I have read here that Acura adds some sort of faked engine sound to make the car seem sportier. At the same time, they added a lot more insulation to the 2022 model. Has anyone given thought to a way to disable this and make the car quieter?

 

Only way I'm aware of is through the driving modes. Comfort being quietest/least amount of engine noise "augmentation" and sport having the most.

While Acura lets you configure some settings individually, engine noise isn't one of them. I wish they offered more granularity for the various drivetrain/suspension settings!

Edit: I don't have an RDX, but a TLX. I assume the infotainment/car settings configuration, etc. are the same from a software perspective, but I could be wrong.

 

No, you are correct. This wouldn't be a setting. It would be a "mod". Driving around town, I have found the comfort mode a bit too sluggish for me so I leave it in Normal. I will likely switch to comfort on longer highway trips. But, I was just thinking that if Acura can pump fake sound into the car, someone clever can figure out a way to disable that.

 

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-rdx-.../#post16376452

This is what I did. I don’t know if there’s another way, but it was easy enough to do.

 

Thanks. So you unplugged the box on the bottom which disabled ANC AND the fake engine noise? Do you feel it helped or made it worse? And what year RDX do you have (as the 2022 supposedly added more sound-deadening panels)? Thx.

 

Unplugging the ANC “box” will kill the fake engine noise ……..BUT……..will also kill the noise canceling system. So it is likely you will experience an unwanted undesirable cabin drone noise under certain driving conditions. The drone is a low frequency noise. ANC cancels the drone.
Smooth pavement, at highway speed, high gear, light throttle tip in, is the one of the driving conditions. To many drivers the drone is very noticeable. This down side has been written up in several prior threads.

 

So that is the issue. No one has figured out a way to kill the fake engine noise but keep the ANC. Oh well. Some get the RDX for the "performance" but I got it for the luxury. I would prefer as quiet as possible but I will settle for now. The MDX was more expensive. And, when I was test driving, the XC60, QX50, XT5 and even the Audi Q5 did not sound any quieter. The RX350 did but that was old tech and more expensive. I regret not testing a Buick or Lincoln Corsair but that is why I lease. I will see what is available in <3 years.

 

I didn’t notice much drone, and I had a car with an exhaust that droned and hated it, so I believe I’m sensitive to that kind of thing. What I did notice was that wind noise was more noticeable at highway speeds. I have a 2020 A-Spec. The 2022+, especially the Advance models, might fare better. It takes 30secs to do and then undo, so I’d give it a shot and see how you feel about it.

 

I had a '21 Corsair that was totaled, after owning a 19 RDX. Now have a '22 Corsair. Both Lincolns were/are significantly quieter than the 19 RDX Advance I owned. I buy my cars. I was also somewhat disappointed in the cabin noise/added fake engine noise in the RDX. The Corsair was not available when I bought the RDX. I am very happy with the Corsair.

 

It’s pretty comical that some members of all forums will complain about just anything no matter how trivial or obscure.
Many manufactures add devices or features like ANC, cylinder canceling, eco feature like coasting, eliminate engine braking or dozen other examples …….but……..make no notations, information on its function or operating parameters and then only supply a remote remark in the back of the owners manual. They found the more they explain the more Complaints these devices generate. Don’t know they are there……very few complain.

That said the piped in engine noise should have an on off switch. Unless they piped in the counter noise to cover up another noise ???

The drone became a concern on most vehicles when the trend was lower the highway speed engine rpm with high numerical gearing.
Want to test ANC and it’s effectiveness……..find the all ANC microphones and cover them with tape. Go for extended test drives under various road conditions. See if you can find the noises they are trying to cover up ????? They are there…….once you find them, they are hard to not notice.

 

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-rdx-...ol-asc-993731/

With discussion of pros and cons....

 

100%. My favorite is the complaint about the placement of the blind spot warning lights.

 

This is the only to do it properly

 

Took my first long drive this weekend after disconnecting the ANC. Soooo much better. I almost enjoy the car now. Thanks all.

 

I agree, though I haven’t been on a long drive yet since disconnecting. Will be going on a road trip next week, keeping my fingers crossed. I’m thinking anything will be better than the fake engine noise.

 

When my ANC was still connected, it created a type of sound pressure in the cabin I found fatiguing. I wasn't something I heard but something I felt in my ears. Without the ANC, the car feels much more open. Like what fresh air is to my lungs, not having that artificial, 180°-out-of-phase, pressure/noise is to my ears. Long trips are easier now.

 

Exactly how I feel. I wired in a switch to turn it off and on.. mostly have it off. Being on it does tone down the upper freqs that are a bit enhanced and sound squeeky almost. They must do that to cover up the groaning that some complain about. I never hear the groaning cuz I always have the USB running.