Do you think the engine noise acceptable

[fadingcolor]

Just interested to find out how many of you think the noise level from the GDI Gamma engine is acceptable(in the cabin of course). I personally can't stand the little ticking sound some time, especially in the morning when the engine is cold. When it warms up it is less obvious but it is there i know. Thanks to the nicely tuned 6 speed transmission always keep it under 2000 rpm and the road noise is loud enough to cover that up. However if i am doing low speed driving in the city street or climbing up hills and hv to rev up a bit, the click does always remind me the old car i was driving that has the bearing issue. Otherwise it is a great car to drive

[Aegisranger]

I've had my '13 Rio5 LX Manual for a week now and I can't believe how quiet it is. My daughter has a '10 Elantra and my Rio is much quieter, both engine noise and road noise.

[OzSLS]

small cars = noisy due to lower torque requiring it to rev harder

i don't see it is a big problem - it's quiet enough at cruising speed

[fadingcolor]

Originally Posted by OzSLS

small cars = noisy due to lower torque requiring it to rev harder

i don't see it is a big problem - it's quiet enough at cruising speed

May I say the cold weather contribute to some noise as well?

[Aegisranger]

Originally Posted by OzSLS

small cars = noisy due to lower torque requiring it to rev harder

I had a Toyota Matrix XRS with a 180hp 1.8L that reved to 8,500 rpm, and I ride a bike that revs to 12.5k. I think that my Rio has good torque at lower RPMs than I expected, therefore I find myself short-shifting the manual transmission at really low rpms and i still have good acceleration. Around town I rarely see 3,000 rpm and I'm usually ahead of the other traffic.

I'm still in the break-in period for my new Rio, so I've only tested the upper rpm's a few times (little car pulls pretty good up to 100mph or so) but I didn't find it too noisy at upper rpm's either.

Fadingcolor, I don't get the 'ticking' noise that you discribed... no ticking at all. Mornings here have been approx. 50 degrees F.

[OzSLS]

yes i know what you mean, it has almost diesel like lower torque, but in my area there are a lot of hills and you have to rev each gear out a bit to prevent bogging down when you shift. My post was more a general rule of smaller engines. In my opinion, and i've said it to my wife a few times, the engine isn't very noisy at all and i never understood what all the fuss was about with being noisy etc.

the ticking of the engine just seems to be a characteristic of the direct injected gamma 3. Although for me it can only be heard when you're outside the car. When inside it's smooth and refined.

i also short shift when possible, and it copes fine, but if you need to get it going in a hurry, high rpm is your friend. Second gear in the 6M is the hero gear, third pulls hard too. It's a great little car.

[OzSLS]

Originally Posted by fadingcolor

May I say the cold weather contribute to some noise as well?

i can only comment as to my climate. Here it's winter, and the lowest it got here was 2 degrees C. Wasn't any noisier than any other time, but your climate is much colder.

[Daddy-O]

The ticking may largely be due to the GDI fuel pump located right in front of the driver. Some companies report adding extra sound insulation to their pump areas.

Other than the fuel pump, I think the little 1.6 itself sounds quiet enough.

[Racineur]

Originally Posted by Daddy-O

The ticking may largely be due to the GDI fuel pump located right in front of the driver. Some companies report adding extra sound insulation to their pump areas.

Other than the fuel pump, I think the little 1.6 itself sounds quiet enough.

Thanks for giving the location of the fuel pump. Didn't know that. Yesterday, I left the engine running, got out of the Rio and walked around it. Yes the ticking is annoying and can be heard a lot. I came back in the car, closed the door and windows and I swear I didn't know if the engine was running or not. To me, the insulation is impressive. But I have to admit: strong accelerations = noisy engine but at least no vibration whatsoever. I can compare with my old Neon's engine. At idle, the car was shaking and I could have a massage only by touching the steering. Needless to say the incredible plane like noise when accelerating or kick downing. But gee, was that engine powerful! For now, I'm very satisfied withe the Rio's engine noise.

[diabloninja]

I don't mind the noise, can barely even hear it inside the car while driving. Then again, I've found a few Kawasaki motorcycles in my time and the ticking of their valves, even when properly adjusted, sounds like a production line punching out metal plate.