objective data on quietest cars?

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BerkeleyChris
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objective data on quietest cars?

Post by BerkeleyChris »

Hi, I am looking for an objective source that has current data on road noise for cars, probably as measured by the decibel level at a certain speed. After much googling, I can find anecdotal information and a few readings for older model years, but nothing comprehensive and current. Does anybody have any suggestions?

As background, I am considering making a switch in cars for several reasons, including a strong need to better participate in work-related phone calls using integrated bluetooth at highway speeds and want as little background noise as possible. Trying to find a boglehead-ish car that can do this may be a challenge!
curmudgeon
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by curmudgeon »

Noise in the car can depend a LOT on the specific pavement material and condition, and also tires. I'm not aware of anybody that does really comprehensive apples-to-apples comparisons. I think Road and Track used to have that in their road test data sheets, but even there, I'm not sure how comparable test numbers would be from year to year, and they don't cover quieter cars all that much anyway.

I suspect all the major manufacturers have a ton of data from testing on their own test tracks, but I'm also sure they won't share it (except in marketing promos that cherry-pick their best looking data).

The quality of the integrated bluetooth implementation and it's noise cancelling ability would also be critical. I suppose the ideal would be to define a test drive route over a variety of pavement, and then drive that while having a call with a friend who takes notes on call quality. Lots of work.
Mingus
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by Mingus »

I don't know where you can find objective published data.

From my car test driving experience months back, the Buick Verano is quite possibly the quietest car I've ever been inside of.

Quieter than the Lexus I sold.

Just to satisfy my curiosity, I did also test drive an older used Lincoln Towncar, and it was very quiet, but had more wind noise than my Lexus, and the frequency of the wind noise was more objectionable.

I ended up buying a new Camry. Not nearly as quiet as the Buick, different type of noise than my Lexus had, less wind noise than the Town Car, but overall not as quiet and a different frequency of sound.

I think you can get an inexpensive noise meter at Radio Shack. Actually, I even have an app on my phone that measures decibels. Not sure how accurate it is, but it should at least be consistently inaccurate to be able to measure different environments.

One thing to keep in mind is 80 decibels in one environment is not necessarily going to be better than 85 decibels in another environment. Case in point, my gf and I were at a screechy noisy restaurant months back. It made me want to poke my ear drums out. Just for fun, I measured how loud it was. After we left, we went to a bar and had some drinks. I measured the sound level there too. Pretty much the same readings, however the bar was much more tolerable since the frequency of the sounds were different. It wasn't screechy like the restaurant. There were lots of acoustic tiles on the ceiling.

Best thing to do is test drive lots of vehicles and make calls in them to see if they are going to be quiet enough.

My Camry is quiet enough to have telephone calls in it no problem .
letsgobobby
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by letsgobobby »

I found an online database once by googling. If I find it I'll link to it.

You should have no problem finding a quiet car. Quiet and good value/affordable is a different story.

Edit: here's the link.

http://www.auto-decibel-db.com/
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deanbrew
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by deanbrew »

Car & Driver tests the sound level of cars they review. Each car is tested at idle and 70 MPH cruising. I believe their testing is fairly rigorous and comparable between cars. You would have to search their website for each review, click to go to their stat sheet and write down the dB level. Time consuming, but might be useful once you narrow down your options.
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wilked
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by wilked »

letsgobobby wrote:I found an online database once by googling. If I find it I'll link to it.

You should have no problem finding a quiet car. Quiet and good value/affordable is a different story.

Edit: here's the link.

http://www.auto-decibel-db.com/
Nice link!

Remember, 60 dB is twice as loud as 50, and 50 twice as loud as 40, etc.
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BerkeleyChris
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by BerkeleyChris »

letsgobobby wrote:I found an online database once by googling. If I find it I'll link to it.

You should have no problem finding a quiet car. Quiet and good value/affordable is a different story.

Edit: here's the link.

http://www.auto-decibel-db.com/

wow! thank you very much!

