Excessive road noise

31565 Views 23 Replies 17 Participants Last post by rlee777, May 23, 2021

BuickNut

Discussion Starter · Mar 24, 2019

I was wondering if anyone else gets excessive road noise on coarser asphalt pavement? Someone said it is due to the lack of tie-down hook holes that were not plugged at dealerships during dealer prep. Is there any truth to this?

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Ghawkins

· #2 · Mar 24, 2019 (Edited)

BuickNut said:
I was wondering if anyone else gets excessive road noise on coarser asphalt pavement? Someone said it is due to the lack of tie-down hook holes that were not plugged at dealerships during dealer prep. Is there any truth to this?

Excessive road noise has plagued most Honda vehicles for many years. I have owned Accords from 1993, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, and 2018. All had too much road noise. Until the newest one, I was driving big miles, 40-50,000 miles annually so lots of replacement tires as well. It seemed like no amount of tire research on my part regard fixed the problem. At the same time, every generation of Accord, especially the 2018, was billed as being much quieter than the previous generation Not in my experience. I have test driven a few Acura’s, all were quiet cars. So I guess Honda does know how to build them. Honda is not alone with this issue. Apparently, Nissan and Mazda are no better. Toyota, GM, and VW make quieter cars. For me, though, the positive features of an Accord still win out.

I seen comments regarding suspension grommets, body mounts, acoustic glass, better sound deadeners, etc. I have not heard of the tie down hole idea; might have some merit. I am not an engineer, so the problem needs to be addressed by others.

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BuickNut

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 24, 2019

I bought my car at a dealership that does not install the front plate so they just leave the plate bracket and tie down plugs in a bag in the trunk. So I have them just need to get a friend to install them. I have some perfect stretch of road to test this out as I've been on it noticing the noise level then. :nerd: I will let you know what I find out.

Ghawkins

· #4 · Mar 25, 2019

BuickNut said:
I bought my car at a dealership that does not install the front plate so they just leave the plate bracket and tie down plugs in a bag in the trunk. So I have them just need to get a friend to install them. I have some perfect stretch of road to test this out as I've been on it noticing the noise level then. :nerd: I will let you know what I find out.

I have no idea where those holes for the tie downs are located.

BuickNut

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 25, 2019

Location number 8

https://www.hondapartsnow.com/genuine/honda~0~90852-tva-a01.html

Ghawkins

· #6 · Mar 26, 2019

BuickNut said:
https://www.hondapartsnow.com/genuine/honda~0~90852-tva-a01.html

Thanks

Reactions: 1

Kayos

· #7 · Mar 27, 2019

The grommets you’re speaking of will not change the road noise. They are plugs from where the factory suspends the vehicle down the production line. Honda skimps on sound deadening more and more every year. The only way to make it quieter would be to install your own sound deadening in the doors, remove back seat bottom and carpet and apply to the metal surfaces. I’ve seriously contemplated doing this to my car, but I don’t like it enough to spend the time or money.

BuickNut

Discussion Starter · #8 · Mar 29, 2019

It was just something I read on another board. I will still have my friend install and check afterward.

DDNorCal

· #9 · Jun 16, 2019

Yes, road noise is significant, which is disappointing. Someone mentioned tires. I have the Michelin’s on my Touring. I had them on my 02 BWM 745 Li. They were noisy then and now.

I have experimented with different tire pressure. No real difference. When I needed new tires for the BWM I bought Continentals and they were significantly quieter.

Anyone had any improvements with different tires or is it just substandard sound deadening in the interior?

DD

jsmith

· #10 · Jul 27, 2019

I just had the unpleasant experience of going on a longish ride here in NJ over typical highways. It only seemed to quiet down on freshly laid asphalt! I traded in a 2015 Subaru Legacy for this car and that car was hands down the much much quieter car approaching lux car levels! Embarrassing to have to raise our voices to have conversations with a friend riding with us. I want to know if any soundproofing on the floors and doors will help. I was under the impression there's a lot there already.

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fzr100098

· #11 · Aug 12, 2019

With more soundproofing comes more weight - this car is not bad at all on most roads

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DonD.

