Hard top wind noise

[JeepPunk]

PST 2dr. Zero noise. Shockingly quiet, actually, except when a Harley passes me. Yesterday was very windy, and no whistle in crosswinds blowing hard enough to require steering input.

Curious to hear if any 2dr owner experiences the issue.

Anyway, just another data point.

My 2 door freedom top definately has increased wind noise from somewhere on passenger side.

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[RSRSJeepJL]

So I am new to this thread and a Jeep Wrangler JL.
It now has 350 KM on it and we have had the wind whistle since new.

The sales manager said they would look at it after we pointed it out on our initial test drive however,
when we went to pick up I didn't notice it until we got up to a speed of 60-80km.
sure enough the whistle was there.

Our Jeep came with the hard top installed along with the factory soft top in a big box in the back of the Jeep upon delivery.

After driving it for 200 km with hard top, I installed the factory soft top and was disappointed to have the same whistle at the same speed.

I will be taking it back to the dealer tomorrow hoping they have a solution, however from what I am reading from these posts, I think I an S@*T out of luck.

will keep you posted.

 

[Bluebear]

There are many different hardtop sounds people are talking about in this thread. What is this post about?

• Wind noise while driving on the highway. <- Not this
• Whistling from the top while on the highway <- Not this
• Wind noise from a crosswind <- Not this
• Buffeting sound while driving slow or fast <- This!

Within driving a 100 feet in my new 2018 JL Rubicon I noticed a buffeting sound. The sound is similar to what you hear when you open one rear window driving down the highway, some have described it as a helicopter sound, low frequency and more of a feeling vs a loud sound, hurts in the ears and head. The sound is rather invasive for me and is most noticeable driving at slow speeds. Bumpier the road, the more buffeting that seems to occur.

Trying to diagnose the problem I tried many things:

• Reseated the freedom panels
• Reseated the windshield
• Reseated the hard top and verified bolts were tight
• Inspected all the door seals
• Verified the windows rolled up all the way
• Sound intensity didn’t change with AC on fresh vs recirc
• Opening windows a little bit didn’t change the intensity
• Even with all the windows open I thought I could still hear it although much harder to notice with the additional noise from outside

I had a feeling it was from the hard top flexing as the Jeep went over bumps in the road. I test drove a different JLU Rubicon from the dealer and heard the same sound, this provided a little data that this wasn’t isolated to just my vehicle. A couple people from the sales team said they could hear the buffeting but apparently was difficult for them, perhaps hard to describe the sound or it impacts everyone differently.

To test my theory of the flexing hardtop I took some hard foam and pillows to wedge above the roll cage and support the hardtop. Adding support over the sound bar didn’t make a difference, adding support over the rear seats made a huge difference! The section over the rear seats is the largest unsupported section of the hardtop, the pillows would push up on the hard top as well as limit it’s movement driving down the road. First time in a week of owning my JLU Rubicon is silent!! Normal road noise, etc is audible abut the buffeting sound is gone or severely limited. Driving to work the next day was glorious!! The JL really is a solid and silent vehicle, I’m impressed.

Although pillows shoved over the roll bar isn’t a long term solution it does focus efforts for the dealer to find a solution. My guess is the lighter hardtop doesn’t have as much material to prevent this type of movement. Not sure on a long term solution, seems that is up to FCA. For now I replaced the pillows with packing foam to provide relief pending a real solution.

Hope this helps others who hear the buffeting sound gives a test to see if they have the same hardtop flex issue. I’ll pass this info along to the dealer on my visit to get it documented.

 

[Cody6597]

I gotta say for those that are really worried about the things that aren’t perfect about this thing they are so worth putting up with. This is my 3rd generation as an owner and this thing is bad ass! Imperfections aren’t even noticed when your just enjoying it.

 

[Dynomite1371]

Exactly. I'm in the same boat. 4th household wrangler (3 previous JKs-1JL). I'm fine with the annoying wind noise. Now that I'm running 35in cooper stt pros I hardly notice it. However a very strong cross wind will cause a whistle that is not "a jeep thing". For mine the cross wind has to be so strong that it actually moves the jeep in the lane in order for it to happen.

Oddly enough I have not heard my crosswind whistle in a while. And there have been some days equal to those that seemed to cause it in the past. The only thing I have done is drop the windshield to install the Alien sunshade, which went in nicely and I leave it there with the hardtops installed as well. But other than that, nothing really new. Ive inspected the seals thoroughly and nothing really jumps out. Maybe the dropping and tightening the windshield bolts helped, one was really loose (meaning not real tight). Who knows......

 

[Dynomite1371]

There are many different hardtop sounds people are talking about in this thread. What is this post about?

• Wind noise while driving on the highway. <- Not this
• Whistling from the top while on the highway <- Not this
• Wind noise from a crosswind <- Not this
• Buffeting sound while driving slow or fast <- This!

Within driving a 100 feet in my new 2018 JL Rubicon I noticed a buffeting sound. The sound is similar to what you hear when you open one rear window driving down the highway, some have described it as a helicopter sound, low frequency and more of a feeling vs a loud sound, hurts in the ears and head. The sound is rather invasive for me and is most noticeable driving at slow speeds. Bumpier the road, the more buffeting that seems to occur.

