Archives

Do you feel the belly pan on the HCH2 is the main reason for excessive road noise in the cab? I have a feeling it is bouncing noise back into the cab. Has anyone ran there HCH2 without the pan and found this to be true? I allways thought the tire were the culpert , but differant tires are as noisey, so I'm thinking the pan is the problem. Do standard Civic's have this problem?:confused: Help! H

I got rid of the Dunlops and put Michelin Energy on it and it is very quiet now.

Harold,

I'm thinking about removing the front section if-and-when the next big snow comes, at least just for a test. It is the lowest part of the underbody. OTOH, it pushes up quit easily, so I'm not sure how much of a factor it is in ground clearance. It does bother me to see a regular Civic, same generation, tooling calmly up a street I just got stuck in... And that's with our newly installed Nokian WRG2's. It could be the Hybrid underbody is lower, panel or not, due to different engine configuration, not sure.

Anyway, it would also make for easier oil changes, as we've discussed before ;)

Hi Harold;

Did you attempt to silence the car with additional foam underneath the carpeting?

I did something like this roughly two years ago on my 06 and I will be doing the same on my wife's 2007 this coming year as well. Perhaps this what you need instead of defeating the under body aerodynamics. ;)

Cheers

MSantos

I wish I could get the rear-view to stop rattling

Hi msantos;
I have insulated the spare tire compartment and the trunk with carpet underlayment, but it is still noisy! I am going to do the same under the rear passenger seat, hopefully this will help more. I keep thinking the belly pan is not letting the noise out, creating more noise in the cab?:confused: I have used regular radial tires and find them noisy as well, so I don't believe it is a tire issue.
Help, H

dynamat has a variety of sound-deadening products you could try. Been used for many years for audio enthusiasts with great reviews.

I see what you are saying, but, I am not sure if I agree ;)

Hi Kacey
Did your mirror receive a knock at some point or another?

Harold:
Insulating the trunk cavity alone will not help go as far as we can. From my own experience the best results are achieved by taking it one step further and extending the sound deadening insulation to the passenger cabin. Really no different than the treatment more expensive cars get and it does not have to cost a lot.

Yes, the OEM tires can behave a little hard and noisy especially when pumped up to the pressures we like, but I also do not find them to be the biggest culprit.

Case in point: I do find any tires to be at fault when they collect a lot of rocks in their thread. This alone drives me bananas because to get the darn rocks out I literally have to pull out the wheels and spend hours prying them off while avoiding damage to the tire. While I do this when I change the Winter wheels on and off and cannot do it as soon as it gets loaded with rocks which can happen in a matter of weeks.
It is simply amazing the amount of noise a set of tires (any set) makes when loaded with rocks versus a set that is clean and free of them !!!
Have a look at your tires just for giggles anyway.

That is why I really think insulating the cabin floor is the best route to noise reduction and bluesesshomaru's Dynamat recommendation is in my view right on the money. However, I do not use an automotive sound suppressor material at all and I still get OK results. In prefer instead to take a trip to my local Home Depot. It is significantly less expensive and also very light.

Cheers;

MSantos

What do you use from Home Depot? I have heard of people using 1/4" foam or bubble insulation.

Hi Mike;

I use the thinnest carpet underlay from the carpeting section. I prefer this to anything else because it breathes well in case of a spill, it is very light and can be secured down with a few dabs of tacky glue (easy to remove) just in case at a later time I run additional wiring or do a rust check.

Cheers;

MSantos

Yes I do notice rocks in my tires everytime I rotate or change for winter. I often thought that this may be the culprit and allways pry the rocks out. Guess I had better figure out how to remove the rear seat, and carry on with the insulation!:D Thanks all, H

Man in black, is it possible that the 2006 is not as well insulated as the 05 model?,grin> H

I owned a Gen 1 HCH for a while and I find the Gen 2 to be quieter in a variety of areas.

I owned a Gen 1 HCH for a while and I find the Gen 2 to be quieter in a variety of areas.

Aside from dashboard creak, that was also my finding when driving across the country in Laurie's '05 and an '08 HCH.

