Acceleration Whine Caused by gears, not motor

[derekt75]

Is this the sound here?

Tesla Model S Performance Amazing Test Drive! Chicago IL. 7-26-12 - YouTube

Definitely sounds like it's from the inverter. There's no other way it would have such a constant frequency and volume.

The sound that comes on around 46 mph and lasts into the low 50s?
and then on the next launch that comes on mid 30s and lasts into the 50s?
It's possible that's what my car was doing, but the noise from the car in the video is so quiet it's hard to say.
The way it came on suddenly above a certain power threshold and stayed at a constant frequency does match my experience, but the volume, frequency, and harmonic content seem a bit different.
I'd say the car in the video was behaving normally.

My car had a few days where there was a loud whine. It really did sound like a stretched out balloon.

 

[scaesare]

The P85 I test drove did this when i jumped on it... I got the impression it was an electronic whine from the inverter more so than anything mechanical... the Tesla employee accompanying me said it "was normal"...

It will be interesting to see if my non-perf does the same thing... and if not I wonder if it's because the standard version doesn't deliver the same amount of power... or if the issue was something that was "fixed".

I consider it the 21st century hi-tech equivalent of a perfomance engine rumble.

 

[jhs_7645]

Is this the sound here?

Tesla Model S Performance Amazing Test Drive! Chicago IL. 7-26-12 - YouTube

Definitely sounds like it's from the inverter. There's no other way it would have such a constant frequency and volume.

I cannot hear the ‘air out of the balloon’ sound in that video.

 

[MichaelS]

Yes, that is definitely the sound I hear in my car quite often now.

Is this the sound here?

Tesla Model S Performance Amazing Test Drive! Chicago IL. 7-26-12 - YouTube

Definitely sounds like it's from the inverter. There's no other way it would have such a constant frequency and volume.

 

[Stoneymonster]

I cannot hear the ‘air out of the balloon’ sound in that video.

I only hear that noise if the FM radio is on.

 

[cinergi]

Is this the sound here?

Tesla Model S Performance Amazing Test Drive! Chicago IL. 7-26-12 - YouTube

Definitely sounds like it's from the inverter. There's no other way it would have such a constant frequency and volume.

Yes that's the "inverter noise" ...

 

[EarlyAdopter]

It's high frequency harmonics created by forming a sinusoidal wave form of significant amplitude and frequency, pumping it over several connections, and dumping it into windings in a motor. With that much current, something's going to oscillate. Even if the inverter in the Model S produces a pure sine wave there will still be some distortion, especially under heavy load.

This is what you're hearing when you floor it. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[huntjo]

It's high frequency harmonics created by forming a sinusoidal wave form of significant amplitude and frequency, pumping it over several connections, and dumping it into windings in a motor. With that much current, something's going to oscillate. Even if the inverter in the Model S produces a pure sine wave there will still be some distortion, especially under heavy load.

This is what you're hearing when you floor it. I wouldn't worry about it.

This forum is so nerdy. I love it here!

 

[remarc]

Show me the Sine!!!! Get mine this Saturday and I can't wait to complain about this with you guys! I actually heard this when I test drove MOdel S. I asked the representative and he said I don't hear anything. LOL

 

[Raven]

RE: gear/drone noise at highway speeds.

Brought car into the service center for windshield replacement (FINALLY), and they also looked at the noise I get at highway speeds again since it wasn't fixed/diagnosed last time I brought it in around February. They isolated the noise to some kink? in the drive unit and basically just replaced that. Looking forward to picking up my car this afternoon!

TonyWilliams - just saw your video, yep, I had the exact same noise on my Model S at highway speeds both when applying any accel or when it was regen braking.

I have the same drone noise. 60-65 and 80 mph are where it's loudest. Other speeds are almost inaudible. I've rotated tires trying to rule out a bad bearing. When that didnt help, we replaced the bearing. No luck. I have the non-perf 85 with 19".

I too have the whine under heavy acceleration. Onset was at about 300 miles. I kinda like it.

 

[MichaelS]

Hi,
I finally got a chance to do some test runs in an attempt to isolate the drive system squealing conditions.

