Mk 6 golf - road noise question

[adelaideviewer]

Hi all,

Just wondering if any owners can comment on road/tyre noise in the Mk 6 golf.

Read a few web reports which talk about how quiet the car is and then there are other reports which say it has noticeable road noise?

Any comments from owners or how you think it stacks up against the competition.

Thanks.

[Guest0608]

They are quiet and thats the problem, makes you hear all the noises that you usually dont! The only noise you can hear is tyre road noise but thats only because they are so quiet! its not excessive it just natural noise, if a company can develop a tyre with no noise..............$$$$$..........VW......

[adelaideviewer]

Thanks vwtech.

When I got a 6 cyl Camry 10 years ago some of the reviews said the same thing - you can hardly hear the engine as such so what you DO hear is essentially some tyre noise depending on the road surface.

Cheers for the info.

[Guest0608]

anytime mate, they seem ok to me...............VW..............

[cktsi]

The car is very hushed at freeway speeds on smooth bitumen. It's very quiet around town as well.

As others have said, generally tyre noise is more noticeable because the car is so quiet. Coarse chip bitumen at any speed creates a rumble.

I can't recall the post but someone wrote in this forum that it's more hushed on coarse chip than their old Honda Accord Euro (which is a sedan).

I don't think the tyre noise is excessive.

btw... this only applies to the petrol engines. Diesel will be noisier.

[coastie]

As VW said they are exceptionally quiet. The difference when the rear seats are folded forwarded took me by surprise. The cabin is very quiet, take one for a drive and have all the windows down for a while and then you appreciate the total effect. At idle at the lights there is no engine to speak of.

[mtaoz3]

There are any number of cars that have less tyre roar than the Golf. I still reckon its the one real weakness the car has. The BMW 320D I had previously, even with its much maligned "run flat" tyres had far less tyre roar. That however, is about the only advantage the Beemer had over the Golf. My old Golf V was noisier again so the Mk VI is a step ahead.
I can't really hear the diesel engine at highway speeds.

[cme2c]

The car is very hushed at freeway speeds on smooth bitumen. It's very quiet around town as well.

As others have said, generally tyre noise is more noticeable because the car is so quiet. Coarse chip bitumen at any speed creates a rumble.

I can't recall the post but someone wrote in this forum that it's more hushed on coarse chip than their old Honda Accord Euro (which is a sedan).

That was me. I think the difference might be the tyres, the Euro had Bridgestone RE 050s, the Golf Pirelli P7s. Quiet car, RNS510 and Dynaudio.. Excellent!

[logger]

There are any number of cars that have less tyre roar than the Golf. I still reckon its the one real weakness the car has.

I agree. Do a bit of driving in the 120-150kph range and the tyre noise really starts to kick in. My theory is a fix is not so much to do with the tyres but to improve the average sound deadening in the wheel area. The car is built to a price. I suspect the wheel arch liners in the Golf 6 have a fair bit to do with it. No doubt the ones fitted deaden the noise, but more substantial thicker units like on the Audi A4 would do a much better job. They are only a 2 min job the remove.

I wonder what the chances are of getting better quality after market units?

Does the Golf 6 GTI haver the same liners or are they better quality? Is the Golf R the same body shell as the basic Golf 6. If so you would think they would fit top notch units to the upmarket version.

Failing all that one could pull the existing units off and coat the inside with a couple of mm of rubberised paint of some sort. Gotta help I would think.

Thoughts ?

[Flipper Dog]

Do a bit of driving in the 120-150kph range and the tyre noise really starts to kick in.

Gee, you are game to be doing that speed in Victoria, is there not a hidden camera behind every parked car by the road side?

[prise]

Failing all that one could pull the existing units off and coat the inside with a couple of mm of rubberised paint of some sort. Gotta help I would think.

Thoughts ?

The majority of tyre noise is transmitted as vibration through the tyre carcass, into the suspension and then into the body via the suspension attachment points and then into the vehicle structure which radiates it into the cabin. Taller profile tyres and softer suspension bushes impede the transmission path and are most effective in reducing tyre noise. Adding more sound absorbing material inside the wheel arches probably won't help much. Fit some 15" rims, sell the low profile tyres and you'll have money left over for some sound deadening!

[mr gee]

I've got the Bridgestone 050s on mine and at 20,000km, they sound so bad, my friends ask if my wheel bearings are shot. They creat a buzz so bad at 80kmh that the dashboard resonates in sympathy.

The threads have at least 10,000 left in them so I'm reluctant to change them just yet. tyre pressures at 240/230

certainly scratching 050 off my list.

[logger]

The majority of tyre noise is transmitted as vibration through the tyre carcass, into the suspension and then into the body via the suspension attachment points and then into the vehicle structure which radiates it into the cabin.

On what basis do you say the majority of the noise gets to the cabin this way? I am just interested to know if this is a theory or a known fact.
I might have at play at removing all four wheel arches and compare the noise level on a given piece of road. My hunch/guess is the noise levels will skyrocket.

[prise]

Just based on talking to engineers at work who have worked in noise and vibration groups at GM and Nissan (I'm an engineer who used to work in R&D for active vibration suppression in aerospace structures so I do understand the physics at work). The comments were made in the context of a modern vehicle with relatively good sound proofing rather than a stripped out race version. By all means remove the wheel arches as an experiment, but an increase in noise levels by 'x' will not mean that adding material will reduce it by 'x' as there is a law of diminishing returns with sound proofing and wheel arches are only one of many possible transmission paths.

I know that all cars are built to a price, but VW would not hesitate to add additional sound suppressing material in the wheel-arches if they thought a noticeable reduction in road-noise could be achieved. The weight penalty would only be a few kilos, the material cost would be small and road-noise is a significant discriminator between vehicles in terms of perceived quality and quietness.

I'll be interested in the results of your experiment. You'll need a sound meter that can measure db(A) and use the same section of road at the same speed and same wind conditions

Don't rely on a subjective assessment - psycho acoustics will ensure that if you want to hear a change, you'll probably hear one!!

[logger]

Thanks Prise for the comprehensive explanation. Good advice to use a sound meter. I can lash out and buy SPL meter for the iPhone for $1.20.

Will be interesting to see if it makes a difference removing the wheel arches. Also if stuffing something between the arches and the body work reduces noise levels.

BTW, Could use your R & D to improve the comfort in my workplace instead of having to use noise cancelling headsets which are nuisance to use.