Manuel,
The mirror being knocked, I don't know, it is the Auto-Dimming version. To be fair the one in my Prius (04 pkg 9) did the same

Do you feel the belly pan on the HCH2 is the main reason for excessive road noise in the cab? I have a feeling it is bouncing noise back into the cab. Has anyone ran there HCH2 without the pan and found this to be true? I allways thought the tire were the culpert , but differant tires are as noisey, so I'm thinking the pan is the problem. Do standard Civic's have this problem?:confused: Help! H

You GOTTA be kidding! My (dearly departed) 2008 HCH-II was the quietest car I've ever driven! I've had to switch back to our other cars while waiting (endlessly) for a replacement to come in, and the difference is VERY noticeable.

Jon

Hi Jon;

Sorry to hear about your loss. Hopefully you wont have to wait long for its replacement. ;)

I agree, it is a very quiet car and that is part of the problem as I see it.
Even the slightest noise that gets produced now and then becomes annoying and very intrusive ... so much so that many of us get trapped into an impossible and endless quest to eliminate any and all noises no matter how faint or brief they may be.
Even a small dash creaking sound during a very cold day which in itself is pretty normal is enough to drive me insane. I am hopeless. :rolleyes:

Cheers;

MSantos

The only interior noise that I've had is a tick/creak coming from the dash area. When I had the control arms replaced, I had them listen for it and they didn't hear anything. It seems like it is near the passenger center vent. It might be a piece of duct against the dash.

Happy New Year all;
Well maybe I have the upper control problem and its cuping my tires on the rear, but I think the main probem is rocks sticking in the tires. I think msantos figured this one for me, thanks. Could be bearings as well? I will insulate under the rear seat. When I first purchased the car I to found it to be quite! H:confused:

Hi Harold;

Bearings? Without knowing more, I doubt it.
It could happen but the gen 2 HCH has not had much of an incidence of faulty bearings at all. To the best of my knowledge a few NA assembled Gen 8 batches have had the problem though.

Typically, among other less common symptoms, worn or defective bearings cause the car to emit a droning noise that is more prevalent at certain speeds and almost imperceptible at others.


Cheers;

MSantos

Hi Jon;

Sorry to hear about your loss. Hopefully you wont have to wait long for its replacement. ;)

I agree, it is a very quiet car and that is part of the problem as I see it.
Even the slightest noise that gets produced now and then becomes annoying and very intrusive ... so much so that many of us get trapped into an impossible and endless quest to eliminate any and all noises no matter how faint or brief they may be.
Even a small dash creaking sound during a very cold day which in itself is pretty normal is enough to drive me insane. I am hopeless. :rolleyes:

Cheers;

MSantos

Well, my wife solved the problem. I was still waiting on the "neighborhood" Honda dealer to come up with an HCH-II, practically ANY HCH-II. A situation came up where we NEEDED another car as my wife was taking hers out of town. So, she called around, and other dealers had hybrids in stock. The one with the color I REALLY wanted (atomic blue) had a nav system, for an extra $2K, so I had to take a silver one. But, at LAST, I have a car, again! I don't know what the problem with that local dealer was, I signed up for a car on Nov 28, and he just told me a couple days ago that something just got on a train from Portland, and he should have it by Jan 15! This was at least the 3rd time the date got pushed back.

But, really, Manuel, you just need to drive something else every couple weeks to reset your ears. I've been driving this 2000 Corolla that my wife totalled last year. She made a left turn across a snow-covered concrete median and tore a chunk out of the transmission housing, popped the airbags and broke the windshield.
So, after a $5K rebuild, you can bet it has more rattles, creaks and groans than most. The HCH-II is a real change from that!

Jon

...

But, really, Manuel, you just need to drive something else every couple weeks to reset your ears...

You nailed it pretty well Jon. That would have to be the way. ;)

Cheers;

MSantos

Well, my wife solved the problem. I was still waiting on the "neighborhood" Honda dealer to come up with an HCH-II, practically ANY HCH-II. A situation came up where we NEEDED another car as my wife was taking hers out of town. So, she called around, and other dealers had hybrids in stock. The one with the color I REALLY wanted (atomic blue) had a nav system, for an extra $2K, so I had to take a silver one. But, at LAST, I have a car, again! I don't know what the problem with that local dealer was, I signed up for a car on Nov 28, and he just told me a couple days ago that something just got on a train from Portland, and he should have it by Jan 15! This was at least the 3rd time the date got pushed back.


