Interior cabin noise is loud!

Upholstery, floor mats, seats, window tint and anything inside the vehicle and not electronic
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Gohan77
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Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2015 6:33 pm

Interior cabin noise is loud!

Post by Gohan77 »

I have a 2009 AWD Vibe and I love it. My main complaint is that the cabin noise is horrendous and I can hear everything the car does, especially going over certain types of roads. Are other people experiencing loud cabin noise?
tpollauf
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Re: Interior cabin noise is loud!

Post by tpollauf »

Consider yourself a bit lucky with just 17" tires. Us 2009 Vibe GT owners have the lower profile 18" performance tires where you REALLY hear & feel every bump on the road. I jokingly say that's why we have the better sound system & sub woofer so that we can drown out all the road noise. On a serious note though, insulation just about everywhere will help the noise problem a bit. A time consuming job (seats, door panels, trim pieces, etc.) would need to be remover to properly apply any/all insulation.
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2009 Vibe GT (manual), 2009 G8Gt, 2009 Vibe GT (auto)
2014 Silverado, 2004 Vibe GT

"everything is modifiable"
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vibrologist
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Location: Iowa

Re: Interior cabin noise is loud!

Post by vibrologist »

Noise control is difficult and or expensive.
1. Tires: they can make a huge difference. I replaced the original Goodyear RSA's with Michelin Defender. These are know to be quiet, but pricey.
2. Sound deadening: that's different from insulation. You can use Dynamat or similar products that are mass loaded vinyl. These are also expensive and time consuming to install. There are brush-on/spray-on products that dampen the vibration of sheet metal. Same problem: expensive and time consuming. Or you could use "peel and seal" roofing material. This is metal foil backed rubber stuff, not asphalt. I used it and I have no odor issues from it.
3. Insulation: that would be fiber material that swallows up sound waves. You can stuff that under the plastic panels in the trunk area.
4. Use all of the above.

If you use all methods you can significantly improve on the noise issue. But don't expect vault like silence. The real quiet cars use rubber bushings on the sub frames that insulate the cabin from the road noise. Our sub frames are mounted metal to metal.
Vibrologist
'05 Vibe

"It is important to know the difference between 'accurate' and 'precise' even if you are neither!"

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beemerphile1
Posts: 505
Joined: Tue Jul 14, 2009 12:12 am
Location: NE Ohio

Re: Interior cabin noise is loud!

Post by beemerphile1 »

As much as I like my Vibe, I accept that it is a cheaply made economy car. A quiet cab is going to cost you a lot more money than the Vibe.
NE Ohio - home to the most successful Pontiac drag racing team in history - Bill Knafel's "Tin Indian" and also home to Summit Auto Racing.
2009 Vibe base 1.8L auto towing 2009 Aliner Sport hardsided pop-up
lannvouivre
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Location: Texas yay

Re: Interior cabin noise is loud!

Post by lannvouivre »

vibrologist wrote:The real quiet cars use rubber bushings on the sub frames that insulate the cabin from the road noise. Our sub frames are mounted metal to metal.
This is what makes the Vibes/Matrix/Corollas the best cars ever. ;)
"If you don't love me at my diddliest, you don't deserve me at my doodliest." - User ktluvscricket of reddit
cptnsolo77
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Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2007 4:05 am

Re: Interior cabin noise is loud!

Post by cptnsolo77 »

This is what I did :

- Sound deadened all doors.
- Pulled the carpet off to the side on the pass & driver side, put the largest peice of sound insulation that would fit without removing the carpet.
- Rear cargo hatch carpet is a must. Helps A LOT with all the road noise coming from the rear of the car.
- Quietest tires you can find.
- Doubled up on floor mats. Be very carefull with this one and make sure the diver side is with the SECURE with the hooks !!!! ( I got a lil flack with this one from members )
- Next is to remove the spare tire & use my scrap sound deadening for that area.

Everything I did REALLY helped but its not perfect. Its much quieter that stock but still noisey to me. You just have to accept that this car is just a economy car 8-)
* 2003 Vibe Auto Satellite Silver w / Moons & Tunes
* Kenwood Excelon KDC-X597
* Polk DB651-Speakers
* Soundproofcow Roadblock R sound deadening in all doors
* Drop In K & N Filter
* NGK Iridium IX Plugs
* 27 MPG City/Highway with AC on
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