Honda CR-V Road Noise
I have no issue with Honda reliability. However, Honda's are plagued with road noise. My wifes 2007 Pilot is horrid. Noise is fed through the tires and suspension, through the chassis to the interior. It's not wind noise. It's not tires. Listening to the radio is useless.
We are looking at acquiring another vehicle. Is there any Honda that is not plagued with this problem? Toyota doesn't have the issue. Insights appreciated.
We are looking at acquiring another vehicle. Is there any Honda that is not plagued with this problem? Toyota doesn't have the issue. Insights appreciated.
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Regards:
Oldbearcat
Generally, people who like being isolated don't go for Honda, they usually go for Buicks and Toyotas, the driving appliances.
The problem is not tires or wind noise. This is an across-the-board design issue with Honda products that taints an otherwise fine vehicle. The issue could be resolved with insulation in the interior, isolation pads between major body components, bushing and strut isolation... lots of opportunities.
As it is, people spend -$1-2K to have some "professional" tear out their interior and install what should already be there. Gawd... Kia, Hundai, Buick, VW... they all have solved it. Except for... Honda.
enjoy,
Yeah, if you want to focus on it you can certainly hear it although it isn't THAT much more than other cars. I had two customers bring decibel meters and compare Hondas to Toyotas and both agreed that there wasn't that much of a difference. not nearly as much of a difference as the Toyota salespeople would have you believe.
Honda did "something" in 2010 to make CRV's quietier. We all noticed the difference immediatly. We own a 2003 and a 2011 and there is quite a difference although neither of us find the 2003 to be objectionable.
I sometimes think that Honda tries to buy the noisiest tires they can find and tires make a huge difference. There is also a product called Dynamat that makes a big difference too.
It has to be remembered that what bothers one person is of no little concern to others.
After owning Honda cars since 2002 this CRV is the first without objectionable road noise.
2000 Odyssey, 2003 Accord, 2006 Odyssey, 2008 Accord, 2010 Pilot all had elevated levels of road noise above competitors. The 2010 Pilot was by far the worst with the truck tires.
As it is, and as much as I would like to get a CR-V based on my otherwise fine experience with the Pilot, everything is now pointing to a Subaru Outback or RAV4. Quality on all 3 is equal (a good thing). All have slight benefits over each other in one form or another (pick one...). Mileage is similar.
Competition is good. Honda just happens to be losing this particular competition (my sale)... due to something that could be resolved but isn't being resolved for reasons that are not readily apparent.
All three are reliable vehicles. Honda is simply losing customers based on their choice of ignoring a known product issue.
I sold Hondas for almost 14 years and while I certainly do agree with you that road noise has been an issue, I really believe it isn't THAT bad when compared to the other cars you mentioned as well as others.
I have had customers bring decible meters on test drives after doing the same with other cars. In some cases noise levels were the same and int he cases where Hondas were louder, the differences were slight.
Most of the comments about noise come from the salespeople in competive stores. " If you decide to drive a CRV, be sure to bring ear plugs"
But, I agree, Hondas can be noisier than other cars in their classes.
We have owned three CRV's. A 2000, a 2003 that we still have, and a 2011.
The 2011 is MUCH quietier than the 2003. It does NOT have "severe road noise" and for some unexplained reason is markedely quieter than a 2010.
Hona does need to continue their work but I think if you do the decimal meter test you'll be surprised.
And, even the noisiest of Hondas didn't seem to bother most shoppers. Some people are simply more sensitive.
The Toyota may be a bit quietier but can't compare in the handling catagory and the Subaru will get worse gas mileage.
Yes, the recent models are much quietier.
Yes, Honda needs to continue working on this.
And, yes, a lot of this is overblown. Hondas aren't THAT much noisier than other cars.
Tires make a big difference. It seems like Honda buys the noisiest tires they can find!
If a person is really THAT sensitive about a slight difference in road noise than they serouly should buy something else.
Tires DO make a difference and I speak from experience with our 2003 CRV.
Durable and reliable, yes, but there is no way I will ever buy a Honda again unless this is fixed. It is a disgrace that they have such shoddy work on this particular part of the vehicle.
I can barely think in the car and I had the onset of a headache it was so loud. Is there any tire I can buy to fix this. NEVER BUY A HONDA UNTIL YOU ARE SURE THIS IS FIXED. :lemon:
Do NOT believe the "it's the tires" scam. It's not. Neither is it "wind noise". As a 2004 Honda owner I can tell you both excuses are bogus. This is a design defect, a failure to isolate the suspension from the frame/chassis. Honda knows it. They just decline to do anything about it. And I take my checkbook elsewhere.
