2005 Vibe road noise

[passinglane]

Has road noise insulation been improved on the 2005 Vibe? I noticed that Consumer Reports found the Toyota Corolla to be exceptionally quiet and I was wondering if there would be any correlation.

[nismo]

I have a 2004, but nonetheless, there is plenty of road noise. It doesn't get to me though cuz I got the system to keep my road noise out of the picture. I know it's not a good thing to do though. O well.Inder

[steves76]

I have the 05 and it is pretty quiet. Some engine and road noise but not as bad as my acura.

[ragingfish]

CR blows. They gripe abotu EVERYTHING.Reality is, road noise exists in EVERY car. Is there noise in the vibe? Yeah. Is it unbearable? Hardly. Turn up the radio, problem solved. Other factors affect road noise too: mainly, your tires. One tire can produce a lot more noise than another. Only way to know if you can deal with it is to take a test drive.

[jake75]

The dealer told me that at 11,500 miles my Conti tires were "cupped". Might be the alignment they said. These "cupped" tires produce a lot of road noise. I think I'll wait till I replace these tires before getting an alignment which may or may not be the problem. In buying tires I would like a comfortable ride, good traction and low noise as opposed to high treadwear mileage. Don't know what to buy.

[ColonelPanic]

Welcome, btw! As far as road noise goes, I think the Vibe is pretty quiet for a small car. Especially considering there is so much open space. I haven't been in a new Corolla, can't say what the difference is between the two. I find the Vibe is significantly more peaceful at highway speeds than the '98 Malibu I owned before this car. That car was just LOUD, and even the radio did little to cover up the noise. I once drove from CT down here in one day and I couldn't hear much by the time I got home. It hurt my ears... So, yes, I think the Vibe is great compared to that car!Raging's got a good point about some tires causing more road noise than others as well...In the end though, road noise is relative to the driver - we all have a different threshold of what we can or can't tolerate. Go drive it, and see what you think! Get it out on a stretch of concrete highway and see if it makes too much of a racket for ya.

[sylvainber]

i have an '04 vibe and it is on the noisy side when it comes to road noise. a good test is to put the radio on low volume, like you'd listen to the news. step out of the car, close the doors and windows and listen. i can hear the radio very clearly from the outside. the doors refer sound rather too well.i am thinking of upgrading the sound system in my vibe and will have the sound proofing liners installed in the doors when i do. they do cut down quite a bit on the road noise.a friend of mine has a nissan murano (mind you, i can buy 2 base vibes for one murano sl... ). her car is much quieter on the road, especially at 85 mph... my previous car was a ford 'expire' so i'm still way better off road noise wise compared to my leetle bucket (which i loved, btw ).

[Mavrik]

my 04 Vibe is very quiet... or my radio is to loud and I don't hear a thing otherwise lol.

[GMJAP]

Interesting; Consumer Guide finds the 2005 Corolla to be poor on noise: http://auto.consumerguide.com/...38247 I don't remember ever reading anything about upgrading noise insulation in the 2005. It's not as quiet as the wife's 04 Camry, but it's much quieter than my former ride, a 91 Geo Storm.I recall the general consensus on the Vibe's road noise is decent, though the engine gets raucus at high RPM.

[Mavrik]

Quote, originally posted by GMJAP »I recall the general consensus on the Vibe's road noise is decent, though the engine gets raucus at high RPM.Oh definatly if you got a CAI and or combined with Lift and exhaust

[Psychovibe]

We have an 05 GT. When building our car I had all the interior pannels out and driving it the noise was horrible, so I used undercoating and coated all the metal behind all the interior panels and it was like I put them back. Then when I put the interior panels back almost all the noise was gone. Just thought that if the noise was a problem then for less than $10 it can be much better

[hjwii]

THe 2005 is quiet enough. But sometimes I miss the noise of my TDI - it would drown out a good bit of the arguing from the children in the back seat. Now, I hear so much more hjwii

[E-Man]

Psychovibe,What type of spray on stuff did you use and where did you get it out. Any detail you could provide would be great.ThanksEd

[ragingfish]

Yeah, I'm intrigued too...I've had all the panels out at least once, so this would be a simple project, and while road noise isn't a complaint for me, I certainly wouldn't mind a quieter ride!What's the name of the stuff you used and where did you get it?

[boxed_in]

I had the dealer spray the road noise insulator underneath. The car is really quiet.

[Psychovibe]

I used Duplicolor Professional Undercoat Sound EliminatorI got it at the parts store for like $6Remove all the rear panels, floor and side, also the rear hatch cover. spray all the metal and let it dry. It can also be put inside the doors. This stuff is one of very few undercoats that will actually dry. Rubberized undercoat is still be sticky days later. It may take a couple of days to completely dry due to the weather, I did it in the rain and it was dry the next day. Stinks like hell, but does the job and the smell goes away in a day or so even with 2 coats.