I'm not sure if this is a problem common to most SUVs, but it's pretty annoying. With all your windows up, roll down one of your back windows and start driving on the freeway. Some sort of resonance is created with the air flow and the cavity formed by the cabin and a pulsating, chopper-like sound is created, very similar to the sound of a helicopter. Now roll down the other back window and the resonance becomes deafening, literally pounding away at your eardrums.

I wonder if other SUVs also suffer from this "chopper resonance".

 

The Toyota Landcruiser has a problem with this as well. If you crack the front windows it will go away.

 

This is not limited to just an SUV but every car,I noticed in all the cars I have Accord,HCH.The horrible sound it makes and the irritating impact on your ears.

 

Many vehicles have this problem. It's the ole blowing across the beer bottle top and get a sound. Change the path of the air and get a different resonance. Chilly's solution is the right one.

 

Han,

This occurs in most sedans as well when a rear window is opened. You've created a whistle (at a very low frequency).

JeffD

 

Happens in my Ford Escape Hybrid... I had a holy s**t moment the first time it happened because I'm used to A.) a small size sedan and B.) hand crank windows, not power windows. Thus, I'm exiting the highway in my FEH and open my windows to prepare for <50mph travel without A/C and "whoom whoom whoom whoom..." in my ears. Yeah, that was fun. I did the same thing -- opened the opposing rear window thinking that would equalize the pressure and kill the sound, but it got worse.

Not complaining, though. Once I realized that particular windows down arranement at speed caused the noise, I just stopped doing that. Driving with the driver's side window fully down and the passenger's cracked or open 1/2 or less doesn't result in the noise though I can trigger it with certain configurations of the sunroof. Best not to mess with the sunroof while driving anyway, so that problem's resolved too.

 

hi

yes, we noticed it too!!!! sounds exactly like a helecoptor is hovering overtop your car. We decided to roll up the windows, or wear earplugs.....

 

Keep your windows up. The sound will go away and you will get better gas mileage. On the highway it is better to run the AC with the windows up than to have you aerodynamics ruined with the windows down.

Of course real men drive with the windows up and the AC off!

PS sometimes real men don't smell very good.....

 

Can't... it's 99 degrees here in San Antonio, Texas. Either it's A/C (not Max. A/C which forces the ICE on however) or windows down. Otherwise, I'm signing up to be roasted alive.

I don't drive with windows down above 50mph. And since most of my driving is done <50mph, my windows are down most of the time.

I was a wimp around 1 PM yesterday with my mother (just got out of the hospital) and brother in the hybrid... hit Max A/C because the car had been baking in a parking lot at the grocery store and I didn't put my sunshade up. HOT HOT HOT! That was the first time I'd ever favored cooling over fuel economy by engaging the FEH's Max. A/C mode. For a South Texan in what appears to be one of the "classic" hellish summers, that's not too shabby.

 

I'd never really had this problem in the previous cars I'd driven, I'd often have the rear windows down to allow some air flow without having the wind in my face. First time I lowered one of the rear windows in the FEH at speed, not only did it cause a reaction from me, but it freaked one of the kids out who were in the back seat.