Because it's NOISE! and it is totally unnecessary, it's distracting, it's tiring, I can't hear my music and I'm ashamed to have friends in the car. I've driven commercial flat bed drywall trucks that were quieter than the Z, in 46 years on the road, no car or truck I have EVER driven much less owned has this much road noise and if one more person tries to tell me that I'm not entitled to my opinion on this matter I just might lose it!

The sweet song of the Z's V6 speaking through the the right exhaust system is not noise, it's music, but if I subjected an employee to the ambient road noise of the Z I would literally need to provide him or her with ear protection or I would be on the line for causing hearing loss. High ambient noise levels induce stress, interfere with decision making and are bad for your health-end of story-why are we even discussing this? Some folks would like the car quieter, what's the harm in that? Let's stop telling them that they are wrong and help them make it quieter. Am I irritated, you bet! This is a matter of opinion, lots of people here think the car is too loud for their taste otherwise this thread (and many others like it) would not exist. To those of you who don 't share that opinion, well that's fine too, but please stop wasting everyone's time telling us that we're wrong and you just don't get it.

Was being sarcastic...... I know hard to tell just reading. There are comments on how to effectively reduce the road noise and there are comments to make light of the situation. You say everyone is entitled to their opinion, well there you go. Some have a " deal with it you knew what you were getting in too when you bought it "and some it doesn't bother them. You're telling people who don't have anything productive to say to not say anything...... People can say whatever they want, it's a public forum. We're not saving lives here. Sometimes I get a big laugh at some of the comments people say that aren't really problem solving. Regardless of what some of the comments are the answer always pops up. :driving:

So, I drove about 40 miles today with the new sound deadening material installed (second time on the road with it). Mostly freeway driving on asphalt and that grooved cement road. Big reduction in the annoying ambient noise. Stereo sounds much better. Thanks to this forum for prior advice.

You're not entitled to your opinion!! ha! ha! ha!!

Seriously you are right. Its no fun driving a car that is so loud you cant carry on a pleasant conversation or listen to music like soft jazz or classical which needs a somewhat quiet environment.

I think roads differ greatly and if you live in an area with smooth roads then the problem is not as bad.. but here there are many roads with a rough grade to provide traction during the snow and ice and while I would never drive on snow or ice, the road itself causes lots of vibrations and noise.

I read one review in which the car was likened to a cement mixer, another said his ears bled and a third refused to take it on a long trip. Now of course these are exaggerations but lots of reviewers make the point and its interesting that sometimes you can see videos of reviewers talking as they drive the car and the background noise is awful.

The good news is that unlike a problem with the basic design of the car or the engine or transmission, this problem is easily fixed. I think the key areas are hatch, doors ( which have NO sound dampening) and rear tire wells. Dynamat those areas and you get a whole new car which is truly a joy to drive!

I think i may have used the term 20% at some point but that is just a very subjective guess.. I think it would be better to say that it was enough of a sound dampening to change the entire way I view the car. Sometimes even a slight improvement is a big deal..Sometimes the TV is too loud but just turning it down a bit makes a very big deal. As I said, 20% was just a guess..it could be 40%..only a measuring device could determine how much sound was dampened but it's well worth it IMO

I find my cabin to be very quiet!

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1295191218

But wouldn't the sound of the melting snow in spring bother you?:bowrofl:

My gripe is that this issue is the Rodney Dangerfield of threads, "it don't get no respect". The "I just don't get/it's a sports car/deal with it/ turn up the radio/get a cat back exhaust types just don't seem to know when to quit. Every cabin nose thread is littered with put downs and dismissive commentary about the issue. Yet I cannot recall anyone posting comments like "just slow down" or "it's a street car, what do you expect" when someone posts that their oil temps are too high or that their brakes are fading at the track. But talk about too much noise in the cabin and people can't seem to control themselves.

Read this thread, those addressing the issue have taken the time to post thoughtful, helpful, well reasoned and very well written comments that are on topic and of real value to many of us. And then there are those other posts that are sarcastic and dismiss the whole subject out of hand. Everyone here knows that the Z is a sports car, and that with its emphasis on performance it will ride rougher and be louder than most cars. So why restate the obvious and in an unpleasant manner to boot? It serves no purpose and after awhile becomes rather irritating.

