On Road Noise level

[bemax]

Apps can be fairly inaccurate because they have to basically guess the sensitivity of the microphone in your device.

Better to get a proper db meter, you can buy them cheaply on Ebay. You can also use the db meter to calibrate the app on your device.

My app was reading 3db high. That's quite significantly higher than the actual level.

I fully agree about the absolute numbers. But the delta measured in different cars should be realistic, don’t you think so?

 

[parb]

This can't be right. 90dba is about the same sound energy level as pneumatic drill. Every 3dba is a doubling of sound energy.

I've driven those speeds and there is no way I was over 75dba.

Could you have gotten airflow in your microphone creating misreadings?

Or an issue with your car?

 

[lightning]

My old Defender 110 was around 80db at 70mph and 75db at 65mph

l would expect the Grenadier to be quieter than that. l suspect there's some issue with your measurements.

 

[Pfk]

I repeated the Noise level test with a different app. It confirms the previous test.

We can’t go 140 on uae highways comfortably with this vehicle… iv reached a sweet spot of 116kms per hr on highway before things get slightly louder..

 

[spikemd]

I have noticed the BMW engine is noisier than my 2020 Defender. But overall, I dont notice an excessive amount of road noise. The KO2s will be louder than a street tire but shouldnt be too loud.

 

[YellowLab]

I'm not an expert - but because of my hearing issues I'm very sensitive to how loud things are. I cannot imagine that this vehicle is at 95db - leaf blowers are at that level. Time to call bullshit on this string....just a quick search on the web shows the US rules that vehicles cannot exceed 82db inside....

 

[lightning]

Even my old 2005 Defender wasn't that loud! So there's no way the Grenadier would be 90db
The Defender was around 85db at 70mph, but dropped to 75db if you reduced speed to 60mph

 

[Andiamo]

Cross post with another thread with my observations -

Funny enough I think the Grenadier is the same or a little quieter on the highway than my new Defender was (with the expedition roof rack and KO2 tires). I’ve found that I gauge my speed more by sound than the speedometer and have noticed that I’m on average 5-8ish faster in the Grenadier so I’ve been making a conscious effort to watch my speed around town. Have around 800 miles on our Grenadier now.

 

[lagartoboy]

I get that. To clarify, because you obviously missed the joke. Victoria in Australia is a nanny state where the speed limit is generally 100kph (on some highways it is 110) if you go over, you get fined and depending by how much. lose your licence.

Exceeding the speed limit	Penalty (as at I July 2022)	Demerit points	Automatic licence suspension
By less than 10 km/h	$231	1	-
10 km/h - 24 km/h	$370	3	-
25 km/h - 29 km/h	$509	-	3 months
30 km/h - 34 km/h	$601	-	3 months
35 km/h - 39 km/h	$693	-	6 months
40 km/h - 44 km/h	$786	-	6 months
By 45 km/h or more	$925	-	12 months
20 km/h - 24 km/h (110 km/h zone)	$370	-	3 months

Damn! I love so much about Australia, but I think they got it wrong there!

 

[JonSutton]

Acceptably quiet in my opinion having come out of a late 2017 L405. Defo a lot quieter than my 110 Tdi Defender.

 

[Flewks]

My Trialmaster was surprisingly quiet, even @ 75mph, until the Rhino full rack was fitted. Now the noise level increases significantly above 55mph. Anyone found a fix for this yet?

 

[rovie]

My Trialmaster was surprisingly quiet, even @ 75mph, until the Rhino full rack was fitted. Now the noise level increases significantly above 55mph. Anyone found a fix for this yet?

Hi @Flewks I don't have a roof rack on my Grenadier, but I drove a Grenadier with the Rhino at my dealer and had exactly the same experience. The wind noise level was very loud. I then drove the Grenadier with the LeTech roof rack. You can't hear it at all. This is probably because LeTech tested the rack in the wind tunnel and closed the gap between the roof and the roof rack. I have taken a photo of it. Maybe you can do something similar by yourself.

