[TKO Performance]

Hey guys, I just wanted to ask if any of you experience any interior noise. Now Im not talking about that sweat engine note.. Im talking about road noise from concrete or certain asphalt roads. Or drone from aftermarket exhaust. That kind of noise. There is nothing sexy about that.

I thought they were all quiet as a Cadillac. However I have heard certain models/series experience tires/road noise (in certain states) and drone from aftermarket exhaust coming from the rear.

If you wouldn't mind letting me know if you have any of these issues and what car you have, that would be awesome!
Thanks!

[GOLFFRR]

I would suggest you go drive one yourself, that way you will know what its like and how it fits to your needs. Everyone will have different input based on a variety of factors.

[TKO Performance]

Originally Posted by GOLFFRR

I would suggest you go drive one yourself, that way you will know what its like and how it fits to your needs. Everyone will have different input based on a variety of factors.

Understood and I agree. However there are many different models/series and even that would vary from state to state due to the roads. Some states have concrete and others use something in their asphalt which make tires roar.
For instance in Long island NY road noise is not an issue. But that same car in another state (NJ, FL, TX, CA...etc) could have it.

This is more for research regarding a product. We are just gathering information based on what a BMW owner had said to us. I could not think of a better way to get more information/opinions than coming here and getting it from enthusiasts themselves.

[ga9213]

We have an F25 xdrive35i and a G01 M40i. The F25 is quiet but has some interior creaks and rattles. Road noise is much more muted. The M40i has a very quiet interior with no creaks or rattles to speak of...generally feels much more solid with better materials and the exhaust is quite pleasing to the ears, but the road noise drums through the car much more than the F25 with you hearing all the noises of the tires echoing through into the car...very road surface dependent. Did so on RFTs as well as my aftermarket non RFT.

[DanG]

I have a F87 M2. It by design has very little noise insulation. It doesn't bother me but there are several threads about adding insulation to quit down road noise.

I would suggest that if you want a quiet BMW, stay away from M models.

[TKO Performance]

Originally Posted by ga9213

We have an F25 xdrive35i and a G01 M40i. The F25 is quiet but has some interior creaks and rattles. Road noise is much more muted. The M40i has a very quiet interior with no creaks or rattles to speak of...generally feels much more solid with better materials and the exhaust is quite pleasing to the ears, but the road noise drums through the car much more than the F25 with you hearing all the noises of the tires echoing through into the car...very road surface dependent. Did so on RFTs as well as my aftermarket non RFT.

Fantastic! (well not the road noise part) But exactly the info we are looking for.

Ok so a little road noise in the M40 and your in KS. Got it. I was zeroing in more on coupes & convertibles. Totally forgot about the suv types.

Thank you!

[DocL]

When I drive on I-95 down here in South Florida the road noise is terrible in my M3. It has a lot to do with the tire compound, low profile, and harshness of the roads.

[overcoil]

2015 M235. Michelin Pilot Sport 4s maybe 5 or 6 thousand miles on tires. In town super quiet, I don't even think about road noise.

Last week driving at high interstate speed I became aware of some tire hum but not excessive. But I didn't consciously think about wind noise and I was probably in the upper 80's speed range. That had me thinking on certain concrete highway road surfaces the tires do noise up and on certain bituminous highway surfaces (I think they add a grain for wet traction) the noise does perk up.

In comparison about a month ago took a trip from Baltimore to North of Philly on I-95 and just flowing with traffic and was thinking to myself how can a little sporty car be so refined noise wise. Very serene cruiser - my gf was fast asleep reclined in the passenger seat. Only on a cement surface of the highway along the Delaware River at high speed did tire hum become a thought.

[TKO Performance]

Originally Posted by DanG

I have a F87 M2. It by design has very little noise insulation. It doesn't bother me but there are several threads about adding insulation to quit down road noise.

I would suggest that if you want a quiet BMW, stay away from M models.

Killer car by btw. So the M series is a little louder. Im assuming low profile tires do not help.
Yes you can throw a dart and hit a sound deading product. Basically tear up the interior and you glue down weight. We have something different.
But I want to see if its worth designing. Some cars just don't need it.

Great information Dan. Thank you.

[9M71]

F80 M3 here.

Roadnoise - yes, probably a product of the carbon roof and also wide (+sticky) tires in the rear. Is it intrusive? No, not at all. It isnt any worse than another mixed performance/dd dual purpose car.

Exhaust drone - no. This is with an aftermarket midpipe and valve controller. Even with the valves wide open, the drone is barely noticeable at highway cruising speeds. With valves closed and you got pretty much a silent cruiser in the noise department.

