Dealer fix for road noise
 

Edmunds Inside Line article, 2009 Nissan 370Z Long-Term Test (2/25/2010), mentions a "fix" for the 370z in regards to road noise. This is a quote from the article- "Think we're just being whiny? We're not. The tire noise, apparently, comes from less-than-ideal cabin-air extractors, and a fix for the problem is in the pipeline. Future 370Z owners, you're welcome."
Will this "fix" be availible at no cost to existing 370z's or only applied to new production models?

that fix will probably add more weight to the car or they will just use different tires.

what are cabin air extractors.....the driver and passenger?

:icon18:

I've got an easier fix...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9iv1k3Asya.../ear+plugs.jpg

sissies

I'm getting used to it!!!

suspicious Op has 1 post but rep of 2? Has anyone reported this? Reported...

Just slap on an exhaust or crank the volume on the stereo :tup:
Road noise doesn't bother me

ibtl.

Maybe he's epic beard man......or techno viking.......but def not chuck norris cause then he would have broken the rep meter already. Hehe

But on a serious note, just what are the "cabin-air extractors", and where are they? Are these vents at the rear/in the hatch area of the car for cabin air to flow out?

in the back to flow air out my guess

excatly i use the radio

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(

It's totally a lack of insulation and sound deadening materials.
Spray some undercoating in the wheel wells, as mentioned above.

My wife's Mercedes has a material that resembles indoor/outdoor carpet in the wheel wells. Even a gravel road is quiet in her car!

Time to get a G37S? ;)

Ummmm it's a coupe... Your going to hear the water because your so close to the wheels this will happen in any 2 seaters. My friends s2000 is the same way. Just get good tires and your fine..

I too have been very disappointed with the road noise in my Z. However, our Z is a very affordable, very capable sports car. It is not a high end sedan with all kinds of road insulation. So at the end of the day, you have to come to grips with it. Either you love the Z, and you forgive its little imperfections or you change out of your jeans and into a skirt and buy yourself a nice, quiet, blend, uneventful, common, simple sedan and enjoy the silence! It's all good either way.

The road noise in the 370 isn't much louder than my E92 M3 was. So I do think that people blow this out of proportion a little.

I'm doing a audio install and added some sound deadening last week and that helped the noise of rocks and pebbles a little. I'd bet that if the car wore Michelin PS2's like the M3 does that it would be much more quite.

Tires are a HUGE part of the problem. These RE050A's are quiet on some road surfaces and roar on others. If you want a quiet tire look at the Hankook V12 Evos.....Whisper quiet on my GTI and on my buddy's 370..

Some people drive their Z in the rain?

I agree with the Hankook tires, we put them on our G35 before we got rid of it and they were great.

E

there already is a fix for excessive road noise. here it is:

http://archive.roadandtrack.com/asse...2004069387.jpg