Road noise and tyres

[Deleted member 19354]

I have a 23 MME GT with Continental OEM. I just test drove a Chevrolet Equinox EV and really enjoyed it but noticed how incredibly quiet it is. How much of this can be eliminated on the MME? I highly doubt I’ll trade in but any info would be appreciated.

Sponsored

 

[markboris]

I have a 23 Mach-E GT with Continental OEM. I just test drove a Chevrolet Equinox EV and really enjoyed it but noticed how incredibly quiet it is. How much of this can be eliminated on the Mach-E? I highly doubt I’ll trade in but any info would be appreciated.

If the Equinox had the 19" tires, they are the same Michelin Primacy A/S that the Mach-E Premium has. If they were the 21" tires, they are the Continental CrossContact RS which have acoustic foam inside. While the tires definitely do contribute to noise, the sound deadening in the car also has a lot to do with it. The earlier Mach-E's ('21-'22) had quite a bit and the later years not as much. Ford removed the sound pads inside all the door panels along with some in the rear quarter panels. Also changed the front driver and passenger side widows from laminated acoustic glass to tempered. I did not see anything else they removed when I completely took apart my "24 to deaden it. One of the big reasons I wanted a '24 is I could get the GT with a metal roof. MUCH quieter than the glass roof and I can deaden a metal roof not to mention I don't have a reflective surface that the audio bounces off of.

I sound deaden all my cars and the entire car... floor, firewall (both sides), doors and door panels, roof, B & C pillars, rear quarter panels, lower cargo area, all four exterior wheel wells behind the fiber shield, etc. Not just with Dynamat rubber butyl but on top of that I apply closed cell foam Dynaliner. I actually do this more for the improved audio of the sound system and not to quiet down the car. One other advantage of doing this is thermal insulation. I also always try to run very quiet tires. Right now running Michelin Pilot Sport EV with acoustic foam and they are really quiet. I have quite a few members that have been in my car and they all comment on how quiet it is. I sure hope so, it takes a lot of time for me to do this and money. People always ask how much weight did you add and what was the total cost. Each car/truck is different but I've done 4 Mach-E's, three were mine and one my best friend's. I use 2 Dynamat 36 sq ft bulk packs which weigh 19 lbs and cost $240 each. 2, Dynaliner 12 sq ft 1/8" foam sheets and 4, 12 sq ft 1/4" foam sheets. The 1/8" are $68 each and the 1/4" $85 each. Approximate total cost $956 and weight, 41 lbs.

 

[Adventureboy]

My 2022 is really quiet with the factory Michelin Primacy A/S. I'm thinking @markboris hit the nail on the head with the lack of sound deadening in later models.
Also, make sure you don't have propulsion sounds on. My kids were playing with that setting once, and I thought there was something wrong with the car for a couple of weeks until we found they turned it on. It was really good to have the silence back.

 

[Firefly Ship Works]

If the Equinox had the 19" tires, they are the same Michelin Primacy A/S that the Mach-E Premium has. If they were the 21" tires, they are the Continental CrossContact RS which have acoustic foam inside. While the tires definitely do contribute to noise, the sound deadening in the car also has a lot to do with it. The earlier Mach-E's ('21-'22) had quite a bit and the later years not as much. Ford removed the sound pads inside all the door panels along with some in the rear quarter panels. Also changed the front driver and passenger side widows from laminated acoustic glass to tempered. I did not see anything else they removed when I completely took apart my "24 to deaden it. One of the big reasons I wanted a '24 is I could get the GT with a metal roof. MUCH quieter than the glass roof and I can deaden a metal roof not to mention I don't have a reflective surface that the audio bounces off of.

I sound deaden all my cars and the entire car... floor, firewall (both sides), doors and door panels, roof, B & C pillars, rear quarter panels, lower cargo area, all four exterior wheel wells behind the fiber shield, etc. Not just with Dynamat rubber butyl but on top of that I apply closed cell foam Dynaliner. I actually do this more for the improved audio of the sound system and not to quiet down the car. One other advantage of doing this is thermal insulation. I also always try to run very quiet tires. Right now running Michelin Pilot Sport EV with acoustic foam and they are really quiet. I have quite a few members that have been in my car and they all comment on how quiet it is. I sure hope so, it takes a lot of time for me to do this and money. People always ask how much weight did you add and what was the total cost. Each car/truck is different but I've done 4 Mach-E's, three were mine and one my best friend's. I use 2 Dynamat 36 sq ft bulk packs which weigh 19 lbs and cost $240 each. 2, Dynaliner 12 sq ft 1/8" foam sheets and 4, 12 sq ft 1/4" foam sheets. The 1/8" are $68 each and the 1/4" $85 each. Approximate total cost $956 and weight, 41 lbs.

