Hard Top and Noise
 

Well, this week I installed a new (to me) HardDog FatBoy rollbar along with the hardtop I picked up last year.

Love the way the car looks with the Hardog and hardtop, Purposeful comes to mind. However the noise level seems to have gone up a few hundred percent. The 8.8 rear has always had a whine, (my best guess is pinion related) that with the soft top and especially top down is barely noticeable. But with the hardtop on I'm reminded of my old Jeep CJ5 and wintertime driving with the full softtop on....wonderfully nice no top, irritatingly loud with top.

So is it just me or do others find the hardtop noise level objectionable?

RR

I've never ridden in on with a HT but I have owned a dozen convertibles and the Miata is by far the noisiest top up or top down of any car I have ever owned. And that includes a 72 CJ5 V8 and a 76 CJ6 6 banger Jeep in the bunch!

Louder pipes. Your welcome. ;)

I've seen post (here or elsewhere?) of people using sound damping in their trunks and the area around the tank to help some. Have you lined under the carpet? Of course I'm concentrating on reducing heard nose rather than eliminating the sound itself.....

Is it possible some component of the drive line is not isolated from the body? My first build had the smallest patch of contact between the differential and rear subframe which made driving top up extreamly loud.

-Jason

Michael, yep damping in full play in the trunk area and package shelf and behind the seats.

Jason, I suspect you've nailed it. To combat wheel hop I've made the rear differential mount solid....no rubber isolaters. May need to rethink that.

I just put the hardtop on mine last week for the first time since last winter, and the first thing I noticed was the road noise and the occasional exhaust drone. These things aren't noticed at all with the top down.

Hardtop makes it a different car; better visibility than with the top up, and seems to be stiffer. So, as I'm noticing the extra road noise, I'm thinking that one of the next projects on the list will be to work on adding sound deadening materials.

Part of the fun of it.
TM