Current 2022 Si owner looking for thoughts on the Integra

[Tylershuman07]

So I’ve had my Integra for 2 weeks now and before that I owned a 2020 Civic Sport Touring 6MT for almost 3 years. The sport touring was the top trim for the civics so it has the best noise deadening of the civics. I also pay a lot of attention to sound quality and noise levels in the cabin of all of my cars. I haven’t tried the Bose sound system in the Si but I have had many Bose sound systems in my cars before. I also don’t ever buy a car unless it has a premium sound system. I can say with certainty that the ELS sound system will be a lot crisper and clearer than the Bose. I am very impressed with the ELS. Bose always has way too much bass and not enough clarity, the ELS gets all of the levels right. The cabin noise in the Integra is certainly better than my 2020 Sport Touring although it’s not a night and day difference. At highways speeds it’s a little noisy over really bad pavement but as long as your on average pavement then it’s completely fine. I do think that if you got noise-oriented tires on the integra you would be totally happy with the noise levels. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Editing to answer Question #1 in your post: No, upgrading the Integra for noise levels alone would certainly not be worth it. It’s not going to be a big enough difference.

 

[OEMjoe]

Most of the road noise is from the OEM tire and rim size. I'd prefer a 17" with better tire for comfort but the 18" looks nice

 

[addy27190]

So I’ve had my Integra for 2 weeks now and before that I owned a 2020 Civic Sport Touring 6MT for almost 3 years. The sport touring was the top trim for the civics so it has the best noise deadening of the civics. I also pay a lot of attention to sound quality and noise levels in the cabin of all of my cars. I haven’t tried the Bose sound system in the Si but I have had many Bose sound systems in my cars before. I also don’t ever buy a car unless it has a premium sound system. I can say with certainty that the ELS sound system will be a lot crisper and clearer than the Bose. I am very impressed with the ELS. Bose always has way too much bass and not enough clarity, the ELS gets all of the levels right. The cabin noise in the Integra is certainly better than my 2020 Sport Touring although it’s not a night and day difference. At highways speeds it’s a little noisy over really bad pavement but as long as your on average pavement then it’s completely fine. I do think that if you got noise-oriented tires on the integra you would be totally happy with the noise levels. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Editing to answer Question #1 in your post: No, upgrading the Integra for noise levels alone would certainly not be worth it. It’s not going to be a big enough difference.

Very much appreciated buddy. That’s the kind of perspective I’m looking for. Gives me some reference points. Thanks !

I certainly don’t expect a luxury car quietness from a Honda. But I have owned the latest gen Mazda 3 and also spent quite a bit of time in the new Corolla and the VW cars like the GTI and GLI and they are all much better in reducing noise. Anyway, there’s no perfect car out there, so can’t complain.

 

[soloist80]

As a person that grew up with 80's and 90's cars, NOT having cabin noise drives me nuts. I utterly hate driving in a silent cabin when I can't hear the road and things going on around me. Makes me claustrophobic.

I have tinnitus from years of playing in bands without earplugs in my younger days, so having a really quiet cabin drives me nuts. For me, the level of cabin noise in this Integra is perfectly fine...hahahaha

 

[RRP RSX-S]

Yes noise is totally subjective and hence I posted this question here on the forum. Where I am coming from is being able to enjoy the nice ELS sound system or the decent Bose system in the Si. For me, I love clarity in music and don’t really need to play it very loud. And for that purpose the NVH in atleast the Si is quite poor. From what I’m gathering so far, even the integra seems to be in the same boat.

so just trying to make my mind up before I let the Si go.

I keep my ELS volume between 5 and 7. It sounds great. I hear zero outside noise.

 

[heatrate]

I have the 2023 6 MT and the noise is very noticeable on the freeway to the point it negates the great sound system. The hifi bottom end noise is way to high. My 2004 TSX which I sold for the Integra was a great car and is the superior car. The Integra is a good car but for some reason Acura didn't Acurize the Integra from the Si though it priced it as such. I have 1000 miles on my car and wanted a manual but due to the noise I probably wouldn't buy.

 

[addy27190]

I have the 2023 6 MT and the noise is very noticeable on the freeway to the point it negates the great sound system. The hifi bottom end noise is way to high. My 2004 TSX which I sold for the Integra was a great car and is the superior car. The Integra is a good car but for some reason Acura didn't Acurize the Integra from the Si though it priced it as such. I have 1000 miles on my car and wanted a manual but due to the noise I probably wouldn't buy.

thanks for replying. I actually ended up selling off my Si. Haven’t gotten inside the Acura yet but everything I heard points to it not being anywhere in the luxury class as far as NVH goes. So I might have to look elsewhere for a 6 MT option.

 

[dathoneycomb]

Maybe check out a 2018+ VW GTI. They are pretty solid and quiet for how small they are. I test drove a new Integra and ended up going with a Golf R instead. The Integra wasn’t bad, but it felt more like a Civic than I expected. The luxury bits are kind of a facade.

 

[TheRas900]

The first gen TSX was magic - I was really hoping the new Integra would be similar. I think the Integra drives just as good, but the materials are definitely a step below the TSX. I still miss my 07 6MT which I sold in Feburary 2021.

 

[Tylershuman07]

The Integra wasn’t bad, but it felt more like a Civic than I expected. The luxury bits are kind of a facade.

That’s the whole point of the Integra. It’s somewhere between a civic and a true luxury car. Which is why it’s sold at a price that’s between the civic and a true luxury car. If you want a ground-up luxury car you’re going to have to pay more than $37,000.

 

[heatrate]

The only issue I have with the Integra is the noise at freeway speeds. This could have been addressed during the development stage that a couple hundred $ of insulation would have solved. I suspect that the Director for the project was bowled over by others in Honda and overruled with concerns to noise and how hifi systems actual function on the road. This car is an excellent driver and has the fun to drive aspect that is missing in so many cars.

 

[Tylershuman07]

Tbh I don’t know why they didn’t just put less noisy tires on the car from factory. No extra development cost and would make a big impact on a lot of people’s opinion on the noise levels in the cabin.

 

[SteamedHams]

Tbh I don’t know why they didn’t just put less noisy tires on the car from factory. No extra development cost and would make a big impact on a lot of people’s opinion on the noise levels in the cabin.

It's not just the tires, but more of the car not having much insulation in the floor. On a smooth surface, there's actually not much tire roar and wind noise is fine. However, on regular pavement the road noise is pretty bad. I'd go as far as saying it's worst-in-class when it comes to NVH and road isolation.