The engine sound level is almost unnoticeable to me at virtually all times. You have probably posted previously, but what sound meter do you use? I would like to get the same one.
I have a free app from Audio-technica - it is labelled as "Installed Sound Support" What octane gas do you use? My engine sound level is almost unnoticeable when I have been using 93 octane. When I used 87 octane, the engine noise over 3500 rpm was ridiculous.
I use 87 octane. I do avoid so much rpm variation by driving around town in either HV Charge (steady but higher rpm than HV) or EV. I don't know my rpms.
When I was using 87 octane, I didn't find engine noise to be a problem in town. At 78 mph, the engine drive mode at 2800 rpm was reasonable. It does seem that HV charge gives more consistent rpm, even at highway speeds, but it seems to suppress engine drive mode. My next tank of gas will be lower octane (91?) to see if engine noise reduction is maintained with cheaper gas. Why not just drive at EV range of zero? Do you use HV charge to avoid rpm variation? (Is that your specific reason for HV charge?)
Yes the engine speed up to 80 is not an issue to me also. HV Charge I believe always locks out gear mode no matter what the conditions. That's why I try to do almost all my HV Charge operation at lower speeds (but not in stop and go traffic) where gear mode is not available anyway. I figure by replacing HV with alternating EV/HV Charge I'm substantially reducing the stops and starts on the engine so should be better for life and efficiency. I don't use this method when I need heat though.
This is very interesting. I think I am going to put 91 from now on. I did a bit more digging and remembered that first gen Chevy Volt required premium fuel and people went out of shape because of it. Then I found this article: https://www.cars.com/articles/does-the-chevy-volt-require-premium-fuel-yes-and-no-1420663197814/ The GM powertrain spokesperson specifically mentioned that regular fuel will make the engine noisier.
A lot of new cars will run fine on regular fuel, but better on premium. I had a 2012 Fiat 500 in which premium was recommended, but ran fine on regular. I just had a little less horsepower and fuel economy. I think my the Altima V6 was similar. The new Mazda 2.5L turbo engines also will adjust depending on the octane of the fuel with slightly lower output and mpg on regular. I normally use regular in my Clarity. However, I live in Florida and have a gasoline generator in case a hurricane knocks out power. The problem is that common gasoline will only keep for a maximum of 2 years in a sealed gas can with Sta-Bil. As a result, if there are no power outages I have excess gasoline. I use up any gasoline that is over one year old by using it in my car. I typically add 2.5 gallons of generator gasoline to the car's tank when it is nearly empty. Then I drive in EV mode to a gas station and top off the tank with premium.
I’ve been using 91. Tested with 93 every now and then but haven’t noticed any decrease in sound. Thought maybe my ears have missed something, so I swapped back to 87 for a few tanks and the engine noise was noticeable again. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
ClarityBill As a matter of course I have only used pure gas (E0) in the Clarity I drive since the get-go. In my area, 91 octane seems to be the go-to grade for E0. There is 93 octane E0 out there but few and far between. If your thought process is correct, perhaps that is why I have never experienced the high revs commonly referred to as "angry bees". Dunno. Have a great day.
Sounds like Mike95465 has known about it for a while: I think this is gonna help a bunch of people be happier with their cars. Turns out it was never the rpm, just the noise. (I am still going over 5K rpm, but the sound is not a problem.)
I had to blow a bit of dust out of my wallet and pay $2.49/gal for 91 octane 100% gasoline at the 7-11 today. I'll update with my butt-dyno impressions of running premium 100% gasoline.
Has anyone found detail on running E15? I’ve hear 2016+ civics can run on it, but it seems the Clarity still recommends only E10. I pure gas when I can find it, but it’s hard to find.
This week’s tank of gas is 89 octane. The engine noise is very acceptable, not as good as 93 octane, but dramatically quieter than 87. I would recommend using a minimum 89 octane for the Clarity. I will probably go to 91 myself. It is interesting that Honda’s recommendation is 87 or higher. The statement about ethanol content suggests using a different brand or gas station, if there are undesirable operating symptoms. I have used gas from Florida to Vermont, and out to Wisconsin, with no change in operating symptoms until I changed octane. Seems like the extra noise on 87 octane must be damaging some components, even if it is just the exhaust system. It will be interesting if owners start having problems that could be tied back to 87 octane operation. I have burned over 1200 gallons of gas, so I am concerned about the condition of my systems.
I too will strictly use 91. Regardless of engine longevity impact I value smooth operation. I tried reading the Japanese model manual. I think they recommend regular and E10. Regardless with little amount of gas that I use using the higher grade makes sense to me.
I don't doubt anyone's anecdotes about noise with different fuel grades, but due to the subjectivity and human psychology in general, I'd really like to see some sort of "blinded" experiment. Double blinded would be hard to accomplish. But single blinded not so much. Have a wife or friend or significant other do the fueling, keeping the receipts but having the fuel grade of any given tank unknown to the driver. Then have the driver keep a log as to the relative noise for each tank. After a certain number of tanks, go back and see if the driver could actually tell the difference in a statistically significant way. Not something I'd go to the trouble of doing - I've never put anything other than the cheapest regular I can find in our 2018 - but I suspect someone here might rise to the challenge!
The priority of quiet vs noise is subjective. The judgment of damaging or innocuous is subjective. The difference is sound level is not subjective. I measure over 80 dba at 4500 rpm, and 87 octane. With 93 octane, the measurement was less than 70.
Well, if replicable, that settles that. Any idea why this would be so? Something to do with knock sensors retarding the spark with low octane fuel? 10db difference is HUGE - what do you think could generate that much difference given the engine is turning the same rpm?
https://www.iacacoustics.com/blog-full/comparative-examples-of-noise-levels.html 80 dB is equivalent to a diesel truck running 40 mph down the road next to you. It can cause actually cause hearing damage over time. Nobody’s Clarity is that loud. Ever. 80db It is literally twice as loud as 70db. And if it’s actually “less than 70 vs more than 80” as stated, the difference would be simply staggering... I am 100% convinced the sound meter app used for ClarityBills experiment simply does not work with any consistency. Throw the result out. 80+ dB is an unbelievable reading unless he was driving 70mph with all the windows open on a busy freeway. For accurate answer one would need to repeat experiment with a real sound meter, not a phone app. And tests need to be on same road, in same wind, at same speed, at same time of day, in same traffic, with same charge level, with same rpm confirmed, with sound meter very carefully vibration isolated and suspended in the same place within the car...
