too much road noise

[springswood]

It's a little complicated. Yes 3dB is roughly twice the acoustic power (10 to the power 0.3 = 2). To be a bit geeky the logarithmic decibel scale is used because your hearing also works logarithmicaly. If you test it 3 dB is about the smallest reduction in loudness a person can notice.

[dg]

in my case it turned out to be rear hub, jazz is quiet again
not sure how me and MOT missed this before..

[David_B]

I am getting some noise and vibration from my vehicle. It freaks me out as I wonder if its an issue with the car or if its just a normal NVH issue related to the design.

Sometimes I hear random sounds coming from the car.

[Jocko]

Sometimes I hear random sounds coming from the car.

Turn the radio up. The Jazz is not a quiet car, especially the earlier ones. Most of the noise appears to come from tyre noise. I once had a car and on a long trip I thought the bearings were going. I was in two minds whether to turn back. I didn't, and 50,000 miles later I finally parted with it!

[springswood]

You'll know it's road noise if it changes with the road surface. On some motorways mine would be quiet enough on smooth bits but pretty loud on rougher tarmac. Like I said much better with  the rubber washer mod.

I'm a reluctant DIY mechanic but may have to take the door cards off to sort out sticky windows. (I tried cleaning and lubricating the channels but they still won't close sometimes.) Anyway if/when I do I think some sound deadening is going in while I'm at it.

[Jocko]

Have you ever noticed how much quieter a car is coming back with an MOT pass than it was driving to the MOT station?

[culzean]

A massive amount of noise in a car is due to tyres. My brother had a Civic and loved it but too much road noise so he traded it in for a Ford Kuga, he has been a passenger in my Civic and remarked how quiet it is.  Turns out his Civic had Pirelli tyres, same as original factory fitted tyres on my first 6th gen Civic and the noise was horrendous, I Changed those tyres for Michelin and thought I had gone deaf, my present Civic has Avon ZV7 tyres and is really quiet.  I have seen many car reviews in magazines refer to lots of road noise and this is bound to put potential car buyers off -why any car maker would fit noisy tyres as original equipment is beyond me.

My wife's mk2 Jazz with 15" wheels and 175/65R15 Avon ZT5 tyres is much quieter than with the 16" rims and 185/55R16 Bridgestone tyres it had before, and rides a lot better.

It is a lot quicker to get new tyres than fit sound deadening.

[Jocko]

I had gone deaf

I am currently going deaf (actually have a doctor's appointment this afternoon). My good ear (better ear) is now playing up, and some mornings the car is virtually silent. The other morning I commented to my wife that it was like driving a Rolls Royce. She said she wished it was!

[springswood]

I've used hearing aids for years. Actually took them out on the motorway when I first got my Jazz because the noise was so wearing. Don't need to anymore.

[MartinJG]

A massive amount of noise in a car is due to tyres. My brother had a Civic and loved it but too much road noise so he traded it in for a Ford Kuga, he has been a passenger in my Civic and remarked how quiet it is.  Turns out his Civic had Pirelli tyres, same as original factory fitted tyres on my first 6th gen Civic and the noise was horrendous, I Changed those tyres for Michelin and thought I had gone deaf, my present Civic has Avon ZV7 tyres and is really quiet.  I have seen many car reviews in magazines refer to lots of road noise and this is bound to put potential car buyers off -why any car maker would fit noisy tyres as original equipment is beyond me.

My wife's mk2 Jazz with 15" wheels and 175/65R15 Avon ZT5 tyres is much quieter than with the 16" rims and 185/55R16 Bridgestone tyres it had before, and rides a lot better.

It is a lot quicker to get new tyres than fit sound deadening.

Out of interest, do you have 16'' or 17'' wheels on your Civic? At some point, I will obviously have to replace the tyres on my Jazz (Dunlop) and I have pencilled in Toyo Proxes which I have used before but 'quiet' is high on the list now.  Really not a fan of these silly low profile tyres. Just does not make sense on our roads.

