Corolla Road Noise

Is there anything I can do to stop the noise from the road when driving on long trips? Corollas, as we all know, are great economical automobiles. But, unlike the Camry for example, it is not totally quiet inside when driving even on the smoothest roads.

When I replaced all four motormounts the car idles as if it was a new car and is much more quieter when driving but not totally. I also have all four new tires. Would alighnment make much difference?

One more thing, is it necessary to balance your tires every time you remove them from the car?

Thanks a lot for helping me solve this problem as it has been one of the most important problems I've had especially for the ones riding in the back seat.

you do not have to have the tires rebalanced each time you take them off the car. as for road noise corolla's are not a luxury auto

Thank you much for the reply.

Now, what is it that a luxury car has (besides looks and power) that my corolla doesn't to lessen the road noise and how, if at all possible, can I go about making the necessary changes?

you can try using dyna mat under your carpet

the luxury cars have alot of sound deadening stuff inside the doors and under neath the carpets and a noise deadening suspension system.yeah you could spray some more undercoating under the car and add some insulator in the floorboards .as for the suspension don't think you can do much with it to deaden the road noise. have seen people spray undercoating inside the doors to help also.just don't cover the drain holes.

Check the rear wheel hub/bearings mine went out the car howled at me on the highway, after I changed them the car was like new quiet as you could expect.

Thanks to all of you for the feedback and I'm sorry for not getting back to you more quickly. (I'm presently stilll trying to solve my starting problem).

How do I go about checking and changing those rear hub bearings? Do the brake shoes have to be removed to do this?

I sat in the back seat recently while my wife drove and it is a lot noisier there than it is in the front seat.I can also hear some kind of vibration coming from the left rear trunk area like a loose fender or something and I can't seem to "put my finger on it" unless I ride in the trunk while someone else drives. My corolla has never been in an accident and it's in excellent shape considering its age and all. It has 155000 miles on it.

Also, what is dyna mat and how much weight would it add to the vehicle?

To change the hub bearings just pull the wheel drums off there are 4 bolts that hold the bearings on. Pull them out and remove the bearings.

Thanks. I'll go purchase the bearings from the Toyota dealer and then make the change. What is it that puts a strain on those bearings? Just normal wear or what?

Someone told me to lower the tire pressure by 10 pounds or so will also make it quieter. I'm going to try this. I have 40 lbs. in a 44lb tires presently.

40b. in tires???? that has to be like riding on bricks instead of tires. for normal corolla tires most tire dealer techs would put about 32 or 33 . surely you must feel every little bump on the road.

Run the tires at 32 to 35 psi. If you installed after market plus size tires and wheels (say 15" or 16") then you will get more road noise.
If you're running stock size wheels and tires, then you may want to look into four new struts. Look at the high end Monroe struts. They will eliminate allot of road noise.
It's not uncommon for Corollas to burn up front and rear wheel bearings so look into the possibility of those causing noise.
Lastly, tires do make a difference in road noise/ride quality. Cheap tires can cause ill effects to ride and handling characteristics to any car or truck.

Good luck!

if the noise gets louder the faster you go its prob the wheel bearings or bearing. and ur tire pressure should be 32psi. to road test ur noise problem do this: drive at average road speed, if you hear the noise put your transmission in neutral while the car is still in motion. in neutral if you still hear the noise then that means its prob a wheel bearing.

Hey, thanks alot for all those answers! Sorry I haven't been checking back as often as I would like. We've been trying to purchase a home for the first time and it's the most disgusting process I've ever encountered!!

I have Michelin tires by the way which are now over 3 years old but still have excellent tread. They have 44psi max on the sidewall. I keep them at 38 but if you guys say 32 is best then I'll give it a shot. I rotate them myself after every oil change and I torque the nuts with lubricant every time (76 ft. lbs). I'm going to try that wheel bearing test 3000bolts. Do I change the bearing in all four wheels? Also, what kind of grease to I pack them in?

The best tire pressure is usually a guess-and-check process, but usually falls in the 31-35 psi range. The correct pressure will give you good, even tire wear across the entire pattern.