Trying to diagnose the problem I tried many things:

• Reseated the freedom panels
• Reseated the windshield
• Reseated the hard top and verified bolts were tight
• Inspected all the door seals
• Verified the windows rolled up all the way
• Sound intensity didn’t change with AC on fresh vs recirc
• Opening windows a little bit didn’t change the intensity
• Even with all the windows open I thought I could still hear it although much harder to notice with the additional noise from outside

I had a feeling it was from the hard top flexing as the Jeep went over bumps in the road. I test drove a different JLU Rubicon from the dealer and heard the same sound, this provided a little data that this wasn’t isolated to just my vehicle. A couple people from the sales team said they could hear the buffeting but apparently was difficult for them, perhaps hard to describe the sound or it impacts everyone differently.

To test my theory of the flexing hardtop I took some hard foam and pillows to wedge above the roll cage and support the hardtop. Adding support over the sound bar didn’t make a difference, adding support over the rear seats made a huge difference! The section over the rear seats is the largest unsupported section of the hardtop, the pillows would push up on the hard top as well as limit it’s movement driving down the road. First time in a week of owning my JLU Rubicon is silent!! Normal road noise, etc is audible abut the buffeting sound is gone or severely limited. Driving to work the next day was glorious!! The JL really is a solid and silent vehicle, I’m impressed.

Although pillows shoved over the roll bar isn’t a long term solution it does focus efforts for the dealer to find a solution. My guess is the lighter hardtop doesn’t have as much material to prevent this type of movement. Not sure on a long term solution, seems that is up to FCA. For now I replaced the pillows with packing foam to provide relief pending a real solution.

Hope this helps others who hear the buffeting sound gives a test to see if they have the same hardtop flex issue. I’ll pass this info along to the dealer on my visit to get it documented.

You have the "wind buffering noise". Unacceptable.

 

[muskynut]

There are many different hardtop sounds people are talking about in this thread. What is this post about?

• Wind noise while driving on the highway. <- Not this
• Whistling from the top while on the highway <- Not this
• Wind noise from a crosswind <- Not this
• Buffeting sound while driving slow or fast <- This!

Within driving a 100 feet in my new 2018 JL Rubicon I noticed a buffeting sound. The sound is similar to what you hear when you open one rear window driving down the highway, some have described it as a helicopter sound, low frequency and more of a feeling vs a loud sound, hurts in the ears and head. The sound is rather invasive for me and is most noticeable driving at slow speeds. Bumpier the road, the more buffeting that seems to occur.

Trying to diagnose the problem I tried many things:

• Reseated the freedom panels
• Reseated the windshield
• Reseated the hard top and verified bolts were tight
• Inspected all the door seals
• Verified the windows rolled up all the way
• Sound intensity didn’t change with AC on fresh vs recirc
• Opening windows a little bit didn’t change the intensity
• Even with all the windows open I thought I could still hear it although much harder to notice with the additional noise from outside

I had a feeling it was from the hard top flexing as the Jeep went over bumps in the road. I test drove a different JLU Rubicon from the dealer and heard the same sound, this provided a little data that this wasn’t isolated to just my vehicle. A couple people from the sales team said they could hear the buffeting but apparently was difficult for them, perhaps hard to describe the sound or it impacts everyone differently.

To test my theory of the flexing hardtop I took some hard foam and pillows to wedge above the roll cage and support the hardtop. Adding support over the sound bar didn’t make a difference, adding support over the rear seats made a huge difference! The section over the rear seats is the largest unsupported section of the hardtop, the pillows would push up on the hard top as well as limit it’s movement driving down the road. First time in a week of owning my JLU Rubicon is silent!! Normal road noise, etc is audible abut the buffeting sound is gone or severely limited. Driving to work the next day was glorious!! The JL really is a solid and silent vehicle, I’m impressed.

Although pillows shoved over the roll bar isn’t a long term solution it does focus efforts for the dealer to find a solution. My guess is the lighter hardtop doesn’t have as much material to prevent this type of movement. Not sure on a long term solution, seems that is up to FCA. For now I replaced the pillows with packing foam to provide relief pending a real solution.

Hope this helps others who hear the buffeting sound gives a test to see if they have the same hardtop flex issue. I’ll pass this info along to the dealer on my visit to get it documented.

Another interim fix may be a swimming noodle, They are about 2.5 to 3 inches thick, may come in black, white or whatever.

Have you checked the latches that secure the front 2 tops to the rear. Is it loose, can it be tightened, can you place something between them to shim it to increase tension.

Lucky and thankful mine is silent, and i must say that the JL acoustic glass has a big improvement over the JK.

 

[matrix311]

Any updates on this?

 

[JeepOntheBeach]

I tested it this morning using the Decibel Meter app and I got an avg of 66 and 70 on two different runs going 72mph on a highway with moderate traffic. I personally don't think my Jeep has the wind noise people are complaining about. I do hear the wind at higher speeds, but it doesn't really bother me. I have the upgraded windshield and the Mopar Headliner. I'll test my BMW tomorrow to see the difference.
Hope that helps.

