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Sonata road noise issue SOLVED!!

54K views 55 replies 35 participants last post by  DarrenBach 
#1 ·
At least for me!!

I have a 2012 Sonata Limited, 17" Hankook tires. I have the road noise issues that so many have complained about. Living in an area with terrible road surfaces, the noise was UNBEARABLE!!

I decided to take action:

This weekend, I removed both seats, the side panels of the console, the covers under the dash, both kick panels, both sill plates, and pulled the carpet, jute, deading foam back to expose the bare metal floors. I was shocked at how poor of an attempt Hyundai made sound proofing this car. I used about a roll and a half of Edead sound deadening material that I had left over from my days of car audio installation. I covered all of the bare metal I could see with a double layer. I put it all together and test drove. The difference was astounding!!! I HIGHLY recommend you take the time to do this if the road noise is bothering you. I could not be happier that I did.
 
#3 ·
If I may ask....what Edead material did you use? I notice on their site there are several choices. Thanks
I'm not certain... stuff has been sitting in my garage for a few years since I last did a big car install. I'll take a look and see if I can figure it out, but in all honesty, if you are going to buy something, do some research. Edead was the best on the market when I bought this, but since then, there may be a new king of sound deadener... looking at the website, I think it was Edead45 that I installed.
 
#5 ·
It's less work than you think... I wish I had documented the process to share on here, but I didn't think of it. Taking the seats out is no more than using a 14mm ratchet and taking out 4 bolts of each seat, leaning the seat over, unplugging everything underneath, then pulling it out.... if you have power seats, put the seat back ALL the way up BEFORE disconnecting electronics to make it easier to pull out. The plastic sill pulls up with a gentle pry, just use safe tools not to damage the plastic. The kick panel pulls out at the back with clips and slides toward the back of the car to disengage a slip-on clip at the front of it. There is one clip in the center of the carpet on the hump, in the middle, under the seats. The carpet pulls back and folds into the back seat area no prob. The one thing is, if you don't want to spend HOURS disengaging the existing foam/padding from up under the bottom of the dash on each side, slicing it with a razor blade into two separate pieces is MUCH Faster and safe to do - I cut mine above where the screw shafts clip on to it, so they will home the bottom section up after I cut it. Once that stuff is out, just apply the deadener with a roller...



For Edead, no heat gun or dryer is needed... just roll it on over all the metal parts, cutting out any plugs or whatever you don't want to cover up. make sure it's tight to the metal, rolling using both the roller AND the butt end of the tool will ensure the edead makes all the contours of the metal underneath. DO one whole layer, then do a second. Put it together, ENJOY!!!!
 
#6 ·
I actually insulated all 4 doors and just by doing that resolved a decent amount of noise. along the lines of 8-9 dba according to my cheapo amazon.com dba meter.


looking to do the rear deck lid next.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I actually insulated all 4 doors and just by doing that resolved a decent amount of noise. along the lines of 8-9 dba according to my cheapo amazon.com dba meter.


looking to do the rear deck lid next.
Got any pics and what material did you use? I was going to buy the kit from SR, but I don't know how much that will help.
 
#8 ·
Dynamat is a fantastic product as well.. It serves the exact same function as the other product, it's easy to apply, and it's pretty widely used in the audio industry. It definitely works in the doors.
If you buy, be sure to buy from Amazon, it's about 50% less than direct from Dynamat.
 
#9 ·
i used a fiber material, its approximatly 1/4 inch thick. I had a bunch of shots on my phone but the sd card took a ****. :( I originally did the doors to remove interior rattles and to resolve the cheap sound our doors make when shutting them. i spent about 50 bucks in materials tops.

stuff i used is very simular to this stuff: UNIVERSAL UNDER PADDING 36" X72" 20 OUNCE PER SQ. YARD | eBay


I went with this type instead of one with one side covered with aluminum...etc was to prevent any rattles caused by wires...etc just cut out a piece and cut it to fit, make holes, use 3m general trim adhesive and stick it on to the door panel side. next time i have some free time ill take the door panel off and send you a pic.

in terms of doing the fender wells, I just undercoated the whole car. much easier :)
 
#10 ·
UPDATE: It's been a week and I am LOVING how much quieter this car is. By now, I've traversed a multitude of different road surfaces. It is still somewhat loud at times, but it's also not a Lexus, so I have zero issue with an occasional road here and there causing some noise. For the most part, it is infinitely quieter. I'm going to do the doors when I get a chance and I'll update again to let you know if it's even better.
 