In summary, its not as quiet as a proper land yacht but it is leagues more solid than some prior cars (e.g. WRX/STI, various infiniti's, etc)

[freakystyly]

Don't quote me but sound deadening will increase from series to series, 7 likely the highest. This is the big one, some luxury models even come with active sound deadening.

Tire compound and even tread pattern play a decent role as well. Ever hear a knobby tire'd jeep drive by? Even Teslas aren't immune to tire noise.

Soft top convertible vs hard top convertible vs fixed roof should be obvious.

I did notice my '06 3 series is quieter than my friends newer subaru / VW at least.

[TKO Performance]

Originally Posted by DocL

When I drive on I-95 down here in South Florida the road noise is terrible in my M3. It has a lot to do with the tire compound, low profile, and harshness of the roads.

Pow... There is is. Yeah we have a lot of customer in FL. Apparently the concrete and or the lines in the road can drive you nuts.
Most of our customer use runflats so they are pretty hard.

Thank you Doc

Originally Posted by ScottSinger

2015 M235. Michelin Pilot Sport 4s maybe 5 or 6 thousand miles on tires. In town super quiet, I don't even think about road noise.

Last week driving at high interstate speed I became aware of some tire hum but not excessive. But I didn't consciously think about wind noise and I was probably in the upper 80's speed range. That had me thinking on certain concrete highway road surfaces the tires do noise up and on certain bituminous highway surfaces (I think they add a grain for wet traction) the noise does perk up.

In comparison about a month ago took a trip from Baltimore to North of Philly on I-95 and just flowing with traffic and was thinking to myself how can a little sporty car be so refined noise wise. Very serene cruiser - my gf was fast asleep reclined in the passenger seat. Only on a cement surface of the highway along the Delaware River at high speed did tire hum become a thought.

Interesting. And with a M series too.
Yes tire compound and the road will absolutely make a difference. However no to bad with you and where you were. Fantastic feed back Scott. Thank you

[GOLFFRR]

Originally Posted by TKO Performance

Understood and I agree. However there are many different models/series and even that would vary from state to state due to the roads. Some states have concrete and others use something in their asphalt which make tires roar.
For instance in Long island NY road noise is not an issue. But that same car in another state (NJ, FL, TX, CA...etc) could have it.

This is more for research regarding a product. We are just gathering information based on what a BMW owner had said to us. I could not think of a better way to get more information/opinions than coming here and getting it from enthusiasts themselves.

what is the product?

[TKO Performance]

Originally Posted by 9M71

F80 M3 here.

Roadnoise - yes, probably a product of the carbon roof and also wide (+sticky) tires in the rear. Is it intrusive? No, not at all. It isnt any worse than another mixed performance/dd dual purpose car.

Exhaust drone - no. This is with an aftermarket midpipe and valve controller. Even with the valves wide open, the drone is barely noticeable at highway cruising speeds. With valves closed and you got pretty much a silent cruiser in the noise department.

In summary, its not as quiet as a proper land yacht but it is leagues more solid than some prior cars (e.g. WRX/STI, various infiniti's, etc)

I hear ya. And as I mentioned before, NY does not seem to have to many issues with tire/road noise. For the most part its black top and they don't add something to the mix (that other states do) that will make those tires hum.

Quick story.. We bought a stingray from PA. Driving towards NY it was Quiet. The wife was also surprised at how low the interior noise was.....until we hit the Jersey Turnpike. I nearly sh*t myself. We were laughing at how ridiculous the noise level was..

As for the exhaust, if you have a NPP type where you can open and close valve your good to go. Thank you sir!

[TKO Performance]

Originally Posted by freakystyly

Don't quote me but sound deadening will increase from series to series, 7 likely the highest. This is the big one, some luxury models even come with active sound deadening.

Tire compound and even tread pattern play a decent role as well. Ever hear a knobby tire'd jeep drive by? Even Teslas aren't immune to tire noise.

Soft top convertible vs hard top convertible vs fixed roof should be obvious.

I did notice my '06 3 series is quieter than my friends newer subaru / VW at least.

Makes sense. Sound deadening is heavy. The sportier cars have less. The more "luxury family" cars will have more.
Yes tires and their compound will absolutely have an impact.
Thank you!

Originally Posted by GOLFFRR

what is the product?

Its a sound deadening mat. Takes less than 60 seconds to install. Its removable (so weight is not an issue if you race).

From time to time we will have someone contact us and say "hey can you make it for such and such.." What we then do is see if its an actual issue across the board with many people ...etc At this time we don't make it for the BMW community. We did not think it was necessary, that is until someone said something to me. So we thought we would ask to see if it was even a problem. And if so, what model is experiencing it in.
Im getting some interesting mixed reviews. You guys are great

Hopefully we are not pissing anyone off. We are not trying to sell anything. If its a go then sure we typically contact the Mods and become a vendor.

