My 2013 Fit Base (2125 miles) has a very loud road noise on any but the smoothest of roads.
Here in California we have some of the worst roads in the country, and these are the reason I might get rid of my Fit !
Any help on reducing the road noise would be appreciated.
Please no WAGS ! (wild ass guesses) .

 

lol at California having some of the worst roads in the country, try driving in NY and NJ where it's a game of dodge the pot hole every drive

But back to your question, there are way too many variables that could account for road noise. Shocks, bushings, axles, tires, etc. You will have to take a look yourself and if don't feel comfortable doing so, have a reputable mechanic take a look or test drive.

You can also sound deaden the Fit.
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...lots-pics.html

 

+1 on sound deadening as an effective solution. However, if you do it yourself it is VERY time consuming and can cost several hundred dollars depending on how far you go with it. If you pay a shop to do it you could be looking at well over a thousand dollars again depending on what you had done.

Switching to different, quieter tires would probably be the easiest solution. Tire Rack has a good comparison tool where you can compare different tires and they have them rated on a 1-10 scale on road noise as well as all the other characteristics.

I spent about 16 hours installing FatMat sound insulation in all 4 doors, the spare tire well, the front kick panels and inside the rear sides. It did make a difference, but it wasn't night and day. I may eventually go back into the doors and add a mass loaded vinyl (foam rubberish) type product to get some additional sound deadening.

-Dustin

 

Tires.....

 

Your best bet, if it really is a problem for you, is to sell it and buy a bigger sedan that has better suspension and quieter interior. It's not worth the money to try and achieve that with an econo box. It will never be a Cadillac.
I love my Fit.

 

I frequently wear earplugs. Perhaps you can get those noise canceling headphones? You want to be able to hear surrounding traffic noises though.

 

The Fit is a small subcompact, road noise should be expected

Your only options are:
Sound deadener
Getting alignment checked
Turning up the speakers
Selling the car

 

Im in germany, we swap tires twice a year summer/winter. My winter tires sound like theres a power drill switched on inside the car when driving on anything but a perfect new surface.

Summer ones are noticably quieter.

 

I had thought that Honda added more sound-deadening padding with the GE, but my '13 Base is noisier than any car I've owned. I don't mind the Fit being noisy, but the high amount of noise coming from the valves/ejectors seems wrong to me. Honda says otherwise.


Noise or no noise, the Fit is still a blast to drive.

 

We bought our '13 base model a week ago, and I found the road noise objectionable on some surfaces. I decided the overall noise level was not high, but there was a resonant peak at an annoying pitch, from the tires. I had some Dynamat around, so I stripped off the trim around the rear wheel wells, and installed the sound deadener on the wells from the rear doors back. I also put strips down on the floor adjacent where the trim would cover it. Up front I removed the quarter panel and door edge trim both sides, pulled back the carpet and padding best I could, and installed the deadener on the floorpans on up the firewall as far as possible. I put a small amount on the quarter panel area too.

The result was a slightly lower overall noise level, but a much lower resonant peak. I may do more, as I have some Dynamat left, but my wife is pleased with the result - so I am too. I later added Dynamat under the hood, on the left side which was uninsulated. The engine is more muted now, though it didn't bother me before either.

Steve

 

My '09 Sport manual is very quiet at idle. Inside the car with the fan on "2" or higher, it is hard to tell if the engine is idling or not. Outside with the hood up, you hear a rhythmic valve train noise as expected from solid lifters, but nothing I would call loud. Revving the engine to get some power, well that's a different story.

I did adjust the valves and was meticulous to get each one to the lower side of acceptable clearance at 90,000 mi. I now have 99,000.

Also, the OEM tires got really noisy after around 35,000 mi and were nearly worn out. I bought Bridgestone Ecopia tires and they both smoothed out the ride and decreased noise level. They muted the handling somewhat also, but it was a good trade off. I got 205/50-16 because the OEM size has very limited selection.

 

Being almost 60 with diminished hearing has it's pluses although they are few.
.I believe the matting/carpet can be pulled,adding sound deadening materials inside and outside.I intend to do mine and will post the effects taking sound measurements in decibels at constant speeds on the same stretch of highway.It is a customizers gold mine for one that wants to do this.
Also tires have big differences.The dynamat is a great idea but there is more that can be done.I too have a 2013 and the steel rims and other sources can be addressed.

