Interior Sound Level Decibels Test -- Soft Top vs. Hard Top vs. No Top

[firefox33]

It’s the wind noise that’s bad, not road noise. The results speak highly of the soft top or poorly of the hard top. I think it’s the latter. I have had many Ford SUVs and none, none have been anywhere near as noisy as my non SAS, OBX, 4dr.. I have no expectations that it would be as quiet as other SUVs. The MIC roof is just a poor product.

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[BroncoOB]

I can tell you from personal experience My bronco is much quieter than my jeep was, I rode from California to Minneapolis in the Jeep and the top flapped and fluttered so much it was actually quieter with the top down.

I drove from TX to CA and it wasn't bad at all.

 

[BroncoOB]

I have a ‘22 soft top and a ‘23 hard top, both 4 door and as OBX’s with Lux they have the extra sound deadening. There is very little difference in the sound levels. I’d say the MIC top is about 15% quieter at some moderate speeds around 35-50 mph but once you get at 65-75mph, they are both very noisy especially compared to my wife’s Range Rover. When the ‘23 arrived, I drove them back to back to see the differences in noise levels and it’s not much at any speed. As far as heat retention goes, neither has any trouble keeping us warm even when the temps are -15º F. The heaters are strong on the Broncos and with the remote start it’s not an issue parking one outside even here in Minnesota where it will be -10 F tonight. Heated seats and steering wheel are things that I would no longer do without in Minnesota.

Agreed, I had my OBX in Texas cold/heat and was pleasantly surprised how quickly it heated/cooled. I just put a 2 inch mattress pad on the top of my Bimini and the sound deadening is noticeable and I can feel the heat staying on the top.

 

[AZ_BRONC]

I have a ‘22 soft top and a ‘23 hard top, both 4 door and as OBX’s with Lux they have the extra sound deadening. There is very little difference in the sound levels. I’d say the MIC top is about 15% quieter at some moderate speeds around 35-50 mph but once you get at 65-75mph, they are both very noisy especially compared to my wife’s Range Rover. When the ‘23 arrived, I drove them back to back to see the differences in noise levels and it’s not much at any speed. As far as heat retention goes, neither has any trouble keeping us warm even when the temps are -15º F. The heaters are strong on the Broncos and with the remote start it’s not an issue parking one outside even here in Minnesota where it will be -10 F tonight. Heated seats and steering wheel are things that I would no longer do without in Minnesota.

I’ll report that the A/C in the Bronco also does the job extremely well. Have the soft top in Phoenix and 120 degrees outside and even hotter inside cools down way faster than my 4Runner or Wrangler did.

 

[BroncoOB]

I did a shit ton of sound proofing in my wildtrak.

The three things that made the most difference was the doors have ZERO sound proofing. And the seam at the top of the roof is like an echo chamber. And lastly the Goodyear's are garbage.

If you take care of the doors, (tailgate is a door), stuff some 1 inch foam along the roof, and get some better tires each of those things can net you 2-3 db.

Did you put the 1 inch foam just around the edges of the roofline and that improved the noise?

My 2 inch mattress pad has made a big difference but not most optimum, in case I want to open the top after leaving the house. Still looking for a better way...

 

[drewski]

I think these types of videos are somewhat of a disservice to those trying to decide between a hard top and soft top over the concern of noise. How loud something is, is subjective. Your kid upstairs blasting their music may not be loud to them but you downstairs might be losing your mind because it is so loud. What can be measured is the pressure the sound waves create with a decibel meter. So first, the meter used in the video is a very inexpensive and not very accurate meter, maybe a class or type 3 meter? To get a reliable reading a class or type 2 (at a minimum) or 1. Both of which are quite a bit more expensive (probably why they are not used) but also very accurate. Also, the time duration of the test is just a snapshot of a moment in time. To properly test the difference, it should be data logged and graphed. This is going to be hours or days to properly get an idea of the true difference in noise. Reason being you are not just measuring wind noise but the ambient noise outside. The readings will be different in a heavy traffic vs light traffic, business district vs country and so on. Driving down a country road the noise maybe acceptable to you but hit interstate traffic it maybe a different experience. I have driven both, a lot and my experience is the soft top is noticeably louder. I did not like it. But this is just my subjective opinion. My point is I would not rely on a video of someone selling me something as objective. If you are on the fence which one to buy, do an extended test drive in the one you think you want. If possible drive in as many different traffic scenarios as possible to know if the noise level is acceptable to you.

 

[HBTFD]

I’ve owned a soft top and hard top bronco. The soft top is louder. The plastic windows allow much more road noise. Wind noise is similar. On my phone app the soft top was 2 decibels higher. I have not done anything to quiet the hardtop. On the soft top I was able to drop 3 decibels using pipe foam and shipping blankets on my mesh top.

 

[CriticalB]

Most apple watches made in recent years have a built-in decibel meter app; has anyone suggested a thread to track everyone's readings and cabin conditions (trim level, HT/ST, carpet, kilmat, etc.) Since it's all the same hardware and location (10 or 2 on the steering wheel) seems like that would generate pretty accurate measurements for comparison.

edit: I'm not shilling for Apple, just pointing out it's a pretty common tool and a lot of people don't know (or like me, forget) it has a decent decibel meter.

 

[John Auer]

My soft top is quiet until 75mph. Or something loud passing you. I’m very pleased. I like the look. Wavy windows is fixable. The hard top looks proportioned wrong. Too tall looking from joint lines. Color is awful but can be painted. Their both removable and have their pros and cons. I’d take either.

I disagree. I think the hard top Bronco is way better looking than the soft top. The soft top looks like a half baked effort at best.

 

[67BroncoG1]

I drove a friends 2 door wildtrack with 37" BFG A/T's and thought is was much quieter than my 2 door basesquatch. I know there is a difference in sound deadening but I think most of the difference was in the tires. The factory 35" Goodyears make a ton of noise especally on the grooved concrete freeways we have in SoCal.

Many people post that their bronco isn't that loud but I think they might have more road oriented tires supplied on different trim levels.

 

[Area51BS]

Just curious if there are any quick ways to insulate a soft top that could be easily removed to put your top down? Probably a stupid question but.......

Dirty dog makes one

 

[Area51BS]

I disagree. I think the hard top Bronco is way better looking than the soft top. The soft top looks like a half baked effort at best.

I don’t care for the thin looking rear roof caused by the seam. And the color makes the center and front panels look too tall. I can’t say I don’t like the hard top. Just not my favorite feature. If I had one or ever bought one, it would be painted white or black.

 

[Area51BS]

I think many have the sound deadening feature all wrong. I don’t believe a carpet material blocks external sounds much at all. It most likely is used to lesson echo and sound bouncing off the reflective surface of the hard top inside the vehicle.

 

[Bronco Buster Wayne]

Dirty dog makes one

Thanks!!

 

[Area51BS]

Thanks!!

People have said it helps tremendously with sound. Search post on this site.

https://store.dirtydog4x4.com/?route=product/product&path=139_150&product_id=640

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