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I've also pulled the trunk bucket and put butyl on the outside - zero benefit to this.
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Ear pain/Pressure help
- Thread starter justobuf
- Start date
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- sound proofing
Left plastic cap - clockwise
Right plastic cap - counter clockwise
Datapoint, first attempt! Summary: Big improvement! I was able to reduce boominess thanks to @ilovecoffee 's idea of the vinyl tubing stent (how I describe it to my friends) in the rear hatch seal. That's all I've done; nothing else. Huge reduction in boominess and car is that much better to drive. 2023 MYLR with 19" gemini wheels (Continental tires) - I registered an account here just to share my experience.
Details: Already had a 2019 Model 3 base which we've put 43,000 miles on it. Added this 2023 Model Y LR to our stable in January. It has 1100 miles on the odometer as of today. Longest trip taken in it to date is a 60 mile (each way) trip from orange county to LAX. Otherwise just weekend city driving within a 30-40 miles radius. Every time, leaving our driveway all the way to the freeway, there was always something bugging only me. I described it as "bassy" and "cavernous" and "rumbley" to myself, but nobody else in the family mentioned a thing. I figured I would get used to it or it was in my mind. Did a few searches and finally came across this forum. 3 years, 64 pages, wow! First I tried the 4 hatch stop adjustments, I couldn't tell with absolute certainty if there was any substantial improvement. So 2 days ago I decided to go all-in. Bought vinyl tubing (20 foot coil, $7) and "specialist silicone" wd-40 spray ($9) from Lowes. In the end, it was 3/8" OD (Outer Diameter) that worked best for me. I had first installed the smaller 5/16" OD, but the stent was just rolling around inside the rubber seal and while I think it improved things a little, I wouldn't swear on it. So I removed the 5/16" OD, and up-sized the stent to 3/8" OD which filled the rubber seal better. I then re-adjusted the hatch stops, and I think this is where I'm going to leave things for a while because I'm very satisfied. The rumble is reduced so much that I already saved a D-Shape weather strip EPDM in my amazon cart for later - Now I started noticing wind noise and I need to take it easy. For the record, I did zero noise abatement on our 2019 Model 3, and I enjoy driving the Model 3 a little more. The Model Y is good for passenger space and height. (They're both good cars, bront!)
Question for @ilovecoffee : I actually ordered butyl and started taking apart the passenger side quarter panels. But when I got in there, it already looks like there is a bunch of sound deadening material applied. So I took some photos and put everything back without making any changes. Do you think Tesla has since added extra sound deadening material? Is it something new on my 2023 Model Y that they didn't have on your earlier version? I'm attaching some photos:
Zoomed out to give a sense of space. There's already a lot of sound stopping material on the cabin-facing panels.
There seemed to already be a big fit-to-shape sound deadener installed here. Upon seeing this, I decided to stop, take pics, and put everything back. Did Tesla add this new?
A closeup.
A different angle, with flash light shining on one spot with bare coper painted metal. Tapping there produced a "metallic" sound here, but I didn't make any changes.
Details: Already had a 2019 Model 3 base which we've put 43,000 miles on it. Added this 2023 Model Y LR to our stable in January. It has 1100 miles on the odometer as of today. Longest trip taken in it to date is a 60 mile (each way) trip from orange county to LAX. Otherwise just weekend city driving within a 30-40 miles radius. Every time, leaving our driveway all the way to the freeway, there was always something bugging only me. I described it as "bassy" and "cavernous" and "rumbley" to myself, but nobody else in the family mentioned a thing. I figured I would get used to it or it was in my mind. Did a few searches and finally came across this forum. 3 years, 64 pages, wow! First I tried the 4 hatch stop adjustments, I couldn't tell with absolute certainty if there was any substantial improvement. So 2 days ago I decided to go all-in. Bought vinyl tubing (20 foot coil, $7) and "specialist silicone" wd-40 spray ($9) from Lowes. In the end, it was 3/8" OD (Outer Diameter) that worked best for me. I had first installed the smaller 5/16" OD, but the stent was just rolling around inside the rubber seal and while I think it improved things a little, I wouldn't swear on it. So I removed the 5/16" OD, and up-sized the stent to 3/8" OD which filled the rubber seal better. I then re-adjusted the hatch stops, and I think this is where I'm going to leave things for a while because I'm very satisfied. The rumble is reduced so much that I already saved a D-Shape weather strip EPDM in my amazon cart for later - Now I started noticing wind noise and I need to take it easy. For the record, I did zero noise abatement on our 2019 Model 3, and I enjoy driving the Model 3 a little more. The Model Y is good for passenger space and height. (They're both good cars, bront!)
