Road Noise

[Icebun]

I currently drive a Golf 7 and am thinking of getting a new Corolla Excel.

Given the large wheels and low profile tyres, I wonder if anyone can comment on the level of road noise with their cars, especially on the bigger wheels.

My car sits on 225/45 rubbers and I ended up soundproofing the car to aid refinement.

Hoping I won't need to do that with this model.

[john p williams]

8 minutes ago, Icebun said:

I currently drive a Golf 7 and am thinking of getting a new Corolla Excel.

Given the large wheels and low profile tyres, I wonder if anyone can comment on the level of road noise with their cars, especially on the bigger wheels.

My car sits on 225/45 rubbers and I ended up soundproofing the car to aid refinement.

Hoping I won't need to do that with this model.

A profile of less than 50 will not reduce road noise..50 or more is the way to go.

[MarcusWatson]

This What Car review: https://www.whatcar.com/toyota/corolla/hatchback/review/n18901 has a noise and vibration section. It mentions the 2.0 has acoustic glass on the side windows, which is a plus. It also notes extra road noise from the 18 inch wheels, which the Excel has. I wouldn’t describe my 1.8 Icon Tech on 16 inch wheels as quiet, although it’s OK until you reach motorway speeds and road/wind noise becomes noticeable.  As ever I think a test drive and one that includes a motorway is the best course of action. Since you are concerned enough about noise to have added extra sound-proofing to a Golf, which is considered to be a refined car in this class, and have posted on this forum I don’t think the Corolla is going to satisfy your preferences. I’m interested to know what your thoughts will be once you’ve tried one though.

[bigblock]

43 minutes ago, Icebun said:

I currently drive a Golf 7 and am thinking of getting a new Corolla Excel.

Given the large wheels and low profile tyres, I wonder if anyone can comment on the level of road noise with their cars, especially on the bigger wheels.

My car sits on 225/45 rubbers and I ended up soundproofing the car to aid refinement.

Hoping I won't need to do that with this model.

There are alot of people commenting on the noise from the factory fitted Falken tyres. So I would go for a test drive and see what you think. I have Falken 225/45 tyres on a 17" wheel and have no problem with road noise. The 2.0 litre Design and Excel trims may have more sound deadening built in but I can't be sure on this. Someone on this forum will know though.

[shufman]

Morning,

Road noise is one of my bugbears and when I got my Excel I thought and still think there’s a bit too much of it on rougher surfaces. The Excel does have acoustic side glass and it’s pretty effective at blocking out noise outside, also the Excel has different wheel linings than other specs designed to minimise noise from the road (stones etc. ) and this works well in my experience. 
 

I’ve thought about changing the tyres and I probably will switch to Michelin’s when mine get a bit more worn, I can’t imagine that it will make that much difference overall though - it’s more likely to be the low profile side walls sending the noise up into the chassis. 
 

it’s quiet around town but on rougher sections of motorway (70 mph) my phone db says it can get up to about 76db (don’t know how accurate that is) but I’ve used the same app with a lot of cars and it’s only a couple quieter than my last Yaris Hybrid and similar to my old beloved 2005 Corolla. I think part of the problem is that there’s very little noise coming from anywhere else! Plus there’s a really big difference between the noise on smooth tarmac and rough, making it much more obvious - Low profile tyres apparently. 
 

I think the Golf is one of the quietest cars in the class so I’d agree that maybe the Corolla might drive you mad but give one a try but get onto quicker roads with it. I’d be interested know what you think. Autocar ran an Excel identical to mine on a long term and they loved it - saying that it was refined and good for motorway work. Look it up 😊

I'm in a lot of different cars for work and reckon the Corolla is about average, a lot of bigger wheeled Golfs and BMWs have a harder ride and more noise in my opinion, I did a lot of driver training in an Astra with 17’ wheels and that was fractionally louder than mine. 

[AndrueC]

Some people on here have said it's a bit loud but I haven't noticed. That might be because I always have music playing (not loud music, it's still possible to chat). Also my previous three vehicles had relatively low profile tyres so I might just be used to it. Same deal with the comfort factor possibly.

[TonyHSD]

If you are getting Excell trim best is to go for the 17” option, then when time comes change your tyres to better one, and you will be fine.  

