[ThunderStruck]

Hello guys,

for quite some time now I have been thinking if there is any way to reduce the noise inside the car? I am talking about the general noise that is supposed to be "normal", like from the tyres, engine and so on. It drives me crazy. 

Cheers

[sundiz]

Yes there is. Disassemble whole interior. Add some noise absorber material. Assemble the interior.

Is there any sense doing such a huge work? Personally I don't think so. It would take too many hours to perform such a job. Labour cost would be too high. You could do it by yourself, but the high quality noise absorbers are expensive.  Easiest way is to tune up the radio volume (so you can't hear anything else). Second easiest way is to buy quieter car.

[AlanHo]

I had a specialist Acoustics company soundproof my 2013 i30 at a cost of about £400 and was disappointed with the result.  My decibel meter detected a small reduction in noise but my ears didn't.

The whole cabin and luggage areas were treated except for inside the doors which would have more than doubled the cost because of the labour involved and the proximity of the window and lock mechanisms to the door structure.

To be honest the only really noticeable result was an increase in fuel consumption resulting from all the extra weight added to the car.

My advice is to not bother.

[Doggie 1]

This is how I felt when I changed tyres to the supposedly quiet Continentals.
My ears did not hear the difference.
And that was proven when I then took them off and put Korean tyres back on, then back again to Continentals on alloy wheels.
No discernible difference to these ears.   

[diablo]

I recently changed tyres from the original Hankooks to Michelin Cross Climates. They seem significantly quieter to me.

Indeed I used my mobile as a decibel recorder over a regular journey I do, both before and after changing tyres. The new tyres made the car approx 2.5 dB quieter according to that, which may not seem to be a lot but the difference was easy to spot for me - and the check confirmed that I wasn't deluding myself. 

[Phil №❶]

I believe noise reduction is reduced because of the more pliable contact with the road due to tread thickness. Old tyres transmit road noise through the tyre body. My theory, which would explain why the Continental's are as noisy as other brands according to some. 

[diablo]

I believe noise reduction is reduced because of the more pliable contact with the road due to tread thickness. Old tyres transmit road noise through the tyre body. My theory, which would explain why the Continental's are as noisy as other brands according to some. 

My Hankooks were low mileage and still had 6mm (front) and 5mm (rear) tread depth - I only replaced them because they were all cracked after their six years of low use. The new ones have 8mm of course - not so much difference.

[ThunderStruck]

Thanks a lot for the replies. In such a case I am not going to bother at all. However, I ordered 4 dB quieter summer tyres than my winter tyres. Let's hope that I will at least feel this difference.