Hey @markboris here's my latest brilliant idea: Get 10 people from the forum that want you to sound deaden their MMEs. We'll buy all the materials in bulk ahead of time and get it shipped to you. Once you've got everything you need, all 10 of us will converge on your house so you can apply the sound deadening magic assembly-line style to each of our cars. Of course you will charge a premium for your services but I think you'll find all of us willing to pay. Assuming it will take a few days to complete the work on all the cars, we will set up tents on your front lawn and arrange food and beverage delivery.

Alternatively, I could purchase your round-trip travel to Dallas so you could just do my car.

 

[AllTheThings55]

Hey @markboris here's my latest brilliant idea: Get 10 people from the forum that want you to sound deaden their MMEs. We'll buy all the materials in bulk ahead of time and get it shipped to you. Once you've got everything you need, all 10 of us will converge on your house so you can apply the sound deadening magic assembly-line style to each of our cars. Of course you will charge a premium for your services but I think you'll find all of us willing to pay. Assuming it will take a few days to complete the work on all the cars, we will set up tents on your front lawn and arrange food and beverage delivery.

Alternatively, I could purchase your round-trip travel to Dallas so you could just do my car.

Count me in!

 

[markboris]

Hey @markboris here's my latest brilliant idea: Get 10 people from the forum that want you to sound deaden their MMEs. We'll buy all the materials in bulk ahead of time and get it shipped to you. Once you've got everything you need, all 10 of us will converge on your house so you can apply the sound deadening magic assembly-line style to each of our cars. Of course you will charge a premium for your services but I think you'll find all of us willing to pay. Assuming it will take a few days to complete the work on all the cars, we will set up tents on your front lawn and arrange food and beverage delivery.

Alternatively, I could purchase your round-trip travel to Dallas so you could just do my car.

Honestly Mal, it doesn't make the car like a tomb. Sure it's quieter but I mainly do it for the audio system which sounds so much better. No vibrating/buzzing from the doors or any body parts for that matter and tighter mid-bass, etc. Not to mention when you close a door the sound is completely different. You just get a quality sounding quiet thunk.

If you were to do anything at all, it would be the doors for sure. They are metal speaker enclosures with no sound deadening. No one makes a speaker enclosure like that because it would sound like shit. Deadening the doors is huge. Also it keeps a lot of the outside noise, outside. Next would be the rear cargo area which includes the liftgate. That entire floor bottom under the carpet is thin metal and sounds like a tin can when you knock on it with you knuckles. I have an aftermarket JLAudio sub down in that area and I can't have it laying in a tin can. Rear quarter panels and behind the fiber wheel well liners are also important reducing tire noise. While I did do the floor, not sure how important it is since there is a battery below it. However, the battery is not right up against the floor. There is space between the two so maybe some noise will come through there? I would question mark that area.

My '24 was the only Mach-E I deadened the floor. It was also the only one I did the roof since my previous two had glass pano roofs. With those two, I installed pano roof shades and put a layer of Dynaliner 1/4" foam above the shade to block any sound. A metal roof is definitely quieter than the pano roof even if you don't sound deaden it. What I really like in my vehicles that I've deaden the roofs is when it rains, you can't hear the drops hitting the metal above you. Not to mention you do get some thermal insulation lining that entire roof.

This does take some time to install which is mostly about taking things apart and reassembling. I've never really figured the hours (days) because I do one section here and there. At my age I can't spend a lot of time bending over, kneeling down, etc. I'd say takes a good half a day to do all four doors because not only do I apply all this material to the inside of the door but also the door panels. Probably another half a day to do the cargo floor, rear quarter panels and liftgate. In order to deaden the wheel wells, have to remove the wheel and the entire fiber liner in the well. That job about another half day or a bit more. When I say half a day, I mean around 6 hours. Doing the floor requires removing the front seats and rear seat bottom then lifting up the carpet. Don't really need to remove the center console although I did with my '24. Not much to do under there anyway because of the way it's designed. If you have a metal roof, you want to deaden that when the seats are out. The A, B and C pillars need to be removed to drop the headliner. To remove the B-pillars it is much easier if the front sets are not in the way plus it's easier to drop down the headliner with no seats instead of ones that the back is reclined. Takes me about two days for the floor and roof. The headliner would be easier to work with if there was a second person helping.