-Chris
leonard
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by leonard »

A quick search indicates a DB meter is a $100 or less. That's a small percentage of a car purchase price.

So, why not buy a decent one and test drive?
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by TomatoTomahto »

I don't have objective data, but ...

I don't think that, no matter how quiet the car, you will be happy with integrated Bluetooth for work phone calls. I would recommend a wired headset (that covers only one ear or earbud), or if that doesn't work for you, a Bluetooth headset that clips on your ear.

My wife drives a Range Rover with the (upgrade?) thick glass. It's as quiet as anything, but I hate it when she talks to me using the integrated Bluetooth. Switch to the wired one and we can have a pleasant conversation. It's not only the ambient noise that matters; the acoustic environment matters also when you have a device that gets its audio input from a distance (i.e., not directly by your mouth).
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by livesoft »

And one can get their car modified for better sound-proofing. For example, my mom told me, "Your Lexus is noisier than Bob's!" where Bob is my brother-in-law. Next time I took my car in for regular check-up, I wrote a note, "My mom says my Lexus is noisier than my brother-in-law's Lexus. Can you do something?" So at no charge to me, they pull off the door panels and packed in some additional foam or something. The end result: My car was noticeably quieter.
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frugaltype
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by frugaltype »

I thought that the Prius was so quiet that pedestrians complained they were in danger of being run over because they didn't hear it.
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by TomatoTomahto »

frugaltype wrote:I thought that the Prius was so quiet that pedestrians complained they were in danger of being run over because they didn't hear it.
I think OP was intending to have his phone calls inside the car. :D

I'm not so sure that Prius, at highway speeds, is exceptionally quiet.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by hicabob »

re: car noise page ... That 2010 AMG E-class that's in the 54's at 100 km/hr (62 mph) must surely have active noise suppression.
It blows all the others away wrt noise - very nice car too but pricey of course.
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by hicabob »

frugaltype wrote:I thought that the Prius was so quiet that pedestrians complained they were in danger of being run over because they didn't hear it.

When in electric mode yes. An acquaintance of mine who is blind but walks a lot, ended up getting a seeing eye dog due to running into a Prius - it ends up that he and the dog make quite the team , and they both like walking.
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by snackdog »

Nearly any modern car is suitably quiet for phone conversations at highway speed. Lexus has a great deal of extra sound proofing, for what that is worth.
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by samsdad »

Note that the tires have a lot to do with this. Changing tires will have a noticeable effect.
perl
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by perl »

If you want quiet, you want an electric car.
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by deanbrew »

letsgobobby wrote: Fri Dec 14, 2018 12:31 am I remain in the seemingly endless hunt for an affordable, reliable, fuel efficient, safe, and QUIET highway commuting vehicle. I’m hoping the new Honda Insight will fit the bill; early professional reviews have been excellent though the Bogleheads have been more restrained:

viewtopic.php?t=262844

For kicks I decided to download a free decibel meter app and place it on my dash for my 3 vehicles, all running at 70 mph on the same highway surface (on different days).

2012 Toyota Prius - 78 dB average
2006 Toyota RAV4 - 72 dB average
2017 RAM 3500 - 63 dB average
I tried to look up Car & Driver road tests for you vehicles, but couldn't find them online. As a long-time subscriber, I know C&D checks noise level on every vehicle they test, including a 70mph cruise. I don't recall many vehicles that they test being as high as 78 dB or as low as 63dB. I'm not doubting the ranking of the three vehicles you mention, just wondering about the absolute figures. I think placing the phone on the dash is the wrong place, as it probably picks up vibrations and echos. Maybe you could attach the phone to the passenger headrest using rubber bands and see what figures you get.

I also suspect that the tires on the Prius are designed for maximum fuel mileage (hard rubber), at the cost of other characteristics such as grip and quietness. It probably also has less sound dampening than most vehicles. I also suspect that the Honda Insight will not be great in terms of interior noise, as it too will be designed to maximize fuel economy and will probably have loud tires and little sound dampening.