[Jocko]

Being referred to Audiology!

[culzean]

A massive amount of noise in a car is due to tyres. My brother had a Civic and loved it but too much road noise so he traded it in for a Ford Kuga, he has been a passenger in my Civic and remarked how quiet it is.  Turns out his Civic had Pirelli tyres, same as original factory fitted tyres on my first 6th gen Civic and the noise was horrendous, I Changed those tyres for Michelin and thought I had gone deaf, my present Civic has Avon ZV7 tyres and is really quiet.  I have seen many car reviews in magazines refer to lots of road noise and this is bound to put potential car buyers off -why any car maker would fit noisy tyres as original equipment is beyond me.

My wife's mk2 Jazz with 15" wheels and 175/65R15 Avon ZT5 tyres is much quieter than with the 16" rims and 185/55R16 Bridgestone tyres it had before, and rides a lot better.

It is a lot quicker to get new tyres than fit sound deadening.

Out of interest, do you have 16'' or 17'' wheels on your Civic? At some point, I will obviously have to replace the tyres on my Jazz (Dunlop) and I have pencilled in Toyo Proxes which I have used before but 'quiet' is high on the list now.  Really not a fan of these silly low profile tyres. Just does not make sense on our roads.

The Civic tyres are 205/55R16  Avon ZV7  my brother just got same tyres on his car and is very happy with them, especially at £59 each fitted.

[MartinJG]

A massive amount of noise in a car is due to tyres. My brother had a Civic and loved it but too much road noise so he traded it in for a Ford Kuga, he has been a passenger in my Civic and remarked how quiet it is.  Turns out his Civic had Pirelli tyres, same as original factory fitted tyres on my first 6th gen Civic and the noise was horrendous, I Changed those tyres for Michelin and thought I had gone deaf, my present Civic has Avon ZV7 tyres and is really quiet.  I have seen many car reviews in magazines refer to lots of road noise and this is bound to put potential car buyers off -why any car maker would fit noisy tyres as original equipment is beyond me.

My wife's mk2 Jazz with 15" wheels and 175/65R15 Avon ZT5 tyres is much quieter than with the 16" rims and 185/55R16 Bridgestone tyres it had before, and rides a lot better.

It is a lot quicker to get new tyres than fit sound deadening.

Out of interest, do you have 16'' or 17'' wheels on your Civic? At some point, I will obviously have to replace the tyres on my Jazz (Dunlop) and I have pencilled in Toyo Proxes which I have used before but 'quiet' is high on the list now.  Really not a fan of these silly low profile tyres. Just does not make sense on our roads.

The Civic tyres are 205/55R16  Avon ZV7  my brother just got same tyres on his car and is very happy with them, especially at £59 each fitted.

Had a look at them online. They seem to be well rated. I know Avon were popular with motorcyclists many years ago. Lost touch now. I had a set of Avon ZZ3 (I think) @15 years ago with the distinctive directional tread. They were great to start with but became noisy and feathered quite badly over a relatively short time and had a tendency to tramline and 'thump' on rough roads which is why I switched to Toyo. Turns out there was a well known design fault at that time with a tendency, in some cases, to lose shape. I know they fixed this in later tyres. It amazes me how these things can slip through development and testing after years of experience. I will see if I can have a shufty at a local tyre fitter though I suspect Avon will not be a standard stock item in most outlets. Thanks.

[culzean]

ATS Euromaster stock Avons but ZV7 do not come in Jazz 185/55R16 or 175/65R15 sizes IIRC they will be ZT5 or ZV5

[sparky Paul]

in my case it turned out to be rear hub, jazz is quiet again
not sure how me and MOT missed this before..

The rear hubs are a major source of noise problems on the Jazz, and it's one of those things that creeps up on you without you noticing. Fortunately, it's an easy job.

They can be howling, and still not be picked up on the MOT. If there's no play, which there very rarely is, and it doesn't growl when spun with no weight on them, MOT tester is happy.