greyRX

Been driving our (new to us) CPO 2010 RX touring sport for almost 2 months now and the road noise is starting to take its toll on our enjoyment of the car. The car came with new Michelin Latitude Touring tires, pressure reset at 31.5 pounds. Still, lots of road noise emanating mostly from the cargo area.

I'm now thinking of ordering some Dynamat or B-Quiet sound deadening products and installing it in the cargo area and up around wheel wells.

I've searched this site endlessly and found little detailed info about this install process ..except that it's been done with success.

Can someone here please direct me to some links for:
Amount needed to do the entire cargo floor including wheel wells (how much product to buy (approx. square footage of the area))?
And some videos or pics of the carpet removal and mat install process would also be really helpful ..thanks.

garygve

I would try some different tires and see if its any better you might be chasing tire noise.

UCSB

I have the Dunlops on my 450h. I have noticed that the noise level can really increase on some road surfaces. Thankfully, my normal roads are quiet in the town where I live. But, I have driven on some stretches of road surface (usually concrete) that have been very noisy. I have wondered what I would do if I had to drive on those roads every day. Tires are your first line of defense against road noise.

I own a trim removal kit that I picked up on Amazon.com and have used it to remove a few trim pieces. They all were very easy to take off and put back on. But, I have not worked in the area of the car you want to take apart. Perhaps for a project of that size, you might want to pick up a service manual if it covers removing the trim panels. There may be some photos and instructions here in the forum; I think I've seen some where the trim has been removed on either size of the cargo area ... you might keep looking.

kitlz

UCSB, you're probably thinking about this thread from MEP7557. He installed megamat to improve the stereo system, basically taking most of the panels and seats out. I don't think he removed the carpet though.

greyRX, it sounds like the tires are the problem. First thing to do is up the tire pressure to 33-34. They're too low. You mention the cargo area is the worst. It should only be panels to remove, no carpet. Start installing sound deadening material there and maybe do the doors. It should help. There's nothing you can really do about the wheel wells.

greyRX

Thanks for your thoughts and replies, folks...

Re-buying yet another set of new tires is out of the question ..that's an expensive experiment for me. When the dealer installed them I thought the Michelins were some of the most quiet available (as referenced on this forum even). From past experience, any tire will become noisy after wearing just 15k+ miles. And that is definitely something I don't want to keep changing on a regular basis. The tires originally came from the dealer at 36 pounds. When I dropped them to 31.5 pounds the ride got a lot smoother (but still not luxurious). So, I can't see where jacking them back up to 33~34 pounds will provide much relief without sacrificing the smoother ride quality for a tad more quietness -- is that a Catch 22 ?

Our car is a (Japanese-made, Canadian) Touring Sport and the suspension is rather stiff -- along with 19" low profile tires -- so it seems logical those factors will have a bearing on both the rougher ride and subsequent road noise.

So, I still think the proper route to take is to contain the noise within the rear cargo area with some quality sound deadening material.

After removing the rear cargo materials, etc, if I can cover the whole well including the spare tire area and the wheel humps, that may go a long way to helping with some noise abatement. If that lessens it, perhaps continuing with some deadening material under the rear seats could become part of the overall plan??

The front end of the car appears to be relatively quiet -- for this CUV there's little wind or traffic noise up front. Even for a 2010 the front doors glass had been laminated (upgraded) at the factory. Right now the extraneous noise is most pronounced either back over the our shoulders or by folks sitting in the back seats.

I've read where many owners have had good success with applying the sound abating materials (in various Lexus models) but now I need more details from someone here who has done it on an RX -- any generation will do.

So, my request is still out there: some pics of someone somewhere hereabouts who's done the rear sound deadening adventure, and what amount of material to order for this little project?

Appreciate the links and help..

Clutchless

I have installed sound deadener in several cars, including my CT200h. I recommend Raamat. It is great stuff and as a bonus, less expensive than most of the competition. http://www.raamaudio.com/

The Raam site helps you determine how much material you need.

It is not difficult to access most the area near the spare tire as the panels lift up and the tire is easily removed. After that you can decide if you want to remove the side panels to install more deadener. Remember to install some inside the tailgate as that is another source of noise. I find a lot of noise also comes in from the wheel wells above the tires. So if you remove the side panels, install several layers around and above the tire areas.

I also installed liquid spray or paint on sound deadener inside the outer wheel wells on my CT. You have to remove the fender liner first.
I have not thought the RX was loud enough to warrant any sound deadening, and I have enough material laying around to deaden the vehicle.

greyRX

Some good tips there -- thanks.

I did go to their site but no specific info on the amount of material needed for the RX cargo well.
What made you decide to buy this product? Did you compare this product with Dynamat or B-Quiet or such?

I thought the RX would be quiet too, but now after owning it for a few months, my opinion has changed somewhat.

Clutchless

Just buy their package #1 for $159.00 and you will have enough. Or Use their vehicle fitment guide to determine how much you need. You will not find a category for the RX. It is general as to size.
Select SUV, hatchback etc, then for areas to cover select rear hatch, trunk floor and rear sides. That will provide more than enough material. Read their instructions and tips. Read them again. Get a box cutter with snap off blades so you can cut it into pieces to fit in the car. You often have to cut them up to fit the nooks and bends in a car. You will overlap many places, that is good, it provides more deadening. Then you can put their foam stuff on top for additional absorption.