Most front wheel drive cars wear the fronts out faster because of the front driven wheels having to bear the weight of the heavier front end. So, rotating them front ot back helps even out the wear...as you do so. But as a result of this uneven weight distribution, the tire pressures between the front and rear should be adjusted to maintain even contact. In our Vibe (Corolla/Matrix copy), I run 33 psi in the front, 31 psi in the back. If you notice that the tire is wearing faster in the center, the pressure is too high...faster at the edges, too low.

Typically bearings go out individually, so you can hear where the extra noise is coming from (left/right, front/rear). A low noise coming from all around that increases with speed is usually the tires. A low, thrumming noise from the front or back is usually the bearings. No mention of year or mileage, so can't gauge life span. The hub bearings are sealed units and don't need to be greased...you're probably used to the old style inner-outer bearings. ([CORRECTION] Only the rear bearings are a sealed assembly, the fronts are serviceable, but are pressed into the knuckle. Use any good API-certified GL4 high-temp grease.) As mentioned, the rears are very easy to replace since there's no CV shaft to disconnect, but some of the brake mechanisms may have to be removed to get at the bolts holding it on.

For noise deadening, you can try some spray-on underbody rubberized coating, or if you want to get serious pull the carpets and apply some truck bed coating to the footwells...allow to dry thoroughly and in fresh air before reinstalling carpets. Good luck!

Thanks alot for all the details. The noise must be the bearings as the noise is there still when I'm in neutral while the car is in motion.

One other thing, does anyone know how often the transmission should be changed? (automatic tranny) I'm thinking every 30,000 miles but not sure. I had it flushed out last time about 30,000 miles ago.

The general rule for all auto transmissions is every 30,000 miles.
The noise you're hearing still could be just the tires.
The best way to tell if a bearing is bad is to physically turn the hub by hand.
Checking the rear hub (bearings) is fairly easy. Remove the wheel/brake drum and slowly turn the hub by hand. It should turn smoothly.
Checking the front requires more disassembly. Remove the wheel/brake caliper/rotor/ and CV axle from the hub. Turn the hub slowly by hand. Again, it should turn smoothly.
The front bearings require special tools to remove and replace them. The tool I use is called the Hub Tamer Elite. It runs about $499.
The rear depends on the year Corolla.
Up to 2002, the bolts are located on the brake hardware side (facing outside). 2003 to ?, the bolts are located on the back side of the brake mounting plate (facing inside). They are very easy to change.
When you purchase the rear bearings, you will get the entire hub. The front bearings will be the bearings only.
Out of all the Corollas I've dealt with over the years, the '98 thru 2002 Corollas have the best ride/less road noise out of them all. The 2003 on up Corollas ride like a tank and have lots road noise transmitted through the chassis.

Good luck!

Thanks for the great information! I was going to let the toyota service do the job but with things as bad as they are with the economy and all, I guess I'll change them myself, especially after you gave me all the details.

You said the '98 thru 2002 corollas have the best ride; does that include all models of corolla? And, since we're on the subject, how about the tacoma pickup on quiet ride? Know anything about those? If not, thanks anyway!

I maintain a fleet of about 40 1995 thru 2002 Corollas and one of them is a 2003 (new body style). The mileage ranges from 86,000 to over 250,000 and they all are still going strong.
The '95-'96s ride fair but have lots of engine vibration. As I said, the 1998 thru 2002 (all models) have an excellent ride with almost zero engine vibration. The 2003 rides like a tank but has even less engine vibration.
Most of the Tacoma's I've dealt with were 4X4's (I live/play/work in Colorado) so the older ones ride rather sharply. You can't feel or hear the V6 engine until your at full throttle.
If you used to driving a full size truck (like me), older Tacoma's are a different experience. They are more cramped, have less suspension travel (4X4s) so the front bottoms out more often, and they can feel more "tin canish" on rough roads.
They do track strait and have a smooth ride on the freeway unless the road surface is rough.
New Tacoma's, I would bet, feel a lot more solid.

Thanks alot! I was thinking of buying a used tacoma in future, hopefully one with a back seat