Why is Lexus so loud inside the cabin?
02-10-15, 11:21 PM
#1
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
Why is Lexus so loud inside the cabin?
In pursuit of quiet vehicle one would obviously pick a luxury brand. I naturally gravitated towards Lexus. In the several months I've owned the 2009 RX 350 I've come to realize this isn't such a quiet vehicle. Want to see? Using this meter
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kr.sira.sound
I registered 38-40 db at idle on a quiet night in a residential neighborhood at my friends house.
Out of curiosity using the same meter I took a reading of my friends Ford F250 diesel at idle. Wait for it...............
45db. A 5 db difference at eye level. Both of us were shocked.
Going down the freeway the meter bounces around 75+-3. Near my knees it's closer to 80! By the window on the driver side 76 db.
Folks I can't tell you how aggravating this is as I just put a 4k sound system in there and it's having to fight the natural environment of a supposedly "Luxury" ride.
So out of curiosity could you do me a HUGE favor and see what tour vehicle is at idle with the above app. You can delete it once your done.
I guess I'll be doing a triple layer sound deadening in the future.
Thanks for the read.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kr.sira.sound
I registered 38-40 db at idle on a quiet night in a residential neighborhood at my friends house.
Out of curiosity using the same meter I took a reading of my friends Ford F250 diesel at idle. Wait for it...............
45db. A 5 db difference at eye level. Both of us were shocked.
Going down the freeway the meter bounces around 75+-3. Near my knees it's closer to 80! By the window on the driver side 76 db.
Folks I can't tell you how aggravating this is as I just put a 4k sound system in there and it's having to fight the natural environment of a supposedly "Luxury" ride.
So out of curiosity could you do me a HUGE favor and see what tour vehicle is at idle with the above app. You can delete it once your done.
I guess I'll be doing a triple layer sound deadening in the future.
Thanks for the read.
02-10-15, 11:46 PM
#3
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
Obviously you have no idea what "dB" means or how it measures.. FYI, every 3 Db is twice as loud says the person who likes to state numbers.. So if the discrepancy is 5 BD, thats almost 4 times as loud.. (Please understand how sound is measure before you Blanket statements of how Loud something is...)
I'm sitting in my friends truck right now and I can emphatically tell you it's NOT four times louder than my Lexus. Think before you write.
02-10-15, 11:56 PM
#4
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.DanielBach.FrequenSee
I'm attempting to nail it down. But it doesn't have a "freeze" frame so I'll have to have my wife take a pic while on the road.
02-11-15, 12:00 AM
#5
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
A cool site.....not sure how accurate it is. Sound like it's in the ball park.
http://www.auto-decibel-db.com
and look who should come out on top!(Not the RX 350) but a Lexus anyway....
http://elevatingsound.com/the-price-of-quiet-driving/
http://www.auto-decibel-db.com
and look who should come out on top!(Not the RX 350) but a Lexus anyway....
http://elevatingsound.com/the-price-of-quiet-driving/
Last edited by rxonmymind; 02-11-15 at 03:47 AM.
02-11-15, 06:39 AM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by rxonmymind
Want to see?
First, how old are your tires, and what kind of shape are your tires in? Most tires typically roll quietest, with the least amount of road noise, when they are brand-new, increasing very gradually in noise level as the tread blocks wear (sometimes unevenly) and the rubber itself ages with cracks and dryness. Second, have any of the roads you usually drive on been repaved since you bought the vehicle? More and more roads these days, for safety reasons, are getting porous anti-skid surfaces on them, and, compared to older smoother types of paving, that tends to significantly increase road noise, no matter what the age or condition of the tires. Third, your vehicle is going on six years old now, and the rubber weather seals around the doors and windows, which also play an important part of keeping out wind noise, probably aren't in new condition either, unless you have just replaced them. They may not be forming perfect seals any longer. Fourth, we're in the dead of winter, even though Sacramento, where you live, is not known for severe winters. Still, all else equal, as temperature drops, rubber seals and tires get less pliable, less able to form tight seals, and more likely to transfer road and wind noise into the cabin.
