So, this past Saturday I took the linings out of the trunk of my Maxima and put down some sound deadening material. No more annoying exhaust drone, and road noise has been cut down too!

http://www.road-reality.com/2010/04/...nissan-maxima/

 

I don't know about calling it "annoying exhaust drone". There are other cars you could have bought if it was such a big deal. Otherwise, it looks like you did a good job. I am curious how much road noise it would cut out being I don't notice it too much and I like the exhaust noise.

 

I am tempted to take out the linings in the trunk to try to get more drone. LOL I hate it when I can't hear my exhaust inside the car.

 

Well, during my test drive, which I thought was long enough, I didn't really notice it. After taking some longer drives, it's noticeable, and I'd rather not have it there, so I got rid of it

As far as road noise, now I only hear it coming from the front of the car, along with engine noise. Pretty effective, IMO.

 

You might want look at disconnecting the sound generator also if you have tinnitus:

http://forums.maxima.org/7th-generat...generator.html

 

Interesting. My Max only has 850 miles on it, so I haven't even had the RPMs above 4k yet, so I'm guessing I haven't heard it.

The Maxima doesn't have the noise canceling through the speakers like the Infinitis do, does it?

 

I'm telling you a lot of the road noise is due to the crappy OEM RS-A's Nissan put on this car. Go read the crappy reviews for them on tirerack and they are near the bottom of the survey list for consumer recommendations. Nissan should have put a tire that has a great ride quality and low noise level, like a Michelin, Kumho, Pirelli, or Bridgestone. For God sake, the Altima SL comes with top of the line Michelin Primacy MXV4s and that car is slated below the Maxima. You mean to tell me they couldn't have put that tire on the Maxima? come on Nissan!

 

While this is true, Goodyear makes special compounds for specific makes/models. My friend's 2008 BMW 535xi has Goodyear RS-As on it, and I thought they were the same as all the others, but they aren't. There's a certain number on them specifying the rubber compound they used to make them.

I agree though, Michelin Primacy MXV4s are awesome tires. I had them on my 09 Lincoln MKS, with the 20" wheels, and they never made a sound. They'll be replacing the stockers on this car when I get to that point.

 

At 4000 rpm you probably hear a little of it, but if you're not aware of the source you probably wouldn't guess what it was. Even if you could separate those sounds/frequencies from other road and exhaust noises. If tinnitus is involved, subliminal little sounds would mostly just add to the general din.


Nissan is not the only mfr playing this little game with feeding intake system sounds into the cabin. Ford did a very similar thing with some of their V8 Mustang models, I think for the 2009 model year. Even in a car that's clearly intended to be a bit on the rowdy side of polite, it just seems kind of "fake" to make such a special effort to introduce intake system sound into the car. Especially after going to some trouble to reduce most other outside noises and induction system roar and resonances in general.

RS-A's aren't particularly good as performance tires, so you aren't even gaining anything in that respect for the NVH sacrifice that you're making. I suppose that as performance-LOOK tires, they're good enough for rental car fleet owners and people who rank having a certain appearance (and the implied performance that isn't really there) above all else. But they miss the mark for just about everybody else.


Norm

 

That is exactly my point, if they can put it on the Altima SL then they should definitely be putting those Primacy's on their top of the line sedan. The only problem is, they are super expensive, I think like $210-220 a tire for the Maxima. Yikes!

 

I actually do not mind the intake roar when accelerating. Believe it or not, that intake roar is quieter than the one on the FX35. I should know since I have a 05 FX35. When I accelerate with that thing, it sounds like a rocket is taking off.

What I do get tired of is, is that loud constant rev droning the CVT causes the engine to make when accelerating from a stop. It can get so loud and unrefined sometimes, but I'll take the good fuel economy the CVT provides over the rev droning anyday.

In regards to the RS-A's you are right on the money. I mean, they are the loudest tire I have ever had on a car and they allow a lot of stuff to translate into the cabin from the road. I mean if Nissan was going to put a HP tire on the car they could have put something nice like the Exalto's or a UHP tire like the Pilot Sport Plus or PZero Nero A/S. I personally feel that because the Maxima drives and rides more like a luxury sedan than a sports sedan, a nice grand touring tire is more appropriate to Maximize, pardon the pun, the nice ride quality and low noise the Maxima has in general. A GT tire like the Primacy MXV4 or Turanza Serenity's would be the best match.

I think a HP or UHP tire is more better suited for a G37 sedan than they are for the Maxima. Just my two cents worth. I can't wait for these RS-As to wear out so that I can put on better replacements. Just my two cents worth. Later.

 

IM WITH EVERYONE ELSE I LOVE HEARING MY STILLEN EXHAUST RUMBLE THATS WHY I BOUGHT A CAR WITH 290HP

 

Agreed! After having it on my FX35, I liked that the Maxima had it since it does get people's attention when you hit the gas. Very few four door sedans do this, which makes it pretty unique to the Maxima. Usually, you have to get a sport coupe, like a Mustang, Camaro, etc to get something like this.

 

Maybe you shouldn't wait for them to wear out. Somebody will buy them, if only because they can't afford brand-new rubber. So maybe you could sell them privately or e-bay/craigslist them and recover a little of your own tire expense.