 

[BD1]

On a test drive with the Grenadier above 55 mph the noise level really started to get notable. Much louder than my new defender. Neither had roof racks. More air/wind noise than tire noise which makes sense give the differences in windshield angles and shape alone. Maybe mirrors are louder also.

 

[FourLew2]

Hi Bushguide,
I had my Grenadier almost three weeks ago, so I am reviving your post because I also noticed a high air noise level while driving.
I am attaching several images showing the noise level (Showing the noise level and the car speed). I think if we are going to drive long distances on highways, it won't be comforting.
Can someone tell us what is the healthy or acceptable noise level?

OSHA sets legal limits on noise exposure in the workplace. These limits are based on a worker’s 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) over a work day. For noise, OSHA’s permissible exposure limit (PEL) is an 8-hour TWA noise level of 90 dBA.1 Time of exposure is reduced by half for each
5 dBA increase. For example, if workers were exposed to noise for four hours, the exposure limit would be 95 dBA. [See Table G-16, 29 CFR 1910.95 for general industry, or Table D-2 of 29 CFR 1926.52 for construction].

 

[lightning]

The Grenadier will likely have higher noise levels at speed (than the new Defender) because it's about as aerodynamic as the factory it was built in.

As lneos said, the Grenadier is "built on purpose" and that purpose is an off road vehicle not a highway cruiser. The fact that it can do highway cruising with a fair amount of refinement is an advantage.

The new Defender is the other way round. lt's a highway cruiser that can also go off road.

 

[svmaven]

Just test drove a Grenadier and was very impressed by the solidity. Big surprise was noise above 65 MPH. I expected a lot of road noise, but it seemed like the engine (in 8th gear) was the loud part. Didn't have the presence of mind to check RPMs.

Has anyone driven a Grenadier faster ? I drive across Nevada on I-80 a couple times a year where posted speed limit is 80MPH and typical speeds are 85 to 90 MPH. It's possible the Grenadier is not suited for this task, but curious if anyone has direct experience.

 

[j.ironfab]

Just test drove a Grenadier and was very impressed by the solidity. Big surprise was noise above 65 MPH. I expected a lot of road noise, but it seemed like the engine (in 8th gear) was the loud part. Didn't have the presence of mind to check RPMs.

Has anyone driven a Grenadier faster ? I drive across Nevada on I-80 a couple times a year where posted speed limit is 80MPH and typical speeds are 85 to 90 MPH. It's possible the Grenadier is not suited for this task, but curious if anyone has direct experience.

I can only go off my test drive but I got up to 75-80mph and I also thought it was louder than expected for a solid roof SUV. I only have old 4x4s to compare too and I still thought it was loud, my best guess is the windshield angle. I optioned carpet just for the noise benefits as I want to make this a long distance cruiser that also does off road trails.

 

[lightning]

See my post above. The Grenadier is like the old Defender in that respect, noise levels increase at higher speeds.

That's why the new Defender is like it is. People want an "adventure 4x4" but they want to be able to sit in near silence at 80mph.

The Grenadier is the real deal. (and l say this as a new Defender owner)
lt's probably as near to the old Defender as it's possible to get with a modern vehicle.

 

[[ Adam ]]

Just test drove a Grenadier and was very impressed by the solidity. Big surprise was noise above 65 MPH. I expected a lot of road noise, but it seemed like the engine (in 8th gear) was the loud part. Didn't have the presence of mind to check RPMs.

Has anyone driven a Grenadier faster ? I drive across Nevada on I-80 a couple times a year where posted speed limit is 80MPH and typical speeds are 85 to 90 MPH. It's possible the Grenadier is not suited for this task, but curious if anyone has direct experience.

Yes - I've just driven across Idaho @ 85mph & it's incredibly loud. Tons of wind noise and low MPG (like 12-13).

It's exactly what I'd expect of a 6000 lb car shaped like a brick.

 

[lightning]

Yes it's about as aerodynamic as the factory it was built in.

But if they improved the aerodynamic properties it would end up looking like the new Defender!