My strong guess is that your vehicle is being affected by at least some of these factors, and possibly (?) all of them. And another guess is that, all else equal, you will notice a slightly quieter vehicle come warmer temperatures in a few months.
Last edited by mmarshall; 02-11-15 at 06:55 AM.
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02-11-15, 07:24 AM
#9
02-11-15, 07:44 AM
#10
I was referring to the 04-06 RX330 vs 07-09 RX350 since the OP has the latter version. Lexus 'upgraded' the insulation in the 350 so it should provide quieter ride. I haven't been in the older RX330, but even the current 2010+ is not that insulated for a $50k vehicle. Hopefully the 4RX fixes this since I'm in line for one. 
02-11-15, 08:10 AM
#11
02-11-15, 08:39 AM
#12
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
I've got several possibilities for this.
First, how old are your tires, and what kind of shape are your tires in? Most tires typically roll quietest, with the least amount of road noise, when they are brand-new, increasing very gradually in noise level as the tread blocks wear (sometimes unevenly) and the rubber itself ages with cracks and dryness. Second, have any of the roads you usually drive on been repaved since you bought the vehicle? More and more roads these days, for safety reasons, are getting porous anti-skid surfaces on them, and, compared to older smoother types of paving, that tends to significantly increase road noise, no matter what the age or condition of the tires. Third, your vehicle is going on six years old now, and the rubber weather seals around the doors and windows, which also play an important part of keeping out wind noise, probably aren't in new condition either, unless you have just replaced them. They may not be forming perfect seals any longer. Fourth, we're in the dead of winter, even though Sacramento, where you live, is not known for severe winters. Still, all else equal, as temperature drops, rubber seals and tires get less pliable, less able to form tight seals, and more likely to transfer road and wind noise into the cabin.
My strong guess is that your vehicle is being affected by at least some of these factors, and possibly (?) all of them. And another guess is that, all else equal, you will notice a slightly quieter vehicle come warmer temperatures in a few months.
First, how old are your tires, and what kind of shape are your tires in? Most tires typically roll quietest, with the least amount of road noise, when they are brand-new, increasing very gradually in noise level as the tread blocks wear (sometimes unevenly) and the rubber itself ages with cracks and dryness. Second, have any of the roads you usually drive on been repaved since you bought the vehicle? More and more roads these days, for safety reasons, are getting porous anti-skid surfaces on them, and, compared to older smoother types of paving, that tends to significantly increase road noise, no matter what the age or condition of the tires. Third, your vehicle is going on six years old now, and the rubber weather seals around the doors and windows, which also play an important part of keeping out wind noise, probably aren't in new condition either, unless you have just replaced them. They may not be forming perfect seals any longer. Fourth, we're in the dead of winter, even though Sacramento, where you live, is not known for severe winters. Still, all else equal, as temperature drops, rubber seals and tires get less pliable, less able to form tight seals, and more likely to transfer road and wind noise into the cabin.
My strong guess is that your vehicle is being affected by at least some of these factors, and possibly (?) all of them. And another guess is that, all else equal, you will notice a slightly quieter vehicle come warmer temperatures in a few months.
) are fairly new. As for the seals I see no undue wear such as cracking, peeling or shrinkage. But I do think a quieter brand of tires could have perhaps been chosen. All your points are well taken while on the freeway. It's the "echo" within the cabin/ cargo area and floor from the fronts seats that emit the loudest noise. Once going over a 25 yard section of patched concrete highway which at 75 is fairly quick my ears picked up on the buzz saw like noise coming from the passenger floor as I went over it. When my eyes direct me to a sound either it's LOUD or unique enough to warrant a look. Took this meter over that same spot last night and it registered/spiked @ 90 DB. To ME that's loud. Like the sound "blew" through the floor. Unacceptable and it will be addressed.
Anyway how about my friends F250. 45 db at idle! Amazing.
Again thanks for contributing.
02-11-15, 08:44 AM
#14
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
No complaints on smoothness. But to take an actual reading was something else that sort of dispels those rumors. Perhaps having been in a quiet vehicle my ears have become in tune to it's louder aspects and maybe it IS still a quiet vehicle. Mind games?