clarity road noise

  • Thread starter Thread starter ChrisL
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Dreamgt said:
I wish the U.S. Model would have come with the ANC (Active Noise Control) feature to help reduce the road noise.
One thing I am starting to notice from the passenger side of the dashboard is rattling, also it seems to be coming from the passenger door. In my GTI, I had to lubricate some of the weatherstripping with some silicone spray from time to time in key areas to silence rattling that would appear from time to time; I'm hoping its a similar scenario with the Clarity.
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Many have posted that the rattle comes from the A pillar or the joint between the A pillar trim and the dash and can be tested by holding the A pillar trim when it occurs. Some foam tape seems to be a good fix. Hope it works for you.
 
Dreamgt said:
I wish the U.S. Model would have come with the ANC (Active Noise Control) feature to help reduce the road noise.
One thing I am starting to notice from the passenger side of the dashboard is rattling, also it seems to be coming from the passenger door. In my GTI, I had to lubricate some of the weatherstripping with some silicone spray from time to time in key areas to silence rattling that would appear from time to time; I'm hoping its a similar scenario with the Clarity.
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ANC isn't designed for road noise. Honda tunes it for low rpm engine noise. It uses a combination of rpm input and microphones to do this, and it's all below about 2300rpms. The benefit is marginal at best, those that have disabled it (to upgrade sound systems) claim there's hardly a noticeable effect.

That said, it's neat technology and I'm sure it does something... Just be clear that you are not talking more than a few dB... Definitely not tens even.

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tdiman said:
ANC isn't designed for road noise. Honda tunes it for low rpm engine noise. It uses a combination of rpm input and microphones to do this, and it's all below about 2300rpms. The benefit is marginal at best, those that have disabled it (to upgrade sound systems) claim there's hardly a noticeable effect.

That said, it's neat technology and I'm sure it does something... Just be clear that you are not talking more than a few dB... Definitely not tens even.

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Oh, in that case... ANC seems pretty useless, tbh.

I feel like the Clarity is pretty quiet anyways!
 
I read in the Nav manual that we do have ANC but it’s not for cabin noise mitigation, it’s just for the microphone in the center hump behind the rear view mirror. It’s purpose is to cancel out extraneous noise when the driver is using voice recognition. It also cautions that this is why voice recognition from the passenger seat doesn’t work well or at all.
 
KentuckyKen said:
I read in the Nav manual that we do have ANC but it’s not for cabin noise mitigation, it’s just for the microphone in the center hump behind the rear view mirror. It’s purpose is to cancel out extraneous noise when the driver is using voice recognition. It also cautions that this is why voice recognition from the passenger seat doesn’t work well or at all.
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Interesting. Amazing what can be learned by reading the manual. I guess I better do that too :D
 
Since road noise changes much faster than engine noise, the system responsiveness to road noise using microphones would have to be in the single milliseconds to be effective, so I don't expect this to come to common cars anytime soon.
 
KentuckyKen said:
I read in the Nav manual that we do have ANC but it’s not for cabin noise mitigation, it’s just for the microphone in the center hump behind the rear view mirror. It’s purpose is to cancel out extraneous noise when the driver is using voice recognition. It also cautions that this is why voice recognition from the passenger seat doesn’t work well or at all.
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It’s on p17 of the manual. Sorry, I forgot to add this. I like to cite my sources when I’m not just throwing out my opinions and assumptions.

The mic is actually up by the map lights which I assume is the perforated area between the sunglass holder and the Home Link buttons.
 
KentuckyKen said:
It’s on p17 of the manual. Sorry, I forgot to add this. I like to cite my sources when I’m not just throwing out my opinions and assumptions.

The mic is actually up by the map lights which I assume is the perforated area between the sunglass holder and the Home Link buttons.
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I spent some time on Honda service Express. There's a rear and front microphone for ANC and the module is behind the glove box. Both mics are connected to the anc box and the box is connected to the nav unit. The nav unit has a built in DSP to combine the signals together. Kinda crazy they have a separate anc unit for just phone calls. The CRV uses the factory sub, so perhaps the stock speakers aren't capable enough since the clarity has no sub.

Concerning sound, there are also resonators attached to the inside of the wheels to reduce mid frequency road noise. There is a service document stating to not try and remove them, which is the only place I saw them referenced. Nifty.

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We should take up a collection for you and AnthonyW for posting all this good info from the Honda Service Express.
Thanks for sharing.
 
KenG said:
Lol... mine got super quiet after I realized the dealer had the tires filled to 55lbs!!!!


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That's so when it sits flat for months it doesn't deform. Comes from factory like that. They are supposed to reduce the pressure during PDI. Mine didn't either...

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KentuckyKen said:
We should take up a collection for you and AnthonyW for posting all this good info from the Honda Service Express.
Thanks for sharing.
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We have two Honda's... $10 every few months for getting up to date on TSBs and the like is well worth it.

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I previously drove a 2005 Acura TSX before purchasing a 2018 Honda Clarity Touring Edition. The Clarity is a little bit quieter than the TSX.
 
Took delivery of my Clarity the other day and took it on the highway and it felt off. I was feeling every tiny bump road noise etc. I decided to check the tire pressure this morning and all 4 were at 48psi. Even though it says 36psi on the door I did go down to 34psi.
 
tdiman said:
ANC isn't designed for road noise. Honda tunes it for low rpm engine noise.
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Yesterday, I unplugged the ANC module. I started to feel nausea during local stop and go driving.

Here is a youtube video about disconnecting a 2018 Honda Accord ANC


The ANC module is located more to the left above the glovebox.
Sorry, I didn't think about making a video because I was short on time and it was 25 degrees out.
Most of the panels pop out, but it takes a lot of planning to pop back in.

I drove about 120 miles this morning and there is definitely a different tone from the engine.
Accelerating uphill from 55mph to 63mph in HV, the "angry bees" reminded me of a 1984 Dodge Omni from 34 years ago.
Just hit 11k miles in 4 months. Mostly turnpike miles, so the engine is fairly broken in.
I do hear more engine sound and road noise coming through the firewall and floor.

I have already added dynamax type mats to the hood and front passenger door so far.

More updates to follow...
 
As a single data point, yesterday we were driving 70 mph on a moderately rough “macadam” surface in S GA. Aggravating the noise was about a 15-20 mph headwind.

In another post I mentioned an app I downloaded for my iPhone, DecibelX. I don’t know how accurate it is, but it showed 82db under the above conditions. Subjectively, it did seem loud. But to be fair, on smooth black asphalt the sound level drops dramatically.
 
I think the engine was virtually inaudible behind all the road noise. I could not hear any change in the noise level as the Energy display toggled through its various modes - taking energy from the battery, adding energy to the battery, gear mode, etc.
 
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