Any Way to Reduce Wind Noise?

[ent8500]

The Mopar deflector has little effect on bugs, and didn’t make any difference whatsoever on noise.

Kevin

Thank you for that info. Good to know.

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[Klutch]

So you have the 8.4" alpine and still can't hear the stereo well enough for your liking? Funny jump to Bieber and Nickelback but feigning music snobbery is kinda smooth brain.

I have no trouble hearing the Alpine stereo with the top and doors off, and it's typically somewhat nuanced guitar driven music... I'm a musician so I'm fairly critical of sound systems. With the soft top and doors on it isn't that bad even compared to my Navigator, which is pretty much silent on the highway and has a great surround sound system.

I think the point is if you're having trouble at 75mph with a hard top then there may be an issue with a seal, or you have the base stereo which I understand is underwhelming.

The music reference was intentional snobbery. Sorry you didn't get the joke.

OK, to reiterate, the big difference here is driving through HOWLING PRAIRIE WIND. So, if you're not experiencing what I'm describing at highway speed, that's because you're not driving through 40 knot crosswinds.

And again, I can hear the audio system with the crosswinds, but combined with all the wind noise, it doesn't sound at all good and, after many hours on the road, it becomes exhausting.

 

[dfwxjer]

The music reference was intentional snobbery. Sorry you didn't get the joke.

OK, to reiterate, the big difference here is driving through HOWLING PRAIRIE WIND. So, if you're not experiencing what I'm describing at highway speed, that's because you're not driving through 40 knot crosswinds.

And again, I can hear the audio system with the crosswinds, but combined with all the wind noise, it doesn't sound at all good and, after many hours on the road, it becomes exhausting.

As a musician I laugh at music snobs because you're just listening to other's work while vaulting yourself up, as the consumer, to some kind of pseudo intellectual because of your musical taste. It doesn't take skill, so it's pretty lame to look down on others for what they listen to.

idk what to tell you, dude. I was just driving through Wichita a few weeks ago, constantly in Oklahoma, and my daily commute here in Dallas is about 100 miles on windy open highway. The 8.4" Alpine in my Gladiator had no issues at all with my soft top despite the heavy winds.

So if your Alpine stereo and hard top are functioning properly maybe you just need a different vehicle with a reference quality audio system to partake in while you quaff your farts?

 

[Klutch]

As a musician I laugh at music snobs because you're just listening to other's work while vaulting yourself up, as the consumer, to some kind of pseudo intellectual because of your musical taste. It doesn't take skill, so it's pretty lame to look down on others for what they listen to.

idk what to tell you, dude. I was just driving through Wichita a few weeks ago, constantly in Oklahoma, and my daily commute here in Dallas is about 100 miles on windy open highway. The 8.4" Alpine in my Gladiator had no issues at all with my soft top despite the heavy winds.

So if your Alpine stereo and hard top are functioning properly maybe you just need a different vehicle with a reference quality audio system to partake in while you quaff your farts?

Not very Jeep of you, sir.

 

[dfwxjer]

My apologies, and good luck with your endeavors.

 

[Caspien]

Put my vote in for HotHeads, WITH their sound assassin strips.. night and day difference, imho.

Plus, you can also get a full sound deadening liner for the JT.. I'm actually quite impressed with how easy it is to remove everything in order to do it.


~ Casp

 

[stampedingTurtles]

Has anyone painted the underside of their roof? I think black, tan, or gray would look better anyway. Bedliner paint would be thicker and more durable. Is there a rubber based paint that may provide a better seal along the windscreen and door edges?

I'm not sure paint would make a noticeable difference; something thicker might. I know people who removed the carpeting in their wranglers, which of course significantly increases the noise level, then reported a drop in noise when they put bedliner on the floor of the jeep (though still significantly louder than it was with the carpet/floor mats in). The whole idea here is that the wind on the outside surface of the top is causing it to vibrate, and that vibration is then being transmitted through as sound. The interior surface of the hard top sort of acts like a speaker, because it is flat and stiff. If you can dampen that vibration, or reduce the ability of the top surface to turn vibration into sound, you cut down on the noise. The headliners do a bit of both; the squishy material cuts down on vibration, and the fabric surface isn't as good at turning that vibration into sound.

I would be concerned about the idea of trying to get a 'better seal' along the windscreen and door edges, because the hard top in that area is molded to a specific shape that is meant to fit with the shape of the factory seals in those areas. If you try to paint, bedliner, or undercoat those mating surfaces, I think you are much more likely to cause a leak than to improve the seal.

But all of that is assuming the issue is noise coming through the top, not noise from an air leak.

 

[stampedingTurtles]

Put my vote in for HotHeads, WITH their sound assassin strips.. night and day difference, imho.

Plus, you can also get a full sound deadening liner for the JT.. I'm actually quite impressed with how easy it is to remove everything in order to do it.


