Ear pain/Pressure help

[polyphonic54]

That's how I test my various mods, by pushing my weight into the door to see if I can move it. That being said I think I've done that on someone's Y I helped with only vinyl tubing (not rigid hatch stops) and it did seem much less movable.

Hmm, I haven’t been able to perceive movement in hatches of non-Teslas. Even with a lot of weight it just moves the whole vehicle.

Out of curiosity, have you driven other EVs or hatchbacks since experiencing the booming?

 

[ZenRockGarden]

Hmm, I haven’t been able to perceive movement in hatches of non-Teslas. Even with a lot of weight it just moves the whole vehicle.

Out of curiosity, have you driven other EVs or hatchbacks since experiencing the booming?

Common in wagons - It's a design risk in most vehicles with a large open rear area terminated by a single big door. I think Model Y's are more prone to it partially due to details of design, and partially because we notice it more in the otherwise quiet EV environment. Sedans rarely have it because they lack both the large hinged rear hatch and the big rear open space for resonance.

 

[MyEarHurts]

Tl;DR- No noticeable improvement for boominess

Things I've tried recently and was hoping it would work but didn't.

1. Put weather seal like the factory tail gate on the outer tailgate AND put in 5/16 vinyl tubing, this didn't work, there was a large gap that I can shine light through and it wasn't making contact with the body. So I removed it and put the sticky weather strip/tubing on the body it self and it made solid contact but I didn't readjust the stops as I was in a hurry, and it made things worse. Maybe if I readjust the stop it may have worked but again I don't think this is a trunk flex at this point since I'm going slow enough on the road that I doubt it have enough strength to bounce the hatch open/close.

2. I bought some expandable foam seal (like window seal) and pulled down on the rear head liner, right about the passenger seats. Surprisingly there was hot melt there to dampen noise just like there are in both wheel wells that weren't in MY 2021 model but in my 2022 model. II put the foam seal along the batch moon roof glass thinking it would help "absorb" some of the resonance from the roof but it didn't. If I feel like it I may run it around the whole car. I also put 4 layers of butyl all across the rear under the head liner.

3. I went overkill and put 4 layers of noico butyl which is heavier than kilmat, some even 5 layers everywhere, I mean even behind the seat belt mechanism where there seems to be hollow metal that would resonate, a lot where the bump stops would make contact to the body, everywhere. I stuffed heavy pieces of foam in every crevice I could, 4 layers of butyl on the wheel wells.

The bumps are more solid like a "thud" noise as someone mentioned BUT the boominess is still there, not as bad/loud but when the radio is off and driving I hear the rumble boom going over minor road imperfections.

Next steps but will probably give up, buying quality, thick and heavy plywood and making the rear factory trunk floor covers. I feel that will be better than the factory particle board flooring but I question myself would that help. Again, I noticed it wasn't as boomy when I had 4 heavy bags of garden soil weighing the car down so the boom noise should be coming from the trunk floor. I've noticed that the trunk bin (carpet removed) is very loud when taping on it and I put a bunch of butyl with no improvement as it shouldn't because I realized the tub will never be tapped, it's the vertical movement of the car going up and down that causes the boominess.

 

[Noflash]

I don't have ear pain or headaches, but I do feel that my 9/21 build Y AWD was pretty loud on rough roads. It's a definite boominess, like a drum being hit, and seemed like a lot of it came from the rear. Yesterday, I opened up the back to put 4 layers of 80 mil Kilmat over the rear wheel arches. I was surprised to see there was already a few small spots of sprayed on sound deadener there, along with a thick and heavy formed rubber mat laying over the wheels. It made me skeptical that this would help, but I did it anyway. I did not cover a huge area as it's a bit hard to reach way into the arches, but managed to press and roll about 10"x14" roughly per side, 4 layers thick. I applied the Kilmat directly to the metal arch and put the mats back in place over it. I did not have any foam cubes to be found like in the Munro videos.

After a quick test drive on some choppy roads with lots of frost heaves, I must say it helped a lot more than I thought. I'd say 75-80% of the bumps had much more of a "thud" sound than a more resonating boom or drum hit. I was pleased to hear that! Today, my second project was to slide in 5/16" vinyl tubing around the hatch seal. I lubed things up with spray silicone lube, and managed to go all the way around in 3 parts. I readjusted all the hatch stops to make solid contact and took it for another drive. There is a slight bit of extra body panel gap, and the latch makes a louder pop when opening, but it's hard to notice unless you're looking for that. I'd say that the firmer seal on the hatch tightened things up a bit more. On some bumps yesterday I thought it sounded like the hatch may have been rattling, making the sound over those bumps louder and more "booming". Today, it seemed like almost all of that is gone, and the sound is just more of a solid dull thump over bumps instead of sounding like a drum. Overall I'm pretty happy with the improvements!