I'm still not sure Ford's logic for building some cars with front driver/passenger side laminated acoustic door windows and some without. My friend in AZ has a car identical to mine right down to the color ('24 GTP). His was built in June, mine in October. I guess you can say his is a Job 1, mine a Job 2. His has the acoustic front side windows, mine does not. Both of my '21's had the acoustic glass. Having driven Mach-E's for a total of 4 years and 60K miles I immediately heard a bit more outside noise in my '24 without the acoustic glass. It is not at all a huge difference but it was one of the first things I noticed when I drove the car on the freeway. I bought my car on November 20, last year (2024). On the 25th I ordered the acoustic windows, on the 27th received them and brought to my detail guy to have them tinted to match the rear windows and on the 28th I installed them. It would be interesting to find out if any of the '25's have laminated acoustic front side windows.

 

[Firefly Ship Works]

Honestly Mal, it doesn't make the car like a tomb. Sure it's quieter but I mainly do it for the audio system which sounds so much better. No vibrating/buzzing from the doors or any body parts for that matter and tighter mid-bass, etc. Not to mention when you close a door the sound is completely different. You just get a quality sounding quiet thunk.

If you were to do anything at all, it would be the doors for sure. They are metal speaker enclosures with no sound deadening. No one makes a speaker enclosure like that because it would sound like shit. Deadening the doors is huge. Also it keeps a lot of the outside noise, outside. Next would be the rear cargo area which includes the liftgate. That entire floor bottom under the carpet is thin metal and sounds like a tin can when you knock on it with you knuckles. I have an aftermarket JLAudio sub down in that area and I can't have it laying in a tin can. Rear quarter panels and behind the fiber wheel well liners are also important reducing tire noise. While I did do the floor, not sure how important it is since there is a battery below it. However, the battery is not right up against the floor. There is space between the two so maybe some noise will come through there? I would question mark that area.

My '24 was the only Mach-E I deadened the floor. It was also the only one I did the roof since my previous two had glass pano roofs. With those two, I installed pano roof shades and put a layer of Dynaliner 1/4" foam above the shade to block any sound. A metal roof is definitely quieter than the pano roof even if you don't sound deaden it. What I really like in my vehicles that I've deaden the roofs is when it rains, you can't hear the drops hitting the metal above you. Not to mention you do get some thermal insulation lining that entire roof.

This does take some time to install which is mostly about taking things apart and reassembling. I've never really figured the hours (days) because I do one section here and there. At my age I can't spend a lot of time bending over, kneeling down, etc. I'd say takes a good half a day to do all four doors because not only do I apply all this material to the inside of the door but also the door panels. Probably another half a day to do the cargo floor, rear quarter panels and liftgate. In order to deaden the wheel wells, have to remove the wheel and the entire fiber liner in the well. That job about another half day or a bit more. When I say half a day, I mean around 6 hours. Doing the floor requires removing the front seats and rear seat bottom then lifting up the carpet. Don't really need to remove the center console although I did with my '24. Not much to do under there anyway because of the way it's designed. If you have a metal roof, you want to deaden that when the seats are out. The A, B and C pillars need to be removed to drop the headliner. To remove the B-pillars it is much easier if the front sets are not in the way plus it's easier to drop down the headliner with no seats instead of ones that the back is reclined. Takes me about two days for the floor and roof. The headliner would be easier to work with if there was a second person helping.

I'm still not sure Ford's logic for building some cars with front driver/passenger side laminated acoustic door windows and some without. My friend in AZ has a car identical to mine right down to the color ('24 GTP). His was built in June, mine in October. I guess you can say his is a Job 1, mine a Job 2. His has the acoustic front side windows, mine does not. Both of my '21's had the acoustic glass. Having driven Mach-E's for a total of 4 years and 60K miles I immediately heard a bit more outside noise in my '24 without the acoustic glass. It is not at all a huge difference but it was one of the first things I noticed when I drove the car on the freeway. I bought my car on November 20, last year (2024). On the 25th I ordered the acoustic windows, on the 27th received them and brought to my detail guy to have them tinted to match the rear windows and on the 28th I installed them. It would be interesting to find out if any of the '25's have laminated acoustic front side windows.

