jelloslug
Active Member
You can make a Dodge Challenger cost almost $100k. I bet it would not be very quite also...
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
could it be that improvements were made to the ensuing cars? I wonder why you dinged my comment that the model S is NOT a luxury car, could you explain? In my defense similarly prices german cars, japanese cars, british cars have far more luxurious cabins than the tesla does, do you agree?
I just took delivery of a new S and find it extremely quiet. I took a 500 mile road trip right after delivery and kept remarking how quiet it was. As a frame of reference, I'm comparing it to my E class Mercedes. I do notice that the new cars now come with Goodyear touring tires, and not Continentals anymore. So that may affect road noise a bit, but it may also be that they have improved the fit of the window seals etc.
from my experience, going from an early '14 to a very late '15 model s the fit and finish of the newer car is far superior to my earlier model. this my be doubted by some because of the anecdotal nature of the comments but like was noted in another thread, perception is reality.
The 2012 Model S had lower noise levels than the 2013 and then the subsequent years again reverted to lower noise levels. So for some reason, the 2013 stands out as an anomaly. It could simply be that the car used for testing in 2013 was not up to par.
I dinged your comment because I DO believe the S is a luxury car. A luxury car is not simply defined by how much wood or whatever is in the car. IMO it's defined by the look and feel of the total package. One person's definition of 'luxury' might not fit another's perception. That doesn't make you or me right or wrong, but I simply disagree with you based on my perception of luxury. My previous car was a Lexus. Yes, more wood and 'cush', but the S is most definitely in the same category. I think most reviewers feel the same way. The S simply does more things right than did the Lexus.
Your mistake, IMO, is to ascribe your definition to everyone else's.
If a Model S was started to develop the motor milling sound, it would be significantly noisier than without. Additionally tires do make a big difference in the noise level. Without engine noises, the tire and wind noise become the two biggest noise factors at highway speed.
Honestly, I think the biggest weakness of the S in this area is the door/window/roof seals. A fully framed door and triple seals would likely go a long way. A closed trunk instead of a hatch would likely help as well. Heck, don't be surprised if the Model 3 ends up quieter than the S. The latter will be another issue for Tesla... They really need to bring the S way more upmarket.
Sorry don't quite understand those numbers for Tesla. How can you have any noise at idle? unless you breath heavily or have radio on?
Also i see some ICE cars are quieter than Tesla at idle. How can that be?Why is there a difference in DB ratings at idle between different Tesla models?
Something doesn't add up there.
Sorry don't quite understand those numbers for Tesla. How can you have any noise at idle? unless you breath heavily or have radio on?
Why is there a difference in DB ratings at idle between different Tesla models?
Something doesn't add up there.
I just took the data and resorted it. I thought any noise at idle was weird. If the batteries are on the warm side, you may have the sound of the cooling pumps. Or air conditioning in the summer.
I do think the hatch makes the Model S significantly more useful than most sedans. I can see it being a source of noise though. Another thing Tesla has is a lot of rough edges. If you compare the mounting of the glass between Tesla and other cars, you will see most car makers put some sort of trim piece around the edges of the glass. This is more aesthetic, but it also serves to cut down on wind noise around the area where the glass meets the rest of the car.
Anything that disrupts airflow can cause noise, and also drag. The Model S/X does not have an external antenna like a lot of cars to make it more aerodynamic, but they have rough areas like the glass seams. If some aftermarket company had a kit to trim up the glass, people would probably find the noise would drop a little, and the range might increase by a small amount.
lux_cars
Member
Wheel size also makes a big difference in road noise (though that is separate from wind noise). Unless I'm looking at a sports car, I would always buy the smallest wheels available. Wheel sizes keep going up and up and up. You can now buy Rolls Royces with 21" wheels! Makes no sense to me. Even an S-Class with 20" wheels will be noisier than it should be.
I wish Tesla would offer an 18" wheel option. Would there be any downside to the OP getting an aftermarket 17" or 18" set of wheels? 17" would really cut down on road noise at least.
I wish Tesla would offer an 18" wheel option. Would there be any downside to the OP getting an aftermarket 17" or 18" set of wheels? 17" would really cut down on road noise at least.
For good safety ratings, cars need a short stopping distance and that requires larger brakes, which in turn drives up the size of the wheels. This is especially true in the case of heavier vehicles. The heavier the vehicles, the larger the brakes need to be to stop in the same distance.
I always thought the wheel to rubber ratio on the Model S and X was nuts. The more sidewall you have, the less likely you are to scrape the rims on curbs, and more rubber makes for a smoother ride in most situations. But it seems the size of the brakes have driven the minimum wheels sizes on both cars.
lux_cars
Member
It can’t just be brakes though can it? I always thought it was driven aesthetics because big wheels look cool. Look at cars from 20 years ago and you’ll see how much wheel sizes have gone up. Did most cars not have adequate brakes back then?
The fashion today is for big wheels and small tires. I personally never liked the look except on some highly customized cars, but the brakes on the Model S are too large for anything smaller than 19 inches and the Model X is 20 inch minimum. A lot of other modern cars have big brakes that mandate large wheel sizes. Especially heavier cars.
I couldn't find much data on historical cars and stopping distances, but I did find this:
https://www.caranddriver.com/featur...-car-and-driver-testing-short-stoppers-page-4
https://www.caranddriver.com/featur...-car-and-driver-testing-short-stoppers-page-4
This only shows the best tested in each time frame and almost all the cars on the list are sports cars, so it isn't the best comparison. The distances went up a little between the 2000 vintage cars and 2008, but go back in the decades and the distances tend to go up. There is a pretty clear jump from the 1980s to the 1990s but that is probably due to anti-lock brakes coming into use in the 90s.
This list compares 60-0 distances for 2017 cars
Top 100 quickest braking cars and bikes from 60 mph 2017 - FastestLaps.com
You can't compare it to the Car and Driver list because they use 70-0 distances. There are some impressive short stoppers on the 2017 list.
lux_cars
Member
the earliest cars had massive wheels, and their brakes weren't all that great so maybe there isn't much of a correlation
LOL I didn’t mean THAT old. I was thinking more like wheel sizes today compared to 20 - 30 years go. For example, here is a ~2000 Chevy Caprice vs a current day Chevy Impala. Look at how large the sidewall on the tire is on the older car versus today’s low profile tire on large wheels with the current Impala (even though the Caprice was actually a bigger car than Impala I think);
I guess automakers have fallen victim to the my wh**ls are bigger than yours phenomenon.
Similar threads
