At interstate speeds (60+) and when only the rear windows are down, my 2013 RDX creates wind noise so loud that it hurts my ears. Has anyone experienced this problem/found a solution??

 

Yes, it is like a harmonic distortion. But we are not alone. There are many cars that have this noise problem with the rear windows down.

 

I had it with my prior ride Lexus RX 300. My 2015 RDX does it also. A hint, I'll share with you . When the noise starts, roll up the rear windows. Particularly at 60+mpr. The ac works quite well.....

 

Open one of the front windows just a little, it should stop the noise.

 

This has happened on pretty much any sedan or SUV I have owned. It is fairly common.

 

This is the wonder of aerodynamics. In older, less wind slippery cars, the noise was less evident.

Today, opening a window disturbs the airflow and causes the buffeting you hear and feel. In an oversimplified description, the air enters the car and has no place to go. What you hear is the air in the car "fighting" with the air around the car.

Either find the sweet spot between a fully open window (or sunroof) and the point where there is little noise or open another window.

 

I haven't had a car which didn't have this issue. This should be included as a feature of all cars in the manual.

 

This, or crack the sunroof. With only one window open you've got a blowing-over-a-Coke-bottle effect where the cabin (and your ears) pressurizes/depressurizes rapidly. Cracking another window somewhere else creates an escape port for those pressure fluctuations.

 

Exactly - it is known as a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmholtz_resonance.

 

Is this your first car? 50 years ago my Dad would yell at me whenever I would roll down the rear windows - no A/C in our cars, and Da was a heavy smoker. Why do you want to do this anyway - just wondering? try it at 100mph for real excitement.