Realize I've only had the car a few days, but dang this thing makes lots of "new" noises and wondering if there's anything I should be talking to Honda about. My alignment pulls right so I'll be dropping by Honda soon and figure I'd cover as much as possible there. While there were a million Miatas around to compare my old LS to, not the case with the S2k so hoping my ridiculous translation of sounds means something.

1. Driving down an alley or underground garage, there are whirring, whizzing, whining sounds non-stop. Any sound you can make that has a z in it, that's what I'm hearing.

2. When I start and shut off the motor, something of a clunking diesely sound that seems to originate around the shifter, but could just be that's where the sound is making its way thru. Does it almost every time.

3. On the freeway, top up windows up, a very distinct moan from the rear that is not affected by rpm's, goes away randomly and stops when I put the clutch in. Mind you, it's subtle, but I hear everything with a new car.

4. Top down thru canyons with wife, screaming and screeching sound around every turn. I think I know what that one is It goes away without a passenger replaced by laughing sounding

Thanks,

Mark

 

It's hard to say exactly but those sound like things I've heard for the last year I've come to accept as "normal" (someone please feel free to chime in if I'm off base). I'll even add a few you may hear soon.

5. a "thunk" when shifting into first here and there.

6. lots of subtle mechanical jabbering from your engine (I've decided it just likes to talk to me and tell me what it's doing). No not valve ticking or metal on metal sounds.

7. Various and assundry squeaks from the top frame and here and there in the cabin (mostly only heard w/ no radio on and the top up).

8. A squeeking over time that gets worse of the seatbelt rubbing on the seat over your Left Shoulder (this is very easily fixed w/ a small piece of black felt)

9. Noises from said passenger (not necessarily while in the car) that sound like "You need new tires ALREADY" "Your car is already damn fast what are you ordering off the internet now?".....and my favorite, mostly heard in said passengers SUV "We are going to DIE, you KNOW my car doesn't HANDLE TURNS LIKE YOURS!!!!"

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I have found that a certain amount of noise in this car comes from 1) it not having a lot of sound deadening compared to even the most basic of transportation (weight savings ) and 2) that wonderful suspension that we all appreciate so whole-heartedly tends I think over time to loosen some things up a bit (interior rattles) You can help the situation here and there but that's another thread.

Travis

 

from a fellow MY04 GPW owner
mine doesn't pull at all..are you sure it's not cause the road is slightly angled to the right for rain runoff?

1. is this the clutch buzz everyone is talking about on decel?
2. the clunking on engine shut-off, this is normal.
3. hmmm..this i don't notice.....but i'll listen for this now...
4. drive safely!

 

Glad to hear that many of these "sounds" are typical. Could be the aluminum hood just transmits a lot of sound, but it sure does sound busy under there.

Mainly glad to hear that the clunking is normal. That's the only metal on metal kinda sound that had me really nervous.

Funny about the seatbelt sound....my Miata did that to the point of insanity until I figured out where the creaking was.

Blessing or a curse, I have very sensitive ears so I just try to keep the top down as much as possible.

Called my Honda shop about the alignment and he told me of a perfectly flat section of highway to check it on. If hands off the wheel and 10 seconds pass before hitting the dots, he says it's good. Otherwise they realign. Interesting approach, but I'll go with it. Tires cold are exactly 32 all the way around, so that variable is out. But I'm consistently tugging on the left side of the wheel, so thinking it needs a touchup.

Hpark,

let me know if you do hear any kind of groan/moan sound top up, windows up on the freeway. My dealer is nowhere near the freeway, so don't think they'll be able to hear that one. But hey, the sun has popped out, so all the sounds go away with the top down

mg

 

1) and 3) sound normal. The car doesn't have a lot of sound deadening, so your hearing a lot of the mechanical stuff that you don't in most cars. Going in tunnels is like having the top up, which reflects a lot of that mechanical noise back in. When the top is up you are mainly hearing the transmission (front) and the differential (rear). I think the empty tub that holds the top makes a great resonating chamber when the top is up.

2) Also normal. Engine doesn't like stopping, wants to keep reving.

4) *** edited for mature content ***

The steering is very sensitive and has no dead spot. It feels like you lane change by just shifting hand pressure on the wheel. That being said, the car is very sensitive and tunable via tire pressure and alignment settings. If the alignment is off (known to happen from the factory) you can tell.

 

Haha, I've heard that before