IMHO lighten up guys the car is not as loud stock as some make it out to be.
It is what it is. I'm guessing most of us took test drives.....

last comment no it's not as quiet as a buick it was never meant to be...

but iv'e got 15,000 on mine and not one rattle.. couldn't say that about my 350....

You can most certainly add hundreds of dollars worth of sound deadening material to the car. Gut the interior, pad it, Dynamat it and whatever else works, then put it all back together... or pay someone to do it.
My wife's Mercedes has a carpet-life material in the fenderwells that does an amazing job at reducing the noise of gravel and stones that get kicked up. If you can source some of that stuff and add it to the 370Z, that would probably help a lot.
You can shop for the quietest tires on the market and replace the stock Potenzas.
At the end of it all, it probably still won't be quiet enough (as illustrated by the disappointing results experienced by some posters) and you will have spent a lot of money and time on trying to make the 370Z something it's not. It's not a BMW, Audi or Lexus. Take out the "performance" part of the equation, and you're left with a simple matter of economics. I'm sure it costs less to skip all the sound deadening measures that are incorporated into the aforementioned luxury brands.
If a quiet cabin was high on your priority list when shopping for cars, you made the wrong choice, plain and simple.

Dynamat Xtreme, 10 Sq feet all under the spair and up the aft buklhead, (I did not remove any trim parts), I'm very happy with the results. now I can hear the noise from the doors. Best 10 pound I have ever put in a car.

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus, great tire, more mileage and much quieter!

Ditto, Pokey. Did the same hatch treatment and there is a very good result. The exhaust note is not masked, but the continuous high pitched road noise is gone. I don't feel that any additional soundproofing would be necessary at this point.

I used dynamat before in other cars that already had some factory sound proofing, and it did little or nothing. But there's a big difference in the z since it otherwise has almost none in the back. I only saw a few small patches on the wheel well.

trainesales, Thanks for the info AND the Photo. Think i'll be doing that myself when my Z order comes in!

:iagree:
very well put

this thread makes me lol

Having read OP's posts in other threads, OP wants a "point and shoot" luxury type car. Driver involvement is not something the OP seems interested in, and similarly, road feedback is just an annoyance to OP. Curious why OP did not go with a G37 except maybe style.

Having driven several 370Z's on extended test-drives, I never once was irritated by the noise, found it intrusive, or even thought about it until I started reading threads about it on this website. Same for this rumor of "harshness" in the upper rpm-band. The 370Z is a wonderfully refined car, I think.

I agree the 370 is a wonderful car but there is no doubt it is very noisy.. I collected a number of reviews that all tell what a wonderful car it is especially for the price...but quite a few mention this one negative..

Edmunds
Once underway, it's easy to get the most out of the 370's sharp performance. In terms of handling, this latest Z is the best yet, boasting tenacious grip and sharp reflexes. Its ride quality is also more civilized than the previous car's, making the 370Z a better choice for commutes and long drives. Sadly, it has an extraordinary amount of road noise, which could grow tiresome on such journeys.

Car and Driver
Finally—and this is the big one—the sticky Bridgestones double as megaphones. Boom, slap, echo, hiss, the swishing of water, the pinging of pebbles. You name a road-borne sound, and the tires can magnify it. Perhaps it’s the fault of paper-thin wheel-well liners, because neither engine nor driveline NVH find their way as effortlessly to your tympanic membranes. At idle and at wide-open throttle, the 370Z is louder than its forebear. We’d trade a couple of points on the skidpad in return for less racket and a slightly cushier ride.

Grassroots Motorsports
Any negatives? Yeah, sorry. Road noise on some surfaces is nearly unbearable.

Auto Blog
First, while the cabin is well insulated from wind noise, it seriously resonates from tire drone. At speeds above 70 mph, or on any unfriendly pavement, the roar nearly drowns out the audio system.