First, the squeal is NOT related to the traction control. It does it with it turned on or off.
Second, in my car, the power level the squealing starts can change. Most of the time is starts about 160 kW, once it did it as low as 80 kW.
Third, I did some full power runs with an accelerometer. As far as I can tell, it does not affect acceleration. I am reading about .71 G. My understanding that this is about right for a 60.
Fourth, during the 5 or so test runs, the first few runs the squealing started as soon as I hit the accelerator. When I first started the car, and started driving to the "special spot", the car did not squeal at all.
Fifth, the last two runs the squealing did not start until the speed was between 60 and 70 mph.

Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[JohnnyMac]

Just heard this squeal last night under heavy acceleration on my 3 week old P85, VIN 10xxx. 1000 miles now and had not heard this sound until last night. The "letting the air out of the balloon squeal" description is EXACTLY what it sounds like.

Has anyone had this issue resolved by Tesla Service yet?

 

[MichaelS]

I am scheduled to take my car in on Monday to have them fix this problem. My car does it about 98% of the time now. Wednesday I stopped by the service department to take one of the techs for a ride so he could hear the noise. Would you believe the car was quiet as mouse! Finally after about 20 minutes of driving and a couple of 0 to 60 accelerations it finally started doing it. And once it starts, it does not stop making the noise during heavy acceleration until the car is turned off and sits for a while.

We will see if they can determine the problem and fix it. It's pretty clear that since the cars don't do it when they are new, something is changing in the drive system.

Just heard this squeal last night under heavy acceleration on my 3 week old P85, VIN 10xxx. 1000 miles now and had not heard this sound until last night. The "letting the air out of the balloon squeal" description is EXACTLY what it sounds like.

Has anyone had this issue resolved by Tesla Service yet?

 

[mnx]

The "balloon" noise has been around since the first test drive cars were built. AFAIK it's not an issue that can be solved.

I am scheduled to take my car in on Monday to have them fix this problem. My car does it about 98% of the time now. Wednesday I stopped by the service department to take one of the techs for a ride so he could hear the noise. Would you believe the car was quiet as mouse! Finally after about 20 minutes of driving and a couple of 0 to 60 accelerations it finally started doing it. And once it starts, it does not stop making the noise during heavy acceleration until the car is turned off and sits for a while.

We will see if they can determine the problem and fix it. It's pretty clear that since the cars don't do it when they are new, something is changing in the drive system.

 

[MichaelS]

You are absolutely correct that this squeal has been around since the early cars. I heard it on my test drive. When I asked about the noise, I was assured that it occurred because it was a beta car and it would be fixed in the production cars.

Unfortunately, I share your pessimism about the ability/willingness of Tesla to fix this problem. I believe it's a design problem and will be a very difficult to diagnose.

But I want to give Tesla a fair chance and hopefully prove me wrong.

Personally, I'm tired of driving a car that squeals like a pig. It's really embarrassing.

The "balloon" noise has been around since the first test drive cars were built. AFAIK it's not an issue that can be solved.

 

[EarlyAdopter]

Personally, I'm tired of driving a car that squeals like a pig. It's really embarrassing.

Time to sell it then and go back to a gas car that farts like a trumpet under heavy acceleration.

 

[brianman]

Personally, I'm tired of driving a car that squeals like a pig. It's really embarrassing.

What's the asking price for your blue 60?

 

[Stoneymonster]

Time to sell it then and go back to a gas car that farts like a trumpet under heavy acceleration.

Ha! (By the way, your car was two off the line ahead of mine )

 

[mknox]

Time to sell it then and go back to a gas car that farts like a trumpet under heavy acceleration.

In fairness to MichaelS, I think there are "desirable" car sounds, and "undesirable" sounds. When I was a kid, a big throaty V8 was cool while we used to laugh at the sewing machine whine of little rice burners. That of course has changed, and now I think the absolute silence coupled with massive acceleration is way cool. I think the combination of a balloon deflating sound coupled with acceleration would not sit well with me either.

 

[MichaelS]

Not yet ready to throw in the towel guys. All I have to do to not hear the noise is not get on the throttle. Something I do rarely anyway.

I'll find out next week what Tesla has to say about this issue. I will keep everyone updated.