rear windows down...on freeway?

simple

simple

Senior Member
Anybody just drive with your rear passenger windows down? I did it last night, and the car started thumping really loudly. I thought I had the e-brake on at first. It sounded like your in the back of a helicopter and I could feel a change of pressure in my ears, and the song on my raido was thumped out. It sounds EXACTLY like hitting your palms at a rapid pace on your ears. When I have the front windows down, this doesn't happen.

Is this normal?
 
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simple said:
Anybody just drive with your rear passenger windows down? I did it last night, and the car started thumping really loudly. I thought I had the e-brake on at first. It sounded like your in the back of a helicopter and I could feel a change of pressure in my ears, and the song on my raido was thumped out. It sounds EXACTLY like hitting your palms at a rapid pace on your ears. When I have the front windows down, this doesn't happen.

Is this normal?
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this happens in my Highlander now. It is so annoying and compresses your ears big time.

I find that if I roll down the front windows, it helps it out a little but then of course wind is coming in my face.

Doesn't happen at all below about 20mph but soon as you get there, bop-bop-bop-bop-bop-bop. I'm guessing it's just the aerodynamics of the car. That sliver of window frame traveling vertically along the back edge of the back window catches the air, or it just slipstreams from the front window soon as it hits the front vertical window frame of the open back window.

Either way, it's annoying and kinda of sucks. I was really hoping the 4-Runner wouldn't do that too.
 
What I've found when I want to cool the interior down some without the A/C on is to roll down the front driver side window a few inches along with the rear passenger side window down a few inches. This provides a nice little breeze to head area for the driver. If you don't want to feel the breeze reverse it (front passenger with rear driver). Works great. Remember just those two windows only.

If you want both the rear windows down then you have to roll down the back hatch window some to prevent the buffeting.
 
I had it happen to me the first week I had my truck. Went to disneyland with a few friends and my girlfriend. One of them wanted the back window down, and was very amused with everyone yelling "WTF IS THAT?"

It was a very annoying sound and made my ears pop a little like when going up or down in elevation. Needless to say, I found the window lock button very handy.
 
I find this phenomenon very helpful in getting the wife to stop nagging me when we're traveling. It gets really bad when you roll down just one of the rear windows. She hates it! Sometimes I'll warn her with, "i think I hear a chopper closing in." She has learned to take the hint!
 
Its called buffeting. It is a consequence of making a vehicle more aerodynamic. Smooth flowing air over the open window surface creates an intense low frequency pulse. Sunroofs have a small deflector to break up the air as it flows over the roof, eliminating any buffeting. I wonder if adding a small spoiler on the leading edge of the rear windows would prevent it?
 
oxfordethan said:
I find this phenomenon very helpful in getting the wife to stop nagging me when we're traveling. It gets really bad when you roll down just one of the rear windows. She hates it! Sometimes I'll warn her with, "i think I hear a chopper closing in." She has learned to take the hint!
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Hahaha, nice! I'll have to use that one day.
 
Zmtking said:
What I've found when I want to cool the interior down some without the A/C on is to roll down the front driver side window a few inches along with the rear passenger side window down a few inches. This provides a nice little breeze to head area for the driver. If you don't want to feel the breeze reverse it (front passenger with rear driver). Works great. Remember just those two windows only.

If you want both the rear windows down then you have to roll down the back hatch window some to prevent the buffeting.
Click to expand...

I roll down the rear window for the same exact reason and...
1) When I smoke. Cracking the front driver window about 1 inch and opening the rear window about 2 inches makes the smoke go straight out the driver side. No second hand smoke for the passenger! They can't even smell it!! :D
2) When traveling with my dog in the cargo area. Dog hair gets all over the cargo area so I'll cruise up to 85 on the freeway open up all the windows including the rear window and dog hair just flies out. No vacuuming necessary. Also helps that I've got the weathertech floorliners and cargo liner and Leathers. :cool:
 
I'm going to install leather on everything for that reason. I haven't had any big dogs in my truck yet, but between my 2 cats and 3 ferrets, and my girlfriends 3 german shepards, 1 chihuahua, and a cat, it gets hair all over the cloth seats.

And for the records, i'm only 19 and my girlfriend is younger than me, so we live at home still, not together in the same house, so we don't have a huge farm in one place like it sounds. :D
 
One way to look at buffeting

Think of it like a flute or whistle. You blow air over an opening and the configuration of the other openings changes the tone that you get, or whether you get one at all.

The volume a vehicle encloses is much bigger than a flute, so the frequency of the tone is much much lower. Mostly a matter of simple resonant frequency, and if it's low enough it sounds like separate pulses rather than a continuous tone.

The phenomenon can happen with lots of different vehicles, depending on speed and configuration (up/down/how much) of windows and sunroofs. Years ago I had a 2 door coupe that would do it like crazy if I removed the sunroof glass, but not if I just tilted it up.

It sure can be unpleasant, and I remember starting to get sick to my stomach when I was experimenting with it.
 
Jaebster, that's great stuff!

At first I started to not like having the leather put in, but having cleaned it recently which was a breeze, and noticing that I get a lot less dust on the dash over long periods of time makes me glad I have it now.

My next door neighbor does installs (leather, sun roofs, tinting). I got my leathers for $700.
 
I drive with the rear window down all time when the weather permits, with the sunroof open as well. No problem with the buffeting. I do have a spoiler above the rear window and have no problems. I usually do nothing with the front or rear set windows.

I had an '07 Highlander before my Runner and that thing buffeted at 20 - 35 all the time when I had the sunroof open. THAT was certainly annoying.
 
Simply by cracking the hatch window will cure the noise since air going in rapidly needs and exit and with just the rear wondows down the air can't go back out.
 
Josh, I tried taking pictures last night but they didn't come out too good. I'll have to take them during the day with some better light. Check back in a couple of days. Meantime I'll check with my neighbor and see what he can do.
 
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