Suzuki Swift Sport’s Road Noise

I bought my beloved Suzuki Swift Sport in October. It drives well, handles tight turns easily, the manual transmission is fun to operate, and the cost performance is unbeatable—I’m very satisfied overall. But there was one thing that bothered me: the road noise and wind noise were quite loud.

Even just driving around town, the road noise is pretty noticeable, and on the highway, you can hear wind noise coming from the doors quite clearly. Because of this, it was hard to hear the Swift Sport’s engine sound, which was really disappointing. (Maybe the muffler hasn’t fully broken in yet, too.)

The ride comfort isn’t bad at all—in fact, I like it better than the Note e-POWER NISMO S we had before, which was softer and smoother. But because the road noise was loud, I thought, “Driving several hundred kilometers on this would be tough,” and I ended up deciding not to take the Swift Sport to the Porsche Experience Center Tokyo.

Then my husband said, “There’s apparently a way to dramatically improve the Swift Sport’s road noise!” and showed me a YouTube video.

According to it, there’s a product you can buy at Autobacs that’s relatively inexpensive and lets you tackle road noise yourself. So my husband bought the product introduced in the video and immediately started installing it.

What’s more, our eldest daughter, who isn’t interested in cars at all, said, “I like crafts, so I’ll help,” and the two of them worked on the installation together.

Measures to Improve Swift Sport’s Quietness

The products we purchased were:

– Shizune Keikaku Road Noise Reduction Mats (L size & M size)
– Shizune Keikaku Road Noise Reduction Set
– Shizune Keikaku Wind Noise Prevention Tape

My husband bought them on Amazon

【Amazon.co.jp限定】エーモン(amon) 静音計画 ロードノイズ低減マット リア用 車用フロアマット デッドニング 約480×1300mm 厚さ約3mm 1枚 4815 黒

created by Rinker

エーモン(amon)

• Amazon
• 楽天市場
• Yahooショッピング

エーモン 静音計画 ロードノイズ低減セット ラゲッジルーム用 軽自動車用 2692

created by Rinker

エーモン(amon)

• Amazon
• 楽天市場
• Yahooショッピング

Following the video’s instructions, the two of them carefully installed everything.

They tapped on the exposed metal plate in the trunk to find where the sound resonated, then applied sound-absorbing tape there,

Applying the silver tape

and inserted rubber strips to prevent wind noise on both doors.

Our daughter patiently helped out

Since our daughter wanted to do it herself, the installation took about an hour.

Thank you! Mom is so happy…!

Afterwards, we took it for a test drive, and the road noise was suppressed far more than I expected.

The proof? You can actually hear the engine sound clearly.

This is amazing. Honestly, I didn’t expect such a big effect from an investment of about 10,000 yen. Incredible.

The wind noise was also reduced, but on the highway, it was still a little noticeable. However, I think that’s partly because I was driving a very quiet Cayenne every day right before switching to the Swift Sport, so I was comparing the two.

Still, it’s much more comfortable now, so I’m very satisfied.

My husband also bought a “New Swift & Swift Sport (SWIFT) Dedicated Interior Rubber Mat” and installed it inside the car.

【説明書&保証付】2017新型スイフト&スイフトスポーツ(SWIFT)専用 インテリアラバーマット ゴムマット【白色/蓄光】 ドアポケットマット コンソールマット ホワイトSUZUKI スズキ(ZC33S/ZC13S/ZC53S/ZD53S/ZC83S/ZD83S)

created by Rinker

Jusby

• Amazon
• 楽天市場
• Yahooショッピング

The red stitching matches the interior nicely. Wow, there really are all kinds of things out there! (laughs)

Customizing the Swift Sport to Our Liking

Regarding Porsche, my husband often says:

I fully trust the engineers at Porsche’s Weissach Research Center. They’ve done countless tests and created the best possible product, so I don’t modify my Porsche—I just drive it as is.

But with the Swift Sport, from what I’ve seen online, it seems the manufacturer’s stance is more like, “We’ve built it solidly to a certain extent, but now it’s up to you to customize it to your liking.”

Maybe it’s a car meant to be tinkered with.

In fact, my husband said:

I think if we stiffen the suspension on this Swift Sport, it’ll drive even better! Let’s try adding that part next time! Also, changing the tires will improve the handling even more. What about the muffler? Is it fine as is? But, hmm, I think the engine sound could be a bit louder!

He’s even more excited about it than I am (laughs), so I’m sure we’ll be customizing it again soon. I’ll share that on the blog later.

By the way, here’s the YouTube video we referred to for the soundproofing measures. It was very helpful—thank you so much!