Hey guys, just a quick question if anyone is experiencing loud cabin noise than usual? I was doing 60 - 67 under regular traffic on free way and did some measurements. I average around 83 decibels. I have sensitive ear so I want to confirm what I experienced is normal.

 

What tires and how many miles?

 

after this post I was curious. So I was doing 100kmh(60mph) on the freeway. Windows up and I was getting 78-82dB. I’m running firestone Indy 500. I do find them to be a bit on the louder side. I didn’t try it in regular traffic as my sunroof is always tilted and my windows are usually cracked.

 

82 dB is very loud. Check your tires, also check again with a calibrated instrument. That seems WAY too high for this vehicle.

My old 7.3 power stroke farm truck ran less than 70 dB and that thing was LOUD. My IS is low 60s on the highway.

 

I don't know about the absolute sound level, but I find my IS350 not a quite car (not noisy either). It's acceptable but clearly higher road noise than my prior Audi S4 and my wife's Jeep Grand Cherokee. I'm running Michelin A/S 3+ tires. This is one of only a couple disappointments I have with the car... i expected a Lexus to have less road noise.

 

2 options:

1. Ear Plugs - best ones i've found on the market are:

Howard Leight MAX-1 Uncorded NR33 Foam Earplugs Box, 200 Pair

disposable and if you don't like the fit depending on your Ear Canal, i trim the tip off and get a good snug fit


these may be good too...as long as the NR level is above 30, it will improve your drive


2. For longer drives: Ear Muff style

The Best Hearing Protection for 2020

https://www.edcmag.com/best-hearing-protection/

 

Ignoring the possible danger of being unable to hear ambient sounds that could alert you of a hazard, that is a good idea.

edit: It's legal to wear ear protection while driving. Please forgive my rant.

 

no worries, HOWEVER, if a cop sees you with BIG dome Ear Muffs on, he may confuse them with headphones and could get pulled over


*knock on wood* never happened but relevant info nonetheless

 

Kind of the nature of the beast.

The two quietest cars in the world right now are the Bentley Bentayga and BMW X7. In that order. Brought to you by E46CT.

The 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th are quite far away from 1st and 2nd. And no 3rd or even 4th or even 5th is not from Lexus.

 

83 dB is entirely too loud, if that reading is correct, the car has major issues and needs work. I would expect the windshield to be missing at that sound level.

 

True. However, there's still a fine line between "quiet" and "average" IMHO. Cars like the IS and, say, my GTI, Kia Stinger, etc. are pretty much average. Quiet in many scenarios, but over bad pavement or at high speed can get noisy. Then you have cars that are clearly better at handling the rougher stuff - your premium CUVs, your Genesis G80s, Lexus ESes, etc. Obviously the quietest car I have been in was a Rolls Royce Ghost by a long way. That thing rolled over cobblestones like they were welcome mats. Barely any sound from outside.

So with the IS, you're at least getting something average to above average in terms of quietness. However, I do feel Lexus skimped on the wheel well lining compared to some other cars I've driven. My friend's 3-series, for example, even on PS4S tires, is still a lot quieter in terms of road noise than my IS was. So while the IS is decent with wind noise it's going to have more tire noise especially with performance tires.

 

The sound system takes care of cabin noise just fine.

 

Dunno, I prefer road noise to some of the stuff that my wife listens to.

 

lol

I fully admit my wife introduced me to a lot of the music I like now. However, I also prefer to drive with no music at all much of the time I drive.

I agree though with @Jazzrock that listening to music is the number one way to make the noise bearable on long trips. If nothing else, it distracts from the noise. I never had the Mark Levinson in the IS, but now I have the Fender audio in the GTI and definitely appreciate having a nice audio system.

 

What are you guys using to capture sound decibels? I tried to apps on my smart phone I was 74db avg about 70 mph. Different car a CT (Way smaller tires) and sounds quiter than the IS to my ears, maybe about the same.

60db was parked, no cars driving by lol. No air, no music, etc.

Is mid 70s considered loud? I get nearly 50 in my seemingly quite neighborhood at 8PM. I've been in some cars you can hear passengers breathing at 70 mph lol.