[Oksana]

I recently bought a 2017 340i touring having come from an m235i. I can’t believe how much louder the road noise is in the cabin. I can’t completely track down where it’s coming from but seems to be a mixture of tyre noise and wind noise. Tyre noise all the time and wind noise when the speeds get up to motorway speed. The noise is to the extent I’m thinking the car might have to go ...having only picked it up yesterday!
It’s odd because my dad has a pre LCI 316 touring and I drive 330d at work (both these cars on 17” run flats) and I have never noticed excessive cabin noise in either of those.
My car is on 18” wheels with new Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres.
I have read loads of threads on tyre changes and sounds deadening etc but not found anything conclusive.
Can anyone suggest a way to significantly reduce the cabin noise?

And failing that, any advice on how to avoid taking a bath returning the car to the dealer. Trade in value vs what I paid for it is about £7k difference

[cfm56d7b]

How old are the tires? How many miles do they have at the moment?

[Oksana]

Brand new, done about 200 miles

[tardboi]

Is it just loud wind noise or higher pitched? There are generally fixes for the high pitched sounds.

[328iX]

The noise is that bad you'd return it? My car sounds very quiet even with roof bars and Federal SS595 which sound like all my bearings are out

I think you need a rolls

[Moupe]

Since the car is used, did you comb through the entire car to ensure all seals are present and not mis-aligned? Did you ensure the car was never in a wreck at some point? It should quiet in the cabin at motorway speeds with just the faintest bit of wind noise.

[Oksana]

Originally Posted by tardboi

Is it just loud wind noise or higher pitched? There are generally fixes for the high pitched sounds.

No it’s lower pitch frequency, the bulk of the noise sounds like tyre drone I think. Any fixes for that?

[Oksana]

Originally Posted by Moupe

Since the car is used, did you comb through the entire car to ensure all seals are present and not mis-aligned? Did you ensure the car was never in a wreck at some point? It should quiet in the cabin at motorway speeds with just the faintest bit of wind noise.

I’ve tried pressing the window into the seals while driving but there is no movement and makes no different in the sound. To be honest the bulk of the noise is tyre drone I think rather than wind noise. It’s hard to distinguish to be honest.

[Oksana]

Originally Posted by 328iX

The noise is that bad you'd return it? My car sounds very quiet even with roof bars and Federal SS595 which sound like all my bearings are out

I think you need a rolls

In comparison to what?
My decibel app on my phone makes the 340i 3.5-4db louder than the m235i.. so it’s more than twice as loud.
I have hyperacusis which is a medical condition which makes me more sensitive to noise and I now have pain and ringing in my ears from driving it for just two days. So yes, unless I can fix it quickly, it’s got to go. I just can’t believe it’s soo much louder than the 2 series, I was expecting it to be quieter!

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Oksana

In comparison to what?
My decibel app on my phone makes the 340i 3.5-4db louder than the m235i.. so it’s more than twice as loud.
I have hyperacusis which is a medical condition which makes me more sensitive to noise and I now have pain and ringing in my ears from driving it for just two days. So yes, unless I can fix it quickly, it’s got to go. I just can’t believe it’s soo much louder than the 2 series, I was expecting it to be quieter!

I'm wondering if part of the problem could be the fact you have moved from a coupe to the touring. Cabin space, bit more resonance or an echo chamber? If you are sensitive to noise, it may make it more noticed by yourself than most folks.

Maybe a quieter touring tyre? That's a bit of a gamble, as 'drive-by' noise levels don't always directly relate to cabin levels. Piped in exhaust track? Is that part of the problem?

[clemsonf31]

If you have the panoramic sunroof, is the headliner/shade closed or open? It is far louder in the cabin with the headliner open, even if the glass is completely closed

Max

[Aladinnu]

I recently boughta f30 320d and had the same problem with the noise. I previously had a e60 that was super quiet. What can i tell you is that i applyed silent mat on all 4 doors, roof, floor, trunk and hood. Its not top quality silent mat but i really did the job. At 60-70mph i put it in Neutral and i can t hear a thing. I also have brand new tyres 17 inch wheels. My advice if u want to have a silent car is to do all the above that i did. P.s. I allso did the area where the seat belt comes out, between front and back dors.I will soon do the weel weels to.

[Oksana]

Originally Posted by Aladinnu

I recently boughta f30 320d and had the same problem with the noise. I previously had a e60 that was super quiet. What can i tell you is that i applyed silent mat on all 4 doors, roof, floor, trunk and hood. Its not top quality silent mat but i really did the job. At 60-70mph i put it in Neutral and i can t hear a thing. I also have brand new tyres 17 inch wheels. My advice if u want to have a silent car is to do all the above that i did. P.s. I allso did the area where the seat belt comes out, between front and back dors.I will soon do the weel weels to.

That’s really interesting, thank you! So by the sounds of it you pulled the whole interior out to bare metal and then did the whole floor pan, roof, boot etc. Is that right?. And was the result night and day different?

We’re you on 17” when you first had the noise problem or have you swapped to them? I would rather not change my wheels if I can avoid it.