#13 ·
I used it before. It does work. However, it is made for roofs. It's tar based so it stinks and it will run when it's hot. The smell wasn't really that bad after a while. The running can be a pain if you change your audio setup or if you put it in a place where it can run out into the car.
 
#14 ·
First off, thanks for the thread.

Secondly, do NOT use any of the cheap asphalt-based deadener!!!!! Edead45 is not asphalt based, but the other stuff WILL stink and make a mess and if you live in a hot climate and put it in doors and such it will drip out.

Technically "deadener" is used primarily to deaden vibrations from rattling metal and materials. It will still block sound though when used in this fashion. Something like edead teklite (or other countless products) that are closed cell neoprene are specifically made to filter out high frequency noise. A use of both in this project would be phenomenal!

I've been planning this for a while, but after taking apart cars all day at work, the last thing I want to do is spend time taking apart mine.
 
#18 ·
IMPORTANT NOTE TO ALL LOOKING TO DO THIS

I own a noise detection stethoscope as part of my arsenal of tools at work - my family owns a mechanic's shop. Using this device I was able to determine that a good deal of sound was coming from one very specific are. I pinpointed the area and got out of the car to investigate where it was. Turned out to be the little cove where the steering column goes though the floorboards. I was shocked to see nothing there at all... no cover, no rubber boot, nothing. It's just a raw shaft going into a metal cove which can act like a speaker. It is VERY important that you don't skip this area when you deaden. But be careful not to obstruct the column which spins freely in there. I did one thin layer behind the column shaft along the cove, and took great care to make sure that it is well formed and not sticking up at all.
 
#20 ·
Thank you! I'm not sure I would have seen this one otherwise.

I just picked my 2012 2.4 SE 3 days ago. So far the noise hasn't bothered me, though I can definitely hear the tires on poor pavement. If it gets to be too much I'll remember this thread.

Thanks!
 
#24 ·
The road noise in my 2011 2.0T Limited has been bothering me for about a year now (especially on rough aggregate asphalt). When you took the door panels off, was there any insulation at all. Were they difficult to take off. What do you think would be the least one could do (to improve without taking the car apart as you did)?Does undercoating help? I haven't been able to find anyone that still does that out here in West Texas.
 
#27 ·
Thanks, Ryon. Was taking the door panel off a difficult thing to do? Also, please let me know when you get the new tires mounted. I really like this car otherwise, I hate to think of trading if the noise can be reduced fairly easily.:)

the door panel removal is pretty easy. the hardest part is getting off the sail panel Sonata 2011 door speaker replacement - Hyundai Forum - Hyundai Enthusiast Forums

I like second skin sound deadener. Their site has a forum to learn about the products and whats best for each area of the car. I have my trunk lid deadened and my rear parcel shelf. I'm going to be adding a amp and 8" image dynamics sub in a sealed box soon to the stock infinity stereo.
 
#30 ·
tires making the noise?

So you think it's mostly the tires causing the noisy interior?? So did I, so I changed them:
.
My 2011 Sonata Ltd came with Kumho OEM tires, I thought they're noisy and hard, and so do most owners.
.
Most recommendations, both here and at dealers, gave the Michelin MXV4 Primacy tires the highest ratings for noise and comfort. Even Costco highly recommended them.
They're certainly the most expensive tires out there.
.
So I traded in my almost-new OEM tires and got the Michelins.