Question for @ilovecoffee : I actually ordered butyl and started taking apart the passenger side quarter panels. But when I got in there, it already looks like there is a bunch of sound deadening material applied. So I took some photos and put everything back without making any changes. Do you think Tesla has since added extra sound deadening material? Is it something new on my 2023 Model Y that they didn't have on your earlier version? I'm attaching some photos:
Zoomed out to give a sense of space. There's already a lot of sound stopping material on the cabin-facing panels.
There seemed to already be a big fit-to-shape sound deadener installed here. Upon seeing this, I decided to stop, take pics, and put everything back. Did Tesla add this new?
A closeup.
A different angle, with flash light shining on one spot with bare coper painted metal. Tapping there produced a "metallic" sound here, but I didn't make any changes.
ilovecoffee
Member
Awesome. Yeah that foam you can bend backwards out of the way...probably better illustrated on the other side without the subwoofer in the way. I did pull it back in my video. You don't have to completely detach it to install butyl, just simply bend it back to reveal the wheel well underneath and apply butyl there. Then put the foam back.
Thank you! Apologies, I missed it. Went back re-watched and saw you do it at 21:23 this time around. I really appreciate you sharing your experience! I bet you're helping a lot of people with your simple vinyl stent idea. The stent is such a huge improvement that I want to rest on my laurels for a few months. I'm going to wait to start the butyl application project when warmer weather arrives.Awesome. Yeah that foam you can bend backwards out of the way...probably better illustrated on the other side without the subwoofer in the way. I did pull it back in my video. You don't have to completely detach it to install butyl, just simply bend it back to reveal the wheel well underneath and apply butyl there. Then put the foam back.
I went to Home Depot a couple of days ago and picked up some 5/16 OD tubing now wondering if I should exchange it for the 3/8 OD tubing since I haven't started this project yet on my wife's 2021 Model Y. I got the sense from watching the video that the 3/8 OD was a bit tight and difficult to thread through the existing gasket. Any input?
ilovecoffee
Member
I suggested 5/16" because I felt that for maybe for 50% of people might get too much resistance in the latch mechanism with 3/8"
But if it works/fits I still suspect better results with 3/8"
Vinyl installation advice: The "Specialist Silicone" WD-40 spray I got comes with an integrated straw. The gasket has tiny little air holes spaced out along it every foot or so. I "spritzed" each hole along the gasket to lube up the insides. Be sure to also lube up the tubing before inserting! I was able to go all the way around with one piece, starting from the middle bottom and just keeping momentum, pushing and pushing. To prep the tip of the tubing, I basically just cut it to be shaped like a boba straw.
It was a little difficult to pull the 5/16 OUT after I decided I needed to go bigger to 3/8. I guess the silicone had dried or settled a bit. My advice: If you're gonna go... go big!
2023 MYLR7. I followed the guidance here and installed 5/16 OD (3/16 ID) tubing with the help of WD-40 "Silicone Specialist" spray (I tried using dupont drip silicone lubricant first, but it was hard to avoid getting it everywhere -- and that little straw on the Silicone Specialist fits right into the holes). It was pretty easy slipping in the tube, and any time it got stickier I just had to figure out where to squirt a little lube. I ended up doing 2 pieces, each roughly half (left and right sides from top middle down)
The result is noticeably less "boominess", especially over rough surfaces at lower speeds. I was a little worried about how much additional pressure it would add to the trunk latch, but it seems alright -- the pop is not angry sounding and the trunk has never struggled to close. In retrospect I probably could have done 3/8" tube, but who knows if that would have caused issues closing or excess stress on the latch. Overall happy with the result.
