2009 Civic EX excessive road noise

Discussion in 'Civic' started by PE, Jan 24, 2010.

  1. PE

    PE Guest

    Hi all: I have a 2009 Civic EX that I purchased new about 5 mos. ago. Love
    the car, but it has one feature that concerns me a bit, which is that the
    ride is excessively noisy at speeds above 35mph. It sounds, and sometimes
    feels through the steering wheel, like the effects that are typically
    experienced when driving over the metal grate surface of a draw bridge. It
    is sometimes so loud that it becomes difficult to hear the radio. The noise
    is muted considerably when driving over freshly applied smooth asphalt, and
    when the pavement is wet, so I'm thinking the noise might be from the tires
    on the pavement. I inquired at the dealership during the 5000 mi. service,
    but it was raining heavily that day and they declined to test drive it.
    I've read that road noise is loud in Civics, but what I've experienced seems
    excessive. Would appreciate any advice re. how to determine whether road
    noise described above is normal operating sound, or possibly symptomatic of
    problem or potential problem that will need to be addressed. Thanks for
    your replies!
     
    PE, Jan 24, 2010
    #1
  2. PE

    Brian Smith Guest

    The noise you're hearing may well be the tires on the car. What reason
    did this dealership give you for not taking your car on a test drive on
    a rainy day? Are they fair-weather mechanics?
     
    Brian Smith, Jan 24, 2010
    #2
  3. PE

    PE Guest

    They said the splashing noises made by the tires on the wet pavement would
    mask the road noise I was complaining about and to come back for a test
    drive when the pavement was dry, which I'm about to do. I know what you're
    thinking but I've dealt with lots of dealers in the past and I did not get
    the feeling (yet!) that they were trying to kick the can down the road or
    look the other way (although I expect that IS what will happen if I ask them
    to replace the OEM tires with a set that doesn't sing).
     
    PE, Jan 24, 2010
    #3
  4. PE

    J.L.Hemmer Guest

    FWIW: My wife has a 2008 EX Civic. It actually seems a bit quieter
    than my '01 Accord. Nothing unusual about the road noise
     
    J.L.Hemmer, Jan 24, 2010
    #4
  5. PE

    NoMoreRGS Guest

    Your description of the noise makes me think it's coming from steel
    belted radials. They often make a whining noise on concrete pavement
    especially at highway speeds (much less on asphalt). Usually
    progressively worse starting around 40mph.

    Check out the civic forums as it would most likely be brought up
    there. Here are a few:
    http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/index.php
    http://www.honda-tech.com/forumdisplay.php?f=79
    http://www.hondacivicforum.com/forum/
     
    NoMoreRGS, Jan 24, 2010
    #5
  6. PE

    ACAR Guest

    snip

    test drive another Civic and compare noise levels

    if yours is noisier go to an auto parts store, buy a $2 tire tread
    depth gauge and measure the tread depth across all 4 of your tires.
    see

    http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=148

    if you find uneven wear have a chat with the dealer.
     
    ACAR, Jan 28, 2010
    #6
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