Low road noise in Yaris?

[RedRide]

I have been driving my new Yaris for a few days now and one thing that impresses me is the low road noise particulary for a sub compact.

Keep in mind that for about the last 7 years I have be driving my Celica which is known for its high road noise properties.

Are the noise levels in the Yaris really that low or does it just seem so in comparison to my Celica?

[silver_echo]

they are very quiet, and part of it is because toyota has been getting a lot better with fit and finish recently

[Lewis]

the only thing I find unpleasant about the car is the HIGH level of road roar

:-)

but that just might be the poor NJ road surfaces I drive on

[1stToyota]

It's not bad, but it got a little better after I used two cans of rubberized undercoating.

[yaris prime]

Originally Posted by 1stToyota

It's not bad, but it got a little better after I used two cans of rubberized undercoating.

I was going to try that, but there is WAY too much road to cover

[RedRide]

Ok...... I guess I have just gotten used to the excessive noise of the Celca.

[Yaris Hilton]

I think it's very quiet myself.

[Phaeton]

Mines not quiet, but I came from driving a Ford Explorer before the yaris.

[Astroman]

I actually like road noise, feel more connected with the road. Driving with no back seat or the spare (plus the plastic around it), now there is some road noise! Out of all my vehicles I've owned, my '71 Ford Galaxie is the quietest. Oh, being lowered on 17s increases road noise on my '07 vs. my girlfriend's stock '09 with 15s.

[businezguy]

Granted I have only driven my new Yaris for about 447 miles, but I find it to be extremely quiet in the cabin. I hear no wind noise, and I generally do not hear the bumps as I ride over them. I can certainly hear traffic next to me, but it is very muted. I should note that since door guards were installed on my vehicle by the dealer, that will reduce road noise by a bit as well (even though it's really designed to protect against bad weather, rain, etc.)

[Yaris Hilton]

The tires you're running, the pressure you're running them at (mine are noisier at 44 PSI than at 32) and road surface make big differences in the road noise. Aggressive tire treads are usually pretty noisy. The stock Eagle LS tires are rather quiet. My Yaris sedan is inherently quiet running, but not well insulated against noises coming from outside the cabin. I really hear rain hitting the windshield and body, and noises from surrounding vehicles. Rain's the loudest thing I hear when cruising down the Interstate at 70 MPH out of traffic on a rainy day. There's not much wind noise.

[wsladaritz]

What about a whining sound from the engine area? It increases in pitch the faster I go and lowers as I slow down. It is relative to my speed, not my acceleration. Does anyone else that kind of road noise?

[wooverstone8]

The Yaris LB is moderately quiet IMO.

[wooverstone8]

Originally Posted by wsladaritz

What about a whining sound from the engine area? It increases in pitch the faster I go and lowers as I slow down. It is relative to my speed, not my acceleration. Does anyone else that kind of road noise?

My Yaris does the samething too, but not all the time.

[wsladaritz]

Not all the time? Any idea what might be causing it? Usually my music easily drowns it out, but I really haven't even noticed it until a few months ago. I was talking with a friend about it and we decided it sounds like a computer fan with a bad bearing or something. Could it be a bad bearing in the plastic fan in front of the engine? Cause that would change with speed depending on how much wind is coming in right?

[Altitude]

I've found the largest factor to be the road surface itself. There are a variety of surfaces around here and while some are noisy as hell, others are extremely quiet. Just finished a 3600 mile round trip and found that on most surfaces the car is pretty quiet - of course I do have sound deadening material so that helps, but if the road surface is bad it makes a ton of noise regardless of the deadening I put in the car.

[zeppy]

Originally Posted by RedRide

I have been driving my new Yaris for a few days now and one thing that impresses me is the low road noise...

You must be kidding. My wife and I test-drove one of these a few months ago, and the engine noise just about drove us crazy. We couldn't believe we were driving a new car. Then just a couple of weeks ago, some out-of-town friends gave us a ride in their rented Yaris, and it was just as noisy.

I see complaints about all over the Web. Newsday's reviewer said, "It's not often that a Toyota disappoints. But its cheapest U.S. model, the Yaris, is disappointing, mostly for the racket of engine and tire noise to which it subjects driver and passengers... [The noise] is mostly from the 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine. It's accompanied by harshness that driver and passengers can feel through the floorboards."

Anyway, I'm glad you got a quieter one (apparently!).

[RedRide]

Originally Posted by zeppy

You must be kidding. My wife and I test-drove one of these a few months ago, and the engine noise just about drove us crazy. We couldn't believe we were driving a new car. Then just a couple of weeks ago, some out-of-town friends gave us a ride in their rented Yaris, and it was just as noisy.

I see complaints about all over the Web. Newsday's reviewer said, "It's not often that a Toyota disappoints. But its cheapest U.S. model, the Yaris, is disappointing, mostly for the racket of engine and tire noise to which it subjects driver and passengers... [The noise] is mostly from the 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine. It's accompanied by harshness that driver and passengers can feel through the floorboards."

Anyway, I'm glad you got a quieter one (apparently!).

When I made the OP it turnd out that I had a bit of a cold and it effected my hearing.
Now that my ears are back to "normal", I fiind the Yaris in not that quiet after all.

However it is much quieter than my Celica which cost me over $8,000 more than the Yaris when new in '01.

I now do feel that my Yaris HB is relatively quiet for a cheap econbox.
Like someone else said, I like to be connected to the road/my car and a little bit of audio feedback is welcomed. I think the yaris strikes a good balance between giving a little audio feedback and being too qoiet.