Do you have 17" or 18" rims? I have 18 " acoustic rims too but I do not think it helps that much. I am definitly downdgrading to 215/55/17 tire/wheel combo. . I may even go further and put on 225/60/16 inches.I did the calculations and odometer versus actual speed is the same. That combo would give me exactly 1 more inch of side wall thickness over 18" rims. I am sure that would feel like the super plush gliding feeling from the early lexus. I just have to find out if 16"s clear the brake calipers or not. I am trying to come up with the most comfortable driving vehicle for long term usage..I know that Michelin makes 225/60/16 defender tires which is the standart factory recommended brand.
My 2006 LS 430 was absolutely a vault. I can not say the same thing for the ES line. I also think A4 being quiter than ES is crazy too. We should be comparing it with A6 at least. How much wind noise do you hear around 70Mph? Does it bother you?

 

The acoustic rims I believe are 18" and came with mine Luxury package, mine even has the acoustic front windshield and side glass. Changing entire tire and rim combos is a lot of work and may not even equate to a significantly quieter ride, there are too many factors involved. Suspension, road, sound deadening, body structure, etc. The factory recommended tires for me are ones made for economy so I would not go with the same tires again after these current OEM ones. I read somewhere that the ES was too quiet and they had to add some sound in, which is nonsense. At 70mph, on crappy highways, there's plenty of road/tire noise, little wind noise. On smooth or well maintained highway, it is equal to the A4 from what I can tell and very calm, but keep in mind the A4 is exceptionally quiet for what it is. The A6 I test drove felt slightly quieter than that, most likely due to it's larger and longer wheelbase.

 

Here is my dilemma, I was driving a Hyundai sonata 2.4 liter 4-cylinder with no acoustic windshields, windows, no acoustic rims and I was still reading 71 decibels on a highway on 70 mph. Now I have an ES 350 ultra luxury with 18 in rims and I still read 71 decibels on the very same highway. There is definitely something wrong with this calculation in my opinion. Hyundai sonata hat 170,000 mi and my Lexus has 50,000 miles. I also agree with you that the Lexus IS quite enough on a perfect pavement but what is the percentage of perfect payments we have? I also hear significant amount of wind noise as well like yourself.

 

I have some knowledge on this as I've studied it closely before. Basically unless you're an engineer with qualified & calibrated instruments and have super tight set of controls, it's moot and pointless to compare two different cars using a phone app.

Way too many variables to account for as well. The big one being tires. You bought a 3-4 year old car which means that rubber has ben drying out and wearing out. Throw a brand new set of tires on then come back.

Also the ES will be fairly quiet but I think too many people expect too much out of this car in terms of quietness due to Lexus's reputation. Today, all manufacturers have pretty much figured out how to make a quiet car using super computers. So all cars are pretty much as quiet as eachother. Back in the day certain companies stood out and racked up reputations. So today it's rare for a standout. There's really only two production cars today that stand out in terms of quietness. Hint: none of them come from Japan.

 

Is one of those a Rolls Royce
Yea I figured out early that it's too much work to try and quiet down the car. I just turn up the volume with a good playlist and just go

 

Nope, but both are SUVs! LOL

 

Hmm the only other ones I can think of are perhaps the Bentley Bentayga and RR Cullinan.

 

My 2019 ES doesn't do that.

 

I used app called "Sound Meter" driving @ about 70MPH I got average reading of 61dB.
2021 300h under 2K miles. Not a Luxury or UL.

 

What??? I have the same app and I am reading 70-71. 60-65 db is an office space type environment according to a web search. I would love to try your car on a highway. I assume you have 215/55/17 tires right? what brand are they? 61 db is insanely quite...

 

BTW, I have a loaner now which is a ES 250, Not a hybrid though. I will measure her up tomorrow. I wonder is hybrids have even more insulation that 350s? A famous youtuber savagegeese test drove both 350 and the hybrid and he confirms that hybrid is quieter. I was not expecting 10 db difference. i think that is double the amount of noise.

 

please delete

 

235/45/18 inflated at 34psi

 

I am going back to my dealer tomorrow. I will drive a hybrid myself and test it. I may give back my 350 ul if that is the case. I do 40k per year driving. I want the quietest car..

 

Please check this:

https://www.rrg-group.com/blog/the-n...-higher-level/

https://www.wapcar.my/news/ratings-t...electric-26832