Cars.com
My Sport Package-equipped tester had more road noise than any car I've tested in recent memory. On anything but perfectly smooth pavement, the tires howl endlessly once you reach 40 or 50 mph

Inside Line
Good grief this car is noisy. I know we keep going on about it, but there's really not much else to dislike about this car - but it's damn near a deal breaker


Consumer Guide Automotive
Wind rush is not noticed, only because the engine and tire noise are so intrusive



But to end on a positive note.. this seems to be the only serious problem with the 370 and its easily fixed.. and most reviewers have plenty of other positive things to say along this line from Car Advice


When you stop to consider the 370Z’s price tag then what I’m about to say will begin to make a whole lot more sense: this is the best sports car on the market under $100K.

I totally agree!!

Years ago Corvette Magazine did a sound reduction on a C4. 4db was the results, you may think that is not much but it is a 50% noise reduction. 6 db is 75%.

In the early 90's I had the opportunity to be a transport driver for Motor Trend Magazine on two of their huge Bang-For-The-Buck tests. I was one of several people whose job it was to move the different test vehicles between the various test sites, I also changed tires and did whatever else needed doing. In this capacity I had the opportunity to put a lot of miles on a lot of different high performance cars. The thing that impressed me was how stunningly easy it was to pick up on the differences between the various cars. I was surprised to find out how easy it was to overcome my preconceptions and to determine which car had the best steering or the most supportive seats or the best transmission. I found that if I drove one car for a long time, that car became the "norm" and it was only when I switched to a different car that I became fully aware of how I had adjusted to (and in some cases compensated for) the flaws and limitations of the previous car. I have had the opportunity to drive quite a few cars over the years and the Z is unquestionably the loudest (road noise that is, I've driven lots of cars with louder exhaust systems, actually the Z's exhaust is on the quiet side). I found that the stock level of noise to be unacceptable for my intended use and accordingly, I have invested about $350.00 and a weekend of my time to address that issue. I am happy with the result and if additional affordable opportunities for further improvements present themselves I'll probably do those as well. As track cars go, the Z may be as quiet as convent at 3AM, but as a road car it's loud.

Adding to the "it's all relative" aspect of the discussion I had the realization today that my work environment is extremely noisy. Makes my Z seem like a library in comparison.
YRMV

Absolutely! Your perception of sound is, to a certain extent, relative.

+1

I never found the Z to be loud, enjoyed how it felt like it was carved from a block of billet, and in general, had no problem with how it rode. I found more to whine about regarding the clutch being more like an on/off switch.

Richarlie, Guard_Dad, thanks for the excellent posts regarding your experience with the "noise/not noise/whatever all want to call it" reduction. I ,along with many other I suspect, found those posts particularly helpful.

I agree with many in the forum who actually provide valuable info rather than opinions that sidetrack from the main point of the forum. You car, your money, your taste, your mods regardless of opposing opinions.

I too have found myself in situations where I was struggling to hold conversations in my nismo cruising at the normal 140mph (why I am talking at those speeds is not the issue, maybe I am being chased by zoombies in other sports cars, who knows :tiphat:); I don't want to eliminate the sound from this sweet & mean engine since it is part of the awesome driving experience, I wouldn't mind reducing some of the slight road "noise/not noise/whatever all want to call it".

Would adding the dynamat to the doors & trunk suffice to eliminate much of the issue? Does one also need to do apply some dynamat to the floor for complete satisfaction ? I will be using the 20lbs dynamat 9 sheet pack.

I can only tell you that the doors have no sound dampening at all and when I got that done it made a big difference. I am going to have the wheel wells done next.. I had the hatch area done previously and cant say I was impressed..The sound level is better and maybe its just a combination of everything.. but the car is very different now... much MUCH better and fun to drive without the aggravation of excessive noise !! No fun driving something which is so loud I cant hear my wife's constant directions!!:icon18:

I've read all the noise threads and tons of reviews that complain about the 370Z noise. I've had my car for 6 months now (2010 370 Touring with sport package). I have to agree that road noise is loud. I really wasn't shocked by it. Back in the day, my 240 wasn't very quiet either.

