road noise deadening?

[mountainair26]

I have a 2010 Sr5 and it makes considerable road noise, as I know alot of 4runners do. Ive replaced the rear weather strip around the entire rear hatch since it was a little melted and that helped some. Aside from taking all the door panels off and paying for someone to add deadening mats to the bare metal, are there any easier and lest costly ways to at least reduce some of the road noise? I do have michelin tires (cant remember the model) that are great for gas mileage, but are notorious for their road noise, so that's probably a big part of it. I'm not out for audiophile quality noise deadening, just any minor mod or tips that might take some of the road noise out. I'm not against pulling the seats and the doors, but the process of laying down all that deadening mat material seems to tedious and more than I need. Does adding weathertech mats or anything similar make a difference? Just trying to think of small things that dont involve disassembly of the interior and tons of work, I'm only looking for a small/cheap upgrade if possible to take some of the road/wind noise down. Thanks

 

[willo]

Noise is a funny thing.
I don't have specific suggestions as I'm waiting to pick up my new 4runner this week. That said, I'm coming from a Wrangler and a Taco before that. The jeep is a noisy beast even with a hard top.

Have you tried to identify where most of your noise is coming from? Do you have cross bars on the roof rack?

Are you getting good seal at the doors? On my 13 Taco, I found that some of the door seals were working loose and making a bad seal. Things improved once I started cleaning the seals with silicone and reseating them in the grove. The silicone process helped as I was removing the dirt and helping things seal up better in general.

If you think it's really down to tire noise, you may want to consider pulling the fender liners and installing noise dampening material on the back. That should be a relatively simple diy.

 

[denim]

I have a 2017 stock TRD OR and thought it was a bit noisy as well. I elected to go with Hushmat (I didn't install it, had a local audio shop do it).

This is from a previous post I did.

I just had Hushmat installed in my 2017 TRD Off Road. It was installed in all of the doors, floors, rear hatch, rear quarters, and rear half of roof (I have the moonroof and so Hushmat was not installed in that area). The center console was left alone.

The results were right in line for what I was hoping for. I have an app on my phone called Decibel X - it's a free db reader and I have no idea as to its accuracy - my previous vehicle was a 2012 VW Touareg and at 70mph it registered around 88 db. When I use this app it bounces quite a bit so my readings below are given in a range.

Before Hushmat = 86-89db 70mph with no radio and no AC.
After Hushmat = 80-83db 70 mph with no radio and no AC

It is a very noticeable difference in road noise when driving. For those reading this decibel readings are non-linear - I read online (so it must be right - ha) that a reduction of 6db would give you the perception of it being 34% more quite - that sounds about right to me.

I don't think there is any easy way of doing it - the front and rear doors and floor in the front and rear seat areas are the most important places to add the sound deadening. The door panels are pretty simple (I replaced my speakers by myself) and the floor is tedious. Good luck.

 

[Paradigm]

Its almost comical how noisy these things are. Nevermind that they cost 45k.. Toyota gives zero f###s.

Tire noise is tire noise and you can't kill that. Deadening the doors and firewall does do a lot for reverberation though, however is a huge job for the return on investment. Undecided for me if worth it.

Whats worse than road noise is the amount of things I can hear that rattle. For example my rear shock (TRDP) contacts the body.. Cool

Rubber splash shield in wheel wheel rattles something fierce at speed. New grommets and tabs have helped but the piece stretches out. Its coming off.

The TRDP skid plate can't stay tight if you welded it on, so thats always fun too.

Oh, and now my heat shield is singing its song. Coming off this weekend.

4runners are just loud. Plain and simple. They are expensively priced cheap trucks that last for fricken ever. I was never aware how tinny they were till I got my range rover. What a difference. I didn't even know I liked silence that much.

Whats even better is I found all these myself because my dealer no matter how clean the truck was would default tell me oh its mud in the under carriage.

 

[anomalous]

I don't think there's any other way around it but to deaden the car. The application of the deadening really isn't hard to do. I showed my wife how to do a little piece, and then she just took off and started going crazy and deadened everything for me. I was in charge of removing every panel, and cutting the pieces of deadening material she wanted. Removing all the panels without breaking anything, and then reinstalling all the panels hoping you didn't lose anything or are left with any extra bolts and clips is the hard part, haha. I think in the end it's always rewarding to do your own installs. Adding new floor mats won't do anything

 

[2112 R]

Bought the 40sqft box of this stuff when I replaced my speakers and applied it to all the doors and back hatch. It's worked great and while a little bit of a pain to install was able to do it all, including speakers in less than 1 day. Started in the morning and ended in the evening.
Be sure to have a roller to help smooth it out and a tennis ball for the corner molding.

The biggest down side is this stuff adds weight to the vehicle. I have no idea on the exact pounds added, but was about as heavy as 1 of my kids.

It has worked well and I plan on adding more to the cargo area when I need to run HAM and CB lines back there next year (next mod).

