulation quality, tire compound, tread pattern, etc.

Thinking that most noise enters through the doors, I applied Dynamat-style insulation to them today. However, it made little to no difference.

So my question is: does road noise enter the cabin mainly through the air (via doors or floor), or is it transmitted mechanically through the suspension and chassis — meaning tire vibrations are physically transferred into the body? If it’s the latter, then door insulation might not help much.

I’m considering switching to comfort tires, but I’m not sure how big the improvement would be. Does sidewall height make a significant difference? I might move to a higher-profile tire if it helps.
Also, do you think floor soundproofing would make a more noticeable difference than door insulation?

By the way, I know comparing a Hyundai to a Mercedes in this context is a bit unfair!

You can spray the underside with sound deadening, short of pulling the seats and carpet out and using dynamat extreme there isn't much.

 

[NICAT]

Hi, I used my “road noise simulator” (a.k.a. cordless tire inflator ) today and placed it around the tires. It turns out the rear tires are the main source of noise. I then tried to locate the weakest spot and found that the sound is amplified in the trunk area and enters the cabin through the space between the top of the rear seat backrest and the rear windshield. (a place where speakers installed at old cars)

I added several thick blankets over that area, and the improvement was quite noticeable. I’ll focus on treating that section next — some sound deadener in the trunk and more at that weak point. Let us see if any considerable improvement.

 

[97prizm]

Hi, I used my “road noise simulator” (a.k.a. cordless tire inflator ) today and placed it around the tires. It turns out the rear tires are the main source of noise. I then tried to locate the weakest spot and found that the sound is amplified in the trunk area and enters the cabin through the space between the top of the rear seat backrest and the rear windshield. (a place where speakers installed at old cars)

I added several thick blankets over that area, and the improvement was quite noticeable. I’ll focus on treating that section next — some sound deadener in the trunk and more at that weak point. Let us see if any considerable improvement.

Here is a test that someone went fairly in depth on comparing sound deadening. Might be worth a read. Sound deadening test
From car audio magazines the dynamat X-Treme was the best rated.

 

[MParr]

Kumho tires are noisy.
Unibody cars are typically more noisy than body on frame construction.
Noise is transmitted through the bottom of the car.
Tire selection can help reduce the noise.
Dynamat can help if you install it under the carpet in the passenger compartment and trunk. It's hard to isolate the suspension.
Your 2002 Mercedes ML is body on frame construction. Your Hyundai Sonata is a unibody car.
We had a 2013 KIA Optima. It's basically the same car as your Sonata. It came with Hankook tires. They were pretty noisy. We replaced them with Goodyear Eagle Sport tires and that helped some.

 

[4wd]

That high mass rubber kills speaker induced attenuation of sheet metal …
Find some peel and stick closed cell foam to go over that if trying to block external noises … the two in concert worked well for me … gives a bit of insulation as well

 

[4wd]

Hi, I used my “road noise simulator” (a.k.a. cordless tire inflator ) today and placed it around the tires. It turns out the rear tires are the main source of noise. I then tried to locate the weakest spot and found that the sound is amplified in the trunk area and enters the cabin through the space between the top of the rear seat backrest and the rear windshield. (a place where speakers installed at old cars)

I added several thick blankets over that area, and the improvement was quite noticeable. I’ll focus on treating that section next — some sound deadener in the trunk and more at that weak point. Let us see if any considerable improvement.

What I found in doing a 2010 Canyon - was when I’d improve one area - I could now hear another - which was actually helpful taking it in smaller bites

 

[4wd]

All kinds of things out there:

https://www.amazon.com/Damping-Deadener-Eliminate-Vibrations-Enhance/dp/B001URKV0G

 

[Snagglefoot]

My Suburban has insulation right inside the “ dogleg” area of the front fender. You would be able to see it if you pulled the fenders off. Some have said this also causes a buildup of moisture resulting in fender corrosion. It also has it above the rear wheel wells, again possibly contributing to corrosion in rustbelt areas.