I was curious if anyone else thinks their HCH (or other hybrid) is really noisy on the road. I'm guessing the hard tires don't help. However I'm tired of the road noise. I've talked to the dealership about getting the sound undercoating. Was wondering if anyone else had that done, and was it worth the $200?

Haven't had it done but I think mine is quiet for a small car. Yes it's not like a Lexus but it's better than a Saturn we had a few years ago.Kevin

2004 silverblue 5 sp.

I would agree with texashchman; my HCH is one of the quietest vehicles I've owned. Whenever I drive a rental car, or our non-hybrid civic, I'm amazed at how noisy they are. Maybe it is your tires, as you suggest.

Hi Tim,

Yes, my car is noisy. Here in RI, our roads are one of the worst in the US (I think second to MA). I notice road (tire) noise on the older roads and a big difference on the newly paved roads (the road noise happens at higher speeds for me). I've been redirecting my highway traveling to use roads that have been paved in the last few years, if I can help it. But your right, that noise does get to me for long periods of time.

I don't think the undercoating will make that much of a difference. The tires are the culprit because they have too much road surface. My tires are inflated to specs (not a pound over or under checked on a weekly basis) at 30 PSI. I bet if you were to install typical all-season radials instead of the low resistance tires you would see a difference in road noise but you would see a drop in MPG. I chose to redirect my traveling instead of putting money in the car. I travel mostly by highway where I am for work and leisure. For me, I put up with the noise.

Hope this helps

Thanks all - I'll see if any more opinions show up on the undercoating. My car is really noisy - it competes with the radio, and I often have to listen to it louder than I'd like. I'm sure it's tires and the roads out here. I've contemplated the switch in tires too, but don't want a big mileage hit. I'm curious about the 15" ultra-lightweight wheels - are they Honda or after market?

I noticed one of the things they did with the Prius (even first gen) was to give it generous sound damping material, probably to compensate for the more noisy low rolling resistance tires. They did a good job, the car is quiet, except for the ICE.

2001 Prius Photos       2005 Prius Photos
1992 Mitsubishi Delica Diesel-WVO Hybrid Photos

tim, the wheels i'm thinking of getting are aftermarket. still looking for the lightest wheels available. try http://www.tirerack.com.

I've been looking for 16s or 17s but can't find anything I like. I kind of want something similar to stock looking but bigger.

My hydroponics experiment

You ever notice how hard it is to lip read cartoon characters?
"Crazy is what the sane call Delta Flyer"

Noisy? That is one thing that I love about my HCH, it is much quieter than a regular Civic and many other small cars. Drive some other cars and see. I drive new cars 3-5 times a week moving them from dealer to dealer and I find my HCH very good compared to others. Could it be made more quiet? Sure it could, but there would be more weight.
The surface of some roads cause a great deal of noise compared to other surfaces. I suppose there would be some tires that would help. Maybe you need to get a Chevy Silverado truck or a Cadillac if you are after noise. Both are very quiet, maybe a little more than the HCH. Now talk about noise, my 2001 Honda CRV is noisy, but that is another story.