vRS road noise problem on test drive

[boneman]

Hi all,

 

I'm new here as don't own a vRS and may never!

 

Yesterday I had test drive of 2012 vRS tdi, really liked the car apart from the road noise on the motorway. It was easy to have conversation in the car at any speed but there was a constant background rumble, more from the rear, and a boomy/ pressure feel inside the car. Got out with some relief and declined to go ahead with purchase as good motorway drive required.

 

I'm really disappointed as the Octavia is a great car, not just another boring hatchback and was looking forward to owning one.

 

Before I finally give up on Skodas can anyone tell me if they have succeeded in soundproofing against this probklem.

 

The mileage of car was 32,000, tyres, front: Firestone F1, rears: Kumho.

 

-------------------

 

My existing car is Impreza WR1 with noisekiller kit fitted, this didn't do much btw. Tyres same size as vRS 225/40/18.

 

The vRS had a lot more tyre noise than scooby.

 

Mike

[pipsyp]

Sadly the Mk2 FL vRS isnt the quietest of cars; excellent car but not as refined as the MK6 Golf GT I had previously. It was however such good value for money (20k for a 170hp 605 litre DSG better equipped Golf equivalent vs 23k the Golf would have cost) i forgive its lesser refinement.

Test drove a hatch before I bought the estate and it was no different.

Personally if it bothers you that much Id buy from a different stable; I wouldnt personally go to the trouble of trying to sound insulate one but we are all different.

Edited 26 October, 2013 by pipsyp

[DanHarper]

Could try another one... may have just been a duff car/tire combo?

[kadvr6]

Kumhos are bad for feathering. Try one with a different brand of tyre on the rear

[kevberlin]

I recently sold my 2011 vrs estate. It was a good car, but did suffer from road noise. I ran continental tyres.

While in France and Germany, on good road surfaces, the tyre noise was non-existent. Back in Blighty, the road noise returned. It was one of the main reasons for selling the car.

Sad but true!

[boneman]

After the test drive as a comparison we covered the same route as same speed in the wife's Corsa sxi 1.4 petrol, this is like a flying go cart at high speeds but it doesn't suffer from the boomy road noise as bad as the vRS.

 

Thinks I'll look at the BM 330d if it'll do the mpg.

[philbes]

I recently sold my 2011 vrs estate. It was a good car, but did suffer from road noise. I ran continental tyres.

While in France and Germany, on good road surfaces, the tyre noise was non-existent. Back in Blighty, the road noise returned. It was one of the main reasons for selling the car.

Sad but true!

Exactly what I found with my 2012 FL vRS.  On decent French roads very little noise from the tyres.  Back in England and the usual racket returned.  Mine's on Conti 2 tyres.

[kris1]

Mines no noisier than any other car I've owned. It's highly possible the cat you were in has a crap geometry set up and the back tyres where badly saw toothed.

[Aspman]

Sawtoothing makes for a droaning noise. Like going over a cattle grip forever.

 

Octy is a noisy bugger. Some tyre can be really bad. I switch to Goodyear Efficient Grip especially because of their low Db rating. It does make a difference.

[littleade]

I must be deaf as mine seems ok....

[philbes]

Exactly what I found with my 2012 FL vRS.  On decent French roads very little noise from the tyres.  Back in England and the usual racket returned.  Mine's on Conti 2 tyres.

My car had a full Hunter alignment check, with necessary adjustments made, before I went to France.   Rear nearside toe was a little out and that was corrected.  Made absolutely no difference to road/tyre noise level.  All 4 tyres are wearing evenly with no 'sawtoothing'. 

[boneman]

I just spoken to a Skoda uk customer service manageress regarding the tyre noise on my test drive and asked if Skoda could comment on this and perhaps give some advice. The response was " yes we have had one or two calls but it's not an issue" to which I replied just google "Octavia vRS road noise" and read all the forum comments and magazine reviews, then you will see the problem.

 

I also spoke to tech/sales guy in Lancaster Skoda Milton Keynes as I was there last week. His response was "the road noise is a feature of the Octavia vRS and also with the lower spec models eg Elegance which have smaller dia wheels and bigger profile tyres". The Superb based on a stretched Passat platform does not suffer the same woes, allegedly.

 

I'm really disappointed. 

 

Seven years ago I bought a Subaru Impreza WRX STi WR1 315 bhp special edition, which I still have. Imprezas are not quiet cars but the performance is great 0-60 4.25s, fuel economy a joke, hence my search for another car. I fitted the noisekiller soundproofing under the rear seat and boot floor and all the sticky bits in the sparewheel well. result minor improvement. The noise is from the std exhaust which is a bit boomy at low speeds but a lot better at 80 on the mways.

 

Interestingly the tyre noise in the vRS is a lot worse than the Scooby with the same size tyres 225/40/18 extra load side walls. I'm running Vredestein Ultrac sessantas which have a hardish sidewall and you feel the ripples in the roads unlike previous  Pirelli PZero Rossos but its so subjective.

