Wind and Road Noise - ACE 29.3 2017

[Bob Montgomery]

We took a 500 mile trip last week and agreed it was not the engine that was causing so much noise at 55+ mph. It was a combination of wind and road noise.

Has anyone had this issue and found ways to minimize these issues? If so, what did you do?

Thank you in advance.

Bob

[fivejackie]

I had a lot of wind noise from the top of the windshield on our new Hurricane. They sealed the top of it where it was leaking with silicone. That worked great till the sun came out. They finally pulled the windshield off and installed a new seal, problem solved

[Jegdrum5050]

I have let a couple pounds of air out of my front tires and it has helped with some noise. I really don't have much wind noise to speak of but what I do have I try to minimize. My side sliding windows and screens I spray with silicone ((withPTFE)) seems to seal the intended seal from air noise. My 2 cents Bob.

[Bob Montgomery]

Do you spray that on the track of what?

[Thor29.3inAZ]

Hi Bob, wellcome to the THOR ACE series.
I have the very same unit and I hate, hate, HATE rattles..... But you mentioned road noise. I had a lot of noise though out the coach.
So, and the list is a bit long, sorry....
I first bought a mattress foam cover. About an inch thick. I took off the covers on the dash and laid out foam inside the dash. I couldn't get to all the dash but pretty much most of it.
I also bought, on line, sound deadening material. It can be pricy too so look around. There are a couple of youtube vids on this part too. I put the material along the wall/dash under the engine compartment. And some in the wheel wells.
I next had the wife drive down a section of road that was a bit bumpy to see what was going on in the coach. The TV's were bouncing around, the compartment in steps was rattling, and the screen door was banging around. I bought some insulation strips, about a 1/2 wide with sticky backing. Made a couple of strips to take up the space on the screen door and the TV's too.
I also used the foam to lay down in each cabinet. It helps with keeping things from moving around and reducing the rattling from what ever you have stored in them. We also left the bubble wrap on some of the pots and pans. We use paper plates and plastic wear for eating so we don't have a bunch of metal rattling around. And then we don't have to wash much either.
The dinning table rattles a little but not all the time. Still figuring that out. I put a cut pool noodle in the microwave so the plate would stay in place and not rattle.
Now here is the biggest difference in rattles and constant noise. Inflate the tire to what the placard says. We had a blow out on the rears due to a rock stuck in-between the tires. The tire guy mentioned that I should be running the tires at max pressure. It was the worst ride and EVERTING rattled. Even some of the cabinets were bouncing around. Our ACE has the tires inflated to 82 PSI. And this by far was the best improvement despite all the other stuff I did.
Now..... we can talk to each other without screaming. We can hear the stereo without having it full blast (unless we are singing along).
Some other things to consider, do the cheap handling fix (search for it if you don't know already), get a front end alinement and install a front stabilizer shock. These all worked so great that now we are not being pushed onto the shoulder by 18 wheelers. One other thing that made a pretty good improvement against sway from the passing of the 18 wheeler was installing Air Tabs. Bear in mind, here in AZ, 18 wheelers can travel at 75 mph. I tend to travel not more than 65 mph. So they can push around a RV.
Good luck with your RV.

[SuperD]

On some coaches the noise can be caused by an engine hood not fitting properly, or noise from the front grill. Adjustment of the hood and zip tying some 1/4" hardware cloth or window screen behind the grill should stop the most common wind noise.

[Bob Montgomery]

Originally Posted by SuperD

On some coaches the noise can be caused by an engine hood not fitting properly, or noise from the front grill. Adjustment of the hood and zip tying some 1/4" hardware cloth or window screen behind the grill should stop the most common wind noise.

I assume you put something behind your grill. Could you post some pictures so we can see how you did it. I am not sure what 1/4" hardware cloth is.

Thank you

[Bob Montgomery]

Thank you for your post. Was the sound deadening put on the inside of the coach or under the hood? Thanks for your information.

[SuperD]

Originally Posted by Bob Montgomery

I assume you put something behind your grill. Could you post some pictures so we can see how you did it. I am not sure what 1/4" hardware cloth is.

