I found this abstract talking about the purpose of cabin air extractors:

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstr...t18_report.pdf

From the abstract, "air extractors are installed in the vehicle to relieve the steady state airflow from HVAC or the pressure pulse wave from the door closure event. The air extractors also serve the purpose of allowing airflow so that the HVAC can defrost the windows properly."

What I wonder about is whether or not the fix being mentioned is something that can be retro-fitted or will only be available for future models although the road noise isn't something that bothers me.

Pretty sure all the noise I hear in my car isn't from some air vents in the back. Comon now.

If you actually think that our cars are loud because of air vents, it's time to go to the house!

Cause of noise.....lack of insulation/sound deadening materials throughout the complete vehicle. Nissan wanted to reduce weight, so things like thick insulation had to go. **** I think most of the noise comes from the wheel wells. Just drive over rough roads or roads with little rocks/pebbles on em, and you will know what i mean. These cars are fun to drive, but loud. No fix will fix that issue, just turn up the bose.

Most nissan vehicles are inherently loud in the cabin. If it mattered to me I would own toyotas and not nissans.

Didn't say I agree with it, just that was what the explanation of the purpose of them were.

It also depends where the extractors vent to......... if it is in the vicinity of the wheel wheels, extra noise could flow right into the hatch area behind the plastic panels. Not saying that is a primary cause, but could be contributing to the total effect.

:iagree:

Most of the noise is from the tire and is heard because of lack of insulation as stated above. How am I so confident? When i drive on smooth repaved freeways, the cabin is DEAD silent. Over old cement freeways, supa loud. There you go.

Sounds more like something Toyota would say. "It just the pedal tension...the ECU has nothing to do with it." Is Nissan about to pull a Toyota?

Ive test driven a few, and I dont know what road noise you guys are talking about. it isnt bad to me at all. I come from an older car, and that has road noise.

Found the original article, dated October 28, 2009.
2009 Nissan 370Z Touring: Gas Station Engineering

I am no engineer so I have no clue if what they are saying is true or not.

What road noise? The 370z is not noticeably louder than any other car I've ever owned, with the small exception of driving over dirty roads. Seriously this "issue" is way over blown. It's just not that loud at all don't understand the fuss. Don't believe me? Test drive one.

Maybe you folks with bad road noise have done too many burnouts and wrecked your tires.

inexpensive fix for excess tire noise / sport pack.
 

When Car and Driver did the full test on the 2009 370z car, excess tire noise , especially with the sport package- (what ever) , was quoted , saying thin inner fender liners (to save weight) was the cause. Well 2 dealers that I was getting quotes from were charging for undercoating. Seems many dealers had noise complaints from customers and some found a layer of undercoating in the wheel wells greatly reduced sound levels. Easy to do yourself , not expensive , not much weight added. Just dont block any drain holes. Of course if the noise doesnt bother you , just enjoy your car. Im still doing pricing on a 2009 z, white ,sportpackage, coupe ,auto trans--if you know where in Florida i can get one , new or used, please let me know. Thanks

One could try an electronic noise canceling system if it really bothered you.

...just resurrecting this thread, fellas...

has anyone heard from Nissan if the "fix" they're talking about is close to being released to the owner/public?

i've had the unpleasant experience of driving my Z on a downpour and i could swear... i felt like my roof was underneath as the water splash pounded the tire wells relentlessly.

my passenger went like... "WTF is that?" my answer? it's the "road experience" that comes packaged with the car!

I'm just dumbfounded that Nissan would roll this car out to the general public knowing the tremendous amount of noise that it generates in substandard roads, non-paved roads, and non-ideal weather conditions!

8(