How quiet is your LS interior?
#1
Pole Position
Thread Starter
How quiet is your LS interior?
Hi folks, all this talk about Shin Etsu grease and door seals and quiet rides drove me to measure sound levels in my car (2014 LS460L AWD) under three conditions: engine off, engine idling and car stationary, and car on highway at 78 mph. The measurements for each set of conditions were taken within a few seconds or minutes of each other. I repeated them a few times, and these values are typical. The phone was positioned near the gear shift lever. It's important to note that the highway readings were taken in a quiet stretch of well-maintained highway, and different road surfaces and tires will affect these values.
I first downloaded Decibel 10 and was very distressed that the app gave very high readings. I next downloaded db Meter, and its readings are more reassuring. I did not calibrate the apps. Now I don't know which one to believe! I tried a third app Decibel Meter, but it gave even higher readings which were clearly incorrect (~100 dB average on the road). I like to think my cabin is very quiet, so am inclined to believe the dB Meter. I welcome your thoughts and comments. Better yet, please post your readings
Engine Off - Decibel 10
Engine Off - dB Meter
Engine On (stationary) - Decibel 10
Engine On (stationary) - dB Meter
Highway - Decibel 10
Highway - dB Meter
I first downloaded Decibel 10 and was very distressed that the app gave very high readings. I next downloaded db Meter, and its readings are more reassuring. I did not calibrate the apps. Now I don't know which one to believe! I tried a third app Decibel Meter, but it gave even higher readings which were clearly incorrect (~100 dB average on the road). I like to think my cabin is very quiet, so am inclined to believe the dB Meter. I welcome your thoughts and comments. Better yet, please post your readings
Engine Off - Decibel 10
Engine Off - dB Meter
Engine On (stationary) - Decibel 10
Engine On (stationary) - dB Meter
Highway - Decibel 10
Highway - dB Meter
#2
Lexus Fanatic
You have to be careful that you're measuring the right type of sound, not every decibel Range is appropriate for each application, some are for lidoseakers, some for rooms, you have to make sure it's measuring the right thing.
Mine measures 56-59 on most highways. In traffic it's a little higher.
That decibel 10 meter isnt reading properly
This is the one I use:
dB Decibel Meter - sound level measurement tool by Elena Polyanskaya
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/db-d...048388627?mt=8
You want DB-A, you want "low" and you want "slow" I've used the other decibel meter you mention and it seems very similar.
Hold it it up to head level, you'll find be readings are higher down around the console.
Mine measures 56-59 on most highways. In traffic it's a little higher.
That decibel 10 meter isnt reading properly
This is the one I use:
dB Decibel Meter - sound level measurement tool by Elena Polyanskaya
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/db-d...048388627?mt=8
You want DB-A, you want "low" and you want "slow" I've used the other decibel meter you mention and it seems very similar.
Hold it it up to head level, you'll find be readings are higher down around the console.
Last edited by SW17LS; 09-05-17 at 08:51 PM.
#3
Pole Position
Thread Starter
Thanks, Steve. Looks like the dB Meter is on the correct setting and providing an accurate reading. I will Shin-etsu next week and post new readings from head level.
The following users liked this post:
FatherTo1 (09-09-17)
#4
Lexus Fanatic
I'm sure it also depends on the phone in question, etc.
#5
Pole Position
2008 LS600 Best in test in a Swedish Car magazine testing for the most quiet car... 65,9 DbA at 90 km/h ... Lexus LS 600h against the rest! !
autotranslated from Swedish to English :
http://www.systranet.com/turl/?systr...M5MDAvc3ZfZW4=
autotranslated from Swedish to English :
http://www.systranet.com/turl/?systr...M5MDAvc3ZfZW4=
Last edited by Arvid; 09-06-17 at 01:13 AM. Reason: put in the dba readings
#6
Pole Position
I'd describe interior sound like this...if it's not windy it's a tomb, if it is? Wind noise gets past my door seals. I have done the fix, my "problem is more the seals (or seal distortion). Personally I really don't care about it.
But the shear amount of insulation on this car is amazing, there aren't many cars that put this much or spend this much on sound insulation. It's much much quieter than most cars, very rarely do I hear road noise. And in the winter the insulation actually keeps the inside warm for a fairly long time.
But the shear amount of insulation on this car is amazing, there aren't many cars that put this much or spend this much on sound insulation. It's much much quieter than most cars, very rarely do I hear road noise. And in the winter the insulation actually keeps the inside warm for a fairly long time.
#7
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by Arvid
2008 LS600 Best in test in a Swedish Car magazine testing for the most quiet car... 65,9 DbA at 90 km/h ... Lexus LS 600h against the rest! !
autotranslated from Swedish to English :
http://www.systranet.com/turl/?systr...M5MDAvc3ZfZW4=
autotranslated from Swedish to English :
http://www.systranet.com/turl/?systr...M5MDAvc3ZfZW4=
Trending Topics
#8
Pole Position
Thread Starter
I'd describe interior sound like this...if it's not windy it's a tomb, if it is? Wind noise gets past my door seals. I have done the fix, my "problem is more the seals (or seal distortion). Personally I really don't care about it.