I have one layer of butyl all over the inside of the rear wells. I put one layer of foam on top of that. I couldn't tell any difference. When I put it all back together, I was thinking 1 or 2 clips were lost and I probably shouldn't go back in there. Should I rip out the foam and add three more layers of butyl? Can you even fit 4 layers under the subwoofer?!?

 

[ilovecoffee]

I have one layer of butyl all over the inside of the rear wells. I put one layer of foam on top of that. I couldn't tell any difference. When I put it all back together, I was thinking 1 or 2 clips were lost and I probably shouldn't go back in there. Should I rip out the foam and add three more layers of butyl? Can you even fit 4 layers under the subwoofer?!?

In regards to the subwoofer, just don't put too much in this area (screengrab from Munro so ignore the foam is on top)

If you put too much here then one of the screws for the subwoofer won't line up (I know because...that happened to me)

 

[Noflash]

In regards to the subwoofer, just don't put too much in this area (screengrab from Munro so ignore the foam is on top)

If you put too much here then one of the screws for the subwoofer won't line up (I know because...that happened to me)

Thanks. How many layers do you have? Feel like it's just the bottom panel that needs it or all around?

 

[MY-Y]

I didn't put anything behind the subwoofer, and just one layer of butyl on the wheel wells, cavity wall and top. I also put foam on the cavity walls and top. It made a really big difference in tire noise.

It made such a big difference on tire noise that I may go back in there and make sure all areas over the wheel well are covered.

I cannot speak to the difference with boominess as my rigid stops already fixed that issue.

 

[ilovecoffee]

Just test drove a freshly delivered October 23rd 2022 Model Y Long Range of a friend.

Not sure if it's the new suspension but it didn't feel as harsh as I remember my stock suspension being.

Also noted that the ear pressure sensation is still there, and he noticed it as well. And the hatch stops seemed aligned just fine (making good contact on paper on all 4). I'll be fixing it for him. Too bad the issue is still there on a fresh delivery.

 

[GoldenBoy]

Tl;DR- No noticeable improvement for boominess

Things I've tried recently and was hoping it would work but didn't.

1. Put weather seal like the factory tail gate on the outer tailgate AND put in 5/16 vinyl tubing, this didn't work, there was a large gap that I can shine light through and it wasn't making contact with the body. So I removed it and put the sticky weather strip/tubing on the body it self and it made solid contact but I didn't readjust the stops as I was in a hurry, and it made things worse. Maybe if I readjust the stop it may have worked but again I don't think this is a trunk flex at this point since I'm going slow enough on the road that I doubt it have enough strength to bounce the hatch open/close.

2. I bought some expandable foam seal (like window seal) and pulled down on the rear head liner, right about the passenger seats. Surprisingly there was hot melt there to dampen noise just like there are in both wheel wells that weren't in MY 2021 model but in my 2022 model. II put the foam seal along the batch moon roof glass thinking it would help "absorb" some of the resonance from the roof but it didn't. If I feel like it I may run it around the whole car. I also put 4 layers of butyl all across the rear under the head liner.

3. I went overkill and put 4 layers of noico butyl which is heavier than kilmat, some even 5 layers everywhere, I mean even behind the seat belt mechanism where there seems to be hollow metal that would resonate, a lot where the bump stops would make contact to the body, everywhere. I stuffed heavy pieces of foam in every crevice I could, 4 layers of butyl on the wheel wells.

The bumps are more solid like a "thud" noise as someone mentioned BUT the boominess is still there, not as bad/loud but when the radio is off and driving I hear the rumble boom going over minor road imperfections.

Next steps but will probably give up, buying quality, thick and heavy plywood and making the rear factory trunk floor covers. I feel that will be better than the factory particle board flooring but I question myself would that help. Again, I noticed it wasn't as boomy when I had 4 heavy bags of garden soil weighing the car down so the boom noise should be coming from the trunk floor. I've noticed that the trunk bin (carpet removed) is very loud when taping on it and I put a bunch of butyl with no improvement as it shouldn't because I realized the tub will never be tapped, it's the vertical movement of the car going up and down that causes the boominess.

I think that is because by loading the suspension, you have reduced the source of the boom since it can't rebound as much over bumps. So there is less to echo through the car. If I put 200lbs of stuff in the back, I get the same result.
I've also noticed with the arrival of colder weather, which makes all the rubber bits less ductile, that the noise level is way down.

