[jmd509]

My daughter bought a CPO 2016 CX-3, AWD, 35000 miles. When I drive it or ride in it, the amount of road noise is, maybe the loudest I've heard in any modern car. I asked the dealer to check it because I suspected worn wheel bearings or rear diff, but dealer says all is well, just normal road noise for this car. Is this sort of thing normal for this car?

 

[mainemanx]

My daughter bought a CPO 2016 CX-3, AWD, 35000 miles. When I drive it or ride in it, the amount of road noise is, maybe the loudest I've heard in any modern car. I asked the dealer to check it because I suspected worn wheel bearings or rear diff, but dealer says all is well, just normal road noise for this car. Is this sort of thing normal for this car?

Which model do you have? Apparently, some have more sound deadening than others. 35K miles ... original tires?

Also, if you would, where are you located?

Finally, David Ram has various sound deadening tips in his high-end audio build.

 

[jmd509]

Which model do you have? Apparently, some have more sound deadening than others. 35K miles ... original tires?

Also, if you would, where are you located?

Finally, David Ram has various sound deadening tips in his high-end audio build.

I'm not familiar with the various models, but I know its a 2016, and I know its a more-or-less "base" model, because it has the smaller wheels (16" I think), cloth interior. I don't think the tires are original, as they look pretty new. They are Yokahama Avids... Maybe Avid S3, something like that. We are located in New Jersey, USA.

Thanks for the links, I'll check them out...

 

[SlyCoopers]

Although it is unlikely that it is the diff or bearings (that would be sign of a much larger problem and most likely have noise that is easily identified) I would suggest to find a freshly paved road and see how bad it sounds. If most of the noise is eliminated then its definitly the tires.

As I was writing this I was looking into the tire itself to see if I can find reviews and such and assuming you have Yokohama AVID s34fv like in this link then yea they have pretty bad reviews especially on road noise. Then again even the 18s were poor quality based on numerous owners posts here. Ironically I never was a believer of road noise on tires until I tried my first all terrain wheel and learned the hard way that tires do play an extremely large role in road noise haha.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=AVID+S34FV&partnum=16HR6S34FV&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Mazda&autoYear=2016&autoModel=CX-3 AWD&autoModClar=Sport

Edit: Apparently my screenshot uploaded and resized for ants, its basically cx-3 owners complaining about the tire.

 

[Stokers Rule]

I've got those Avids on my 2018 GS and don't find them especially noisy. I just returned from a 3000 km road trip and there was one point where my wife and I agreed on how eerily quiet it was in the car while we were in between podcasts. At this point in the trip for the first time there was no appreciable wind though and we noticed after that the with ANY cross wind at all, there was a lot more noise. The tires have about 13000 kms on them now.

 

[Geezer]

Although it is unlikely that it is the diff or bearings (that would be sign of a much larger problem and most likely have noise that is easily identified) I would suggest to find a freshly paved road and see how bad it sounds. If most of the noise is eliminated then its definitly the tires.

As I was writing this I was looking into the tire itself to see if I can find reviews and such and assuming you have Yokohama AVID s34fv like in this link then yea they have pretty bad reviews especially on road noise. Then again even the 18s were poor quality based on numerous owners posts here. Ironically I never was a believer of road noise on tires until I tried my first all terrain wheel and learned the hard way that tires do play an extremely large role in road noise haha.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=AVID+S34FV&partnum=16HR6S34FV&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Mazda&autoYear=2016&autoModel=CX-3 AWD&autoModClar=Sport

Edit: Apparently my screenshot uploaded and resized for ants, its basically cx-3 owners complaining about the tire.

The strange thing about the early Avid equipped CX3 is they are indeed louder than one would expect. In fact I have smaller 16" Michelin snow tires in Winter and they are much quieter than the 18" Avids. I asked my service tech to explain this to me, but he just shrugged. Generally though, you have to admit that it is damned noisy in there, snow tires or summer tires. Fortunately I have adjustable hearing aids and I can tune down the noise and turn up the music with them when I am driving (as long as I don't have passengers.

 

[mainemanx]

The strange thing about the early Avid equipped CX3 is they are indeed louder than one would expect. In fact I have smaller 16" Michelin snow tires in Winter and they are much quieter than the 18" Avids. I asked my service tech to explain this to me, but he just shrugged. Generally though, you have to admit that it is damned noisy in there, snow tires or summer tires. Fortunately, I have adjustable hearing aids and I can tune down the noise and turn up the music with them when I am driving (as long as I don't have passengers.

I downsized from the OEM 18" GT wheels to 16" Enkei Compes because (a) the Minilite style just looks right to me, and (b) I wanted the larger tire aspect ratio, for the softer, quieter ride ... more flexi rubber, less unyielding metal.

Even shod with Michelin Ice Xi3 snows, it rides much softer and quieter than the OEM 18s.

 

[jmd509]

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I think its just a combination of a car the does not emphasize squelching road noise, and a very noisy tire compound/tread design. She doesn't seem to mind the noise level, so she'll just enjoy the car as it is, and when it eventually needs tires I'll help her do some research and find something quieter.

 

[ghmpm]

Noise has been my ongoing complaint with this car. Ours only has 21K on it so tires are not a serious issue (my daughter has a 2017 with 51K on her OEM Yokohamas). My wife does not complain much about the noise but then she seldom uses the Bose system ( I do). I have read the posts about adding sound insulation but that is something I have no interest in doing. PERIOD! Too much work to correct something that should not be an issue with a top of the line model!!! My two cents. Sadly my 2015 Nissan Frontier SL (top of line model) is MUCH quieter on the highway... Strange, guess it will fix itself when we trade it in...