But the shear amount of insulation on this car is amazing, there aren't many cars that put this much or spend this much on sound insulation. It's much much quieter than most cars, very rarely do I hear road noise. And in the winter the insulation actually keeps the inside warm for a fairly long time.
But the shear amount of insulation on this car is amazing, there aren't many cars that put this much or spend this much on sound insulation. It's much much quieter than most cars, very rarely do I hear road noise. And in the winter the insulation actually keeps the inside warm for a fairly long time.
#9
Lexus Fanatic
You have to have your expectations set properly lol. Yes its an extremely quiet car, but it is still a machine that rolls along the road at 80MPH pushing tons of air out from around it, in traffic surrounded by other huge machines doing the same thing all also generating noise. "tomb" quiet when applied to a car is a different thing. I will say this, I drive a wide variety of cars. I have driven pretty much everything that could be reasonably compared to an LS and while I have driven cars that also impressed me with their quietness, I have never driven a car that made me get back into my LS and all of a sudden think it was loud. In fact, quite the opposite. When driving say an S Class, I think "Wow this is quieter" then I get back in the LS and I'm like "no, its really not this is just as quiet". Outside of a Rolls Royce or Bentley I am very confident that this is one of the very quietest mass produced cars you can buy.
Your dB readings do seem high to me. I've used a couple apps and none of my apps ever get over 61-62 dB at a 75 MPH cruise unless the road surface is real rough or there is a real strong crosswind. Are you in traffic when you're taking these readings? You mention tire noise, what tires are you running? You also mention engine noise at cruise. The only time I ever hear the engine is at idle (DI tick), under moderate to full throttle load. Thats it. At cruising speed I cannot hear the engine at all. All ambient noise in the cabin comes from the tires and air rush.
I downloaded your app, let's see what I get.
Your dB readings do seem high to me. I've used a couple apps and none of my apps ever get over 61-62 dB at a 75 MPH cruise unless the road surface is real rough or there is a real strong crosswind. Are you in traffic when you're taking these readings? You mention tire noise, what tires are you running? You also mention engine noise at cruise. The only time I ever hear the engine is at idle (DI tick), under moderate to full throttle load. Thats it. At cruising speed I cannot hear the engine at all. All ambient noise in the cabin comes from the tires and air rush.
I downloaded your app, let's see what I get.
Last edited by SW17LS; 09-06-17 at 07:08 AM.
#10
Advanced
Want to make it quieter? Check out: www.sounddeadenershowdown.com Don is a good guy to deal with and very helpful,
A Lexus kit is NOT shown but you can always order and install the CLD tiles and MLV where you want..... I had some CLD tiles left over from another project so I stuck a few of them on the hood and fenders.
A Lexus kit is NOT shown but you can always order and install the CLD tiles and MLV where you want..... I had some CLD tiles left over from another project so I stuck a few of them on the hood and fenders.
#11
Lexus Fanatic
Did you find that made a difference?
As an example looking through his site, the LS already has pretty thick sound pads on the back of the door panels, etc.
As an example looking through his site, the LS already has pretty thick sound pads on the back of the door panels, etc.
#12
Lead Lap
iTrader: (2)
dB readings are very difficult to obtain and interpret in a meaningful way. Where you take the measurement, the device calibration, weighting (almost all reported measures are weighted), etc. You may get some insights as to relative sound level before and after shin-etsu but the absolute readings are probably not very meaningful.
#13
Lexus Fanatic
dB readings are very difficult to obtain and interpret in a meaningful way. Where you take the measurement, the device calibration, weighting (almost all reported measures are weighted), etc. You may get some insights as to relative sound level before and after shin-etsu but the absolute readings are probably not very meaningful.
And also, pure dB doesn't 100% give you an idea of how you will interpret the sound or if you will find it bothersome. A lot more goes into it with frequency and modulation, etc. Two cars may have dB readings of 62, but one may feel much quieter inside.
#14
Advanced
The LS is quiet from the factory so I personally would NOT do any big $$$ sound deadening on it..... BUT, greasing the weather stripping is a "must do" maintenance item to preserve the rubber on any car or truck.
The following users liked this post:
SW17LS (09-06-17)
#15
Pole Position
Thread Starter
Your dB readings do seem high to me. I've used a couple apps and none of my apps ever get over 61-62 dB at a 75 MPH cruise unless the road surface is real rough or there is a real strong crosswind. Are you in traffic when you're taking these readings? You mention tire noise, what tires are you running? You also mention engine noise at cruise. The only time I ever hear the engine is at idle (DI tick), under moderate to full throttle load. Thats it. At cruising speed I cannot hear the engine at all. All ambient noise in the cabin comes from the tires and air rush. I downloaded your app, let's see what I get.
dB readings are very difficult to obtain and interpret in a meaningful way. Where you take the measurement, the device calibration, weighting (almost all reported measures are weighted), etc. You may get some insights as to relative sound level before and after shin-etsu but the absolute readings are probably not very meaningful.