Sound deadening

[Sanqhar]

Have a S EL. 

 

Has anyone fitted any extra sound deadening, what did you fit and where?  What supplier did you use?

 

I would just like to make the car feel a bit more refined. 

 

Tom

[croquemonsieur]

I undertook some measures in my nice 1.0TSI DSG SE Technology that I've had 4 months, not that it's a noisy car, in fact the quietest I've owned and that includes a BMW523i auto (E39 version) and Saab 9-5 auto.  However it's not perfect - yet :-

 

ENGINE - the recent crop of 3cyl engines, from Ford, BMW, VAG etc. are all said to have their slightly boisterous periods in some part of the rev range - the 1.0 in Karoq is the quietest / smoothest I've experienced out of those 3 and much better than I've come across in smaller Skodas I've borrowed on car servicing days in past years, but it does have a slight drone 1500-2000rev range only really noticeable when working hard uphill, not helped by a slight natural low frequency boom somewhere in the make-up of the bodyshell (commented on by Whatcar) whether a panel vibrating or just the natural resonance of the volume of air inside the car or part of the car say boot area I can't decide - I've taken to pushing the gear lever into Sport when approaching hills and that usually takes the revs outside that 1500-2000 range.  I also did a bodgy modification to the exhaust which in unmodified form terminates under the car (under the boot) & struck me as a bit strange - they usually stick out the back a short way - I bought a short extension extension piece from Amazon and fitted it - it does look a bodge, but seemed to reduce the slight boom a bit.  I stress the engine is not noisy in the first place, in fact hardly heard much of the time.

 

ROAD NOISE - again one of the better cars I've owned in this regard, but any such noise I find tiring - it's the biggest noise source in this car and that low frequency slight boom previously referred to is also excited by the tyres in certain circumstances.  I transferred from my previous Yeti my ex scrapyard VW space saver spare wheel into the Karoq boot, which I thought might also have some panel deadening effect around there, but a bit later added some bitumen type pads to the metal panels on the boot floor area including under that wheel - I think some useful panel deadening resulted with these 2 measures.

 

My Karoq is not Varioflex so has the rigid detachable shelf covering the boot - knocking this seemed to produce a slight booming noise, so I tried putting a couple of car blankets on top and they damped down the noise (car blankets sound terribly old fashioned I know but I don't care).  I'm pretty sure I've reduced the lower frequency aspect of the road noise to some extent, but it's easy to fool oneself on these matters.  I should have taken before and after sound frequency measurements but too late now - I do have some fairly sophisticated laptop based room sound frequency measuring equipment for my hifi that I might have been able to use with the help of a friend, but measurements then have to be done with great care - same stretch of road, same speed, same weather, no other traffic noise around.

 

I haven't tried any of the traditional sound absorbing 'blankets' sometimes put on the bonnet u/side and lining the boot - I don't think they'd reduce the low frequency noiseand engine noise generally not an issue.

 

The  road noise only really intrudes when generated by sharp ridges,  broken road surfaces and on coarse gravel road surfaces and it's the low frequency part I'd most like to remove.  A car that makes no detectable road noise whatsoever would be a truly wonderful thing, but I doubt exists and I admit that I've become unduly sensitive to this over the years.  However, I'm hoping for great things when changing from the current 17" Bridgestone Turanza Evo's when worn to maybe Goodyear Vector 4seasons G2 tyres - seemingly a current favourite for low noise and comfort if not for good weather handling - others here say good things about Michelin X Climates, but a friend found on his BMW Mini that whilst quieter than the original fitments, the ride worsened, he thinks due to their XL spec stiff side walls.

 

Apologies, I've gone on too long again and also slightly changed the direction of your original message.

[Sanqhar]

Thanks, a comprehensive not long. 

 

I suppose it’s the road noise that bugs me.

Turanzas are 71 dB, Cross Climates are 69, not sure how much that reduction means in the real world.

 

tom

[Berisford]

19 minutes ago, Sanqhar said:

 

Turanzas are 71 dB, Cross Climates are 69, not sure how much that reduction means in the real world.

 

tom

 

I can't say that I've noticed any great difference after swapping to Cross Climates from Turanzas. 

 

On the whole I'm very happy with the noise levels in our SEL......often I find myself thinking how 'electric' it sounds when coasting on the overrun or just trickling along at 30mph.

 

The suspension is starting to lose the new car smoothness though, poor road surfaces seem harsher now - though it could just be me (or maybe the Michelin's?) - there is a big big difference between my 10 year old Golf and the Karoq and I used to think how quiet and refined the Golf was 10 years ago.

