it would be great if there was a list of cars that have the quietest cabins.
currently so that we can try them. We have changed to an i30 and to us it is very noisy. I’ve noticed my tinnitus is worse since we had it.
I’ve tried silicone ear buds and though it’s quieter in the car i still get a spike afterwards. I’m worried about my exposure and wether I’m damaging my hearing even further in this car.
We’re changing cars which is expensive and distressing. We don’t want to make yet another expensive mistake so I’m looking for ideas we can follow up.
budget is up to £10k
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I don’t know, healthseeker, but I do know that my T is always worse after exposure to noise of more than (say) an hour. Like a coach or plane journey . I believe it’s because the brain is seeking to hear the noise that it got from the car/coach/plane and the T gives it this. Goes away after a while.
A life lived fearing action because it might exacerbate a problem is not a happy life - or that’s my view.
For example my big toe is “fixed”. The joint is almost immovable. A few hours after a long walk the pain is excruciating. But this doesn’t stop me from walking as the pleasure and health benefits are greater than the pain.
Your right on the money with this. The more we avoid things that we think makes tinnitus worse, whether it be car trips, food, activities, sports etc, the more important we make the tinnitus. Thus resulting in a life were tinnitus rules. It took me the best part of a year to work this out! CBT calls these avoidance measures, and the more of them we introduce, the more prevalence we give to the tinnitus, and the less fulfilled our life becomes. Its difficult sometimes, but I am trying to get rid of these avoidance behaviours and get back to doing the stuff I always did.
I could have wrote your post myself as I am also looking for a new car that sounds more comfortable to me. I have compared sound measurements on a car a friend owns with this chart and the reading I got was louder than the chart said. I blame that on bad road conditions. I'm also not sure how accurate that list is. I recently bought a sound metre but I think your our ears and brain will give you an idea. I've found this whole car finding a bit stressful, and expensive... but then having no car or a car you can't drive is also stressful.
I have an EV which is really quiet although I can still hear the road noise which is what I think is something you will still hear whatever car you get apart from high end cars that are very expensive, I know EV’s are not for everyone, we have had ours for 5years and love how smooth and easy it is to drive, I just looked on Auto Trader and they have a whole load of them, some as low as £7k, strangely enough we also had a Hyundai i30 when we swapped for the Zoe, I hope you find something soon as I know how a journey in the car can make tinnitus worse.
Hi, I have a huge issue with my ‘reactive’ tinnitus. Car journeys have always been a problem for me since my onset. I currently own a 2015 Citroen DS5, the DS3 is the more common smaller model. My DS5 has laminated front side windows. There is some Perspex or another material in between two pieces of glass so it’s almost like triple glazing. I’m not sure if the DS3 has the same but may be worth a look. I’m convinced my car is quieter than others, and I dread a journey in my wife’s car for that reason. Quite specific I know but hope this helps, there may well be other manufacturers that offer the same or similar
I don't know about quieter car models but meantime have you tried noise cancelling headphones to reduce impact and intensity of noise from the engine and road? I have severe T&H and my ears react to all noise during and after. I can not go in a car without my Bose QC 45's ANC headphones. I can only manage short journeys but these really do help with the noise and impact a car journey has on my T&H.
Good luck with the quest for finding a quieter car, will be interesting to know if there's one out there.
I think tyres play a big part in the situation..I think I read somewhere that winter tyres are softer and help with road noise...but use more fuel...and high end tyres can be very noise reducing..but don't qoute me...I've read lots in my quest for a quieter car.
I completely agree withlunaVI,I have exactly the same noise cancelling headphones, I really could not travel in the car without them. I also drive in them .at first I thought it might not be within the law to drive with them on ,but have looked into it and it is ok, they really do help so much,well worth trying them.
What I would look for is the NVH rating of cars in your budget.
According to Wikipedia, NVH is defined as follows
Noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), also known as noise and vibration (N&V), is the study and modification of the noise and vibration characteristics of vehicles, particularly cars and trucks. While noise and vibration can be readily measured, harshness is a subjective quality, and is measured either via jury evaluations, or with analytical tools that can provide results reflecting human subjective impressions. The latter tools belong to the field psychoacoustics.
Interior NVH deals with noise and vibration experienced by the occupants of the cabin, while exterior NVH is largely concerned with the noise radiated by the vehicle, and includes drive-by noise testing.
Wheels magazine did an NVH test of a bunch of cars in 2022 so it might be a good guide to what makes to test drive and see for yourself if they're quieter than your current car.
I can't seem to paste the link to the article but if you do a Google search for "NVH test of cars in 2022" or something like that, it should come up with some useful results.
I suspect an Electric vehicle would be quieter. Try getting rides with friends who have different cars so you can check them out before you get ready to buy. That way you can at least eliminate some. My husband has a Chevy Volt which is quieter than my Honda, but I think a lot of it is tyres on the road, about which I know nothing!
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Spinal Stenosis
newly diagnosed tinnitus 
Hello from Jenny in Western Australia 