I have a similar experience as you. I have a Sahara with hardtop, Mopar headliners and Mopar roof rack. I hear whistling from wind around 65-70 mphs coming from the roof. I used a decibel app it is is about 70, which I think is pretty normal since it’s a Jeep. With music on I barely notice it. I would think some whistling at high speeds is normal especially since I have a roof rack. Not very aerodynamic.

 

[Bluebear]

Buffeting Sound Update

I did take my vehicle in to the dealer to see if they could hear my buffeting sound and to get the issue documented. I’ve since upgraded my foam that mitigates the problem very well and it doesn’t drive me crazy. Obviously not a permanent solution but it does reduce my urgency and increases my driving enjoyment immensely!

I found some polyethylene foam that was used as packing material. Polyethylene is rigid, flexible, and won’t break off in chunks. I stacked two pieces to end up with a 24 inch long, 4 inch deep, 3.25-3.5" tall block. When I put that over the rear roll bar in the middle the pressure you’d feel in your head at low speeds and over bumpy roads disappears. This is the data I use to be pretty confident it’s the hard top flexing that is causing the issue.

When I took my JL into the dealer they did remove my old foam blocks, inspected all the hard top and door seals, drove around trying to duplicate the sound. Unfortunately they said they couldn’t duplicate the sound. My guess is the description that was written on work order didn’t translate well to what they should hear/notice. Also probable the sound/feeling impacts people differently and it didn’t bother them.

Either way here is a reasonable solution for the moment that doesn’t look half bad.

 

[JeepJL18]

You can barely notice the big foam.

 

[ChattVol]

Buffeting Sound Update

I did take my vehicle in to the dealer to see if they could hear my buffeting sound and to get the issue documented. I’ve since upgraded my foam that mitigates the problem very well and it doesn’t drive me crazy. Obviously not a permanent solution but it does reduce my urgency and increases my driving enjoyment immensely!

I found some polyethylene foam that was used as packing material. Polyethylene is rigid, flexible, and won’t break off in chunks. I stacked two pieces to end up with a 24 inch long, 4 inch deep, 3.25-3.5" tall block. When I put that over the rear roll bar in the middle the pressure you’d feel in your head at low speeds and over bumpy roads disappears. This is the data I use to be pretty confident it’s the hard top flexing that is causing the issue.

When I took my JL into the dealer they did remove my old foam blocks, inspected all the hard top and door seals, drove around trying to duplicate the sound. Unfortunately they said they couldn’t duplicate the sound. My guess is the description that was written on work order didn’t translate well to what they should hear/notice. Also probable the sound/feeling impacts people differently and it didn’t bother them.

Either way here is a reasonable solution for the moment that doesn’t look half bad.

I would be curious to know if adding dynamat and a liner to the whole roof portion would help. However, that would probably add 30-40 lbs to the weight of the hardtop.

 

[RubenZ]

I gotta say for those that are really worried about the things that aren’t perfect about this thing they are so worth putting up with. This is my 3rd generation as an owner and this thing is bad ass! Imperfections aren’t even noticed when your just enjoying it.

Honestly what did people expect with a Wrangler? I sometimes questions why people even buy these things only to complain why aren't they like luxury sedans.

 

[ChattVol]

Here’s where I’m at today.

After getting the jeep back from service, I took the liberty of taping off every conceivable seam in and around the front windshield frame and front door seals, as well as the top freedom panels.

After crawling through the backseat, I drove it about 15 miles; I live in Kansas and it’s moderately breezy all the time, maybe 8-10mph. I got up to highway speeds, and at 65mph I was reading 69-71 for decibel levels.

I felt as if there was a reduction in the whooshing noise, but there was still noticeable wind noise from the front windshield.

I’m no mechanic, or aerodynamic engineer, and I know Jeeps are like driving a brick down the road, but I still felt as if the sound was slightly louder than it should have been.

My next plan is to begin untaping, until the full wind whooshing noise returns.

I'm considering beefing up all the seals to reduce windnoise on my jlus with hardtop. Were you able to find a solution? I'm getting an avg of 74 decibels at 75mph on smooth asphalt hwy in calm conditions. I did a 8 hour road trip today and it's very annoying. I want to fix this bad!

 

[Wfd1244]

I'm considering beefing up all the seals to reduce windnoise on my jlus with hardtop. Were you able to find a solution? I'm getting an avg of 74 decibels at 75mph on smooth asphalt hwy in calm conditions. I did a 8 hour road trip today and it's very annoying. I want to fix this bad!

I never did find a solution. I’ve just been living with it. I plan to drive a 2019 JL when they come out to see if there is any difference. Surely it has to be more people that notice the wind noise, because at 75 mph it’s VERY noticeable! But I came from a Jeep TJ with soft top, so I just assumed the hard top was quieter. I have the hothead headliners and they don’t really do anything to the rushing, buffering noise from the wind. I may end up swapping my hardtop for a soft top; if I’m gonna hear wind noise all the time, I may as well be able to flip the top up and down easier.

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