NVX Sound Dampening Mat
https://www.amazon.com/NVX-Professi...pID=51Oo8vG2UoL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

 

[anomalous]

Bought the 40sqft box of this stuff when I replaced my speakers and applied it to all the doors and back hatch. It's worked great and while a little bit of a pain to install was able to do it all, including speakers in less than 1 day. Started in the morning and ended in the evening.
Be sure to have a roller to help smooth it out and a tennis ball for the corner molding.

The biggest down side is this stuff adds weight to the vehicle. I have no idea on the exact pounds added, but was about as heavy as 1 of my kids.

It has worked well and I plan on adding more to the cargo area when I need to run HAM and CB lines back there next year (next mod).

NVX Sound Dampening Mat
https://www.amazon.com/NVX-Professi...pID=51Oo8vG2UoL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Agree about the weight, but it does make for a nice solid feel for the doors when opening, and closing. I especially like it on the rear hatch, with the added weight it basically shuts on its own when you bring it down to a certain point. I used Stinger Roadkill and each case of 30sq ft weighed about 33lbs, and I used 3 cases to complete the whole interior of the 4Runner, so about 100lbs of added weight just in deadening. Well worth it in my opinion.

 

[Ezlife45]

Haven't done my Limited yet but have done several vehicles. at times you may not notice how much it improves the quality of the ride. Other times it will shock you. Like say for instance driving across a cobblestone street.

I plan to add some one of these days when I get some free time.

Did a Honda Accord and while the difference was marginal for typical driving, when reaching noisy segments of road it really shined. I did everything except pulling the headliner to do the ceiling. Doors sounded like a Benz. It was well worth it.

 

[Jetboy]

Tires would be the best starting point. If you want Land Rover type road noise, probably unlikely. You can't make a BOF truck with extra seats into a car with big tires, but you can start with small narrow highway touring tires like a Land Rover has and it'll go a long way. Of course 235 width highway touring car type would look funny on a 4Runner, but they'll be a lot quieter.

 

[epjfsa]

4runners are just loud. Plain and simple. They are expensively priced cheap trucks that last for fricken ever. I was never aware how tinny they were till I got my range rover. What a difference. I didn't even know I liked silence that much.

The 4runner is priced where it is because enough people find enough value at that price to make the purchase. Toyota is a corporation, and that's what they do.

But this last one -- the 4runner isn't built nor priced to compete with the Land Rover. The "pick two: cheap, fast, or good/durable" saying pretty much explains the difference between the 4runner and land rover. And making vehicles quiet requires more than cheap rubber mats glued to body panels - it requires tighter powertrain tolerances, suspension design, and other costly and heavy noise suppression. Look at the crazy noise-suppression tech RAM is using on their new pickups. Making design changes like that will either raise the cost, impact performance, or impact durability. What you pay for in the 4runner, in lieu of noise deadening/more power/better tech, is a durable chassis, powertrain, and a traction control system that (until the last year or two) is on par with what you find in vehicles twice the price.

If you want a quieter ride, you can spend the same amount on a Highlander-type of vehicle and give up those things - or you can spend more and buy the GX460. Maybe someone can research which parts of the GX460 help dampen sound and installed on a 4runner.

 

[Jetboy]

Here's the test data: the 4Runner is quieter than a Land Rover Discovery - the most comparable price Land Rover model. What makes this even more interesting is that the Discovery comes with 235/80/18 passenger car touring tires.


The LR Discovery averages 70db at 70mph. The 4Runner averages 67 in the same test.

https://www.caranddriver.com/review...scovery-interior-review-car-and-driver-page-5

https://www.caranddriver.com/review...4runner-interior-review-car-and-driver-page-5

Even a Range Rover Velar only ties the 4Runner.

https://www.caranddriver.com/review...r-velar-interior-review-car-and-driver-page-5

The main point here is that the 4Runner really is pretty quiet in stock form. It's equal to a Range Rover Velar. It's not until you put mud tires on it and a roof rack and ??? that it starts to make noise. Obviously you can't put any type of meaningful offroad tires on a Land Rover, but it you could - you'd probably get the same result.

(It's also quieter than a Porsche Macan, Jaguar F Pace, and Mercedes AMG GLC43.)

 

[epjfsa]

Here's the test data: the 4Runner is quieter than a Land Rover Discovery - the most comparable price Land Rover model. What makes this even more interesting is that the Discovery comes with 235/80/18 passenger car touring tires.


The LR Discovery averages 70db at 70mph. The 4Runner averages 67 in the same test.

https://www.caranddriver.com/review...scovery-interior-review-car-and-driver-page-5

https://www.caranddriver.com/review...4runner-interior-review-car-and-driver-page-5

Even a Range Rover Velar only ties the 4Runner.

https://www.caranddriver.com/review...r-velar-interior-review-car-and-driver-page-5

The main point here is that the 4Runner really is pretty quiet in stock form. It's equal to a Range Rover Velar. It's not until you put mud tires on it and a roof rack and ??? that it starts to make noise. Obviously you can't put any type of meaningful offroad tires on a Land Rover, but it you could - you'd probably get the same result.

(It's also quieter than a Porsche Macan, Jaguar F Pace, and Mercedes AMG GLC43.)

