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Road noise

6K views 16 replies 8 participants last post by  Captain.Plummet 
#1 ·
If there is one thing that irritates me in the I Pace it's the level of road wheel noise. It's not terrible, but it should be better in a £70k car. Whilst washing the car just now I noticed a piece of insulation protruding just below the edge of the rear nearside wheel arch. I went to push it back into place but I took the opportunity to prise it gently down to have a look behind it. What I found astonished me.
There is nothing between the fibre wheel well casing and the body apart from a very thin felt attached to the back of the fibre. Behind that is an air gap and then the body shell that sounds like an empty oil drum when tapped. OK, not quite as bad as that, but still obviously uninsulated. There are substantial gaps in the fibre casing too. By any standard the level of sound proofing is terrible.
I'm going to have a vehicle soundproofing company look at it as I think relatively little work would be required to improve matters.
 
#2 ·
Both my sister and brother has e-tron. The road noise in the Audi are on a total different level compared to the Jaguar. The Jaguar is ok with 18", but not with 22". The Audi is dead silent both with 19" and 22".
 
#3 ·
The road surface has a lot to do with the noise level.
Modern 'quiet' surfaces are pretty good but those cheapo road dressings with large stones are just the opposite.

I notice a difference when out on my Triumph. The current tyres (Michelin Pilots) are great for grip especially in the wet but are noisy. The Avon's that I used to use were a lot quieter but wore unevenly.

Could it be better? sure.
Is the level a problem for me? nope.
 
#4 ·
I read somewhere recently - in Autocar I think - that current generation Jaguars have a bit of a reputation for this.

Apart from the noisy concrete section of the M25, I don't find it too bad, but my previous car had 20" run flats, so that probably wasn't the quietest either.
 
#5 ·
Standard 20" are rated at only 69db. The 22" are 73db.
I will change to Pirelli when my 22" Contis are worn out. They are 2db less and have better roll resistance. Strange choice by Jaguar to go for the Contis I think..
 
#7 ·
SammyD said:
The road surface has a lot to do with the noise level.
Modern 'quiet' surfaces are pretty good but those cheapo road dressings with large stones are just the opposite.

I notice a difference when out on my Triumph. The current tyres (Michelin Pilots) are great for grip especially in the wet but are noisy. The Avon's that I used to use were a lot quieter but wore unevenly.

Could it be better? sure.
Is the level a problem for me? nope.
Blimey, you hear the difference between motorcycle tyres from within a helmet but don't notice road noise in an I Pace?
 
#8 ·
I guessed there would be opinions on this topic, but don't lose the point of the op. The I Pace cabin noise level is subjectively acceptable or not and thats up to you. All I'm saying is that the wheel well noise attenuation is none existent. My Discovery 4 is in fact quieter than the I Pace but I love both cars for different reasons. If I can quieten the I Pace it's a win.
 
#10 ·
Captain.Plummet said:
SammyD said:
The road surface has a lot to do with the noise level.
Modern 'quiet' surfaces are pretty good but those cheapo road dressings with large stones are just the opposite.

I notice a difference when out on my Triumph. The current tyres (Michelin Pilots) are great for grip especially in the wet but are noisy. The Avon's that I used to use were a lot quieter but wore unevenly.

Could it be better? sure.
Is the level a problem for me? nope.
Blimey, you hear the difference between motorcycle tyres from within a helmet but don't notice road noise in an I Pace?
The fairing on the bike really channels the front tyre noise up towards the rider but you can easily test the noise levels by coasting with the engine switched off plus I have a (legal) 1950's replica helmet that I wear on really hot days. There is only a thin leather cover over the ears.
 
#11 ·
Well, I've owned 14 motorcycles, faired and naked, over 50 years and ridden almost half a million miles. I can honestly say that I haven't identified a significant difference in tyre noise except on knobblies. Mind you, can't recall coasting engine-off wearing a pudding basin helmet. maybe I'm missing something.
That in any case has nothing to do with I Pace road/tyre noise levels. I'll investigate further and report what I find.
 
#12 ·
Someone mentioned he had continentals fitted and wandered why..

We picked ours up new yesterday and it has good year fitted, is this a move to quieter tyres? Or are contis a usa thing, ours is a uk car.

I do think db ratings will be the new tyre war with the advent of EV, i think grip and wear rates will become less important with autonomy nudging its way in
 
#13 ·
I can't understand why Jaguar are so frugal with panel insulation. I know they obsessed about weight when designing the I Pace and it is a light car with a heavy battery, but I can't see that a couple of kilos of acoustic treatment would have been a problem.
Striving for quieter tyres is good, but the benefits are marginal. Dealing with a gaping flaw in body noise insulation is a one-off fix that would be so much more effective. I bet they sort it for the new I Pace.
 
#16 ·
Kerniki said:
Someone mentioned he had continentals fitted and wandered why..

We picked ours up new yesterday and it has good year fitted, is this a move to quieter tyres?
Continental on 22"?
Normally Contis on 22" and Goodyear on 20".michelin on 18"
 
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