I have a 2003 50th Anniversary Coupe. This is my first vette and it seems unusually noisey. Lots of road noise and the tops rattle over bumps. Can anyone tell me if this is normal?

 

A lot of the road noise can come from the tires... What tires are on your car? How old are they? any wear patterns?

Might be time for tires...

 

There are a couple of things that come to mind....first and foremost are you still running the original Goodyear Run Flats? If so, regardless of the mileage, they are nine years old and have gotten pretty hard by now. The original runflats are notorious for a hard, noisy ride even when new, old ones...well you get my drift.

The other thing that has come up - even recently is the question about shock stuffers in the F55 suspension cars.

A bit of history - when the F55 cars were new (all of the 2003 Anniversary package cars had the F55 Magnetic Ride), Chevrolet put styrofoam suffers in the shocks to protect them in transit. Many dealerships neglected to pull the stuffers out when the cars were prepped for delivery - so much so that they issued a Technical Service Bulletin to remind the service departments to pull them out.

I wonder if your car still has the stuffers.... here are some threads from the archive that might shed some light on this for you. Good luck!

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...-still-in.html

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...elieve-it.html

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...-stuffers.html

 

2 things to check out.

A nice heavy Lloyds trunk/hatch area rear mat will cut down on road noise. Some minor adjustments to the targa top should help stop any creaks or rattles.

 

You are getting good advice so far!

 

a trunk partition will cut road noise by alot

 

I cut grey foam to fill in the 3 covered rear compartments to cut down on road noise.
As mentioned tires make a big difference.
Lower the window frame bracket to cure rattle.
Remove top, loosen the two 10mm bolts to lower bracket, tighten. No more rattle.

 

I agree with the above. Now if the rattle or noise is from something other than the above, about all you can do is try and track the source down.

 

Mine were left in but sure were NOT styrofoam. They are hard plastic.

 

I have mentioned this before but I am the 4th owner of my 03 and found mine still in at 28000 miles. That is why the last two owners had the car less that a year each, could not handle the ruff ride. For a fast check look up under your rear tire where the shock is, if there is a yellow strip hanging out of the boot yours are still in. You may have to put it on a rack. I saw mine right away. What a difference. it rides a lot better now. Mine were plastic too. I checked my tires and they were made in 05 and they are noisy and hard so need to change soon, they are GY run flats. My top is solid, no noise other than some wind.

 

Some good tips here.
My targa top was also getting noisy. I put some lithium grease on the pins and latch and the noise disappeared.
If you still have the Goodyear run-flats. They are the major cause of road noise. By now they are as hard as a hockey puck.
I also installed the interior insulation kits that are sold by a couple of vendors here. This made a noticeable difference.

Good luck.

 

Second message. Here is a post that show the stuffers and go all the way down the page and you will see a shock with the yellow strip sticking out.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...uspension.html

 

mine is also a 50th aniversary and as soon as I got rid of the good year factory tires and put a set of Michelin Pilot Sport ZP's almost all the noise went away. they also stick like glue on wet roads.

 

They are much noiser than your typical car is. So while you can reduce it some with partitions, different tires, insulating kits etc. They are still noisier than what you're used to.

But I see you are a girl, so I would steer clear of not having run flats on your car, they may come in handy. (I don't mean that in an insulting manner)

 

Lots of great answers and tips! In general the road noise from the tires is typical to a point, worst in a convertible and much worst on worn tires (especially the run flat tires). Brand new tires, especially something like a Nitto NT555 or BFG, or Michelin A/S ZP are much quieter. You have a very wide tire putting a lot of rubber on the road. (There are insulation kits to further improve temperature and sound levels inside the cabin.)

Noises and rattles NO. Especially the top rattling. Examine the weather strip, make sure the latches are securing it tight. Use the "Search" function in C5 General, searching for "roof" and "rattle" and there should be some great information on what to check on the transparent and solid roof panels. Maintain the condition of all the weather strips using "Dielectric" grease (pickup a tube from auto parts store) use a rag and apply it to moisten/restore the weatherstrip. Do this about four times a year, best after you apply your polish. Corvette's rely heavily on weather strips.

Sometimes the passenger seat belt will rattle if no passenger, try inserting the buckle back into the slot the belt comes out so its not flapping over there.

Try to isolate the area and type of noise and ask about the specific one.

 

All good advice. You say that this is your first Vette so it is noisy compared to what?

The other issue is that most of us guys on CF are old men and we can't hear thunder ( or wives, girlfriends, etc. ) so the road noise is not a problem!!! You hear on a much different wave band! Good Luck.

 

A lot of great tips and recommendations, however I'll share my short story...

After I purchased my vert new in 2004, I took my wife for a ride. Although she supported my desire to buy a Corvette, after one ride should told me the ride was harsh and not comfortable and preferred our SUV.

One of my first mods in 2005 was to improve the ride and suspension. I installed Z06 sway bars, new rotors, pads, wheels and non-run flat tires.

Shortly thereafter, I took my wife on a local Corvette Club run and this was the first time she rode with me after the mods. We were less than 1 mile away from our house and she asked "What did you do to this car?!" She could not believe how nice and quieter the ride was and that was after I installed my Corsa exhaust.

Since then, I have also installed a Raamat, ensolite and new stereo system. I plan to add a thermal tunnel plate next spring to help further reduce the cabin exhaust/tanny heat as well.

Definintely start with swapping out the run-flats. The car will feel/ride entirely different!

 

To all of you who responded to my message regarding noise and rough ride. The tires were the issue. I just put on new Micelin Pilot Sport A/S - ZP's and am amazed at the improvement. I wish I would have put them on the minute I got the car. Thanks to all

 

 

Same car, same tires, same result. They were the best single improvement in the enjoyment of the car, especially on long trips.

One other hint. I had to go on a trip once where I was going to need a sleeping bag. To maximize space I stuffed the sleeping bag into the large storage compartment in the center of the trunk. I found that it absorbed so much road noise that I've left the sleeping bag in the storage compartment.