As a trivia/data point -- I did not encounter any factory-installed tubing inside my seal already.
On a side note, I had already done sound deadening on the doors and trunk area, and the benefit of the vinyl tube mod is incremental. Thanks ilovecoffee for this additional suggestion!
The result is noticeably less "boominess", especially over rough surfaces at lower speeds. I was a little worried about how much additional pressure it would add to the trunk latch, but it seems alright -- the pop is not angry sounding and the trunk has never struggled to close. In retrospect I probably could have done 3/8" tube, but who knows if that would have caused issues closing or excess stress on the latch. Overall happy with the result.
As a trivia/data point -- I did not encounter any factory-installed tubing inside my seal already.
On a side note, I had already done sound deadening on the doors and trunk area, and the benefit of the vinyl tube mod is incremental. Thanks ilovecoffee for this additional suggestion!
I couldn't leave well enough alone. I got a 3/8" OD (1/4" ID) tube and tried it out. I ended up going back to the 5/16" OD (3/16" ID) tube afterwards due to angry pop and inconsistent trunk closing.
Some notes:
- Removing the 5/16" tube took a little bit of work, more silicone lubricant and working to free the tube from any seal wall it was stuck to (especially prevalent along the bottom near the bumper. It helped to pre-emptively spray corners and jiggle the tube before trying to pull it out. I also had to push from the opposite end to help work it out
- The 3/8" tube fit more snugly in the seal, and I didn't have any issues inserting it using the same methodology as before. If anything, the larger diameter seemed more flexible and easier to work.
- Unfortunately, the trunk wouldn't close completely on it's own after installation. I could push down to help it lock, and after a few tries it was able to start locking on it's own again. Trying to open and close it a bunch I had it fail to close one out or every 5-6 times.
- Unfortunately, the "pop" upon unlatching was much more angry sounding, and the trunk would visibly pop out too. This made me a bit uneasy about strain on the latch and it seemed loud enough to perhaps even wake sleeping passengers. It's possible it would quiet with use, and I didn't leave it in long enough to give it a chance to break in.
- Hatch stops had to be adjusted, and one was really loose with the 3/8" tube. The trunk-side panel gap was big enough to protrude a bit and caught my eye (with 5/16" it didn't)
- I took a test drive before swapping back to hear the difference. It was a little less boomy with 3/8" vs. 5/16", but there was still some boom left on rough surfaces. If I had to estimate I would say 5/16" tubing took care of 60% of boominess, 3/8" got us to 75% and there was still 25% left.
This.
Following this post I actually realized these two stops are adjustable and noticed that they were mis-aligned (one turned down while the other to the side) most likely from the factory. Just aligning them reduced the boominess significantly, to the point that although I have a vinyl tubing ready I'm not sure I even want/need to install it.
I'll also add that as far as pressure goes, this was a meaningful to silver bullet solution for me. Vinyl tubing + hatch stop calibration didn't do the trick, but turning the left plastic cap clockwise and the right plastic cup counter clockwise did. I'm inclined to believe that the combination of all these steps was necessary.
Unfortunately for me the boominess of the cabin is truly a separate issue. Putting a 12lb. sound blanket into the under trunk storage area helped a bit, and laying it over the entire rear trunk area helped but not quite as much. Either way it's quite clear that the boominess is not an issue isolated to the rear hatch or trunk areas. Indeed putting down the sound blanket made me realize how much of the sound actually comes from the front of the car.
I'm quite interested to try to front wheel well noise insulation though I can't imagine it'll offer much more than a decibel improvement. There is something fundamental and almost mystical about the low frequency sounds that run through this vehicle.
I think that doing the opposite, the left one counter-clockwise and right one clockwise, gives a good result too. The worst seems to be when they both turned to the same direction.