[9M71]

Originally Posted by TKO Performance

Makes sense. Sound deadening is heavy. The sportier cars have less. The more "luxury family" cars will have more.
Yes tires and their compound will absolutely have an impact.
Thank you!

Its a sound deadening mat. Takes less than 60 seconds to install. Its removable (so weight is not an issue if you race).

From time to time we will have someone contact us and say "hey can you make it for such and such.." What we then do is see if its an actual issue across the board with many people ...etc At this time we don't make it for the BMW community. We did not think it was necessary, that is until someone said something to me. So we thought we would ask to see if it was even a problem. And if so, what model is experiencing it in.
Im getting some interesting mixed reviews. You guys are great

Hopefully we are not pissing anyone off. We are not trying to sell anything. If its a go then sure we typically contact the Mods and become a vendor.

Interesting take on sound deadening. If you need any testers for a f80 chasis, sign me up! I'll get a decibal reader and take a ride out to the NJTP

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by GOLFFRR

what is the product?

Hope it is some advanced noise cancellation system, which can be 'dialled up' on bad surfaces.

Virtually all BMW models would benefit from that sort of product.

For the OP, most models will be virtually free from tire noise on good surfaces. Tire noise, to the cabin, increasing as surfaces change.

Current sound insulation will depend on BMW model ranges and is greatly influenced by the wheel/tire combination.

[TKO Performance]

Originally Posted by 9M71

Interesting take on sound deadening. If you need any testers for a f80 chasis, sign me up! I'll get a decibal reader and take a ride out to the NJTP

I might just do that.
But are you getting loud "road/tire" noise? Amazing how some do and some don't depending on what road, tires...etc.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by TKO Performance

Its a sound deadening mat. Takes less than 60 seconds to install. Its removable (so weight is not an issue if you race).

Not trying to be clever here, but is this designed to interrupt the noise transmission pathway? Where would you typically fit this 60 second install mat.

Just to help a bit, a lot of the tire noise transmission into a BMW cabin is through the front suspension assemblies, and into the doors/bulkhead.

[TKO Performance]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Hope it is some advanced noise cancellation system, which can be 'dialled up' on bad surfaces.

Virtually all BMW models would benefit from that sort of product.

For the OP, most models will be virtually free from tire noise on good surfaces. Tire noise, to the cabin, increasing as surfaces change.

Current sound insulation will depend on BMW model ranges and is greatly influenced by the wheel/tire combination.

Yes. It seems it has similar issues as other manufactures during similar circumstances .

I thought exhaust was going to pop up more. And again Im not talking about that sweet note when you mat the pedal. Im talking about drone or just "oops I went a bit to aggressive on the exhaust" sound.. lol

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Not trying to be clever here, but is this designed to interrupt the noise transmission pathway? Where would you typically fit this 60 second install mat.

Just to help a bit, a lot of the tire noise transmission into a BMW cabin is through the front suspension assemblies, and into the doors/bulkhead.

Thats interesting. I assumed most noise was coming from the rear. Usually trough the trunk. The truck is thin. It can sometimes reverberate like a drum making it worse. Usually front tire noise is blocked by the firewall and such.

In some cases it is coming from one area but it seams like its leaking in elsewhere. We will have to look into this. I wonder if anyone else can elaborate on this

Thank you

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by TKO Performance

Yes. It seems it has similar issues as other manufactures during similar circumstances .

I thought exhaust was going to pop up more. And again Im not talking about that sweet note when you mat the pedal. Im talking about drone or just "oops I went a bit to aggressive on the exhaust" sound.. lol

If you have time, read a couple of the topics on trying to reduce the noise levels in the F3x models. There is one very long thread.

Some users have gone to extremes, to try and reduce wind and tire noise.

I drive a 5-series and virtually all tire noise is road surface dependant. I drive in the Highlands of Scotland and we have all types of surfaces, the 5-series runs silent on some sections, granite chipped surfaces can be quite noisy, concrete is the worst, in my experience.

Most BMW users with OEM exhausts won't have drone issues.

[pz619]

F87 M2C here. Road and tire noise are predominant traits. Doesn't bother me though, mostly bothers my passengers. But if they hate it so much, they can walk. Despite having an aftermarket exhaust, it doesn't really effect the cabin noise all too much.

Point is, only you can determine what's acceptable to you. Suggest you schedule a test drive, perhaps something longer, so you can decide it's something you could live with.

Edit: sounds like this is more for market research. Disregard that last part.