You know when you blow into a glass soda bottle and it makes a hollow kind of sound...well, that's is what I heard when I test drove a max yesterday. It wasn't constant but, it was enough for me to notice it with the radio on. This is the probably the infamous "tire noise" that everyone probably has. Are the actual tires the problem or is is something else?

BTW, I just want to thank everyone for their help with any of my questions. I placed an order on a 6spd SE tonight and I should have it by the end of the week. Your opinions and experience with the car have helped me make my decision. So, thanks again.

 

Don't know what that sound is ? How fast we're you going when it hapenned ?
It could have been the tires or maybe there was something wrong with the car you tested ?

Congrats on the purchase. What colour did you get ?

Bob

 

If the one you tested had an aftermarket grille, thats what it was.. Mine does it between 45-50. Just makes ya drive faster

 

It was the factory grill and i was going about 35-40 but, I'm pretty sure that it made the sound at higher speeds as well. The good news is my car that I just got tonight doesn't make the sound...so, I guess is was just the test car. Hopefully!!!

BTW, I got a Liquid Silver/Charcoal SE. I guess that I am now official!

 

Well hopefully your new MAX doesn't make that sound. I've read about these undesired noises from people w/ MAXs, but I tell you that there had to be something specifically wrong w/ the car itself, or their ears are super-duper sensitive because my MAX is quiet--@ all speeds! Of course, I ALWAYS have music playing, so I may be missing the low end noises that may be covered up by the stereo, but I don't necessarily BLAST my music, so I'm not in agreement. Only external noise I can fess up to is when I hit big bumps...that's when the tires "ring"...lol

 

hows your glove compartment? make sure you dont wipe your nav screen display with anything other than microfiber cloths, and when u do, use some cleaner and rub very lightly.
just some tips form an **** max owner
GOOD LUCK with the sweet ride :-), hope you dont have the **** problems some of us have!

 

Thanks for the tip!!! My glove compartment is actually fine. It is not misaligned even slightly. Thank God.

As for the noise, I heard it today for the first time. But, then again, it is actually my first full day driving the car. It's not a major sound or it's not obnoxiously loud. If I have my stereo on, I would have to be paying attention in order to hear it. I was just wondering if the sound was tire noise or something else.

 

It's the tires. When driving on concrete surfaces, they can make all kinds of strange resonating noises. When on black asphalt, they can be as quiet as can be. All depends. I was on a stretch of concrete freeway in Las Vegas, and I thought I was going to lose my mind.
As soon as the freeway surface changed to asphalt ouside of downtown, the noise completely stopped. Certain tread patterns create
differect noises. Overall the Goodyears on the SE are very good tires.
Michelin makes an extremely quiet tire, but you are looking at close
to $300.00 each. For my money, not worth it.

 

If it is the tires then, I won't worry about it. Like I said the noise is not overbearing and I'm looking to get rims anyway. Thanks!

 

You weren't clear on whether it was a constant noise or intermittent. The RSA's make a hollow "thump" when they hit a bump or a seam in the concrete, etc., but mine certainly don't do it constantly. Yes, on certain road surfaces, there is a roaring sound, but not like you describe.

I'm sure you have done this, but check your tire pressure. Many Maximas are delivered with 40-50 psi in the tires from bring carried on transport trucks, and that will certainly have a bearing on road noise. I run mine at 30 psi (cold) all around, for the best compromise between ride, handling and wear.

Congrats on finally joining the club!

Mike

 

Its definetly the tires. I thought I had a bad tire, went to Goodyear and had all tires replaced on their dime. When I drove it out of the shop it still had the same noise. Tires are garbage.

 

I'm sorry if I was clear but, the noise is not constant. It does it every so often...I've checked the tire pressure and I have it at 32 psi (cold). I'm really not too worried about it anymore....I don't pay attention to it. I'm too busy concentrating on not bringing the rpm's over 4K!!! Break-in period sucks!!! Only 1100 more mile to go...sheesh.

 

I noticed this noise about a week after I took delivery of my Max. It starts at about 15 MPH and continues from there--sometimes, a little muffled on very smooth roads.

This sound is abnormal and is very annoying after a while. Initially I thought it was just tire or regular wind noises. But I've driven other Maxes and they did not exhibit this sound. Note: If you hear something similar to wind noise, question it, drive another Max and compare. This type of noise from a $30K+ car is unacceptable. Without this "hollow bottle noise," the Max is practically a very quiet car.

I took the car to the dealer after noticing the noise. First, the mechanic indiated that he cannot duplicate the problem. Then the service manager rode with me. It was at that time that he acknowledged the problem. He indicated that this problem had come up before but he didn't know where to start to fix it. He had another car that had the same problem and that they had tried different things to fix it (including changing the tires)--but failed. He also said that 5 of 6 Maxes he checked out had the same type of noise issues.

The manager had requested assistance from Nissan's tech services and was awaiting guidance or further instructions to correct this problem. I've also contacted Nissan's Consumer Affairs Department and the rep stated that he hadn't heard this complaint before. In the meantime, no action will be taken to correct the problem on my car--until they hear from tech services.

If you are experiencing this type of noise, I recommend that you contact your dealer and file a complaint with Nissan Consumer Affairs Department. Maybe if they hear more of these noise problems, more effort will be taken to fix it...maybe.

 

Dynamat.... but it is the tires, spend some money and you can get it to go away.

 

Any recommendations for good, quiet, all season tires?

 

Has anyone that experienced this howling noise found a solution? I recently purchased an 05 SL with the Continental tires and I've been hearing the same hollow bottle sound described in this thread. My dealer doesn't seem to know how to address the issue. :

 

It's the tires. I don't hear it with my snow tires.

 

SImilar, but a ittle different, my explorer suddenly developed a loud whistling, whining noise at different speeds, very loud, but very intermittent (go figure, but it was almost always on north-souht expressways, very seldom on east-west x-ways). To make a long story short, I finally figured out it was the passenger side assist handle. I tightened to bolts as much as I could and it went away. They weren't loose, but there was some type of harmonics going on. These things can drive you crazy.

It's either the tires, or a loose something somewhere, and the normal vibrations are resulting in an annoying harmonic. Good luck....