[RicardoM]

3 hours ago, Sanqhar said:

Turanzas are 71 dB, Cross Climates are 69, not sure how much that reduction means in the real world.

I wouldn't swear by those figures.

On the other hand, here is a relevant table (see source here😞

Perceptions of Increases in Decibel Level
Imperceptible Change	1dB
Barely Perceptible Change	3dB
Clearly Noticeable Change	5dB
About Twice as Loud	10dB
About Four Times as Loud	20dB

[croquemonsieur]

Interesting Berisford - I assume you kept the same 18"? wheels.  Amundsen changed down to 17" wheels (from what can't remember?) with his X Climates some time ago and he reported a substantial noise reduction, but I don't recall him saying anything about ride changes (particulary broken road surfaces).  On the + side, Michelins I believe are respected for consistency and quality control and take considerable measures to keep their tyres performing consistently well for much of their renowned long life.

 

On my previous car - Yeti SE, I changed my 17" /50 cross section wheel tyre combo for 16" /60 profile X Climates wheel/tyres - there was a definite improvement in road noise and ride, though neither were as much as I was hoping for (and certainly not as good as my Karoq is now on the standard 17" /55 Bridgestones).  I suspect the Yeti ride improvement was mainly due to the much higher tyre profile rather than inherent X Climate characteristics.

 

I believe the official published dB levels are measured on the car outside and while of some relevance, much road noise within the car is due to direct transmission from the tyres, through the wheels, suspension and body mounting points , the vibrations then setting up panel and maybe air volume resonances.  Autoexpress in tyre tests of different sorts of tyres, measure noise levels inside, at the driver headrest.  In their recent 205/55/R16 all weather tyre tests, they found the Goodyears significantly quieter inside the car than X Climates (inspite of same 69dB official rating) and also better than Continental ContipremiumContact 5, though these last 2 tyres were rather better in summer driving + also for rolling resistance , though it was noted that the Goodyears generally in most respects had improved since they tested them last year.  X - Climates are based on summer tyre construction, whereas most all weather tyres are winter tyres modified.

 

I suspect that the XL stiff tyre walls of the X Climates are something to do with noise transmission into the cabin as well as my previously noted more knobbly ride at low speed.  However different tyre sizes and cross-sections seem to unpredictably affect tyre performance of the same make and name and sometimes comparison results can then be reversed in different profiles.

 

Maybe reflecting my age and my emphasis on a need for low road noise and good low speed ride, rather than sporty handling, I'm keen to try out the Goodyears and even tempted to buy some 16" steel wheels and fit them sooner rather than later, before my Bridgestones wear too much wear, even if this is at the expense of a couple of mpg.  I should on the other hand note that the Bridgestones don't come out at all bad all-round in German Autobilde testing.  Interesting elsewhere in some Autobilde tests that sometimes tyres that are found to be quiet outside aren't particularly good for ride & vice-versa, but not always so - I'll see if I can provide some links.

 

Part of automobile folklore from many years ago, the specific sub-model Dunlop SP Sport tyres fiited on the Jaguar XJ6 were developed to particularly match the Jaguar suspension - the low road noise and low speed ride of these cars is the stuff of legend.  I believe Audi with the latest Q5 have done something similar and certainly the air-suspension models are said to be particularly relaxing to drive in.

 

That's enough for now.

[Sanqhar]

Thought I'd raise this again. I recently contacted Noisekiller in Royton. They have a kit for the Karoq but haven't yet posted the fitting instructions on their website. They emailed them to me. Must admit I'm a bit daunted by the things you have to do. 

 

"INTERIOR OF VEHICLE

5 and 5a Undo the carpet kick strips by the door and slide these pads under the front carpets. Item 5a goes under front seat

6 and 6a These slide under passenger front carpet 6 a under the seat

7 and 8 These fit alongside the side of the transmission tunnel 7 to drivers side

9 & 10 These pads fit under the rear foot well carpets

Pads Because of all the electrics in this area adhere these pads under the seat and on the upright of the frame"

Access under the carpet doesn't seem too difficult

 

"BOOT COMPARTMENT. 

11* & 12* These adhere to the rear wheel arches side and top drivers side

13* & 14* Adhere to the passenger side rear wheel arch and top

Pads 5 pads are included to fit on the rear wings"

No idea how to remove the trim to get access to the inside of the side panels. The spare wheel and under boot carpet fitting (not quoted) seems straightforward. 