[vonkhaled]

I have the 1.8 with 17 inch summerwhweels, Falken tyres. They are really noisy (driving over 100 km/h on the highway, it's not easy having a conversation with your passengers). My wintertyres are Pirelli, but 16 inch so much more quiet. I also used to drive a Golf MK7 before and the Corolla will never be as quiet regardless of tyres, unfortunetaly.

[frizzbee30]

I have the 2.0 TS excel, and to be honest noise isn't an issue as far as I'm concerned. 

The car is exceedingly smooth, and quiet.

 

🙂

[AndrueC]

7 hours ago, vonkhaled said:

I have the 1.8 with 17 inch summerwhweels, Falken tyres. They are really noisy (driving over 100 km/h on the highway, it's not easy having a conversation with your passengers). My wintertyres are Pirelli, but 16 inch so much more quiet. I also used to drive a Golf MK7 before and the Corolla will never be as quiet regardless of tyres, unfortunetaly.

Have you checked your tyre pressures? I have no problems talking to other people at 60 mph and the car didn't seem particularly noisy on my mad dash back from my Dad's funeral at 90 mph.

[Timmon]

I noticed the tyres were noisy when I got my Corolla. But that may be due to the fact there is hardly any noise from the engine, so you focus on any other noise you can hear, and that, of course, is rumble from the road.

Now almost 18 months on, I don't notice it much. I think the Falkens bed in after a while, I have only done 8700 miles now due to this year's restrictions.

I certainly don't intend swapping them until they are worn out. Maybe the Excel sound proofing is better, but no complaints from me.

[TonyHSD]

Many Uk roads and motorways has really rough surfaces and this is a major factor in road noise from the tyres. Also different type of tyres produce different tones of noise, winter tyres are quieter on rough roads and noisier on smooth surfaces and for the summer tyres is other way around. Tyre pressure plays important role too, many drivers keep tyres overinflated these will make extra road noise, cold weather can  boost  road noise from summer tyres and worsen the comfort a lot when temperatures drops to 10C° or below. Usually Toyota cars are not as good sound proofed as German cars, vw Audi , bmw , Mercedes etc.

[vonkhaled]

11 hours ago, AndrueC said:

Have you checked your tyre pressures? I have no problems talking to other people at 60 mph and the car didn't seem particularly noisy on my mad dash back from my Dad's funeral at 90 mph.

I have checked it many times. But I believe the cars lack of sound proofing, combined with not so quiet tyres and rough tarmac here in Sweden makes it noisy. When driving in Denmark the car was noticeabily more quiet.

[Luke717]

I have a 1.8 Excel HB with 18-inch rims and Falken tyres from the factory. It's a firm but smooth ride that I like a lot, and it's quieter than I expected from low-profile tyres. In my experience much depends on the type of road surface: probably the worst road I use from a noise point of view is the section of the M25 with concrete slabs between Leatherhead and the Reigate. A dire experience no matter what the car!

The Falken tyres are pretty good but I will probably change them when the time comes in a year or so. In the past I've had great experience with Goodyear F1 Eagles although I doubt they will make much difference to noise. It's a lot to do with perception and mine is that tyre/road noise generally isn't a problem. Always good to have your tyre pressures set correctly, something many of you do judging by comments in this thread. First thing I did when I took delivery in June was check the tyre pressures - pleasantly surprised to find them correctly set from the factory or by the dealer -and set the TPMS.

[Louie]

I had a Golf Mk7 GTD latest version and switched to the Hybrid 2l GR sports and the car is definitely noisier both road exhaust and gearbox operation but not to the extent it s irritating. However road noise can be mitigated by changing the terrible stock tyres(Falken)  the car comes with or go for the Exel model which has improved soundproofing.

The car has major plus points which outweigh the other irritations 1. Handling superior to VW (in my opinion e.g. negligible roll in corners)) 2. Cheaper to run 3 Car is far more responsive than the Golf to throttle etc ( probably because of CVT box)  4. Superior lighting 5. More comfortable too drive  6.  HUD is a big  boon ( not in Exel models). Anyway no car is perfect but some are better than others and Toyota are nearly there.

[Luke717]

4 hours ago, Louie said:

...no car is perfect but some are better than others and Toyota are nearly there.