I have to say that I don't notice that much difference. I am disappointed and kicking myself for spending $800 unnecessarily.
Should have done noise deadening instead, for a lot less money.
.
Anyone else had this experience?
.
Am I expecting too much from my Sonata in the way of ride comfort?
 
#31 ·
So you think it's mostly the tires causing the noisy interior?? So did I, so I changed them:
.
My 2011 Sonata Ltd came with Kumho OEM tires, I thought they're noisy and hard, and so do most owners.
.
Most recommendations, both here and at dealers, gave the Michelin MXV4 Primacy tires the highest ratings for noise and comfort. Even Costco highly recommended them.
They're certainly the most expensive tires out there.
.
So I traded in my almost-new OEM tires and got the Michelins.

I have to say that I don't notice that much difference. I am disappointed and kicking myself for spending $800 unnecessarily.
Should have done noise deadening instead, for a lot less money.
.
Anyone else had this experience?
.
Am I expecting too much from my Sonata in the way of ride comfort?
So, I've read this post in three different threads now. I'm starting to get the impression you don't like your tires.
 
#34 ·
Thanks for the tire information (ABIGMUT). I was very close to trying the Michelin's, but will pursue sound deadening instead. My wife and I are Seniors who plan to make some long trip trips in our 2011 2.0T. So, having a little more quiet would be great for us.
 
#35 ·
I have to agree and disagree with the original poster. Hyundai put a lot of material down. There are dampening sheets, a fiber layer, styrofoam, more fiber and the the carpet. However, with all that there's still a lot of noise. I didn't take as much a part but still got Fatmat in the doors, the floor and some in the trunk. The difference is incredible. I don't have any measurements but I can hear the stereo on 9 whereas before I had to get to 20. It's worth the investment if you want a quieter ride.
 
#36 ·
I have to agree with chadfo on the initial statement. I took off the front carpet and there was significant sound deadening on the floor. I added some insulation but didn't notice an improvement.

When I pulled the door panels to replace the speakers I did notice that there was almost no insulation in the doors. No wonder the doors go doink when they close. I added 4 Boston Acoustics SE65RC's and as much insulation as I could manage to roll in the doors through those 6 inch speaker holes. Now the doors close with a solid thud and I hear much less noise at highway speed. I am lovin' it. Here are some pics. In case you are wondering, the left speakers are factory.
 

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#37 · (Edited)
I took off the front carpet and there was significant sound deadening on the floor. I added some insulation but didn't notice an improvement.

Significant sound deadening on the floor? some insulation?
Come on. That's not going to cut it. Almost whole interior is naked. Those styrofoams are not going to deaden the road noise.

Read the post I put on Turbo Sonata forum. I put dynamt on the whole left side of the car including the back seat. I added more dynamat underneath the sound deadening materials where your foot pedals go.

Dynamat under the carpet.

Improvement? I was amazed that I could actually hear so much road noise from the right side since the left side was so much quieter due to dynamat installation.

Don't get something else to substitute Dynamat...There is no side effect of using Dynmat while others have odor, melting problems, and more. Unless you know it's one of the best. They aren't AS GOOD AS dynamat. Road noise isn't going to improve when you are using cheap materials.

Here's a photo before I started working on it. The car was butt naked underneath the cheap styrofoam.
 

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#39 ·
Hello, new to the forum.



Concerning the road noise due to tires; my 2011 Sonata SE came with Hankook Optimas. I replaced them at 40,000 miles due to poor performance in the wet even though they still had decent tread. I choose the General G-Max and they made a huge improvement in the wet. I haven’t driven them in the snow yet. However, they seem to actually have more road noise than the Optimas. No data to back this up, but the interior seems quite a bit noisier now to me. But after 15,000 miles on the G-Maxs I have no regrets due to performance or wear.
 
#40 ·
I was thinking about adding dynamat but decided not to, I am planning to change my GLS for a Limited 2.0T. I only got the GLS since I am busy paying my daughters college courses. In about a year or so that will change. I will just wait for the 2014 Limited 2.0. Then I will add dynamat on my next one.
 
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