FWIW, I stumbled across this website, which indicates noise levels for a lot of vehicles. Not all vehicles, by any means, and there is no indication of how they do their testing or where they get their numbers: http://www.auto-decibel-db.com/
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deanbrew
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by deanbrew »

perl wrote: Fri Dec 14, 2018 7:00 am If you want quiet, you want an electric car.
Probably not on the highway, where road and wind noise are the culprits, not engine noise. And as I posted above, if MPG is the goal, loud tires and little sound dampening are part of the equation.
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by randomguy »

deanbrew wrote: Fri Dec 14, 2018 9:18 am
letsgobobby wrote: Fri Dec 14, 2018 12:31 am I remain in the seemingly endless hunt for an affordable, reliable, fuel efficient, safe, and QUIET highway commuting vehicle. I’m hoping the new Honda Insight will fit the bill; early professional reviews have been excellent though the Bogleheads have been more restrained:

viewtopic.php?t=262844

For kicks I decided to download a free decibel meter app and place it on my dash for my 3 vehicles, all running at 70 mph on the same highway surface (on different days).

2012 Toyota Prius - 78 dB average
2006 Toyota RAV4 - 72 dB average
2017 RAM 3500 - 63 dB average
I tried to look up Car & Driver road tests for you vehicles, but couldn't find them online. As a long-time subscriber, I know C&D checks noise level on every vehicle they test, including a 70mph cruise. I don't recall many vehicles that they test being as high as 78 dB or as low as 63dB. I'm not doubting the ranking of the three vehicles you mention, just wondering about the absolute figures. I think placing the phone on the dash is the wrong place, as it probably picks up vibrations and echos. Maybe you could attach the phone to the passenger headrest using rubber bands and see what figures you get.

I also suspect that the tires on the Prius are designed for maximum fuel mileage (hard rubber), at the cost of other characteristics such as grip and quietness. It probably also has less sound dampening than most vehicles. I also suspect that the Honda Insight will not be great in terms of interior noise, as it too will be designed to maximize fuel economy and will probably have loud tires and little sound dampening.

FWIW, I stumbled across this website, which indicates noise levels for a lot of vehicles. Not all vehicles, by any means, and there is no indication of how they do their testing or where they get their numbers: http://www.auto-decibel-db.com/
These tests have little value. One day you drive past a jack hammer and the other day your the only car on the road😃 And DBs are only part of the equation. Where the frequencies are at also matters.

The good news is that noise is something you can test. Go drive on thw roads that matter to you and see how loud the car is.
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

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btenny
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by btenny »

Road surface effects this dramatically. About 10 years ago Phoenix went through a bunch of road building on the freeways. Part of that effort included new paving with "rubberized asphalt" on some of the new roads. The stuff is amazing. It is just silent to drive on. Cars become quiet as church pews, even the old clunkers are quiet. It worked so well that after a test strip was done people in other parts of town put up protests to get it installed everywhere. It has worked out great for our roads so far. But it does wear over time and I am not sure who well it works in cold and wet climates.

https://www.azdot.gov/business/environm ... nt-program

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubberized_asphalt
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

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dsmclone
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by dsmclone »

I'd probably be just as concerned with the quality of the bluetooth as the quietness of the car. My wifes old 2013 Acura RDX was pretty quiet but her bluetooth sound was horrible for both parties. My 2015 BMW is a lot louder than her RDX but the bluetooth sound was actually better than her RDX. It's something you have to test out.
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Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Post by engin33r »

Bluetooth quality is all over the map. In fact I think BT quality is probably much more important than sound pressure levels for the purposes OP is talking about.

2018 Ford Edge had excellent bluetooth voice call quality. The Tesla Model X BT quality is garbage...worse than the 2013 Audi A4 that I drive. The Ford’s was crystal clear compared to the muddled garbage of the other two.
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