Cabin noise

Xander117 · 03-30-2011, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ocfoilist

I'm afraid I don't really understand the logic that this kind of ambient noise is a positive thing and that people shouldn't be interested in sound dampening their Z's. While I agree that the sound of a beautiful engine or an aggressive exhaust can be pleasant to hear, I don't think the majority of Z owners relish the sound of tires slapping the pavement. To me, tire roar is an unpleasant sound that makes it hard to have a conversation in the car or listen to music and after a 6 hour road trip, it can get pretty irritating. And let's be honest, it's not rocket science to make a quieter cabin environment.

To that end, it isn't particularly difficult to install sound dampening material, nor does it add an excessive amount of weight to the car. Adding Dynamat to the cargo area, floor and doors added a whopping 30 lbs to my 3,200 lb vehicle. Adding my weight pushes it up to almost 3,400 lbs and I can't see how 30 lbs is going to make any significant difference to the performance. I track my Z fairly regularly and I had it on the track both before and after the dampening. I felt absolutely no difference and would be very surprised to find any objective research that shows 30 lbs. slowing the car down enough to feel.

I also don't think that putting a bit of sound dampening material takes away from the "sports car" feel of the Z. I intentionally did not dampen the firewall and so I can still hear the engine, which is nice. Although the dampening did not eliminate the road noise, it did help to reduce it. It's a shame that Nissan chose not to add ANY dampening material to the vehicle. Regardless of a person's individual tolerance to this kind of noise, the road roar clearly irritates a large segment of the Z community. Given a choice between a 370 with no dampening and lots of road noise and a Z that is 30 lbs or so heavier but has less tire roar, I'll take the second option any day. I can't hear the road noise on the track, but my Z is also my daily driver and that accounts for far more time in the driver's seat.

I think a lot of people are lost in the fact of what a true sports car is. I dont think most view it has a positive thing, but something that comes along with a vehicle in this realm.In the sports car realm a mere "30lbs" is a lot when you are trying to shave wieght everywhere you can. Power to wieght is what we are talking about 30-50 lbs could be a 5-6 horsepower loss. I know you are going to laugh at 5-6 horsepower but hey you buy this type of car to squeeze everything you can out of it. In terms of horsepower, everything is about wieght.

It amazes me that people buy these cars and expecting for the money (in truth these are cheap sports cars) they pay to get everything in one package. There is an infiniti that boasts much of what you are looking for with the same engine and a back seat. Which seems a much more practical option for many of the complaints Ive seen an read about. I mean look at the Ferrari F40 (I am in no way comparing our car to it in any other way than it was also a production car), for the money you paid you know what you got? A/C.... No door handles, no carpet, no stereo *it did have an oil cooler

" I dont know of any car designer who was designing a car built for speed and handling that would throw "cabin noise" high on the concern list.

I think you have to remember who a lot of your audience is here. Though there are some daily driver stock guys here, a lot of people here bought these cars to see what they could get out of them. A fun afforadable most bang for your buck sports car. So when you say people seem to think road noise is a positive issue, they arent they view it as an acceptable issue. I mean this isnt a personal attack, more of a defense of the people who dont mind the road noise. You said it yourself its easy to add, so if it bothers someone so much that they are having buyers remorse maybe a little more research or a few more test drives should of been on the menu.

My 2 cents, opinions are like @55holes, and all that jazz....

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
In Cabin Air Filter?	caneman88	Exterior & Interior	13	08-11-2012 10:50 AM
Cabin & Clutch Noise	Hugoneus	Engine & Drivetrain	5	03-21-2010 07:16 AM
Cabin Filter	polarity	Nissan 370Z General Discussions	11	11-10-2009 11:24 PM
Cayman has cabin noise also	Supremo	Nissan 370Z General Discussions	19	10-27-2009 07:38 AM
Cabin air filter	av370	Nissan 370Z General Discussions	3	07-17-2009 08:29 PM