wanted to buy a prius - then I drove it....

Buy the Prius. Replace the tires with quieter tires. You will get your quieter ride and 45 mpg. You may be successful with a search in the Gen II section for people who switched out tires for road noise and their findings. Tire Rack will also rate road noise of tires. You can compare the stock prius tires to what they are rated on Tire Rack and then find similar sized tires with a better road noise score.

 

Color me confused. All I've been reading says the 2010 is much quieter than GENII. Were those posters all running on non-OEM tires or 17" tires? Was the quiet mentioned not overal cabin noise levels but only referenced engine noise?

Thanks,

Rich N.

 

Maybe if you came from luxury vehicle it might be louder???

It's way more quiet than my 95 Civic or our POS 98 Taurus or our 95 F-150 OR my husband's baby (04 Subaru STI...though that doesn't say much since he has an aftermarket exhaust which is rated 3rd loudest...hwell: sigh).

However, since I will always have my JBL rockin' system blaring kiddie tunes :cheer2: or Evanescence or Linkin Park...I won't notice any road noise.

 

Once in while somebody makes a comment about the Prius having excessive "road noise", and I'm really stunned. I almost feel like "are we talking about the same car"?

Noisy compared to what? On the day that I test drove a Prius package V (prior to buying the same unit) I test drove a Hyundai Elantra, a Hyundai SUV (forget which model), a Toyota RAV4, a Toyota Matrix, and a Honda Fit. Of all those, the Prius was among the quietest (for road noise and for engine noise), and handled road imperfections fantastically, especially compared against the Elantra and the Fit. I know that the Fit is really a smaller class car, but my wife and I both noticed just how bad the road noise, engine noise, and ride were on the Elantra and Fit. We both agreed that taking any long trips in those cars would be tiring.

Granted, we were not comparing the Prius versus a Lexus or other full sized or luxury cars. But for it's size, we were very impressed, and still remain very impressed.

I wonder if the lower package models of the Prius have less sound insulation, etc? Has anyone here on PCC ever compared the 2009 packages (non-touring) for road and engine noise?

 

+ 1

I too never knew what people were talking about re excessive noise. Compared to all of my prior cars, including a Volvo 850 (which, by price, people would consider an entry level luxury car), my Gen II Prius is the quietest car I've ever owned.

* * * * * *

OP can also add aftermarket sound deadening.

 

i was expecting it to be more quiet than my old 2000 accord, it was not...prius is a little louder. wasn't a deal breaker for me, but had high expectations like the OP.

i also have the V which is more noisy than the other models...never drove any of them to compare.

 

i am running michelin harmonies on my 02 gen 1. it was waaaay loud until i upped the pressure to 42/40 and now it is much less loud. Maybe increasing the air pressure, lessens the downward pressure from the edges of the tires?

 

being a civil engineer spaz, the aggragate the state of WA uses in their pavement mix for freeways is bigger and makes the freeways here coarse and excessively noisy.

there must be some sort of maintenance or traction trade off...sorry way off topic.

the prius itself runs very quiet, but the road noise to the cabin isnt dampened very well IMO.

 

From all I've read, I too was expecting complete silence...but it's road noise. My van had road noise, engine noise, wind noise, and outside noise all together. The Prius is a LOT quieter.

I've only had my Prius since Thursday, but I can definitely live with the road noise. One example I can give you is while driving into the local town (with no radio)...I only heard the bit of road noise. People were slowing down all around me, and I didn't even notice the Ambulance until it was really close. I usually hear the sirens from a long distance away.

This is to say, that the cabin is very quiet. But not dangerously quiet. I just wanted to show you that example before you decide against the Prius. I was surprised by the road noise, but also totally surprised that I didn't hear that ambulance until is was about 3 cars behind me.

Drive a few other cars along the same road as your test drive and you will probably find that you won't be able to find one with any less noise.

Just trying to be your ray of light.