[Desertnate]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

I'm wondering if part of the problem could be the fact you have moved from a coupe to the touring. Cabin space, bit more resonance or an echo chamber?

I think this could be part of it. Whether in my previous hatchback or my current coupe, there was always more road noise when I dropped the seats and opened up the cabin area. There are less barriers to block/absorb noise.

I also wonder if it could be the tires. I loved PSs on my last car, but I had to admit they were a bit louder than AS tires I'd run on it in the past.

[Oksana]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

I'm wondering if part of the problem could be the fact you have moved from a coupe to the touring. Cabin space, bit more resonance or an echo chamber? If you are sensitive to noise, it may make it more noticed by yourself than most folks.

Maybe a quieter touring tyre? That's a bit of a gamble, as 'drive-by' noise levels don't always directly relate to cabin levels. Piped in exhaust track? Is that part of the problem?

Hmm yeah could be.

Re tyres, the car was on Bridgestone S100 run flats when I bought it. I took an average Db reading on the test drive. I then had the dealer swap them for Michelin PSS non run flats. I took a Db average on the same route when I picked the car up. Db reading with PSSs was 0.2db louder!! So while I have thought about swapping for Eagle F1s or similar, I’m not convinced it will make a noticeable difference??

[Aladinnu]

Originally Posted by Oksana

That’s really interesting, thank you! So by the sounds of it you pulled the whole interior out to bare metal and then did the whole floor pan, roof, boot etc. Is that right?. And was the result night and day different?

We’re you on 17” when you first had the noise problem or have you swapped to them? I would rather not change my wheels if I can avoid it.

Yes, almost all interior except dash. I had the 17" wheels before all the work and i can tell u i have no read noise. I have KF500 tyres and they are really quiet. The biggest change i noticed after i did the front doors+front floor+hood.

First thing i notice is the sound of door when they close , big diference. The second big change was after i did the b pillar that somehow changed the way woofer sound. I found out that the woofer enclosure resonates with the B pillar , there is a big hole in the lower part that allows lot of sound to go up the B pillar next to my ear.

I started all this because i didn t like the sound of engine in the cabin, now i barelly can hear it.

[deviantspeed]

Welcome to the world of wagons.

Touring cars let more noise in, especially "droning" noises. This is pretty much across all marques. Tires can help, body mats can help, but just accept it.

Enjoy the new ride!

[Oksana]

Originally Posted by Aladinnu

Yes, almost all interior except dash. I had the 17" wheels before all the work and i can tell u i have no read noise. I have KF500 tyres and they are really quiet. The biggest change i noticed after i did the front doors+front floor+hood.

First thing i notice is the sound of door when they close , big diference. The second big change was after i did the b pillar that somehow changed the way woofer sound. I found out that the woofer enclosure resonates with the B pillar , there is a big hole in the lower part that allows lot of sound to go up the B pillar next to my ear.

I started all this because i didn t like the sound of engine in the cabin, now i barelly can hear it.

What do you mean by the ‘woofer‘?? Are you talking about where the seatbelt is stowed?

You say you did yours because of the sound of the engine. Did you have significant tyre roar / road noise before you did the work or was it just the engine noise?
Sorry to be so demanding for details! Just trying to make sure we’re solving the same problem. I have no issues with engine noise, but a lot of tyre noise.

Thanks again!

[Oksana]

Originally Posted by deviantspeed

Welcome to the world of wagons.

Touring cars let more noise in, especially "droning" noises. This is pretty much across all marques. Tires can help, body mats can help, but just accept it.

Enjoy the new ride!

I test drove a b9 S4 estate and that was significantly quieter. As in night and day quieter than my f31. Wish I’d bought one now!🙈

[deviantspeed]

Originally Posted by Oksana

I test drove a b9 S4 estate and that was significantly quieter. As in night and day quieter than my f31. Wish I’d bought one now!🙈

It also doesn't have runflats.

My F30 with runflats had a bunch more noise over, say, an A4.


I think the reduction in MPG is really an increase in "insulation" on the audi, which increases weight.

[Oksana]

[QUOTE=deviantspeed;26630205]It also doesn't have runflats.

My F30 with runflats had a bunch more noise over, say, an A4. [/QUOTE]

My F31 is on non runflats and it’s just as loud as ever!🙈

[[B]QUOTE=deviantspeed;26630205] I think the reduction in MPG is really an increase in "insulation" on the audi, which increases weight.[/QUOTE]

Ha maybe!!

[Aladinnu]

Originally Posted by Oksana

What do you mean by the ‘woofer‘?? Are you talking about where the seatbelt is stowed?

You say you did yours because of the sound of the engine. Did you have significant tyre roar / road noise before you did the work or was it just the engine noise?
Sorry to be so demanding for details! Just trying to make sure we’re solving the same problem. I have no issues with engine noise, but a lot of tyre noise.

Thanks again!

The main reason i did the insulation was the engine noise, but the road noise is a lot lower now. If i put it in N at 60mph it feels like floating.... no noise.
And yes the you need to remove the belt cover pillar, the one on top and the one and bottom to. You will notice big hole down that goes straight in to the floor. You will also find a piece of foam insulation but it really doesn t do the job.