L&K owners or anyone who has specced it as an option, can you report your experience with the DCC with regard to noise.

 

Find a road surface that is not so great and produces a bit of noise.

 

Select Comfort and tell us if that has the effect not only of a smoother ride but also of lower noise coming up.

 

I am minded to spec DCC if I get a MkIII and I was pleased to see it available.

 

I would be mega interested to know if I can counteract some of the noise produced by crap roads ( many around here ) by simply selecting Comfort or whatever its called, in the DCC.

DCC changes the ride and handling characteristics. It has zero effect on road noise which is a result of friction between rubber and road surface and the compressive release of pressurised air from tyre sipes.

Thanks. That's a pity if correct.

 

I applied the general notion that stiff, sporty cars tend to be noisier partly for the reason of having the harder damping, to put it in my non technical way. I thought this was accepted generally. To take an example, the sporty RS Audi's have stiff suspension and big wheels and I was told to counteract some of the extra noise - this known issue - special tyres are now available and direct supplied to Audi specifically for these cars  - ContiSilent by Continental ( and now other manufacturers are doing similar ).

 

BillyJim, could it be possible you are thinking of the driving mode settings on the new Superb, as distinct from the DCC ? I hold out hope for the DCC being able to control noise a bit. I would certainly pay for the option if so.

 

Could you try what I was suggesting, on a poor road and see what happens, if you haven't already ?

 

On the matter of "comfort" of ride, does setting on Comfort setting make a big difference and feel really "luxurious" ? Noise issue aside, I would love to be able to glide when I feel like having that.  If so I'd probably spec the DCC anyway.  The only thing that might make me change my mind is not money but rather the clash with the Rough Road Package ( underbody protection ) in the options - something which in my line could be useful in fact.

Edited 31 October, 201510 yr by Mog-Puss

It's DCC. My car's an L&K so comes with DCC as standard. It adds the Comfort mode and adaptive suspension/steering in addition to the "driving mode settings".

Comfort mode for me is too "sloppy" for my liking on anything but motorway and long dual-carriageways.

I prefer a more responsive feel and Sport mode (that's DCC, not just putting the DSG in Sport) had me salivating. As I'm still trying to be kind to the new motor I won't be using it again for a while.

Like so many things, it's going to be a matter of personal preference. I tried Comfort during a 100 mile trip on the M3 and still wasn't convinced, preferring to keep it in Normal.

There's a German video review in the 280 PS thread where the reviewer said he loved Comfort mode.

As for road noise, I didn't pay it much attention, but the fact Comfort didn't register any noticeable difference with me probably answers that.

The only road near me that generates much additional road noise is the concrete section of the M25 and that's due to the surface needing to be subtly ribbed for drainage.

There's also a section of the "porous asphalt" on the M25. Driving on that when it was new removed almost all the road noise simply because the sipes I mentioned don't compress the air as much against the surface - the porous nature allows it to escape into the road.

Unfortunately this "porous asphalt" is unlikely to become commonplace.

It takes at least 4 days to set after it's been laid, so the road/lane needs to be kept closed, it's very expensive compared to other options, and has the shortest wear time when compared to normal asphalt, road chip or concrete (concrete being the cheapest and hardest wearing).

 

I think you'll find the extra road noise in the RS you refer to is primarily generated by the increased contact area between the tyre and road surface. Stiffer suspension will give you a harder ride but better handling on bends.

Any mechanical moving part is going to generate noise to a lesser or greater extent, including suspension and dampers, but that will be insignificant compared to the noise generated by the tyres.

 

I've downloaded a decibel app for my iPhone and will give it a try later. Although they claim an accuracy of +/- 3Db I won't be taking much heed of the actual reading - rather the difference, if any, between Normal and Comfort on the same road. I'll let you know here.

I actually have a proper(ish) sound meter that I could take out in an L&K vehicle some time. Even that isn't very accurate mind. I think perhaps the noise .... er profile  I suppose you could call, as well as out and out db, that matters.

 

But I also like, as I say, the prospect of being able to waft along. Someone wrote in a review it was almost Rollls Royce like !

 

I'll tell you by the way, where I am in considering models so far. If I was getting a diesel I might spec the 150 dsg SE Business, as the sensible choice of the head.

But I also feel more drawn by the heart and by the prospect of a quiet engine, by the SE -L, with added options including DCC. I'd take the 1.4 Tsi petrol engine ( Dsg ) for quiet around town, but also the "boring" and quieter Helios 17 inch wheels you are allowed on the SE- L so long as you choose the small engine. That would be a lovely choice !  A nice 90% trade in on my MkII would hasten that. :p

Road noise is more a function of the tyres. Sporty cars tend to have lower profile tyres with stiffer sidewalls which transmit noise into the transmission. The damper is very inlikely to have more than a minimal effect as the 'roar' will be carried through the springs and radiated into other parts. Changing the settings on mine has zero effect, and as an engineer I would not expect it to.

On my X6 the 20" summer tyres are far louder than the 19" winter set. Both are RFT but have a different profile.

Most sound deadening is down to insulation systems with the luxury market having a lot. That of course adds weight, lowers fuel economy and raises emissions. But then at that 'price point' those sort of things are of little if any interest to the buyers. Sporty cars are noisier because the insulation gets removed - and it might be said that owners of those cars want to hear their pride and joy.....

I've downloaded a decibel app for my iPhone and will give it a try later. Although they claim an accuracy of +/- 3Db I won't be taking much heed of the actual reading - rather the difference, if any, between Normal and Comfort on the same road. I'll let you know here.

 

Not very scientific, but I did a run on a long dual carriageway which is ideal as it has a consistent standard of road surface which on a scale of 1 quiet to 5 noisy, I would rate 3.5

With cruise set to 55 I took two readings each in Normal and Comfort, each over 1 mile, with no cars overtaking (as I noticed the needle jump whenever a car overtook - also an indication of how reasonable the sound insulation is on the Superb III).

Both modes gave exactly the same minimum reading and there was 1db difference in the highest reading - in favour of Normal.

So as I expected, selecting DCC Comfort has absolutely no effect on road noise.

 

A nice 90% trade in on my MkII would hasten that. :p

You wouldn't get 90% the day after you collected it new   . Also, when I proposed my Mk.II for trade-in the first question they asked, before even looking at it, was whether it had ever been used for Hackney or Private Hire.

You wouldn't get 90% the day after you collected it new . Also, when I proposed my Mk.II for trade-in the first question they asked, before even looking at it, was whether it had ever been used for Hackney or Private Hire.

Ain't that the truth. My car was a little over 18 months old when I enquired about a part ex against a SIII L&K. I paid 22K for my car and was offered 9K [emoji15][emoji15]

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