Thank you

Hardware cloth is just a name for wire mesh, can be purchased at Lowes or Home Depot, usually in the garden section. The wire also helps protect against stones that might damage the radiator. Cut to size, spray paint black, and attach to back of stock grill with black zip ties. Sorry, no pictures.

[Thor29.3inAZ]

Originally Posted by Bob Montgomery

Thank you for your post. Was the sound deadening put on the inside of the coach or under the hood? Thanks for your information.

Yes I did put some sound proofing under the "Dog House". I may even put some carpet on top (inside) the cover too. I also missed mentioning that the stock grill made a high pitched noise. Thor sent out a different grill. More of a honeycomb style. I think most that mention a wind noise, should look at changing out the grill material. That too made a big difference in bringing down the db inside.

[tsimp123]

We have a new ACE 29.4 and experienced similar excessive road noise. I certainly agree with ensuring the tires are inflated to the proper PSI. I also used cable ties to pull together all of the loose and flapping wires and cables under the hood. Next ensure that the hood cover is tight when locked. You may have to adjust the lock to ensure as tight a closure as possible. Mine was pretty loose. Next I identified the source of an annoying rattle under the passenger feet area- better secure the mud flaps to the metal t-bar under the front tire wells. Mine had only one screw which still allowed the mud flap to slap against the metal t-strap. Lastly, ensure that the door is locked (both locks) while driving, and the door handle cover is secure, pushed to the right. I hope this helps. Worked well for us! [emoji106]

[Shifty103]

We have lots of loud noise when it's raining, only when it's raining! Contacted Thor and they sent me another grill. The original grill is plastic honeycomb and the replacement they sent is wire mesh (black). I called them about installation because original is about a half inch thick and the replacement is just a thin grill, they told me to take out the old and replace it with the new grill. I'll post if it eliminates the rain noise or not, or if it's quieter than the old grill.

[SuperD]

Originally Posted by Shifty103

We have lots of loud noise when it's raining, only when it's raining! Contacted Thor and they sent me another grill. The original grill is plastic honeycomb and the replacement they sent is wire mesh (black). I called them about installation because original is about a half inch thick and the replacement is just a thin grill, they told me to take out the old and replace it with the new grill. I'll post if it eliminates the rain noise or not, or if it's quieter than the old grill.

I got the same wire mesh stuff from Thor. I took out the stock grill, cut the mesh just a little bigger, put it on and the stock grill behind it. Worked great, only took about 30 min. Here is a picture but it's kinda hard to see.

[Winter]

In regards to the grill, they took back the original and I installed the wire one. I found out my noise was from my windows. After caulking the front sides and pet window it solved the problem. The noise I experienced was not minor, it was extremely loud and a high pitched sound. Since installing the grill and caulking the windows, I got Dyna Deck and put that down in the front yesterday. Looking forward to seeing if the does anything else for road noise. But I was happy so far with the grill and caulk.

[Shifty103]

Thanks SuperD. That's what I'm going to do also. Can always remove the old grill later if needed, but figured I'd have to buy shorter screws if I was going to use just the mesh. I'm doing some research now on sound deadening for the doghouse. Would be nice to have a normal conversation in the coach while rolling.

[SuperD]

Originally Posted by Shifty103

Thanks SuperD. That's what I'm going to do also. Can always remove the old grill later if needed, but figured I'd have to buy shorter screws if I was going to use just the mesh. I'm doing some research now on sound deadening for the doghouse. Would be nice to have a normal conversation in the coach while rolling.

Search the form for: engine silencing, there is a great thread on installing sound deadening in the dog house. Installed DynaMat, available from Amazon, there are links in the thread. The person did a great job and had lots of pictures.

The grill uses bolts that are glassed in to the front, nuts and washers to hold the grill on, no need for anything else.

[Winter]

I used shorter screws since they took back the original grill. But they were wood screws originally installed. Just check the length of the screws. I have a feeling they use whatever is available. If I used the original screws with only the new grill, they would have popped out the front of the rv.

[Dippytwo]

[QUOTE=Thor29.3inAZ;68781]Y


The dinning table rattles a little but not all the time. Still figuring that out.

[Dippytwo]

My table would also rattle, I just cut up a old t-shirt and put pieces between the mounts and the mettle pole. That stopped the rattle.