Hi All,
I'm new to forum...just purchased a used '06 Mazda3 Axela hatchback. Love the overall driving experience. However, there seems to be unusually high surface/road noise coming into the cabin. Anyone know if this is common for this model? Any suggestions on how to alleviate the noise?
Thanks,
Brian

 

My original set of tires (Goodyear Eagle RS-As) were noisy as were my second set (Michelin Pilot Sport A/Ss), however, my third set of tires (Yokohama AVID ENVigors) are so quiet it's like I'm driving a different car. I've had the Yoko's on for nearly 4,000 miles now and I'm still surprised how quiet my car is.

 

Tires are a major issue w/most "economy" cars and road noise. They are not built to be the most quiet. They are built to be affordable and that means less insulation, less weight (for fuel mileage.)

That said, and I don't know what tires are on your car now but, yes, the BadYear's are JUNK!!! Don't ever, EVER buy the OE tires or you will be sorry.

I am FINALLY (4th set) running a set of tires I find very satisfactory on this car. They are Continental ExtremeContact DWS (Dry/Wet/Snow,) and I highly recommend them too.

 

add Michelin Harmony to the list of quiet running tires.

 

I greatly appreciate everyone's suggestions. I also should've mentioned that the dealer threw on a new set of Cooper tires before I drove off the lot. I recently read some complaints about them causing road noise. Will just tolerate the annoyance until I need new ones, likely one of the suggestions made on the thread. But I gotta say, other than that, the car drives like a dream with great initial acceleration and smooth shifting. Got the manual trans.
Thanks again!
Correction: spelled Alexa, not Axela, which I understand i s the Japanese version of the 3 hatchback.

 

No, I believe if you look again, you were correct the first time.
I guess someone put a Axela badge on your North American Mazda?
Axela is what they are in Japan and I too have that badge on the back of my HB, though I removed the "3" as well.

 

Thanks for the correction. My dyslexia got the best of me. The VIN # starts with "J", which indicates manufactured in Japan.