 

I have to disagree with this. In the US compact cars are equivalent to cheap cars. With that comes a lack of luxuries like effective sound proofing. So for the US you may be right. But I was in the UK on vacation a bit more than a decade ago and had a rental Ford Fiesta. It was all leather interior, rode like a big car, handled like a hot hatch, had a super revvy 170hp motor, and tons of luxury features. It was a genuine delight to drive. When we got back I looked into that car and found that in the US it simply wasn't offered with those options. It was all about cloth seats and a buzzy motor and scrawny tires.

So sure in the US small means cheap, but it doesn't have to. Small cars can be high end just like big cars.

 

Mine's a '12 and very quiet. Can't hear the engine when it's idling. I read a lot of reviews saying this car was loud inside so I was prepared for that. I was pleasantly surprised with mine

 

In my opinion this car is amazingly quiet. Then again, I came from a first generation Miata to my current fit sport.. So I suppose my opinion doesn't count now does it?

 

when we have ad customers seeking help with road noise the tires are the source. since its presumed your original tires are the ones that are noiy

 

Like hspatz, I noticed significant road noise reduction with four new Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus tires, the standard 175/65R15 size on my 2013 Honda Fit base automatic.

They were $82.99 each (with 70,000 mile limited warranty) when I had them installed on 2/10/16 at Costco for a total of $427.76 including everything except alignment (6% sales tax, balancing, old tire disposal, TPMS check, etc.). Since they're over $100 each at Walmart, I like the price.
When I apologized to the saleswoman who scheduled my alignment at a "Just Tires" for not buying my tires from her, she replied, "No problem. The EP422's are great tires. You'd have paid well over $100 for the equivalent here."

I'm really pleased with the tires and the handling feels a little softer to me. The latter may have something to do with new vs old tires but the road noise reduction is definitely due to the change from the original Dunlops to the EP422's.

 

Bought a used Fit '08. Terrible road noise on anything but the smoothest roads. Ears hurt for hours after a 3hr drive. Decided to try to remedy situation before selling:

1) Replaced old stock dunlop tires for General grand touring tires. Helped reduce noise most definitely but not enough.

2) Went to an auto stereo shop. They installed sound deadening in all 4 doors - $175. made a great difference. It was enough to convince me to do the floors.

3) Installed sound deadening in the floor under the carpet - $300. Did the trick! No more ear pain when I drive the car. Literally sounds like a different vehicle.

All 3 things combined made the difference. Still have wind noise and can still hear some road noise but it's a much lower pitch and much less noisey. I can handle this!

Good luck everyone and thanks for all the shares. It was really helpful in my decision process.

 

On my 09 I removed the door and other panels and placed foam carpet insulation inside

This helped the sound a bit and the best part was it being totally free

A lot of the sound was coming from the rear wheel wells and spare tire area which previously had ZERO insulation


Wind noise is still bad on the highway, I think the Fit is really designed for city driving, especially with the short gearing in the manual version

Before i would listen to the radio with the volume set to 40, now I have it at 32
Much easier to hold a conversation in the car as well

 

This isn't really an answer, it's an opinion.
But yes, The Fit is a sub-compact, designed to be light and economical.
So road noise comes with the package.
I actually think for it's size and weight, it's not bad.

For me, it all becomes "White Noise" when I'm driving and Stereo or Sun Roof and I really don't even care.

But if it bothers you?
Above mentioned sound deadening projects might help.

Just to note? Last time I bought tires for a vehicle I mentioned I wanted "Quiet" as a priority in my tire.
The guy at the tire shop said, he refused to sell a tire promoting it's quietness, because people were so often disappointed. He said the road noise transferred to the vehicle had so much more to do with the surface you are driving on, as opposed to any commercial tire tread design.

I personally don't agree with this 100%. I think tire and tread design can have an impact. BUT...
I never present changing tires as a complete answer. You are still going to be driving a light vehicle, that will still transfer a high degree of road noise, primarily dependent on what surface you are driving on.

I think the easiest move is learning to ignore it...."white noise" or applying insulation and sound deadening products, which can be a significant project.