I have a '25 GT, less than a month old. How can I tell if it has the laminated front side windows? Can you tell just by looking at it? I am a bit surprised by the amount of road noise I'm hearing since reducing noise was one of my objectives coming from a 2018 Tesla Model 3.

I would also want to improve the audio in addition to reducing the road noise. To that end I have ordered Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 Noise Cancelling tires and will be getting them installed next week. But the thought of getting inside the doors or roof (I have a metal roof) to add Dynamat/Dynaliner makes me break into a cold sweat. I'm just not good with tools or creative solutions if I run into some kind of unexpected snag. If I owned the car I'd be more willing to try it, but it's a lease. On the other hand, I'm going to be driving it for the next 3 years and would really like to improve the acoustics, so maybe I'll give it a go.

 

[lonndog]

I have ordered Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 Noise Cancelling tires and will be getting them installed next week.

We needed new tires on our 2021 Premium ER -- because it was time, and we had one tire with a screw in it (!) which resulted in a slow leak. We got the Pirelli's and it made a huge difference in road noise and also gave us a smoother ride. Ours being a '21 job 2 meant we got the sound damping stuff...I think (possibly a job 1 thing?)...and those tires kicked it up a couple of notches.

 

[markboris]

I have a '25 GT, less than a month old. How can I tell if it has the laminated front side windows? Can you tell just by looking at it? I am a bit surprised by the amount of road noise I'm hearing since reducing noise was one of my objectives coming from a 2018 Tesla Model 3.

Look at the lower right corner of the driver's door window. If it is marked Laminated, it is acoustic glass (two pieces of glass with plastic sandwiched between them). Tempered is not acoustic.

You can also very easily tell by just looking at the top edge of the glass. The Laminated clearly shows two pieces of glass with a center plastic piece while the tempered is just a rounded edge.

 

[azerik]

My 2022 is really quiet with the factory Michelin Primacy A/S. I'm thinking @markboris hit the nail on the head with the lack of sound deadening in later models.
Also, make sure you don't have propulsion sounds on. My kids were playing with that setting once, and I thought there was something wrong with the car for a couple of weeks until we found they turned it on. It was really good to have the silence back.

It also randomly turns it's self back on after updates whilst turning off the 'stop asking me about the back seat and alarm sensors' options

 

[markboris]

I would also want to improve the audio in addition to reducing the road noise. To that end I have ordered Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 Noise Cancelling tires and will be getting them installed next week. But the thought of getting inside the doors or roof (I have a metal roof) to add Dynamat/Dynaliner makes me break into a cold sweat. I'm just not good with tools or creative solutions if I run into some kind of unexpected snag. If I owned the car I'd be more willing to try it, but it's a lease. On the other hand, I'm going to be driving it for the next 3 years and would really like to improve the acoustics, so maybe I'll give it a go.

These tires will make a difference as you have probably read several times here. None of these things make a huge difference but collectively they all contribute to a quieter car.

Besides the tires for quieting road noise, deadening/insulating the wheel wells, doors and floor is all you need to do. With the battery under the floor, can probably eliminate doing that. The roof is not necessary so you don't have to go there. You don't really hear any noise up front coming from the rear cargo area but I deaden it mainly because I have a sub back there.

 

[ChehRob]

Almost all of the unpleasant noise in mine is tire. Car is really quiet on new pavement. I would pay a fair amount to eliminate tire noise.

 

[Firefly Ship Works]

Look at the lower right corner of the driver's door window. If it is marked Laminated, it is acoustic glass (two pieces of glass with plastic sandwiched between them). Tempered is not acoustic.

You can also very easily tell by just looking at the top edge of the glass. The Laminated clearly shows two pieces of glass with a center plastic piece while the tempered is just a rounded edge.

Rats. Mine is tempered.

 

[CarDreams]

My 24' MME is quieter to my ear than my 22' was. I have not done any modifications yet. I wonder if it is the tires.

I use to hear a loud gnarling with my 22' at times when I stopped, or when breaking. It was always on the front wheels. It was random, but loud. I took it in several times and there were never any issues.

 

[HuntingPudel]

IIRC, my 2021 GT-PE had tempered front door glass, not the acoustic glass. It had a metal roof. While there is a tiny difference, there isn’t a very noticeable difference in noise inside of my 2024 vs. my 2021, and that is with the same set of wheels and tires.

That said, were I to sound deaden, I would do the doors first since everywhere I read about deadening says that the doors are almost always the biggest bang for your buck.

Sponsored