 

"PADS

Adhere one pad to the outer skin of each door." 

 

The last door card I removed was in the 1960s on my Ford Anglia. I'm a bit wary of going inside the Karoq doors to get to the outer skin what with electrics and windows etc.

 

Tom 

SKODA KAROQ 2017 onwards.docx

Edited 23 December, 2020 by Sanqhar

[smipx]

To my mind, a lot of the "slightly disappointing" noise intrusion seems to come from the noise of the road/roar of the tyres getting past the door seals which (in my opinion) are inferior to the Volkswagen Tiguan (old 2009 model) I used to have and (possibly) different (and inferior) to the new Tiguan/T-roc.  I think this might be one (albeit small) part of the reason why the VW's are £1000's more expensive.  The Tiguan seemed to have an extra set of seals on each door. It was the sports model with hard as nails suspension and low profile 18" wheels and I never noticed any road noise.  I'm a bit surprised that the company above have not looked at that and provided some more seals or uprated seals as part of their solution.  The mesh parcel shelf (to my mind) also has a major negative impact, allowing much more noise from the boot area to intrude into the cabin and I am also surprised they have not seen that and suggested (for those who are really bothered by the extra road noise) to replace the retractable shelf with a solid one.  I suspect a few £100 spent addressing the shelf and uprating/modifying the seals might have much more impact over what they are selling. 

 

Just my humble opinion :-)

 

Cheers,

Paul

 

[Rockinghorse]

I am also very disappointed with the noise levels in my 1.5 SEL. Road noise is terrible on anything but the smoothest of Tarmac and then the car is transformed. With the awful state of our roads these days I find my car very gittery and excruciatingly noisy over potholes. I also think the car is worse since the work my dealer did to solve the water ingress problem and wonder if they put everything back right. They were supposed to fit new underlay/ insulation and carpets but I havent taken it apart to see if have. They did damage a lot of trim and I have found several things not put back right so it could be a factor. While my car was away for weeks being fixed I was given a 1.0 SE which was much quieter and smoother with hardly any road noise at all which may be down to the 17" wheels and Michelin tyres, but I also think the solid rear shelf helps to block out noise from the boot area whereas my  mesh shelf obviously does not. I know from so many other posts on the NET that the 1.5 engine can vary sooo much with some being very quiet and smooth with others rather loud and noisy - mine is he later but the dealer still insists its fine. I do not enjoy long journeys in my car because of the noise and the other day I was in my daughters 13yr old 115k miles diesel Qashqai and was shocked how quiet it was compared to my car with only 9k on the clock. I've been thneatening to change mine for the last year but Covid has pushed everything back.

[Berisford]

I have a large Furniture Blanket under the boot mat covering the spare wheel / boot floor area, I think it helps..........

[Rockinghorse]

Hi Berisford

 

Yeah Iv'e tried that and super thick carpet underfelt but it made no difference. I should have bought the 1.0 ltr as I found it mauch nicer than my 1.5.

[smipx]

I suspect it is 50% down to the brand of tyre as much as the profile and size.  I have the dreaded Bridgestone's and they are "pants". from a noise point of view.  On my old Tiguan I had the same issue (it was the sport with the 18" low profiles) and swapped over to Khumo's KU39's and it was night and day (noise wise) and they were nice and grippy in both dry and wet but they did seem to wear a bit quicker. For me these were the best "budget" tyres if that is your thing at about £90 a corner several years ago.  Sadly I don't think Khumo do the KU39's in the Karoq 18" size of 215/50 R18 :-(

 

They do have a tyre called the ECOWING ES31 in that size though and one bloke on tyrereviews.com said this: 

 

"Had the new tyres for a year now, original tyres were bridgstone turanza. The first thing i noticed was how quiet the vehicle was with increased levels of comfort, especially when crossing speed humps, much more compliant. I undertake some long motorway journeys, monthly and recorded significant improvement to the fuel economy app 5/6mpg ( cruising around 65mph). Too early to comment on wear and tyre life but it's looks promising.
i think they are good value for the money!"

 

They are most likely not easy to find but may be worth a punt at under £100 a corner.

[FlyingGecko]

2 hours ago, smipx said:

I suspect it is 50% down to the brand of tyre as much as the profile and size.  I have the dreaded Bridgestone's and they are "pants". from a noise point of view. 

 

 

I'm delighted with the much lower noise levels on the 215/50 18" Bridgestones than the 225/45 18" Michelins were on my Octavia vRS, even allowing for the profile difference, and especially so at high speeds.