Road Noise
 

Two weeks ago, I purchased a 2012 370Z Touring. The car is white with black interior and the 7 speed automatic. It had less than 12,000 miles. I researched the Z cars before buying and was aware there have been some complaints about excessive road/cabin noise. My vehicle was relatively quiet, but less noise would have made it more enjoyable.

I read many posts that discussed sound dampener such as Dynamat, Fat Mat, etc. being placed in the hatch. I got a quote for $500 from a audio dealer. Being retired, I have time on my hands and am above average with DIY projects.

I purchased a 36 sq ft kit of Stinger Road Kill for $95 from Amazon. (A local dealer wanted $200 for the exact kit.) I also got free shipping. It took about 3 1/2 hours to remove the trim from the hatch area and install the Stinger. I placed it everywhere there was bare metal and probably have 85% coverage in the hatch area. A test drive revealed a little less noise. It was worth my time and $95, but I would have been disappointed if I had paid $500 for the difference. I used about 5 sheets of the 9 sheets in the kit, so 4 sheets remained.

Today, I paid a company to install the Stinger Roadkill Sound Dampener inside both doors. They charged $60 labor and used 3 sheets of my product. As I said earlier, the noise was not bad originally, but I wanted it a little less. Covering the doors made a SIGNIFICANT difference in the road noise. The vehicle is more pleasurable to drive and the total of 8 sheets (32 sq ft) probably only added 25 lbs to the vehicle.

Others may agree or disagree, it makes no difference. The only thing that matters is I am satisfied with the cost and the results. If this helps others, good.

sounds good. also quiet riding tires make a huge difference.

i found great results running Bridgestone S04's and also Continental DW's. :)

OP, you should post up in this thread BTW the worst cars for road noise are the whites one with black interior. Complete opposite for black exterior and white interior.:tiphat: That's why I bought a 2 seat RWD sports car with a persimmon exterior and gold flake exterior...quiet like a coffin.

wtf? huh?

I kind of like the road noise but I am a different sort of person. Sounds like you made a good investment, one my wife would probably appreciate if I did it as well.

Wait did I miss something?! Since when does color have anything to do with road noise?! Unless you are trying to make a funny? :icon14:

A layer of closed cell foam over the sound deadening makes a big difference.

Looking at it from a polarity perspective, like a magnet, white paint attracts the black pieces of asphalt better than say, magma red. Just like the different poles of a magnet attract each other. So in the end, more asphalt pieces on the road being attracted to a Pearl White Z means more road noise. The OP purchased a white car and filled it full of dynamat but that added unnecessary weight when all he had to do was by a black car. Black cars repel road debris.

Does your head hurt yet?