 

Based on my 3 test drives, I thought the road noise in the Prius was acceptable. It may have to do with the composition of the pavement mix like someone suggested here, so different tires could potentially reduce the noise. My CR-V though, is a lot noisier, though I love it and will miss it so much :Cry::Cry::Cry: I'm getting ready to give it away to the dealer as my Prius arrival is already due....

 

I rode in a 2010 Prius III, and it is quiet, except in the ECO mode going up hills. We then switched to the power mode in the middle of a long steep hill with 4 adults, and the Prius returned to its usual quiet self. My other cars are a 2000 Buick LeSabre, and a 2007 Toyota Avalon, and the Prius quiet is in the same quiet class. The Prius III was equipped with Bridgestone Ecopia P195/65R15 low resistance low noise tires which are supposed to give good wet performance. I will pick up my 2010 Prius at the end of the month. The 20 mile ride convinced me that the 2010 Prius is comfy, roomy, and quiet.

 

I have to go along with the majority here. My 07 Prius was very quiet, espcially after I switched out tires to Goodyear comfort Tread.

The 09 Touring Prius I now own may have a bit of road noise occasionally (due to the tires), but these cars are both quieter than my 03 DeVille.

My wife's 2010 Fusion Hybrid is VERY quiet (due to 17 inch Micheline tires), but I would not say the Prius is noisy, espcially compared to Hondas, which are notorious for noise.

 

Both the ones I drove were Vs with the 17" wheels, I thought they were quieter than our '04 with MXV4 tires (very quiet).

 

Road noise is one of those things that is VERY subjective. Take 100 people and seperately, they will each score it different based on prior experience with cars.

I can tell you that toyota has changed the type of sound deadening material that they now use. Instead of the typical deadening, they are now using a sound absorbing material that is used in most Lexus products. That is why most Gen II drivers can tell a difference. They use it under the carpet in the footwells, the center "hump" or tunnel, and in the rear cargo area.

Before completely turning away from the Prius, I would suggest a test drive in a different area and confirm that it is the car itself, not the road conditions or under inflated tires.

 

Michelin® Energy™ Saver A/S is what you are looking for.

• Up to 8% more fuel efficient than Bridgestone Turanza EL400
• Stops 8 feet shorter than Bridgestone Ecopia EP100
• Quieter ride than Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max and Bridgestone Ecopia EP100

http://www.michelinman.com/tires/passenger-car-minivan/energy-saver-as/41536/

They have sizes for 2004-2009 Prius as well as for 2010 Prius. It is available on Tire Rack for $120 each.

 

Hey, Seawolf, are you running these? I will be in the market for tires to replace the mid-pac Bridgestone Turanza EL400 that were on my '06 when I bought it (the Bridgestones are not good or horrible at anything in particular, and not real cheap, either). I need something that will go in the winter as well as any good all season (don't need snow tire capability - if I do I will buy another set of wheels and a set of Hankook Icebars). If you have them, how about an overall review?

Anyone else?

 

This is a accurate assessment IMO. The Prius is NOT a quiet road vehicle. It can however be dead silent in the right conditions but it is NOT designed to have an ultra quiet road ride like the Camry.

This is one of the key benefits to the Camry hybrid. The TCH is designed to eliminate road noise as do all Camry's.

The Prius is designed for superior fuel economy meaning that it may give up some sound-deadening features in order not to increase the weight and drive down the fuel economy numbers.

 

As previously stated, compared to what other cars? I test drove the Jetta TDI, 2010 Honda Insight, Civic Hybrid, Civic EX, Ford Hybrid Fusion and 2010 Prius(II, IV & V models). I also drove my friends 2nd Gen Prius.

The Gen III appeared to be more quiet then the Gen 2 Prius, it was very obvious to me. The Hondas were definitly louder than the Gen III. I found the Ford Hybrid Fusion to be the most quiet out of all the cars I test drove.

I will be buying a Prius V at the end of the year.

 

Nope, it just came out. I don't even think Tire Rack has review/rating for it yet. I still have a lot of miles on the Nokian i3. When I need to upgrade, I would seriously consider it.