Might be that doing the envelope test is not good enough as it just tells us whether the stop is making a contact but not by how much surface to surface. We provably need to test it like the dentist with the marking paper that marks what surface of the teeth touch each other
bpon89
Member
I think you were spot on everything I experienced during the install. Went with 3/8" OD at first and there was this huge gap on my trunk even after adjusting the hatch stops. The angry pop sound, yes very angry. While installing the tubes I ran into these factory soft black rubber 5/16" tubes along both sides. I have an MYLR June 2020, one of the earlier models. I didn't even realize the "boominess" until I took a drive to Las Vegas and the ear pressure was there and my empty water bottles kept popping. I did the trunk deadening and might have lost a rubber piece or changed something because I didn't have this issue before.
I pulled out the 3/8" OD after realizing I can't live with this big gap and angry pop sound. Dropped in a 5/16" OD in super fast and did slight adjustments to the hatch stops, not sure if I've done the adjustment correctly so I need to research the videos more and don't have much driving experience with the boominess yet but the vinyl tubes are in there whether they work or not I'm leaving it alone.
Attachments
Hi everyone
I found this thread a while back when I still had my model 3 and had noticed the problem when I drove a Y and found it quite interesting.
Then I forgot about it and sold my 3 to buy a Mach E. big mistake, bad ear pain and discomfort that everyone here has. The mach e has adjustable stops on the hatch and it is motorized so I adjusted them all the way in it was an improvement. But I just didn’t like the car so gave it back (so glad I did ).
Fast forward I just picked up an old Range Rover Classic and drove it cross country. Sure enough same problem with my ears.
I adjusted the rear hatch in tight no change.
It is definitely air pressure and I will try and find the problem as the truck is a summer toy and I love it.
Maybe a solution will help here as well. Will keep you posted
Thanks
I found this thread a while back when I still had my model 3 and had noticed the problem when I drove a Y and found it quite interesting.
Then I forgot about it and sold my 3 to buy a Mach E. big mistake, bad ear pain and discomfort that everyone here has. The mach e has adjustable stops on the hatch and it is motorized so I adjusted them all the way in it was an improvement. But I just didn’t like the car so gave it back (so glad I did ).
Fast forward I just picked up an old Range Rover Classic and drove it cross country. Sure enough same problem with my ears.
I adjusted the rear hatch in tight no change.
It is definitely air pressure and I will try and find the problem as the truck is a summer toy and I love it.
Maybe a solution will help here as well. Will keep you posted
Thanks
insaneoctane
Well-Known Member
@ilovecoffee or anyone else who successfully fixed the hatch booming....I'm a new owner of a 2023 MY and have almost immediately noticed the booming/resonance over rough roads. Like, WOW. This vintage comes with the parcel shelf already installed. Anyway, I figured I'd start with adjusting the stops to see if that might make an improvement. I used an envelope and pulled the upper from outside the car to avoid the weather stripping from influencing the results and then pulled the lower stops from within the trunk. All 4 were super tight....as in I couldn't pull the envelope out. I didn't rip it, but am confident it would have torn before slipping out. This seems like the ideal situation if rigidity is the goal, yet my car booms. Can anyone offer a thought as to if reducing the pressure on the stops to where the envelope pulls out (with force) would help the problem? Didn't make sense to me, so didn't bother loosening them, but thought I'd give the forum a chance to suggest maybe I should of thought about it differently...
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Something interesting is I never got around to putting the tubing in the seal, and now that I am up to ~4k miles driven the booming has pretty much gone away. I don't know if it is the total miles, or if it was because we recently had a snow/ice storm and I drove ~50 miles over horribly rough packed snow/ice, which was horribly boomy, and maybe that broke things in. Because now the car seems much quieter over all road types.
@ilovecoffee Thanks for the info on the fix. Obviously I have not done it yet, but regarding inserting the vinyl tubing, wouldn't it be easier to just pull the seal off and insert it then reinstall the seal? This way you can sort of straighten up the seal to make the tube slide in easier.