Regards:
Oldbearcat
I've always said that it seems Honda looks hard for the noisiest tires they can find.
That said, when I drive my wife's 2011 CRV, there is a HUGE difference between the 2003 I drive. Much less road noise!
Funny, our 2011 doesn't seem to have this problem nor does our noisier 2003.
If the car you drove at the dealership didn't have that problem I have to wonder if something is wrong with the CRV you bought?
Have them look at it and have them drive it.
We're replacing the tires soon. Hopefully having new tires will help. Don't forget to check the tire pressure. It also affects the ride and quietness.
No store is going to change tires for a picky customer who "might" buy a CRV when they are selling every one they can get in stock.
I have had customersactually bring in meters and these people have driven Hondas and Toyotas back to back on the same roads.
Verdict? The Toyotas have been "slightly" quietier but not by much. People were actually surprised at the small difference.
If you like a soft, floaty ride you might perfer a Buick or a Toyota. There is a small noise difference but a Honda handles oh so much better.
I suppose what bothers one person is no big difference to another so if the slight difference is REALLY a problem maybe a CRV isn't for you.
A product on the market that really works well is Dynamat. It is amazing stuff. It consists of sound absorbing pads that are installed inside the doors, wheel wells and under the car. Everyone tells me that the difference in road noise is amazing.
We think our 2011 isn't bad at all but different people are bothered by different things I suppose.
I went to a Honda dealer Saturday. The CR-V is nice. Went to the Toyota dealer next door and looked at the RAV-4. The side-hinge rear is not as bothersome as I expected. Fit and finish were good. The spare on the tailgate is still unfortunate and I won't go with runflats. But it is quieter than the CR-V on the same roads (same air... both have marginal tires but going from asphalt to concrete is where the noise becomes readily apparent)
Next weekend its off to the Subaru dealer.
Honda never stripped off any insulation. They just didn't add it in the first place. In the 14 years I sold Hondas, I can honestly say that I can count the times on the fingers of one hand when people complained about road noise.
I agree. Hondas do have a bit more road noise than some other cars do but for the masses, it isn't a problem.
I'm betting that if I were to drive a CRV and the Acura backto back with a decimal meter that the readings wouldn't be that far apart. I've had two customers actually do that!
And, nobody "had" to spend 8000.00 more to get a quietier car. That was strictly their choice. Again, what is a great big deal to some people is of little significance to the masses.
I drove the new Acura RDX. (I'm driving a TL now but need to get a wagon/SUV) The RDX leaves the Subaru and CR-V in the dirt. But it's 8K more and doesn't have as much cargo space as the CR-V or the Subaru. I love the looks of the Outback and the cargo space, but I've read so many complaints about its transmission and brakes that I'm hesitating big time to buy it.
Drove the CR-V about a month ago. It was noisy and felt small and light. Please let me know what you decide. I'm feeling frustrated trying to find the right car.
I took it to the Honda dealer and was diagnosed with tire chop (not rotating tires). I was only two thousand miles over. Honda would not help us. The tires are the original factory installed with 12,000 miles on them, same as the car.
I bought a 2012 Honda CR-V EX AWD and is noticing noise when driving above 45 MPH. I have made an appointment with the dealership and have them check it out. If it is just tire problem and not mechanical, we, as consumers, shouldn't have to suck up to such a bad choice made by Honda. =(
Dealer kept car about two hours and said left front wheel bearing is bad. Said they have had several on 2012 CRV and Accords. They ordered it and I'll get it installed tomorrow.
Had new bearing installed today. Took about two hours. Made a tremendous difference in noise. Apparently it was making more noise than the rumble that alerted me.
Is it just me, or has Honda gone with a much cheaper stereo system in the CRV? Drove the EX-L a few days ago and it didn't sound as good as my 10 year old Civic EX. Is it the stereo, my ears or what? Granted I heard just the radio on the test drive so I imagine a cd would sound better, but none the less I was very disappointed in the lack of beef in what I thought was the top stereo upgrade in an EX-L.
This may sound silly but the factory stereo is of great importance to me. I spend 95% of my car time on an 8 hour run from the east coast to Ohio, then back a few days later. It's rough but the upside is that this is when I get to listen to a lot of music (cd's).
Happy '95 and '03 Civic owner but still weighing the CRV, Mazda CX5, Rav4.