Anyone tried to reduce road noise on the Mazda3

[j z]

Has anyone been successful in reducing road noise? What worked and what didn't? Would like to find products that won't add lots of weight.

Thanks!

[Virgin1]

'Can't say that road noise has been that much of an issue for me, but others have insulted their door interiors and firewall better than the factory did. This is done mostly to enhance their sound system(s) which is of little consequence to me personally.
Someone even suggested using spray foam in the wheel wells which sounds a bit extreme IMO.
If you are still running the BadYears, they are quite noisy. A change of tires will probably help also. Mine improved, slightly, with the Falkens that I am now running.

[x5918]

Mazda3 hatchback is fairly quiet ride, compared to Honda Civic Ex -99 that I have. The road noise in the civic is really pronounced. Just add more mats & foam, would be my suggestion. Make sure engine mounting pads are ok. Some unlucky rides comes with the 55 mph vibration.

Mazda3 TSB "Body Vibration at Cruise Speed"
http://www.finishlineperformance.com/mazda...tins_index.html

Wanna add some noise? Try the Hella Twin Supertone Horn Kit. These 5 inch disc type horns will actually fit above the radiator on Mazda3 hatchback 2005 model. Tip: solder a 18 gauge tap wire directly onto the horn relay pin 31, then attach thick 14 gauge speaker wire to the tap wire, to feed these monsters. Simply replacing the relay with a new spare part will undo the mod. Fuse: 25 amps. I left the original horn in place, to add a bit extra timbre. Now 3 horns to play with.
http://www.autobarn.net/twinsuphorki.html

[demosthenes]

I really like my Mazda3, but I'd love it if I could to reduce road and engine noise.

I haven't tried anything yet, but I found this web site that looks very promising for obtaining materials that can help: http://www.secondskinaudio.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi. Check out the "3 Step Plan" link.

I think the biggest source of road noise is 17" tires contacting the road coupled with uninsulated or poorly insulated wheel wells. I can hear little rocks and pebbles hit the wheel wells and I can't hear them in other cars. So the question is should we insulate the inside of the wheel wells or the floors? Probably the floors.

And how about the door seals? I wonder how much noise gets past them.

Any ideas?

D.

[demosthenes]

I found a few links that might be helpful...

Here's one that talks about quieting a VW, but much of it applies to our cars:

http://stason.org/TULARC/vehicles/vw-perfo...nd-insulat.html

Here's one pitching a product that is supposed to quiet our cars: http://quietcar.net/

Here's another product line: http://www.b-quiet.com/index.html

D.

[demosthenes]

Here's a useful thread on this subject on another forum: http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=4148.0

Here's a relevant quote from that thread that appears to be from a tire dealer:

"My take on the road noise is that a good 80% of it is from the Goodyear RS-A tires on the hatches. They are hard tires and do a horrible job of dampening sound. I have sold the same tire on other cars and typically the road noise is the complaint I get from them."

I recommend you check out www.tirerack.com and look at their tests and user surveys. I'm seriously considering buying Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S or Pilot Exalto PE2. The latter is what Honda puts on their new Civic Si with the summer tire option. But it would cost $700-$800. There are cheaper alternatives. I might wait until my GSA's have worn down.

D.

[demosthenes]

Here's a great post by a brave and talented guy that significantly reduced the noise in his MZ3.

http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=40664.0

It includes lots of great pictures and details on how he did it.

D.

[cam.zin@verizon.net]

I had Rich's car tunes sound proof the car with dynamat which helped a lot! You can hear the pretty engine noise now in my Mazda 3 Grand touring. Also changed the tires to Versados and am selling my Smokin’ Yokohama S34D 205/50/17 on craig's list for 500. Direct tire has agreed to install them for free on the buyers car. Still have tire noise at high speeds on bad roads and I may do the wheel well as you said...

'Can't say that road noise has been that much of an issue for me, but others have insulted their door interiors and firewall better than the factory did. This is done mostly to enhance their sound system(s) which is of little consequence to me personally.
Someone even suggested using spray foam in the wheel wells which sounds a bit extreme IMO.
If you are still running the BadYears, they are quite noisy. A change of tires will probably help also. Mine improved, slightly, with the Falkens that I am now running.
[/b]

[seantrench@gmail.com]

You should get a new muffler..that reduces the noise a lot.