So I wonder if it's just the type or "quality" of the noise that we do hear that makes it more noticeable. Honestly, if it weren't for the noisy tires, I dont think I would complain too much. Then again, my baseline are three particularly noisy vehicles (M3, Mini cooper, and '15 Tacoma).

Though I am interested in what I mentioned earlier -- I wonder what GX460 parts might be applicable to the 4runner that could reduce NVH. Hmm...

 

[Jetboy]

So I wonder if it's just the type or "quality" of the noise that we do hear that makes it more noticeable. Honestly, if it weren't for the noisy tires, I dont think I would complain too much. Then again, my baseline are three particularly noisy vehicles (M3, Mini cooper, and '15 Tacoma).

Though I am interested in what I mentioned earlier -- I wonder what GX460 parts might be applicable to the 4runner that could reduce NVH. Hmm...

GX is literally identical in road noise. It's the tires we're putting on mostly. I don't think anything would transfer that would help. Go test drive a stock one. I think you'll be surprised how quiet it is and how nicely it drives in totally stock form. Suspension and tires we all put on make it louder and worse on the highway. So do roof racks, skid plates, sliders etc. All have wind noise. I think all the little stuff adds up.

 

[tacoyota]

Pretty much what Jetboy stated. We keep swapping out tires and adding random stuff here and there. It is worth adding some small amount of deadening sheets in the 5 doors as it helps with the vibration and also adds the satisfying door close "thunk". I think Lexus is more quiet because they add something like 100 lbs of extra deadening material all around the vehicle. Apparently most of the noise will come through the windows regardless...

 

[mountainair26]

Yeah I think its a combination of the tires being a bit noise, the wheel wells and floor being slightly thin, and that I just notice it a little more than other people that ride in it with me. I don't need audiophile sound quality or the feeling that I'm in an Audi, but what locations in the vehicle are the most bang for the buck when it comes to deadening? I don't mind removing the seats and slapping some on the metal underneath the carpet and liners if it's worth the trouble. But I'm not trying to achieve a total soundbooth. I just want see what the opinions are on how much to add until you get some significant difference.
Let's say you had a long Saturday afternoon as a timeframe, and got some of 40sq ft of the 90mm deadening material mentioned above. Would hitting the doors have the most effect? Is 40sq ft even gonna make a noticeable difference? I know it's hard to say without knowing exactly what I'm trying to accomplish, but I basically just want to decrease the amount of noise from the tires rolling and he loud "air swooshing" sound I hear at speeds higher than around 50. The air noise is a big factor, but sometimes I feel like there is only aluminum foil in the wheel wells and I can hear the tired way too much.
I drove a tahoe for about 10 years before this, and while it was certainly no luxury vehicle, it just seemed like there was much less "air swooshing" when driving fast and much less road noise. I'm guessing that trying to install thicker rubber floor mats in the 4runner or any other "shortcut" besides installing deadening material on the bear metal is a waste of time? Thanks for all the input.

 

[mountainair26]

Mine's a daily driver 2wd SR5, but the tire's it came with I believe are Michelin and have something about reducing gas-mileage in the name of them. I'm just wondering if popping all four door covers off and using a roller to get 8-10sq ft of the deadning material on the door metal is going to make a difference that'd be worth it. Is there a way to attack the wheel wells? I've heard most of the spray-deadening products are junk unless you use something like bed-liner material

 

[npottala]

I just completed sound deadening my 2018 Off Road. I only did the cargo area and under the second row seats. I think most of the road noise comes from the tire compartment and therefore I did not put deadener in any of the doors. I did however line the inner fender panel areas while I had the cargo panels removed. Job took 4-5 hours.

It seems to have cut down on much of the noise. Honestly I don't think all that much comes through the doors. If I do any more it will just be under the front seats up toward the firewall.

This is what I used. It was incredibly light weight and inexpensive.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/86sqft-10m...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

[MSRP.]

Quick reply:
Regular highway tires
Less stuff on roof and pod lights on the pillars

Weathertechs with sound deadening on the back of them (if you're lazy)
>> I googled this last one, and read the first two hits. Prius guy says it helps, the first link says no way Jose.. probably has some benefit.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=road...rome..69i57.4622j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[mountainair26]

I just completed sound deadening my 2018 Off Road. I only did the cargo area and under the second row seats. I think most of the road noise comes from the tire compartment and therefore I did not put deadener in any of the doors. I did however line the inner fender panel areas while I had the cargo panels removed. Job took 4-5 hours.

It seems to have cut down on much of the noise. Honestly I don't think all that much comes through the doors. If I do any more it will just be under the front seats up toward the firewall.

This is what I used. It was incredibly light weight and inexpensive.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/86sqft-10m...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Thanks, so you just did the back half of the floor area basically? None of the rear hatch? If you happen to have any pictures of how you did the wheel wells I'd appreciate it. I'll probably do something like what you did but with a thicker than 10mm material just in case. Thanks for the tip

 

[npottala]

I did all of the rear hatch, rear fender wells, and interior walls of the rear quarter panel. I went up to the rear seat foot wells. I didn't go any further just because I would have had to remove the front seats to really get at it and the foot well has a jute padding already so I didn't feel I would be adding too much.

Sorry, I didn't snap any pictures of the process.