I do agree that since I use the car as a dd, it would be nice to have less road noise. What bothers me is that many people claim no improvement with adding sound deadening to the hatch and doors. Others claim dramatic changes. There don't seem to be any objective results to analyze. It would be great if someone would measure the sound level at the driver's position before installing deadening material and then measure afterward. We could then see the difference numerically.

It's not surprising we get conflicting result reports. "Loud" and "soft" are subjective. 85db at 60mph smooth asphalt is objective.

Oil cooler issues are measurable. We all can see our oil temp and can report changes after adding a cooler. We really need to do the same thing with various sound reduction solutions.

You'll notice a difference for sure. You just have to go about it the right way.

I'm getting ready to add some noise reduction. One thing I've certainly noticed, is that the kind of roads you drive on make a HUGE difference. New smooth asphalt is actually pretty quiet.. stock. Any kind of pebbling or wear in the road surface accentuates the noise dramatically. For several extra pounds, I believe this will improve the driving experience for those longer times behind the wheel on the noisy road surface. Thanks to all for the great information.

Noise reduction
 

I added some "Stinger Expert Roadkill" to the rear section of my car today. I watched the video on Youtube prior to starting the job, and had no problem at all. I added 20 sq. feet of the product and as directed by the video. The install was easy and all of the trim came out easily and went back in even easier. I took my Z for a test drive and immediately noticed a marked reduction in the noise from the hatch area. The same company makes a carpet pad that you slide under the carpet. I may try that next to quiet the front just a little.:driving:

:iagree: WoZZer NAILED IT! I had dynamat (9 pack sheets) installed in my front doors and trunk. I did notice improvement over the stock (Don't ask me to quantify as it is very subjective but it was better than stock) BUT as WoZZer noted, the kind of roads you drive on DO make a difference. You'll still hear road noise if you are driving on non-smooth roads just not as more noticeable stock. On smoother roads, the noise is almost non-existent.

I had my audio upgrade done as well and will probably stop worrying about the remaining road noise at this level to avoid adding additional weight to the car. Overall, I'm satisfied with the Dynamat experience and would recommend as first step to reducing car road noise.

Your experience is consistent with that of many others on this site.

I too have noticed on some stretches the car is very quiet and on other stretches of pitted road the road noise jumps up to very high levels. The road doesn't have to be in bad shape to be loud, ...just the surface texture makes a big difference.

Glad to hear this!!

Yes this is what tells me the noise is coming from the tires against the road

I personally don't mind the noise, I guess I wasn't expecting it to be quite, thats why I bought the Z not the G

Quite, indeed!

I've read all the posts in this thread.... but not in one sitting.

So to my understanding, all 370z's have cabin "noise". Apparently it irritates some owners, and the others either don't mind it, or they don't notice it.

I have a question though, how does the general census rank the 2011 Z's in terms of "cabin noise"?

I test drove both a 2009 and a 2011... I didn't hear anything I would describe as "noise"... but then again, I did not drive it over multiple surfaces, nor do I think I drove it a long enough distance to encounter noise.

Can someone help me out with this?

Can't say much about the 2011 as mine's a 2010. On my test drive I heard the noise but I was focused on so many issues (brakes, steering, transmission, seats, throttle response and more) on that brief test drive that the cabin noise issue didn't make much of an impression on me. It was only somewhat later that the noise began to be an issue for me. The noise is highly dependent upon the road surface, smooth road=quiet cabin, rough road=loud cabin.

Though I found the level of cabin noise annoying, I was never really worried about it because I knew that their were many affordable ways to address the issue. Dealing with it was just one additional way that I chose to personalized my car.

If anyone were to ask me, I would recommend the 370Z with enthusiasm. I would be candid though, and point out that the cabin may be a bit noisy for some, and anyone who intends to do a lot of aggressive driving will probably see high oil temperatures and, maybe, have brake issues. However, I would be quick to point out that all of these issues, should they even arise, can be easily and affordably addressed.

Half the noise due to the noisy stock tires. I just changed out the worn out stock tires with the Continental ExtremeContact DWS. The DWS tires are cheaper, much smoother & quieter than the stock tires. Now I enjoy my Z much more.

I just folded the rear seats down in my Mustang because I wanted more noise. :D

:gtfo2: