General Stilo Abarth Excessive Road Noise?

[NZFIAT]

Hi Everyone,
I have just got a Stilo Abarth for my folks but am finding it very loud in terms of road noise (Tyre noise) compared to the regular Stilo I was driving a while ago or even my previous 1.2 Punto ELX.

We do have coarse chip on our roads here in NZ which will make problems worse but has anyone else noticed this?

Is it possible the Abarth has less sound deadening material or could it just be very hard tyres?

Any help much appreciated, it would be nice to hold a conversation at 100km/h!

 

[keviwal]

Hi Everyone,
I have just got a Stilo Abarth for my folks but am finding it very loud in terms of road noise (Tyre noise) compared to the regular Stilo I was driving a while ago or even my previous 1.2 Punto ELX.

We do have coarse chip on our roads here in NZ which will make problems worse but has anyone else noticed this?

Is it possible the Abarth has less sound deadening material or could it just be very hard tyres?

Any help much appreciated, it would be nice to hold a conversation at 100km/h!

Hi,

Have you jacked the car up and spun each wheel to see if a wheel bearing is at fault?
If one has gone you will get a loud rumbling noise from it.
It could be the tyres, are they a budget tyre?

Cheers,

 

[john55]

Tyres make a big difference to road noise as does the road surface, as you say NZ roads are quite noisy.
However speeds are lower than in europe. I wouldnt expect 100KPH to produce too much road noise. Maybe something is wrong? Wheel alignment or wheel bearings? My MW was not a quiet car inside but that was at 130+ KPH in the UK. Also the sky roof (if you have one) makes it a bit more noisy inside.

 

[Shadeyman]

I used a friends compressor to inflate the tyres on our old Stilo. Unfortunately his pressure gauge was 6 psi out so I over inflated all 4 tyres. I was very suprised by the extra road noise over inflating the tyres can cause on the rougher type road surfaces. You may find that its a combination of things producing the excessive noise. My advice is start with the simple stuff, check your tyre pressure.

 

[Argonought]

Aside from just the tyres, the type of alloy wheel fitted can make quite a difference too.

Here in the UK this was a big problem for the Rover 400 series.

 

[john55]

Aside from just the tyres, the type of alloy wheel fitted can make quite a difference too.

Here in the UK this was a big problem for the Rover 400 series.

And Rover 200, Mazda 3 and Mazda 6 all have this problem.

Yes, that is very true, Alloys can resonate and amplify road noise. Steel wheels will be the quietest.

 

[NZFIAT]

Thanks for your very helpfull input everyone, much appreciated. I have ruled out wheel bearings and similar faults as the noise almost dissipates completely when I pull onto some smooth asphalt.
Also, the tyres are a premium brand/model but it is on those big Abarth Alloys and I wonder if the tyres are a bit old and the compound getting hard. The other interesting thing to note is that most of the sound seems to come from the back and there seems to be no soundproofing under the carpet in much of the boot.
We will try some experiments with some makeshift sound proofing in the back and see if it makes much difference. I do take on board what was said about the alloys too but not too keen on changing them. Will compare with another Abarth when I get oppourtunity as it may be worth changing tyres. Will recheck tyre pressures also just in case.

Thanks again!