 

The impreza also requires regular 4 wheel geometry setup for front and rear camber and toe and you can chose your own settings for your driving requirements. This has never caused the rear 50p tyrewear or affected road noise in the slightest, its a handling thing. and does make a big difference.

 

Well I've rambled a bit too much, was hoping the vRS would be my ideal all round car. I'm still going the oil burner route for my next car but know I need to look elsewhere.

Edited 28 October, 2013 by boneman

[mattcut]

Not this model but my 07 VRS also made alot of noise when I first got it.

 

Had a 4 wheels alignment done and 2 new rears tyres and its no longer noisey and a great car for long motorway journeys. I travel 60mile a day on the motorway in mine and its the best car I;ve owned for the job.

[Aspman]

Could try another one... may have just been a duff car/tire combo?

 

 

^ is probably the most sensible option before you give up on the VRS.

Some tyres are terribly noisy.

 

But it'll likely never be as quiet as a beemer.

[jlwah]

I don't think it's that much improved on the Mk3 either, if my test drive was anything to go by.

 

It is one of the downsides to vRS ownership, but it would never put me off buying another. I've had two estates and it's never quite been bad enough to make me want to do something to rectify it (e.g. soundproofing). As I travel mostly alone in mine, I tend just to turn the radio up a bit.

[boneman]

Test drove another one a couple of days ago and feeling a bit happier. This one similar but with "Bontinentals" fitted all round. This was a lot better for noise although on a different mway, this time A1.

 

So the search is back on as the one I drove is earmarked for a n other. Been phoning around all the main dealers to try and get one with a good spec.

 

Q. Does the DSG change quicker when you're accelerating hard compared to town driving?

[ryan-re]

as above some tyres are very noisy, especially cheapo tyres and due to the vrs having 18" wheels a lot of owner scrimp on tyres and get cheap ones :(

 

You could look into fitting products which help to reduce road noise (the low frequency notes from the tyres). Best place to find info on this would be www.talkaudio.co.uk and ask in the SQ and technical section. The users of that section generaly go nuts on deadening and noise killer products.

[Gazman]

I drive a TSI estate and did'nt really notice the road noise when i bought the car, however after a while i began to notice it more and more so decided on a 4 wheel alignment, this improved the car slightly but the sound was still noticeable so last week I decided to change the front tyres as they needed replacing. I bought some Goodyear effecient grip performance tyres, well the sound has now halved so maybe in a few weeks i am going to replace the rears which have loads of tread on (Uniroyal Rain experts) and see if this fixes the problem permanently, if that is i dont put my winters on before then and in which case i'll report back at the end of March..;-)   .   

[Wardy-]

As most people have said, it will be the tyres that cause it. When I changed to the Goodyear Asymmetric 2 tyres, there was a noticeable sound difference in them.

[Gti Jazz Blue]

As most people have said, it will be the tyres that cause it. When I changed to the Goodyear Asymmetric 2 tyres, there was a noticeable sound difference in them.

Louder or quieter ?

[pete8tch]

I had falkens all round , had an alignment done and it helped but just changed to rainsport 2 all round and its now a significantly quieter car

[Wardy-]

Louder or quieter ?

 

Sorry totally forgot to say. Quieter mate, they are great tyres

[boneman]

Today I drove a manual, petrol Octavia vRS. It went like very well with a good pull from low revs and accelerated hard up to high speeds. I think it would leave a diesel in the dust, or spray this time of year. Good gearchange and easy to drive but mpg less than 30, but it does seem to want to be driven more than the oil burner does.

 

The road noise from the back was clearly present and as I had just test driven a Jetta on same route which was quiet and unobtrusive the vRS seemed a bit irritating, this one fitted with Bontinentals on the rear.

 

The tech at the dealers carefully explained, with the help of a sketch, the noise was generated by the rear wheels  riding on the inside treads due to the negative camber, followed by must choose the right tyres eg winter rubber and he bet he could get the noise down!  When I asked about reducing negative camber, apparently its not possible due to design and anyway would get too much oversteer and be sideways at each corner. So is only the rear toe adjustable?

 

So if the Jetta and vRS were the choice, to drive either for 200mls on motorway I'd pick vRS and ear defenders.

 

I'll keep testing.

[alberg]

Even on my normal 1.6tdi with 16" wheels I notice this, more lately.

I have 30k on my Goodyear efficientgrip tires and.they are the second pair on car from new, never did any wheel alignment yet but shall soon.

Wonder if some type of isolation under wheel arches will help

[wiilydog]

A jetta is probably not a good comparison as saloons tend to be quieter away, a golf gti would be a better comparison. Personally i don't think there much sound proofing in the octavia as there a lot of road noise on cooking models too.

Edited 2 November, 2013 by wiilydog