i was kinda surprised that it was really loud inside compared to a coupe. i was checking all the windows to see if they were not shut all they way or something. is it loud inside normally?

 

Pretty much yeah, it's a convertible. It's gonna be louder than a hard top. Fabric stretched tight over a metal frame doesn't block sounds nearly as well as sheet metal.

Just put the top down and crank the stereo. Then you'll never know the difference. It is how the car is made to be driven.

 

Put the top down and crank up the supercharger. That's how the car is made to be driven!

 

you're right!!! I should always have my top down and listen to the sweet sound of the supercharger and milltek exhaust!!

 

yes, especially if you're running the milltek.
as noted, just put the top down and be thankful that you have a MINI that still whines and burbles
(hate to say it, but that R57 is gonna be one boring cabrio)

 

+1 BRING BACK THE BURBLE

 

Yeah, this is my 3rd convertible and it is the least refined one of the lot so far (Saab, Audi before). The other two were not nearly as fun as the MINI though! If you have funflats get rid of them as soon as you can. It will reduce the noise a tad and make the ride soooo much better.

 

or minifvr you can park your mini in philly and have the insurance company buy you new tires after they are stolen. hehehe.

 

To me it sounds much louder with the top up. With the top up, the road noise seems to be more pronounced and concentrated behind my left side, to the point where i think something is open.

I agree with the previous posters, top down as much as possible and turn up the radio, unless your enjoying the burble and whine.

Post pictures please. It's proper NAM etiquette.

 

Yah, it's loud. I drove for the first time today in the rain, and it was nearly too loud to have a conversation.

Small price to pay for the other days of fun!

-Holly

 

I don't consider mine loud at all. Louder than a tin top perhaps, but surprisingly quiet for a soft top. About the only noise at all with the top up is when a car or truck with loud tires passes me and is right next to the portion of the roof behind the rear window. Otherwise it's pretty quiet.

 

I must be the only cabrio owner that has a quiet MINI.
I drove a loaner R56 recently and found it to be extremely loud compared to my 07 MCSc, so much
so that I asked the SA if it was normal for the R56 to be so much louder than the R52.

They're answer was that the R52 has more sound proofing built in compared to the R56.

Go figure, maybe it was just the roads that I was on that day with the loaner.

 

Having driven a Miata for 10 years, I find my Cabrio very quiet with the top up. I've been driving a tin top 07 loaner for the last 10 days & it makes all kind of noises

Lois

 

Agreed, it's all relative. As a former Miata owner the MINI Convertible is like a Lexus compared to the Miata in noise suppression.

 

I noticed that the noise is a little more than the coupe but I would not trade my cabrio for anything. Drop the top and enjoy.

 

X3.... The miata compared to my cabrio is the same comparison as my C4 Corvette was to my C5 Corvette.

The cabrio and C5 are MUCH more refined in comparison. I personally can't get over how quiet mine is. It was one of the first things I noticed when I bought it.

But then again, like I mentioned earlier, I was used to my Miata.

Mark

 

hehe...sly one.

 

The mini is my first cabrio, and it was quite jarring the first time an 18 wheeler passed me on the interstate with the top up -- it was freakin loud.

BUT, with the top down, I feel so much more connected with the driving experience and hearing everything that's going on instead of being isolated from the sound.

 

I love when I am driving down the back roads in Maine, and I can hear the birds in the trees as I drive by. That alone makes the cabrio worth it.

 

I hate to say it, but I am the guy who drops the top and puts the windows UP. I know... you don't have to remind me about how un-cool that is, but I love how clear the stereo sounds or how a conversation is so easy without yelling. Around town I'll drop the windows, but on the highway it is nice to have a mix of outside and inside noise, and not hear every pebble stuck in a tire of a truck I'm passing.

 

We've tried it a few times, mostly to appease the backseat passenger, but I always get the sensation (top down-windows up) that I'm driving the Pope -Mobile.

 

I doubt the glass is bullet proof though... I wouldn't want to try it out to see.