Dynamat is way overpriced and no better. B-Quiet is reputable as a quality product, I may have used it many years ago in my Mazda. I have used Raamat for the last couple of cars and never had any problems with smell or it falling off. It is easy to work with and works well at deadening noise.
I have read good things about Second Skin Audio, but have no personal experience with it. http://store.secondskinaudio.com/damplifier/

Now that this thread has me going, I may line the hatch of my RX with it. I have about 20 pounds of it and the foam left over.

corradoMR2

I cut down on noise at the rear by doing two things.

1. Placed floor foam underlay (I had some black and white leftover from a home reno project) applied beneath the cargo floor, including wrapping all tire/jack tools.

2. Inserted wall sound proof insulation (again from leftover home project) behind the cargo side panels.

You can pick up both of these items for under $50 at your local Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Needless to say, not only did I notice the difference from the driver's position, but my wife in the passenger and kids even more so did notice seated at the rear.


Pics attached - hope this helps or inspires you.

TorontoRX

The RX is a very quiet car and has been reviewed and commented extensively as such, among other things.

You mentioned that you have low profile tires. Did that come like that from the dealer when you got it as a CPO? That is definitely it. Maybe you can return it to your dealer, complain about the noise of the car and have them swap out tires (at least to see if that resolves the issue) for you so you don't have to pay. It's worth an ask, I think.

My first RX was also a CPO 2010 and we absolutely loved that one. The only draw back for me was the premium gas requirement so we upgraded to a new 2013 with the (almost) exact Ultra Premium II options. Loving that one too. Both never had road noise issues.

Remember that your satisfaction is part of the Lexus ownership experience and you paid good $$ for a CPO Lexus. Good luck with this and do keep us updated.

RickC5

Road noise can be really obnoxious, and every individual has a differing level of irritation. What's quiet to one person can be perceived as very noisy to another. Hence a need for some people to want to make their vehicle quieter. I understand this perfectly.

We owned several Honda vehicles, and (trust me on this) Honda makes REALLY noisy cars & trucks. I spent several hundred dollars on Dynamat, and many, many hours ripping apart Hondas to try & quiet them down. For the most part, I was successful, but I did have one major fail--a 2010 Honda Ridgeline, which remained horribly noisy, even after a bunch of Dynamat.

Anyway, since the RX's "trunk" is exposed/open to the passenger compartment, any rumbling/road noises from the entire rear of the truck can be heard by the passengers, especially noise coming from the rear wheel wells. I would say start by pulling up the carpet and all the storage compartments and gluing down the noise suppressor(s) of your choice on all exposed sheet metal, like the spare tire well, etc. As has been suggested, adding some under-carpet foam as additional insulation may help too, but I haven't tried that. Pulling off the side panels will give you better access to the wheel wells, but may be more challenge than you want.

I don't want to debate the effectiveness of one product vs. another, nor debate the cost of materials. I can only say that I achieved great results with Dynamat and would use it again in a heartbeat. Some car stereo shops sell Dynamat in bulk--off a big roll--which may save you some money. They can also do the install for you.

The noise level of our 2010 RX with 18" wheels & Pirelli tires is acceptable to us, but our RX is definitely NOT as quiet as our 2008 ES350, nor our 2008 GX470 were. No Dynamat used on either of those.

Good luck, and let us know the results of your efforts, as I'm sure curious.

greyRX

Excellent post -- thanks. Hadn't thought about using carpet underlayment (although the stuff you used I haven't seen before -- usually it's some sort of glue-together chip foam). What thickness does it appear to be? Yours must be similar to the Ensolite that noise abatement sites sell..

I noticed that you red-circled the side (speaker) area. How did you get that felt panel off -- on both sides of the trunk? Did you have to remove all that surrounding hard trim to do it?

greyRX

Big bucks indeed

Yes, the tires came new as part of the CPO prep (along with new brakes, maintenance, etc) -- it was returned to OEM specs. And no .. I queried the salesguy at the time of purchase about substituting other tires and they wouldn't go for it as it would not be accepted by Lexus Canada.
Besides I was ok with such a venerable name as Michelin and had read up about the brand and model beforehand. The 19" tires are standard with this particular RX sport model, and I did agree to take the car based on what was available to us. As well, the unit was in pristine shape and drove well on the test drive. It's only after a couple weeks of driving that we determined our comfort level and our tolerance for roughness and noise. As for gas, we have now moved to using regular as it makes little difference in either performance or MPG. The dealership's service manager even suggested the change from premium.

greyRX

Sure. I have a hunch then that some sort of sound insulation in the cargo area will provide a good base for improvement over the current situation. If we see good results with the trunk then I may continue into the rear floor seat area if needed. As for doors ..meh, they seem to block out the outside noises ok and do close with a good rattleless thump.

RXinNJ

Did you check to make sure you have the upgraded (dual-pane) window glass? Some of the early 2010's did not have this; I believe there is a TSB for it.

Do you have crossbars on your roof rack? Some members have had luck reducing wind noise by removing them.