 

[MyEarHurts]

So I went ahead and did the project and it reduced the boominess by maybe 20%. I spent $90 on a 8 foot sheet of high quality plywood and made trunk covers using the factory ones as a template. I made 2 of each since the sheet was large enough, it's definitely heavy. Under the trunk piece of wood I screwed in mass loaded vinyl with closed cell foam that I had laying around.

I don't know if I should invest $200 in an Ender 3 to make rigid hatch stops.

 

[MyEarHurts]

Just test drove a freshly delivered October 23rd 2022 Model Y Long Range of a friend.

Not sure if it's the new suspension but it didn't feel as harsh as I remember my stock suspension being.

Also noted that the ear pressure sensation is still there, and he noticed it as well. And the hatch stops seemed aligned just fine (making good contact on paper on all 4). I'll be fixing it for him. Too bad the issue is still there on a fresh delivery.

Thanks for posting this! I was wondering if the 2023 model would be worth it for the new suspension. On my previous Y with the MPP coilovers, it rode better but the boominess was still there. Now since the bump stops are making contact, what do you plan on doing to fix his? Vinyl tubing?

Also, those 3d printed stops that you put on the tail light as shown in the China model fix, is that worth it? Do you have a link?

 

[ilovecoffee]

Tl;DR- No noticeable improvement for boominess

Things I've tried recently and was hoping it would work but didn't.

1. Put weather seal like the factory tail gate on the outer tailgate AND put in 5/16 vinyl tubing, this didn't work, there was a large gap that I can shine light through and it wasn't making contact with the body. So I removed it and put the sticky weather strip/tubing on the body it self and it made solid contact but I didn't readjust the stops as I was in a hurry, and it made things worse. Maybe if I readjust the stop it may have worked but again I don't think this is a trunk flex at this point since I'm going slow enough on the road that I doubt it have enough strength to bounce the hatch open/close.

2. I bought some expandable foam seal (like window seal) and pulled down on the rear head liner, right about the passenger seats. Surprisingly there was hot melt there to dampen noise just like there are in both wheel wells that weren't in MY 2021 model but in my 2022 model. II put the foam seal along the batch moon roof glass thinking it would help "absorb" some of the resonance from the roof but it didn't. If I feel like it I may run it around the whole car. I also put 4 layers of butyl all across the rear under the head liner.

3. I went overkill and put 4 layers of noico butyl which is heavier than kilmat, some even 5 layers everywhere, I mean even behind the seat belt mechanism where there seems to be hollow metal that would resonate, a lot where the bump stops would make contact to the body, everywhere. I stuffed heavy pieces of foam in every crevice I could, 4 layers of butyl on the wheel wells.

The bumps are more solid like a "thud" noise as someone mentioned BUT the boominess is still there, not as bad/loud but when the radio is off and driving I hear the rumble boom going over minor road imperfections.

Next steps but will probably give up, buying quality, thick and heavy plywood and making the rear factory trunk floor covers. I feel that will be better than the factory particle board flooring but I question myself would that help. Again, I noticed it wasn't as boomy when I had 4 heavy bags of garden soil weighing the car down so the boom noise should be coming from the trunk floor. I've noticed that the trunk bin (carpet removed) is very loud when taping on it and I put a bunch of butyl with no improvement as it shouldn't because I realized the tub will never be tapped, it's the vertical movement of the car going up and down that causes the boominess.

Sorry I never addressed your post from earlier.

1) I don't understand how you ended up with a huge gap with 5/16" tubing. Did you take pics of it when you had it installed? Something seems odd. Yes, there should be more tension on the closing mechanism, and yes there should be a slight increase in the gap, but nothing major. I've done all sorts of experiments with adjusting hatch stops and rigid hatch stops, where I'd take it right to the brink where it wouldn't latch anymore (and yes, that does cause water penetration issues and it looks like crap). Trust me, going slow on bumps is even more dreadful.

You absolutely have to adjust the hatch stops after doing this procedure because the door will press against the seals first. And then what you end up having is a door just resting on the seals, and not the rubber stoppers. You need both at the same time.

3) Most of the resonance starts from the suspension/wheels and works its way throughout the car. I think you'll have diminishing returns the further you go.

 

[ilovecoffee]

Thanks for posting this! I was wondering if the 2023 model would be worth it for the new suspension. On my previous Y with the MPP coilovers, it rode better but the boominess was still there. Now since the bump stops are making contact, what do you plan on doing to fix his? Vinyl tubing?

Also, those 3d printed stops that you put on the tail light as shown in the China model fix, is that worth it? Do you have a link?

