How To Reduce Wind Noise In Car : 7 Quick Steps

Wind noise is quite annoying when driving at high speeds on highways. Having a conversation or listening to your favorite music is challenging.

There can be various reasons behind the wind noise, like worn-out seals, vehicle size and design, changes in weather conditions, and many more.

So, how to reduce wind noise in car? You need to identify the noise source and then take practical steps to reduce the noise.

You can do it by replacing new weather stripping or installing sound-deadening equipment like mats or panels in the car.

The article discusses how to reduce wind noise in car. So you can keep scrolling through this article to know the reasons behind wind noise and the steps you can take to reduce the noise.

What Reasons For Wind Noise In Car?

Have you ever walked in the opposite direction of the wind? If yes, then you must have experienced that you have to apply more effort when walking in the opposite direction of the wind flowing. 

The air offers resistance, so walking opposite the wind flow is difficult. The same thing happens when you drive a car.

No matter what car you drive, it will make some sort of wind noise while driving. You are driving a two-ton metal body with a speed of 70mph on highways, and hence it will encounter some sort of wind resistance. This resistance is known as drag force, which will try to drag the car in a backward direction.

There are even two other forces that act upon the car. After striking the car, the air will divide into parts, i.e., some air will go above the car, and some air will go down the air. The air which goes above the vehicle will exert a force called lift force. This force will try to lift the vehicle.

The air which will move downward will exert a downward force on the car.

The vehicle needs to balance these three forces to increase the performance of the vehicle and avoid wind noise.

Now let’s discuss the reasons for wind noise in cars.

1. Size Of The Vehicle And Design

Air resistance is one of the most important things to consider during designing any vehicle. If we talk about SUVs, tractors, campers, or trucks, they will have issues while driving on highways.

Various open surfaces in these vehicles allow more air to contact them. Hence the air provides more resistance which the vehicle cannot overcome. So you hear a lot of wind noise while driving. 

Now let’s talk about the racing car or sports car. They are aerodynamically designed and hence can better overcome air resistance. Similarly, sedans are also aerodynamically designed and have less wind noise during driving.

But if your car is not correctly aerodynamically designed, you must hear a wind noise while driving.

2. Worn Out Seals

Car doors usually have weather stripping, which prevents from entering dust, air, or water from entering the car. The weatherstripping is usually made from EPDM(Ethylene Propylene diene monomer rubber), which helps in making the seal tight.

But you open and close the door several times a day. So continuous slamming of car doors can cause damage to the weather stripping installed in the car doors.

Air can move inside the car cabin once the weather stripping is damaged or torn. Hence you hear a high pitch wind noise inside the car which is quite annoying.

The air inside the car cabin goes through numerous vents and then escapes outside. But if the weather stripping is torn, ripped, or flat, the air will directly go inside the snug space, creating a high pitch noise.

The windows even have seals that prevent the air from escaping outside the cabin. But the seals can get damaged with time and allow the air to enter to escape from the car cabin, which creates a high pitch wind noise.

3. Air Pressure

When you drive a car on the road, it pushes the air, leading to pressure variation. The air inside the car cabin is high pressure, and the air outside is low pressure. So, to stabilize the air pressure, the air from inside the car cabin will try to go outwards. 

Specific openings or vents in the vehicle will allow the inside air to move outward. But these openings are far from the passengers and at a certain angle that will produce the least noise when you drive a car on the road. 

But any other opening on the car except vents can cause high pitch noise while driving. For instance, opening a car window or sunroof will allow cabin air to escape outside and cause excess wind noise, which is quite annoying.

4. Non Acoustic Windshield

Does the windshield of your car made from ordinary glass? If yes, you must upgrade it to acoustic glass to reduce wind noise.

Remember, thicker glass can significantly help to reduce noise reduction. Today most homeowners are using acoustic glass on their windows to reduce noise. You can also utilize the same thing on your car.

The acoustic glass consists of two glass panels with vinyl in between. The best thing is they are light and relatively easy to install. They are even less prone to shattering when in contact with other objects.

Unfortunately, most cars do not have acoustic glass, so you can hear the wind noise more prominently while driving.

5. Weather Condition

Weather plays a vital role while driving on the road. If you are driving in terrible weather conditions, you will hear the wind noise more prominently. 

Strong gusty winds usually accompany snowstorms or rainstorms. If your car is in the middle of such weather phenomena, then neither acoustic glass nor good weatherstripping cannot prevent hearing the wind noise.

We will highly recommend not to drive in such conditions. But if you are compelled to drive, try to weatherproof your vehicle as much as possible. It will not reduce wind noise by 100 percent but can lessen it to the maximum extent.

6. Driving At High Speed

When you drive at high speed, especially on highways, the air pressure increase inside the car cabin. The pressure vents cannot control the concentrated air inside the air. 