That's a good conclusion to your comment, Louie, spot on

[Louie]

A little tip for club members. I you are thinking of swapping your vehicle tyres and the car is fairly new you can flog them on eBay for a good price providing they do not show appreciable wear. You can then offset your new tyres costs with that. I have always done this with my new vehicle acquisition when invariably they come with crappy make tyres. The purchaser always come to collect and parts with cash so this is a no hassle deal and i have always got the price i wanted. The trick here is to swap out your tyres close to your vehicle acquisition date to get the best price simply because you can sell them as "nearly new". As an example i usually achieved around £250 which would blow a large hole in a nearly £400 bill including fitting/balancing for a new set of decent make tyres mine are Michelin Pilot Sport 4's and I love them for their road stickiness and handling. My view is not to play with road safety by buying cheap crap tyres , you get what you pay for.

[howkey-cz]

On 11/10/2020 at 7:08 AM, vonkhaled said:

I have checked it many times. But I believe the cars lack of sound proofing, combined with not so quiet tyres and rough tarmac here in Sweden makes it noisy. When driving in Denmark the car was noticeabily more quiet.

Exactly! That's why I decided to add soundproofing to the trunk and above the tires on the plastic part and on the metal chassis which this cover it. I will share with you more information soon. I'am waiting for the company, which did the installation, to publish a post with photos about this. 

It helped a lot with the noise on the back seats, on the front seats the effect is lower (expected) but it's better than before. 

I plan to add soundproofing to more places, like the floor, front doors, etc. But I have to think how to balance the amount of soundproofing with the weight it adds..

[FROSTYBALLS]

1 hour ago, howkey-cz said:

 I'am waiting for the company, which did the installation, to publish a post with photos about this. 

If this were to be posted on Toyota Owners Club, it would be advertising and against the club rules.

[MDX]

On 11/15/2020 at 3:09 PM, Luke717 said:

I have a 1.8 Excel HB with 18-inch rims and Falken tyres from the factory. It's a firm but smooth ride that I like a lot, and it's quieter than I expected from low-profile tyres. In my experience much depends on the type of road surface: probably the worst road I use from a noise point of view is the section of the M25 with concrete slabs between Leatherhead and the Reigate. A dire experience no matter what the car!

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread, I agree that section of the M25 is terrible and is my reference point for a new car. Hence using this old thread.

My question is, is the Corolla any quieter than the Auris? I am looking to replace my Auris and like the reliability, but the road noise in the Auris is a problem for me. Even with the gutless 1.33 engine, the engine is not the main noise.

I disagree that that section is dire in all cars. My previous car, Citroen C6 with winter tyres, helped me forget how bad that section is, it was not until I replaced it with the current Auris Icon that I truly remembered how dire that road is.

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Like comparing apples with pears. The C6 was an executive/luxury car which would have had better sound proofing, etc than the Auris - a small family car. 

The C6 would have been comparable to the Lexus GS or possibly LS  of the time (2006-2012). Whereas the Citroen equivalent to the Auris would have been the C4.

Given that the Corolla has directly replaced the Auris and indirectly the Avensis Tourer, again it is in a lower market sector to the C6 and isn't comparable.

[Ian.S]

Try a Mini Cooper S if you think the Corolla is noisy. I have both a love them both for different reasons. 

[MDX]

C4 is fairer comparison. Citroens are generally well sound insulated, but for me I tired of frequent repairs. Had not looked at Lexus as I think the Toyotas generally have better styling, but will test drive the Corolla equivalent for context. Thanks

 

[camellia30]

I find mine really noisy on the motorway.

I have to crank up the infotainment volume to hear it, and then end up with a headache.

[TonyHSD]

Toyota cars and in general most Japanese cars are not so well insulated from wind, road and tyre noise plus in Uk many roads has a rough surface that in other countries the asphalt is way smoother and makes a huge difference. Corolla low profile tyres also doesn’t do a favour at all, except nicer look I don’t see any benefit from having 18” wheels with low profile “plastic” tyres. Listening music especially loud when travelling in noisy car makes things even worse, I can recommend you just switch your stereo off and enjoy ‘quietness’ and you will get use to the road noise easier. Other option is to change tyres with touring type tyres not economy or high performance ones, you can also go for smaller wheels where brakes allow, done that on my car which is btw quieter than the model been replaced with, now my car drives really well on motorway speeds and when on smooth road it becomes like premium car. 👍