AWD front motor sounds

[Msjulie]

I realize the audience to respond to this post is currently small - just wondering if anyone has noticed the different sounds the front motor makes. I believe the front has a medium high frequency 'beep' that is regular at mild throttle on the highway and then just becomes a similarly pitched but constant 'whine' under greater load

Generally I have music on and don't really notice drivetrain sounds but today it was radio-silence due to passengers and a conversation onboard.

I do believe the loaner S's we had also make some electric whine sounds, but it's been a while. Also don't recall them having a rhythmic pulsing to them either..

 

[mblakele]

I do believe the loaner S's we had also make some electric whine sounds, but it's been a while. Also don't recall them having a rhythmic pulsing to them either

FWIW I don't hear the front motor in my TMS 90D at all until 80-mph. At and above that speed it has a distinctive medium-high pitched whine. I can generally hear it over any music. The tone is constant with constant speed, no pulsation.

 

[chillaban]

FWIW I don't hear the front motor in my TMS 90D at all until 80-mph. At and above that speed it has a distinctive medium-high pitched whine. I can generally hear it over any music. The tone is constant with constant speed, no pulsation.

This isn’t meant to be a weird question, but what age group are you in, roughly?

FWIW I hear motor noise in my previous 70D, my current 100D, and every S/X loaner I’ve had at all ranges. There are certain speeds that are exceptionally loud.

We just took delivery of a RWD 3 and find it a lot quieter at all speeds. There’s almost no droning high pitched whine, just faint PWM switching noise at higher speeds but usually drowned out by road noise.

 

[suwaneedad]

This isn’t meant to be a weird question, but what age group are you in, roughly?

FWIW I hear motor noise in my previous 70D, my current 100D, and every S/X loaner I’ve had at all ranges. There are certain speeds that are exceptionally loud.

We just took delivery of a RWD 3 and find it a lot quieter at all speeds. There’s almost no droning high pitched whine, just faint PWM switching noise at higher speeds but usually drowned out by road noise.

This ties-in with one of my pre-delivery concerns about RWD Model 3. Coming from a LEAF (FWD), which is quite loud as far as motor whine, I was wondering how my RWD 3 would compare. No comparison...SILENT. I'm curious how much whine comes into the cabin from AWD; I'll learn when my buddy's arrives soon. I hope for him that it is quieter than my LEAF.

 

[mblakele]

This isn’t meant to be a weird question, but what age group are you in, roughly?

FWIW I hear motor noise in my previous 70D, my current 100D, and every S/X loaner I’ve had at all ranges. There are certain speeds that are exceptionally loud.

We just took delivery of a RWD 3 and find it a lot quieter at all speeds. There’s almost no droning high pitched whine, just faint PWM switching noise at higher speeds but usually drowned out by road noise.

Last time I checked, I could hear up to at least 15-kHz and down to at least 30-Hz. My age is just about middlin’. Haven’t caught myself shouting “what was that sonny?” as yet, but there’s always tomorrow.

I can hear the rear motor at pretty much any speed. The front one not until 80 — or if I turn on range mode. In range mode I can always hear the front motor.

Other variables might include manufacturing variance and the amount of lead in one's foot. But I’m thinking about cruising at a constant speed. You probably already know that there's a whole thread of people swapping anecdotes and speculation about this:

Are the news Ds finally quiet (no front motor noise)?

 

[Msjulie]

This isn’t meant to be a weird question, but what age group are you in, roughly?

You know that recent internet meme The True History of 'Yanny' and 'Laurel' I hear Laurel FWIW

My daughter also heard it, it's not loud it's just there. The description of it pulsing at no/mild load vs constant on acceleration is best I could come up with to explain it..

Car goes in Wednesday for a couple minor things so I'll ask what they think I should hear, or not..

 

[TEG]

I don't really hear any motor noise in my RWD model 3.
When I test drove a P-AWD model 3, I heard some high pitched front motor "whine" when accelerating hard.
It was somewhat subtle and unobtrusive.

 

[xpitxbullx]

Laurel, Laurel, Laurel, Laurel...

 

[TEG]

We Made a Tool So You Can Hear Both Yanny and Laurel

 

[Msjulie]

Oh yeah I remember this page - I first thought it was kinda saying Lanny

Who thinks this stuff up..

 

[ryanjm]

I don't really hear any motor noise in my RWD model 3.
When I test drove a P-AWD model 3, I heard some high pitched front motor "whine" when accelerating hard.
It was somewhat subtle and unobtrusive.

This is exactly my experience (and opinion) of my P3D. I like the subtle sound of that front motor under acceleration!

 

[Jedi2155]

I test drove a P-AWD on Wednesday and did not notice anything unusual or more whiny than other EVs. I'm 31 so my hearing is still "mostly" good lol. I have driven dozens of EVs (use to be an EV test driver lol), and I'd say it was definitely one of the more quiet ones. Definitely more quiet than my Spark and Volt was.

 

[jimmyz80]

We just took delivery of our AWD 3 and immediately noticed gear whine from the front drive unit. It sounds like my old 1931 Model A without synchromesh, just a lot quieter. You can hear the whine come and go as the gears are loaded and unloaded during acceleration and deceleration. Back seat passengers report they can’t hear it, but it’s borderline annoying from the driver seat IMO.

 

[ℬête Noire]

I'm a bit concerned about this myself with my AWD coming, though the RWD test drive had no signs of it for me.

Sensitivity to these high frequency sounds varies a lot, and not entirely age related (damage over the years can add up but isn't guaranteed to happen).

The roughly 14KHz whine coming off some cathode ray tube computer monitors ( yes I'm that old ) would at times really bother me when most people couldn't even hear them. Not all of the monitors, but I could walk a cube farm and find the one that was "defective" and emitting at a volume I could hear.

 

[boriszima]

My AWD makes noise from front motor especially under brisk acceleration. that does not bother me, but i do wish it would be more silent.

 

[TheLocNar]

Wish it sounded like the Saleen S.

 

[golfpilot]

This thread is funny to me. Coming from a FWD Tesla drivetrain, the seemingly “on off” motor noise. It doesn’t bother me at all. On the 3, the motor is much quieter than the rav

 

[Daniel in SD]

Mine makes a beeping noise at low throttle or no throttle and low speeds. I figure it’s just freewheeling the front motor most of the time and it’s gear whine. Maybe the gearbox backlash isn’t adjusted quite right. I don’t think it’s loud enough to hear at highway speeds.

 

[jimmyz80]

Mine makes a beeping noise at low throttle or no throttle and low speeds. I figure it’s just freewheeling the front motor most of the time and it’s gear whine. Maybe the gearbox backlash isn’t adjusted quite right. I don’t think it’s loud enough to hear at highway speeds.

Yep I think beeping is the best way to describe it, and it’s definitely gear whine that comes and goes as load changes. At higher speeds it’s less noticeable since it’s a constant noise under constant load. At low/changing speeds it’s annoying because it becomes a “beeping” as you describe it.

It’s certainly a LOT louder than my AWD Model S.

 

[ForeverFree]

Definitely aware of it ... but seems less loud than on SxxD.