I ordered my truck in Sept of 03 and took delivery in Dec of 03 and my dad ordered his in Feb of 04 and took delivery in March of 04. Both trucks are Lariat SuperCrew's and have the exact same options. The only difference is the paint color and my pimp aftermarket stereo system.

I saw his truck for the first time this past weekend and when I drove it I noticed a couple differences:

1. His steering felt a little tighter or stiffer - I'm assuming this is because I've got 8,000 miles on and he's only got 2,000.

2. The sound proofing quality of his cab seemed to be less than mine. While driving I could hear more road noise and engine/exhaust growl. It seemed to primarily come in from the back seat area.

I checked to make sure all the windows and doors were closed tightly but nothing seemed to change.

When I opened his back doors they were noticeably 'lighter' than mine. By this I mean they didn't seem to open or close as heavily. I also noticed that when closing a door (any door) it didn't seem to close with as much cab pressure resistance. The only way I can explain this is to say that when I close a door with all of the windows closed it feels like traps a little air in the cab. When a window is open this doesn't happen.

Has anyone else noticed this difference?

Is it possible that Ford is cutting back on some of their insulation and sound proofing to cut costs?

 

I will agree with you Twellmann. I test drove 3 2004 FX4 trucks in late December-early January. Each truck was Scab with the same tires just different interiors. While doing 80mph down the interstate I was shocked at the lack of wind noise, almost deathly quiet! So I order my truck and it arrives March 24th, test drive it on the same interstate at 80 mph and the wind noise was horrible compared to the 3 previous trucks I test drove. I went ahead and purchased the truck thinking it was in my head, but its not getting any better. I've heard some guys say they had to have their windshields replaced because of faulty gaskets, which might explain my excessive wind noise. However, I've not had any problems from behind the seat with road/wind noise.

But I honestly believe Ford changed something on Job#2 trucks (like I have and your dad) from the original design on the Job#1 trucks (like yours).

 

I got my truck in March, built 2-04, and it's absolutely quiet. 4X4 Lariat SCab.

 

I bought my truck in mid-April (6230 miles ago) and thought it was quiet until yesterday. I finally had my left ear clear up from an infection and now I can hear. WHEW...the wind noise from the rear seat area was almost overwhelming....just like TWellmann wrote about his truck. I bought some 1/2" foam insulation tape at Home Depot and adhered it to all contact areas adjacent to the Ford insulation around the doors. Problem solved. No more wind noise.

 

It just might be the audiophile. I read somewhere on this forum that in the past Ford would soundproof the trucks better that came with upgraded stereos. Also when I was doing my search, several of the salespeople wanted to sell me trucks without the Audiophile. I causally mentioned that I wanted the Audiophile because Ford soundproofed the trucks better (not really knowing that as a fact). They replied in the affirmative. Also I notice that my new Lariat is a little bit quieter than my former XLT and the Lariat I test drove without the Audiophile. At least that could be a theory since yours has the Audiophile and your dads doesn't?

 

My lariat with the audiophile is quiet except for the wrangler gy lt tires.....I hear the aggressive tread design a little bit......

 

Hovy, try this website Tirerack.com They have a rating system using customer reviews. Take an hour and go through all the options as it takes some time to learn the website. Once you do it's great. You can search for sport, off road, or highway tires. For example I'm in the Highway All Season tire category because I want lowest noise and best comfort. I found the best tire for my Lariat s/c 4x2 would be the Yokohama Geolander H/T-S G052 with a noise rating of 8.8 and ride comfort of 8.7. The tires I already have are nice so I'll keep them before upgrade (BFG Radial Long trails). Good luck.

 

Thanks!! Toreador

 

Both of our trucks have the audiophile system and we've both got the upgraded, more aggressive tires.

 

Hmm, that's interesting. Did both trucks come from the same Ford factory? Mine is a Job #2, but was much more solid than my former XLT and the other Lariat I test drove. I also wonder why the differences.

 

I assume they came from the same factory. I believe all SuperCrew trucks are made in the Kansas City plant...don't remember who told me that, I think the dealer.

 

Makes you wonder if when they run short on some of the Lariat parts, they might throw in some XLTs to finish up a production run. Strange, but I had the same experience between different Lariats.

 

Well, I see I am not the only one with major wind noise. We have a Yellow 4x4 FX4 SuperCrew - its quite. A Red Laiat 4x4 SuperCrew - its quite. And a White Lariat 4x4 SuperCrew - It is one of the noisest vehicles I have ever been in! Both wind noise and hot air wind leaks everywhere, and well as tons of engine noise, and drive train noise. Thats TWO super quiet ones , and ONE very noisey one.

It seems Ford is unable to make two good trucks in a row!

 

HoustonPerson, I noticed the same thing. My XLT was quiet, but the Lariat is quieter. I kind of expected that because of the two different models. But the first Lariat I test drove was very similar in noise to the XLT. And the doors were similar in the "weak' sounding closing. My current Lariat doors shut nice and solid with that reassuring "thunk" sound. Strange to say the least.