I've pitched sets of tires that were still of double or more the legal tread depth because of one thing or another that I particularly didn't like about them. The set of RE-92's off my 5th Gen disappeared from the shop's tires-to-be-recycled pile overnight, and it wasn't because the tire guy showed up.


Norm

 

Well that is a good point. I'll have to see, I don't want to be just throwing money down the toilet though because your indirectly paying for those tires with your car payments to Nissan. I don't think anyone in their right mind would pay a heck of a lot for them on ebay or craiglist, especially if they paid a trip to tirerack and saw their reviews before buying them. I don't think I could get a heck of a lot of money for them.

 

I said that too, but 65000+ miles later, they are still going strong with 5/32 left on em. Norm's right, someone will buy them at the right price, but if they really bother you (you never really get used to the road noise) I would replace them now regardless.) I've just never gotten around to doing it myself, well that and putting another $1200 bucks into a ride that "really doesn't" need it......

 

Well that is the other thing, I just cannot afford to spend right now $800-1200 bucks to put 4 new tires on the car. I might be able to go to Goodyear and perhaps whine and complain about the noise and vibrations in the car, even after balancing and alignments and I might be able to get one of their more quiet riding tires, like the ResponseEdges, put on for like 200 bucks.

I did this with Bridgestone on my TL and got top of the line serenity's on the car for $130 bucks, compared to the $1200 bucks it would have cost to put all four on without an adjustment off the OEM EL42s!

 

Be careful with the primacy. I just got a set for my 07 and the sidewalls are really soft. ride quality is nice but quick turns and stops the car gets nervous feeling! wet traction however is crazy good. Drove 75mph through a torrential storm the other day and it walked through the water on highway. I did bump up pressure from 35 to 39 and it did help the sidewalls feel more solid at expense of ride.

 

2 years old bro, just saying.

I think ima do this btw.

 

Seems that at least one of the Primacys is capable of strong performance in one or two areas at the expense of behavior in others - not that that should come as a surprise. Whatever, they've managed to generate posts in at least two separate threads here.

But exactly which Primacys? Tire Rack lists three different ones in the 'Grand Touring All Season' category and four more as 'Grand Touring Summer'.

Could be it's a prejudice of mine as a hardcore corner-carving addict, but any tire model being sold with a "cute-sy' sound to its name is mainly being sold to the mass market that neither knows nor cares about sharp tire response and high performance. IOW, subconscious associations from the name to qualities that could be used to describe good things about just about anything else are a significant part of the pitch to entice you to buy them. If round, mostly black, rides nice, and holds air are your only priorities, chances are good that you'll be completely satisfied. If you want or expect more, probably not.


FWIW, any tire that Tire Rack categorizes as 'Grand Touring - anything' isn't going to be a particularly sporty tire with a strong performance feel. That's not their purpose in life, not even when they're made by Michelin.


FWIW#2, 39 psi seems a bit high for street driving, but I suppose not horribly so if it's being done specifically to 'crutch' mediocre response. Is that pressure being measured cold, hot, or somewhere in between? (Hint: if you're tuning tire pressure for cornering response and handling behavior, you should probably work with hot pressures until you're happy. Let the cold pressure fall wherever it may and read that after letting the tires sit overnight.)

Expect somewhat faster center-tread wear regardless, unless you go out of your way with more aggressive alignment settings and harder cornering so that the shoulders get to take their share of getting beat up on.

Don't overlook the idea of setting different pressures front vs rear. You might find that you like 3 - 4 psi more up front and leaving the rears alone even better than just bumping them all up to the same number. I can't remember the last time I set all four of a car's tires to the same pressure, and that includes the occasional rental and a dealership shuttle van that I drove for about a year.


Norm

 

Norm,

I had Michelin Primacy MXV4s on my Lincoln, and now on my 1992 BMW 525i. They've made a huge difference as far as road noise and comfort goes on the Bimmer. They have great traction, and very good road-holding. I tend to go around corners quickly in the Bimmer, and for that, they do quite well.

TireRack.com lists a bunch of Primacy tires, but there are 2 MXV4 tires - at least there were for the Bimmer. They listed an H-rated tire and a V-rated tire. I went with H, since I seriously doubt my 20-year old Bimmer is gonna be pushed to 130 mph.

-John

 

I Agree, Nissan should be were the rubber meets the road, when it comes to tires

 

I always look for a high performance low noise tire.. the 18 stock tires are $$

 

Oh man... talk about drone. I worked with a woman that had a Mustang. She and her husband bought it new and the first thing they did was junk the resonators and put on Rousch glass pack tips. Holy $hit batman. I'd go to lunch from time to time with her and when she drove, the drone was terrible. Slow down or speed up, just get off of whatever speed you're going now. I cannot imagine riding in that car for a long trip as the drone would be maddening. If you're happy with the end results on the hush mat you installed... that's all that counts.

 

As quiet as the Max is this, to me, this is worth investing in. I think I will have to get me a little bit of the fat mat or whatever and go for it.

Anyone gone any further than this to quiet the car even more?