There will be an imbalance in the air pressure between the inside and outside of the car. The air inside the cabin tries to move outside through another opening than vents, resulting in more wind noise.

7. Accumulated Debris In Vent

 Dust, dirt, or debris can accumulate in pressure vents with time. Hence, the inside high-pressure air cannot exit from the car efficiently, which disturbs the air pressure inside and outside. Therefore you hear the wind noise prominently.

How To Reduce Wind Noise In Car?

You need to determine the source of wind noise. Determine the point where the air is escaping from the car cabin. It can be doors, windows, or worn-out weather stripping. 

It may be a bit difficult to determine the noise source while driving. Well, you can take the help of one or two passengers to find out where the air is escaping from the car.

Once you point it out, park your vehicle and investigate it thoroughly. You can reduce the wind noise in cars in various ways. Let’s look at them below.

1. Inspect Your Car Door

Car doors are the large entries in your vehicle. Try to check it frequently to ensure whether they are in good condition. 

If you find the car door dirty, you can clean it yourself. Take a metal file cleaner and remove any metal particles by yourself.

Check the door latch. Any damage to the latch can also prevent the car door from properly closing.

If your car door is damaged, it will leave a small gap while closing. This gap will be sufficient to allow the air inside the car cabin.

 Hence you will hear wind noise which is quite disturbing and annoying. So, if you find any issue with the car door, take your vehicle to the nearest mechanic. The mechanic will inspect the door and correct it accordingly.

 2. Replace The Damaged Door Seals

Damaged weatherstripping is one of the most common reasons for hearing wind noise. So you need first to open the car door and check the weatherstripping.

If you find any crushed area, you can apply lithium grease in that spot for expansion. But if that will not work, you must replace the entire weather stripping.

If you find the weather stripping is simply unattached, take weather stripping glue to rejoin it.

3. Check The Exterior Of Your Car

You need to check the exterior of the car thoroughly. There may be holes in your car’s body or cracks in the windshield because of an accident.

 Remember, a small gap allows the outside air to move inside the car cabin. It produces high pitch wind noise which is quite irritating. You need to take your car to the professional. 

The mechanic will try to fill the holes with a patching kit; thus, you can solve the problem.

4. Install Sound Deadening Mats

If changing weatherstripping or repairing any holes in your car could not solve the wind noise problem, try installing sound-deadening mats. These mats are durable, have sound-dampening qualities, and allow you to drive peacefully longer. 

Another good thing about using these mats is that they can be used anywhere i.e., from doors to the trunk of the car. However the installation will take a few hours, but it will be worth your effort. 

If you wish the sound-deadening mats to be used on the car door, you must remove the door panels. Try to pull off the carpet from the car floor if you want to use these mats on the floor. 

Thirdly, if you use sound-deadening mats on the trunk, you must pull out both inserts and panels.

5. Install Baffles

You can find baffles inside the car door panels. These baffles are made from foam or any sound-absorbing materials that help to reduce wind noise.

Whenever you purchase baffles, select one that can be installed easily. You need to trim the baffle to fit appropriately.

6. Install WindDeflectors

Some people don’t want to use airconditioners vehicle driving cars. They want to open their windows to allow fresh air inside the car. But opening windows can cause changes in air pressure inside and outside the car. 

You can hear high pitch wind noise which you may not like. In such cases, you can install wind deflectors on the car window. It will slightly change the aerodynamics of the vehicle. When the wind hits the wind deflector, it will change its direction, i.e., by moving above the window and thus reduce noise. 

You can expect wind noise to get reduced by 40 to 50 percent by installing a wind deflector. They are plastic pieces of metal and are aerodynamically designed to reduce wind noise. 

The wind deflectors are most useful in the summer when you wish to open the window and enjoy peaceful driving. They will also add a stylish look to your vehicle.

Another great thing about wind deflectors is that they are easy to install. You can install them within a few minutes without using any specialized tools.

7. Install Acoustic Windshield

Sound is a higher priority for most people while driving a car. Installing an acoustic windshield is quite expensive. But if you don’t like other options or your vehicle fails to reduce wind noise by adopting all the methods, you can use an acoustic windshield. 

They will significantly help to dampen the wind noise. Simultaneously they will protect against the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun. The car interior will never fade on using acoustic windshields on the car.

Also Read : How To Soundproof An Apartment Door 

Conclusion

Driving on highways at high speed gives a lot of pleasure. But are you listening to any strange high pitch noise while driving? If yes, wind noise usually becomes prominent when you open the car’s windows.

Listening to wind noise indicates that the car is not correctly aerodynamically designed. The vehicle is more susceptible to wind damage and is not fuel efficient.

There can be other reasons also for wind noise, like weather conditions or accumulation of debris in the pressure vent of the car.

We have discussed various ways how to reduce wind noise in car. You can adopt any method to prevent wind noise while driving the vehicle.