Jon

The car I originally ordered in mid-July still hasn't shown up, 60-90 day from the date the order is placed is how long it is supposed to take, We had a car identical to the one I ordered by the end of September.

My 2006 HCH II has the 'droning' noise coming from the back of the car. Louder at higher speeds

The tires were brand new last year and the noise has always been there, but has been getting louder.

I am ready to order a new hub/bearing assembly (or two), and hopefully this solves the noise problem.

Your noise is indicative of the upper control arm/cupping issue. Have you had the dealer check the control arms?


My 2006 HCH II has the 'droning' noise coming from the back of the car. Louder at higher speeds

The tires were brand new last year and the noise has always been there, but has been getting louder.

I am ready to order a new hub/bearing assembly (or two), and hopefully this solves the noise problem.

I've read about the control arm issue, but neither the original tires (with 48k miles), nor the current tires (with 15k miles) have any un-even wear.

The noise is the loudest at 27MPH

hunter jack the rear of the car up and spin the wheels. If the bearings are bad you will hear and feel it.

I replaced both of the rear bearings on my 06 Civic EX just out of warranty myself. The problem was not the bearing but a improperly installed o-ring that lead to bearing failure. There are service bulletins about this issues.

I just insulated my I2 this weekend with Frost King insulation blanket for duct work that I bought at Home Depot for ~$15. In my HCH II, I earlier used Colby's method outlined on Greenhybrid (can't find the link now) with carpet padding. Both work extremely well, though a layer of the Frost king on the inside of the outer door panel (without removing the plastic moisture barrier) also helps alot. I used metal tape, similar to what Honda used OEM on areas of the trunk under the matting, and spray adhesive in a few spots. I did the car for less than $50. I may add another layer at some point, but I'm happy with the results so far and for a fraction of what professional materials cost.

What do you estimate the added weight to be?

I used Frost King duct liner, a rubbery kind of insulation with an adhesive layer on 1 side and foil on the other. It seems to work well. I also used 3M 77 Spray adhesive and foil tape to secure it. Probably added maybe 10 pounds or so.

Word of advice--on the Insight I attempted to sandwich the 1/8' material between the moisture barrier and the inner door panel. No so much the best plan. Some insulation will fit on the inner door panel but materials like dyna mat or the Frost King duct insulation I used really need to be laid over the outer door skin, underneath the moisture barrier, for the best results. I'm leaving it as is for now, but will redo the project when it warms up more and the tape, spray adhesive, etc will stick better.

Overall, a good outcome.

Hi Mike;

Awesome work.

My 2010 Prius is a veritable noise-box especially with the lower temps and is also slated for a good dose of insulation which should parallel what I've done for the two HCH-II's.

Yes, it adds a bit of weight but depending on the materials used it does not have to go higher than 10 pounds. In my case I managed to do the job on the HCH-II's with much less than 10lbs.

On this note, I found that insulation thickness is not the primary determinant but rather the material type, location, and adhesive quality. The materials I use are very thin, often less than 3mm thick but have good sound absorption abilities, low weight and high anti vibration attributes.

Overall, it is a very dramatic improvement and recommended for almost any car.
To make up for the slightly higher weight one should make sure the driver cuts back a bit on the occasional ice cream and gravy. :D

Cheers;

MSantos

What materials have you used?

This is interesting. I wonder if anyone has done this to a first generation Insight? I've already lost the equivalent of a full tank of gas (off my belly :o), so what's a little more? ;)

What materials have you used?

I use a combination of materials depending on where and how they'll be applied on a particular section of the car.

For instance, inside the car I use the following materials:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/Sound_insulation.jpg

The black material is acoustic rubberized foam which is very lightweight and comes in various thicknesses. I use the 2 mm and the 10mm rolls.

With the above I use the 3M spray-on glue which works very well and leaves no smells. I do all areas withing reach: floors, sides and doors as well as the trunk area. I also do the underside of the cars with the rubberized undercoat. I use the later on the wheel wells and any area under the car that can use an extra layer of protection and sound insulation. After all, the last thing we need is the underside surface of the vehicle to respond to the vibrations and pass them along.;)

The following is the undercoating and the glue:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/Sound_insulation_SprayOn.jpg


Cheers;

MSantos