· #12 · Feb 6, 2020

jsmith said:
I just had the unpleasant experience of going on a longish ride here in NJ over typical highways. It only seemed to quiet down on freshly laid asphalt! I traded in a 2015 Subaru Legacy for this car and that car was hands down the much much quieter car approaching lux car levels! Embarrassing to have to raise our voices to have conversations with a friend riding with us. I want to know if any soundproofing on the floors and doors will help. I was under the impression there's a lot there already.

I feel the same way. My 2016 Altima SR was more quiet on the Florida roads. I-75 is a fairly smooth road and after an hour ride in my 2018 Accord EX-L 2.0 I was miserable. It was unbearable. Maybe it’s the Michelin tires on 17” rims. We’re planning a trip to Houston and I’ll wear earplugs! I wonder if undercoating would help?

MikeD

· #13 · Feb 7, 2020

Yah, I was disappointed in the amount of road noise, thought it was mostly coming from the truly awful stock Goodyear Touring tires. After 18 K miles I replaced them with Continental Pure Contact LS, based on reviews on Tire Rack.com and elsewhere. The Continentals are noticeably quieter, but as stated in this thread, I think the basic problem is insufficient sound insulation.

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Ricky Bobby

· #14 · Feb 8, 2020

I spent an entire weekend sound deadening my car and it made a big difference but it’s still not a $80,000 Lexus. But I can tell you my car is as quiet if not more quiet than my wife’s $40,000 Lexus.

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noggy_

· #15 · Aug 7, 2020 (Edited)

First time using this forum, but I'm installing sound deadening in all four doors, and under as much carpeting as possible. I agree the road noise on highways is higher than I can tolerate, but for the most part, it seems much quieter than my parents' 16' odyssey touring elite (honda claims this trim included sound deadening) on roads under 45mph. I can try and provide a before and after for the sound deadening if anyone finds that helpful.

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noggy_

· #16 · Aug 7, 2020

Ricky Bobby said:
I spent an entire weekend sound deadening my car and it made a big difference but it’s still not a $80,000 Lexus. But I can tell you my car is as quiet if not more quiet than my wife’s $40,000 Lexus.

How did you remove the carpeting? Do you need to remove the plastic towards the door? I found out how to remove the rear seats fairly easily but I'm struggling to find anything on how to remove carpeting in these 10th gens.

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Trixster22

· #17 · Aug 8, 2020

fzr100098 said:
With more soundproofing comes more weight - this car is not bad at all on most roads

Couldn't agree more, especially coupled with the car being not bad at all on most roads.

And, Accords are indeed "louder" than most similar sedans. But, this is nothing new or some recent realization. They've had that reputation (warranted) for years, but with so much good, who cares, especially in exchange for adding more weight.

I have had numerous Accords over the past four decades, starting with an '88. However, Ghawkins sums it up perfectly:

Ghawkins said:
Excessive road noise has plagued most Honda vehicles for many years. I have owned Accords from 1993, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, and 2018. All had too much road noise.

EngTech1

· #18 · Aug 18, 2020

Added a Set of New Shoes are ~ Way Far Quieter ~ then Factory Tire set up ..

Conti's Pure Contact LS - Better Grip also Better Mpg ..

BrianC

· #19 · Aug 22, 2020

DDNorCal said:
Yes, road noise is significant, which is disappointing. Someone mentioned tires. I have the Michelin’s on my Touring. I had them on my 02 BWM 745 Li. They were noisy then and now.

I have experimented with different tire pressure. No real difference. When I needed new tires for the BWM I bought Continentals and they were significantly quieter.

Anyone had any improvements with different tires or is it just substandard sound deadening in the interior?

DD

rifleman56

· #20 · Nov 17, 2020

Trixster22 said:
Couldn't agree more, especially coupled with the car being not bad at all on most roads.

And, Accords are indeed "louder" than most similar sedans. But, this is nothing new or some recent realization. They've had that reputation (warranted) for years, but with so much good, who cares, especially in exchange for adding more weight.

I have had numerous Accords over the past four decades, starting with an '88. However, Ghawkins sums it up perfectly:

I could care less about adding weight. My ears are more important to loosing a few miles per gallon. I sound proofed my accord, doors, floor and rear self. It helped some but there's still a lot of road noise. this will be the last Honda I buy.

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