[Closed] Are estates noisier inside than coupes?

since getting a car with a thrid row of seats I've found it's a lot quieter. The "Are we there yet?"'s from the kids are pleasingly distant.

very slightly. theory is that there is more between you and the rear wheels. put a duvet in the boot and see if its noticably different.

You'll get more results getting a car that's just quieter (lexus maybe)

Estates do tend to be a bit more boomy yes. Much better than they were mind you.

I thought they had more insulation in the boot to compensate for lack of a thick parcel shelf, but I dunno. They ought to, if they don't 🙂

What car is it btw? New tyres can help - if your old ones are almost out then change them.

I guess they have more glass and more open space so more road noise getting through and more space for it to develop.

No idea, all I can hear is music 🙂

Mine certainly is, but then, that could just be because none of the interior trim seems to be properly attached to the sides.

Seats down/seats up??

My Ibiza is loads more noisy if I have the seats down compared to when they are in place & the parcel shelf is in.

Apparently, most road noise is actually the vibrations of the road resonating in the panels. So the more large panels, the more noise. Plus a larger roof I suspect.

I read that the best way to insulate isn't to add soundproofing wadding to stop transmission of sound, but to stick this heavy rubber stuff to the inside of the panels to stop them resonating to begin with.

In my 406 I'd need new aerodynamics and the engine. At 80mph you crank the radio up to 11 to hear it, the noise from the wind kills anything quieter. And the engine sounds the way only an old diesel can 😉
Maybe I should remove the wooden board from the boot then? And the 25l emergency diesel container, and the box of important things I never need, and possibly slow down 😀

molgrips - Member
Apparently, most road noise is actually the vibrations of the road resonating in the panels. So the more large panels, the more noise. Plus a larger roof I suspect.

I read that the best way to insulate isn't to add soundproofing wadding to stop transmission of sound, but to stick this heavy rubber stuff to the inside of the panels to stop them resonating to begin with.

Lots of these estates have roofrails now. They also contribute to noise.

Hairychested - Member
At 80mph you crank the radio up to 11 to hear it, ...... and possibly slow down

My mate Ian bought an ex-AA car-based van thing, Astra maybe. He was really pleased with it. It was so noisy inside that you couldn't comfortably hold a conversation. It was like being in some kind of factory environment - you really needed ear defenders, seriously. Your ears would be ringing at the end of a long trip.

Druidh, what's flashing tape?

Druidh, what's flashing tape?

bitumen. adds mass to panels.

Oh.. roofing type stuff?

Did it work then druidh? Did you cover the whole panel or just cross the middle?

i've been using flash band in my van in the centres of large panels, this cuts down on drumming. but people do use it all over.

personally i think butyl is a much better option (more ££ though) i will be buying some of this. and using it in the problem areas for my van.

http://www.powerfuluk.com/products/other-sound-absorbing-mat/hpm390campervan-sound-and-heat-insulation-panel-120x148cm.html

which is similar to dynamat/ fatmat etc.

EDIT: some photos [url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/insulate-my-van ]here[/url] (not mine)

I researched this a while ago and found some insulating rubber stuff available in a big roll in different grades for much less than dynamat. It was fairly hard to find though and I've now lost the link so this post is officially useless 🙂

EDIT: that stuff in the link doesn't look anything like dynamat though - it says light weight, the whole reason dynamat works is that it's heavy, surely?

It depends what you are driving! Both of our estates are very quiet but again that's car specific. Our old hatchback is much noisier.

I would assume that the OP is interested in a like for like comparison, ie Passat estate v saloon or whatever.

molgrips, spot on.

I have had C5 hatch then estate and do not think there is any noticeable difference (when both were in good nick), however the saloon was sold with a twisted axle which did make the car noisier

molgrips - I covered the panels (and the doors - and the roof). Seems to have worked well so far, but then I'm also using 4mm foam and 50mm Celotex in places (plus ply and with the lining material due to arrive soon).

If the OP is driving a Peugeot 406 estate (and I think they are from posts above) I'd say that wind/panel noise is not his issue it's engine noise. I had a 406 V6 estate for a year and unless you were giving it some serious beans the only thing you really heard was the gentle waffle/burble of the engine when on the motorway.

We never had a parcel shelf/cover in ours as we had it as a cheap 3rd car for lugging our dogs around in at weekends when we both had smaller company cars. I loved the noise and the engine but not so keen on the economy and electrics!

We now have two Mondeos that are a year apart in age (a diesel estate (17" wheels) and a petrol hatch (16" wheels) and by pure coincidence on identical conti tyres on 6 of the wheels).

There's really not much in it in noise terms at all and what differences there are are probably more engine or wheel size related than anything else. The smaller wheeled car is much quieter on poor surfaces and concrete.

I love a noisy car 🙂 Bit of a masochist I think.

The lack of aerodynamic consideration when the car was designed surely plays a part as the engine is relatively quiet. It get's noisy over 140kph (circa 80mph) but that makes the missus's complaining about speed a bit less annoying.
I was wondering about the tyre compound but... the other day I drove from Dublin on a newly tarmaced road and it was substantially quieter. Could it be the surface sound?

Road noise is the biggest factor in modern cars I reckon.