~ Casp

With the sound deadening liner, what liner are you referring to? Lining the floor/tub?

 

[Wbrook24]

Hot heads are probably best company but my friend swears the boom mat is quieter.
You have gone the sound deadening route before so that might be worth a shot. A guy who did it for audio said it was definitely noticeable.

 

[Caspien]

With the sound deadening liner, what liner are you referring to? Lining the floor/tub?

Yep.

That said, pretty much ANY floor/tub liner vastly improves road noise, and/or sound quality inside the vehicle.

I was a sponsored audio competition performer from 97 to 2011 for a handful of audio manufacturers, and every competition, you'd have many of us take questions from visitors and spectators, and while every competitor would try to cite their 'sound' due to their sponsors, the biggest improvement that I'd tell people, was to install a sound deadener (dynamat and the like) in their vehicles, first.

Heck, in many cases those liners and deadeners would achieve 3 things:

1.) Reduce road noise coming in, so quieter ride.
2.) Reduce the amount of noise leakage and reverb inside the cabin.. thus, better sound inside the vehicle.
3.) Add insulation, to the point, some draftier vehicles would actually cool and heat more efficiently.

Of course.. the downside, that many of the 'kids' hated, was that with the sound deadened, you wouldn't cause the neighbors' houses to rattle, nor would your trunk/doors sound like aluminum cans rattling... and based on where I lived, that was actually desired.. (no idea why)


So, literally, I would start with a headliner and ANY type of liner/deadener if you REALLY care about quility.

Just remember, that stuff DOES add some weight, AND if you plan on going swamping at all, it will increase the time it takes for your interior to dry out.



~ Casp

 

[themarkmcguire]

I feel your pain. I bought my Gladiator as a d.d. company car - needed the 4wd capability and a lot of other choices are/were not available.

However, Overall, I've been pretty happy with my choice. And some of the Jeep engineering aimed at the aftermarket should DEFINITELY be studied by other car manufacturers...

...but. The wind noise, amiright?!? Unacceptable compared to my previous d.d., a 2018 Mustang GT CONVERTIBLE !!! I have very sensitive hearing, and on long drives between DFW/Houston,Austin,SA the wind noise could eventually feel exhausting.

I only share this to say I know where you are coming from.

My (partial) solution;

So, I used Raptor liner on the bottom of the freedom tops, in addition to hotheads headliner with the dynamat "sound assasin"

Is it a perfect solution? No. But it's much quieter inside the cabin. I made sure my tops are sealing properly and no noise results from poor fitting panels. I would say that the biggest source of noise seems to now be the windshield. I'm not sure there's a way to minimize, but I'm continuing to look for solutions.

I still have to use my headphones for work calls. But a trip to San Antonio didn't wear me out, aurally. And I don't have to crank the Music or News to listen comfortably.

An unexpected/added benefit is running the A/C at a lower setting for the same temps.

HTH

Mark

 

[$1.98]

I have Boom mats in mine. It helped but there is still some wind noise. I think it is mostly from the side mirrors. The remaining wind noise is better than some of the Hoopties that I have owned. It is much quieter than my last convertible.

 

[cdyoung9799]

My JTR came with the factory headliner. All 3 of my Jeeps have been hardtop, and this is the first one with a headliner. Wasn't one of my must have options, but it will be from now on. Definitely quieter, and maintains hot or cool temps longer.

 

[02sahara]

I know what sound your talking about. I grew up in KC and went to college in Denver…many trips in my 02 TJ with the hard top or soft top. Radio cranked to the max for 10 hours. I just built some diy liners from the forum,
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/diy-headliner-for-dummies.43071/
I’ve used a bunch of the norico sound deadening and they’ve made a noticeable difference for less than $100. If you like to make stuff I’d give them a shot. Not $400 and not hard to make.

 

[kumanj]

I get that my Gladiator has the aerodynamics of a cinder block. But sheesh, I just got back from a long road trip through Kansas and Oklahoma and the wind noise was exhausting. Between doing the 75 MPH speed limit and the howling gusts across the plains, I couldn't even enjoy music. Even if I cranked up the volume, much of the sound was drowned out by wind noise.

Will installing the Hot Heads headliners reduce wind noise at all? Or am I simply at the mercy of a rolling brick having a lot of wind noise? (The constant wind also killed my MPGs, but that's another story.)

I get that my Gladiator has the aerodynamics of a cinder block. But sheesh, I just got back from a long road trip through Kansas and Oklahoma and the wind noise was exhausting. Between doing the 75 MPH speed limit and the howling gusts across the plains, I couldn't even enjoy music. Even if I cranked up the volume, much of the sound was drowned out by wind noise.

Will installing the Hot Heads headliners reduce wind noise at all? Or am I simply at the mercy of a rolling brick having a lot of wind noise? (The constant wind also killed my MPGs, but that's another story.)

Best way to eliminate wind noise.! This is how I do it anyway......

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