I'm going to do the vinyl tubing and then after stick on some rigid hatch stops. In my opinion, it's the tubing that resulted in the most crazy reduction. After fiddling with nearly everything else, and finally doing the vinyl tubing, I couldn't believe how much it improved. The rigid hatch stops help but IMO they won't solve it on their own. Don't forget even @MY-Y who came up with this great idea of rigid hatch stops, even he had (without knowing at first) tubing installed sporadically by Tesla in his gasket. I think it's the combination that helps the most.

 

[Pianewman]

Wow. 52 pages of questions and answers.

It's clear to me that any of the mods we do need to be done very precisely, or the problem is worse.

1) Hatch alignment needs to be perfect. especially weight distribution.
2) Any material added needs to be done symmetrically, or the resultant uneven support will allow the heavy hatch to twist, which would result in even more ear discomfort.
3) Any adjustments to the 4 OEM stops needs to be precise, or...(see number 2 above).

I had to readjust the 4 OEM stops several times until the weight distribution of the hatch was equalized. This solved the problem for my car. After 30k miles or so, I noticed small buffeting, and tweaked the adjustments a bit. Problem solved, no need for any modification.

I am always impressed with the ingenuity of many here, but I think the most important aspect is EQUAL weight distribution of the hatch.

YMMV

 

[MyEarHurts]

Wow. 52 pages of questions and answers.

It's clear to me that any of the mods we do need to be done very precisely, or the problem is worse.

1) Hatch alignment needs to be perfect. especially weight distribution.
2) Any material added needs to be done symmetrically, or the resultant uneven support will allow the heavy hatch to twist, which would result in even more ear discomfort.
3) Any adjustments to the 4 OEM stops needs to be precise, or...(see number 2 above).

I had to readjust the 4 OEM stops several times until the weight distribution of the hatch was equalized. This solved the problem for my car. After 30k miles or so, I noticed small buffeting, and tweaked the adjustments a bit. Problem solved, no need for any modification.

I am always impressed with the ingenuity of many here, but I think the most important aspect is EQUAL weight distribution of the hatch.

YMMV

I need to figure out how to do that properly, I adjusted my stops to make contact but I'm sure one or two may have more pressure than the other.

 

[MyEarHurts]

I didn't put anything behind the subwoofer, and just one layer of butyl on the wheel wells, cavity wall and top. I also put foam on the cavity walls and top. It made a really big difference in tire noise.

It made such a big difference on tire noise that I may go back in there and make sure all areas over the wheel well are covered.

I cannot speak to the difference with boominess as my rigid stops already fixed that issue.

Did you fix the problem with 3d printed rigid stops or the ones that you made with pvc?

 

[MY-Y]

Did you fix the problem with 3d printed rigid stops or the ones that you made with pvc?

Pvc.

 

[MyEarHurts]

Just put on 6 layers of butyl over the quarter panels and wheel well (except the sub) and all over the the area directly behind the bumper where the bottom tailgate rests on, the boom is still there. I literally spent hundreds of dollars to fix this and think I may stop. I put so much butyl it's not even funny.

 

[voom500]

I added the 5/16" vinyl tubing inside of the rubber seal as mentioned before in this thread. It cost like $3 for a 10 foot section at the local hardware store. I fished a string trimmer line from the top middle all the way to the turn signals (similar to here). That's 2 slits on the top and one on each side. I wasn't able to fish it through. But what did help me was coating the vinyl tubing with 303 aerospace protectant. That helped with pushing through the tubing from the top slits down and around to the turn signals. I re-adusted the stoppers. I'll take a ride in it later and see if it helps at all.

 

[ilovecoffee]

Just put on 6 layers of butyl over the quarter panels and wheel well (except the sub) and all over the the area directly behind the bumper where the bottom tailgate rests on, the boom is still there. I literally spent hundreds of dollars to fix this and think I may stop. I put so much butyl it's not even funny.

I wish I could take a drive in your Model Y and assist you with this. The butyl will help road noise which is part of the low-freq spectrum, but at the end of the day, ANY movement of the rear hatch door will contribute the most to any headache-inducing booming. If the stoppers are somehow not adjusted properly (too much, too little, too uneven from one side to the next), you'll probably run into problems.

I forget have you posted pictures of your stoppers? For what it's worth? Are you using any kind of rigid hatch stops? For some reason I still don't understand is how you had a ginormous gap with 5/16" OD tubing.

I just did this again to the Oct 2022 delivery Model Y I wrote about earlier, and the driver said he noticed an improvement. I noticed it as well. Regrettably, I didn't record measurements with Spectroid before and after.