Road noise
 

WHITE WOLF This is exactly my experience.. I now love the car but did not notice the road noise during the test drives because I was too focused on other things..When I went on a trip with my wife for the first time I noticed it and it was horrible.. the roads here have a rough surface for driving during snow and ice and it was LOUD.I really thought I had made a terrible mistake. I had the car dynamatted and it has made a difference. My Z is good now but still I am going to go one step further and get the Conti Extremes at some point probably next year to take the car from "very good" to "excellent beyond all expectations!" because to me the less the road noise the better.


I dont think there is anything different about the 2011..The noise may not bother you or maybe the roads in your area are not so noisy..but if it becomes a problem its easy to correct. Its no different from those that buy a car and then add a better sound system.. its just a way of making the car more to your exact liking.

Go ahead and buy it!!

One other thing.. I notice you live in Hawaii.. are the roads there built with a rough surface to cope with snow and ice??:)

If you think changing the stock tires to another summer tire brand will cause a dramatic change in road noise, you're fooling yourself. The difference will be minimal at best. The only time you get a big variation in tire noise levels is when you go from something like mud tires to more conservative all-seasons.

Better would be to Dynamat more aggressively. If you only did the rear hatch area, go for the doors. If that's done and your'e not happy still, Dynamat the floor. Last option is the roof. And now you'll have yourself a 4,000lb sports car.

Holy crap, ANOTHER cabin noise thread?!?!
Oh wait... it's still the same one.

hey you guys with noise issues should consult 90ST how he did his entire floorboard with dynamat. he's an audio guru here taking things from the traditional acoustic side. :)

big's the other audio guru taking things from the electronics side.

hey luna you should link your thread about nissan engineers prioritizing things. :D

I disagree. Certain summer tires, like the Bridgestones, are well known to be a very noisy tire.

Also, Dynamat is not meant to be sound-deadening material. Its sole purpose is to add mass to whatever it is applied to, making it heavier and therefore less prone to rattling or vibration from acoustics. IMO, you can find better material to use.

RE050s are pretty noisy but they aren't THAT noisy until about 50% worn...then it roaarrs like a frikken 4x4 with off-road tires. :D

as for dynamat there is noticable noise reduction just doing the trunk. the trunk floor is pretty flimsy in some areas. i speak from experience. it's quite more tame now, not that road noise was ever bugging me. i wanted to reduce the low frequency resonance for a clear bass note off my stereo without using subs, etc.

Despite any evidence to the contrary, Dynamat alone proved delightfully effective in reducing all types of noise, good bang for the buck.

According to a Dynamat promo, dynamat does reduce sound but not by adding mass but by changing sound energy into heat .. The amount of heat is very small but this is how Dyamat is able to quiet sound with a very lightweight product.. I bet you could do the entire car with less than one hundred pounds of Dynamat..

I am torn between DWs and DWS's.. any thoughts? I was concerned the tread of the "S" would be a problem...Also did you notice any change in performance?

I have honestly never found the road noise issue to be too big of an annoyance..

Ya, 30 lbs is really going to slow down a 3000 lb + car.:icon17:

Guard Dad,

Thanks for all your excellent info on quieting this beast down. Why live with annoying levels of noise unless you only care about performance? Your posts have been very helpful in helping me to decide what methods to use.

I'll let everyone know how mine turns out.

pbs370z

I'm glad that my posts have been of benefit. Please feel free to PM me with your results or questions.

If you're in a state that gets some snow and plan to drive it in the winter time, get the DWS. For more snowy states, get a dedicated set of snow rims and tires.

The noise is significantly less with the DWS. Performance wise they've been really good so far for street driving and I don't drive hard enough to really miss a summer tire.

With damplifier pro and luxury liner pro from second skin in the trunk/doors and these new tires, the road noise isn't even a problem. All I really hear now is my exhaust.

I'm trying to figure out why it doesn't bother you. Little hard a hearin' are ya? Maybe a few too many rock concerts in your youth, eh? :icon17: