neilsarkar

I am not happy with the amount of (engine + tire + wind) noise that infiltrates the cabin of our GS, which is a non F-sport car with 18" wheels. I have tries ramping up the stereo volume, but that just hurts my ears. Are there any non-invasive steps I can take to make the car quieter?

I understand that GS is not meant to be as quiet as an LS - but still it's a 50k+ luxury car and should have better noise isolation than a 35k Kia Cadenza. It's funny how auto jounalists still describe other cars from other brands as "Lexus-like quiet" when Lexus is not the benchmark in the segment any more. I read somewhere that brand perception lags the brand reality by 10 years - that seems to be the case here.

JDR76

I'm surprised to see this. I find my GS to be incredibly quiet.

I've found the number one contributor (beyond road surfaces) to cabin noise is the tires. What tires do you have on your GS?

I also have very minimal wind noise. Do you have the dual pane windows?

2Squared

I'm surprised as well. My GS350 F Sport is quite quiet, even when driving on concrete roads with rain drainage grooves in it.

It so quiet that I'm getting ready to install Invidia Q300 axle back exhaust on it.

lamikela1

Yep! Me too! my GS is quieter than my ES and tires do make a big difference. I also have not had a problem with wind noise. To me the GS seems to be better isolated from outside noise than my ES was. I can't speak for an LS though.

neilsarkar

I replaced OE Bridgestone ER33 (where were really crappy tires) with Pirelli Cinturato P7+, which helped some - but still hear quite a bit of road noise on the freeway.

Is there any way to find out if I have dual pane windows? I did not find it in option package of '15 GS. My GS has premium package and some standalone options.

JDR76

Good choice on replacing the Bridgestones.

For the windows, roll them down part way and look at the top edge. If you have dual pane windows, you can see them laminated together. I believe the windows will also be marked "Lamisafe" as I recall.

metrathon

Quietness is extremely subjective, you need to have driven a lot of cars in order to be able to appreciate how quiet a particular car is with any degree of objectivity. Even then, there are factors like rain or shine, road quality, windy or not, etc. Same car, different conditions, makes a big difference in your perception.

Being somehow obsessed with NVH, here's my 2 cents about the '15 GS 350 18" wheels non-sport:
- Very low wind noise
- Average tire noise
- Low impact noise

I'm comparing it to CTS, A6 and 5 Series. Didn't have enough drive time in the E Class.

Here's the 5 Series for example:
- Average wind noise
- High tire noise
- Very high impact noise

I think the tire roar can be improved with quieter (albeit less sticky) tires. The rest can't he helped but frankly I don't think they need to.

The quietest car I ever driven in this class was a '15 Buick. It was tomb like, loved it. Too bad so many other things sucked.

One more thing: the quietest car BY FAR under $50k is the new A4. It is spooky quiet, I don't know what Audi did to it. It's quieter than a 7 or and S Class.

CottageChz

I find my GS cabin noise (non F-Sport, 18 inch wheels) to be very good compared to the past two cars I owned. Past two cars were 2001 Honda Accord and 2003 BMW 540i. The Accord was very loud in all respects - tire, road, wind noise. It was hard to hear people on the phone in that car sometimes at highway speeds. BMW 540i may have been overall just a tiny bit quieter than my GS. I found that car to be very quiet. The one thing I noticed about the GS is that on certain road surfaces it can be very loud, it is almost as though certain surfaces cause some part of the suspension to resonate. Has anyone else noticed that? 95% of the time though, I am quite happy with the amount of cabin noise. I am sure there are quieter cars out there, but the GS is good by me!

I do have some rattles in my cabin, but that's another topic.

trinidad56

I came from a Stage 2 WRX with 3" Exhaust. Loud car and ****ty interior plastics To me my F-sport GS350 might as well be a Prius. You can try dynamatting the door cards and trunk. That can get costly though.

neilsarkar

Thanks everyone for their response - really appreciate it.

@metrathon,

I am also somewhat obsessed with NVH and believe that a good sedan can strike a great balance between handling, ride quality, and cabin noise. You seem to have done a lot of homework. Which midsize premium sedan (with RWD drivetrain), in your opinion, offers highest insulation from NVH?

@CottageChz,

Funny you brought up the 5-series, because when I said GS was noisy I was benchmarking it against my previous car which was a F10 535i. I do not know whether I had an extremely good copy of F10 or not, but that car (non M-sport, 18" wheels, adaptive suspension) was noticably quieter on the freeway - even with run-flats. It was the first car I owned I would say was bank-vault like. But the handling was not as sharp as the GS.

neilsarkar

I agree, it's all relative.

trinidad56

When I grew out of my boy racer phase I knew I wanted something luxurious. I didn't really care what the DB's were inside since I knew it would be a night and day difference from what I previously drove. Honestly the GS350 F-sport has exceed all my expectations. To be fair my GS350 F-Sport is quieter on road than my aunts Mercedes Benz E350 with 18" Sport wheels. The Mercs motor is quieter but I much prefer the GS350 giving you just enough engine note inside the cabin. The F-sport has way better suspension tuning too. The Merc is harsh yet doesn't handle as well how did that happen!?

Sevn86

I do agree some what but I feel Ike the GS is pretty quite even with my 20" wheels and rubber band like tires. I use to own a 2013 Kia Optima SX turbo loaded with all the bells and whistles (33k) and I just couldn't stand the road noise. I felt like it was made out of paper. I got rid of that car even though it was mainly bought to be my daily driver so the RX wouldn't rack on too many miles. Now the GS is my daily driver and I love it.

vaccaro01

i did dynamat in the doors and upgraded the tires to the michelin Pilot Sport AS/3+. My car is now super quiet and the Mark Levinson system sound even better than it did, true story.

The Dynamat was very easy to do and took about three hours total. Only three screws hold the door panel on

metrathon

In my mind it's like this:

#1 - '17 E Class. The new E Class trumps everything. I haven't had a chance to drive it, but the reviews sound really good (pardon the pun). It's also a great deal more expensive than the competition.
#2 - GS non F-Sport, with Serenity or smth similar.
#3 - 5 Series *without* RFTs.
#4 - Genesis (or G8)
#5 - A6

I find the GS to have very low wind noise, just a whisper at 80mph. Also the suspension is very refined. The only problem are the tires.

You should drive the Buick LaCrosse, just for comparison sake. Or if you can do something smaller, the '17 A4. Your GS will sound like a convertible afterwards