Model S definitely quieter than Model 3

[agarabaghi]

of course the wind and road noise sounds better in the 340i, its covered by the door / trim rattles and the engine in front of you and the exhaust behind you.

Fix: annoying door creaking - bmw 3M tape solution

BMW fix is to cover the doors with silicone tape ... lol.

 

[zhu-]

It's not your imagination. Tire, wind and traffic noise in the Model 3 is unfortunately not up to par for its price class. That was one of the first things I noticed (coming from a BMW 340i).

I was worried about wind noise since it was the first thing I noticed on my test drive though I think I got lucky with my 119k vin M3 as I hear absolutely no wind noise at all. Not sure if it's because it's new (still <300 miles) but I find the quietness to be similar to my previous 2016 Mercedes C300 - which was much worse even after getting acoustic window replacements installed because of the factory's improper seal.

 

[roadster2020]

air suspension

Air Susp helps isolate the noise even further, so will better sound deadening and better materials

 

[smatthew]

Sounds like bad synchros. Might want to get second gear checked out.

This is a joke, right? Teslas has a single speed transmission. No "second gear" or synchros in the tesla.

 

[eli_]

I always have a bit of wind noise/whistling on the passenger side of the windshield when the car is above 40 mph. I noticed there is a small gap between the "cowling" I guess you'd call it and the windshield glass that is not on the driver's side. I suspect that might be causing it but need to experiment more.

 

[roadster2020]

gap between the "cowling"

you can buy a rubber strip that fits in there to stop the wind noise

 

[eli_]

you can buy a rubber strip that fits in there to stop the wind noise

Yeah I'll give it a shot.

 

[spesler]

This is a joke, right? Teslas has a single speed transmission. No "second gear" or synchros in the tesla.

Not a good one, apparently, but yes.

 

[Skateboardgolf]

We have both.
Our S is as quiet as a vault.
Our Performance 3 is just as quiet actually. Bumps are louder, and the ride is a bit rougher, but it’s very quiet.
We love them both equally!

 

[Eno Deb]

of course the wind and road noise sounds better in the 340i, its covered by the door / trim rattles and the engine in front of you and the exhaust behind you.

What nonsense. My 340i was completely rattle-free (whereas my Model 3 has already developed a buzz in the passenger door after less than 3 months), and you basically couldn't hear the six-cylinder while driving normally in the city or cruising in high gear at 70MPH. Sometimes I get the feeling many posters here have never driven anything but economy cars before. The Model 3 is a great car with a fantastic drive train, but fit, finish and NVH and not up to par to other cars in this class.

 

[ℬête Noire]

you can buy a rubber strip that fits in there to stop the wind noise

I've considered ordering this. The wind doesn't 'bother' me but I've really taken a liking to how quiet things are at around 50mph so the 70+mph wind noise has become noticeable to me if I don't have music/podcasts on.

The only thing that is holding me back is the question of whether or not my "wind noise that's pretty bearable" would actually get helped by it? At some point I might just bite the bullet and drop the $25 and my time install. But today wasn't that day and no idea when it will be.

Roger on the road noise from certain surfaces. I mean it's probably just that there's no engine etc to mask it but I'm always happen to return to smoother surfaces. I do wonder how much that $15/wheel worth of acoustic foam in the wheels actually helps? But if that road noise is what it takes to really feel as connected to the road as I do in the 3, I'll take it in a heartbeat. I can mostly live with it, the only time I find it too much is newly surfaced covered rock type of gravel that's really noisy in pretty much everything.

P.S. The one noise that is REALLY pissing me off is the periodic rattling of the front wheel well liners against the top of the wheel well. :/ Tesla has been on it and a tech did a hack fix on the driver's side last month and it was great to have that taken care of for a longer trip I did. However it only held about 1500 miles, and now the passenger's side is following suit with it. Tech said they were going to come up with a more permanent solution and they're booked to come over and try Friday morning.


EDIT: FYI for anyone that experiences this, it look a long time, and a tech visit, to figure out where that wheel well noise was coming from. Initially I thought it was the A pillar, then the dashboard behind the steering wheel (because a multilayer thick towel placed there would muffle it a bit). As well initially it only was happening at 50mph and up, and even then only on some roads. But clever tech guessed the right location, the wheel well, and once he guessed that it was obvious and repeatable just by getting in there and tapping it with your hand while the car was stopped.

 

[Jedi2155]

What nonsense. My 340i was completely rattle-free (whereas my Model 3 has already developed a buzz in the passenger door after less than 3 months), and you basically couldn't hear the six-cylinder while driving normally in the city or cruising in high gear at 70MPH. Sometimes I get the feeling many posters here have never driven anything but economy cars before. The Model 3 is a great car with a fantastic drive train, but fit, finish and NVH and not up to par to other cars in this class.

I'd bring up that issue on your next service visit. I'm like a hawk when it comes to unusual noises in a car.

 

[Eno Deb]

I'd bring up that issue on your next service visit. I'm like a hawk when it comes to unusual noises in a car.

Yes, I will. I have a list of issues I want them to look at. I'm still waiting for a replacement part for my blinker stalk, and hopefully the mobile tech can then do it all at once.

 

[agarabaghi]

You drink the 340i koolaid all you want. The forum post I linked shows the issues with bmws quality control and their sad resolution.

340i is on par with a model 3 lr and leaves a lot of desire, the navigation / entertainment is garbage unless you spend the extra for car play. The upgrade
Stereo is not impressive. Sure the manual is fun to drive .... but it’s still a 340i how much fun is it really.

 

[Fobble]

Had a 2018 75D loaner while my 3D was being serviced for a couple of days. On the same streets and highway, I noticed there was much less road/wind noise than I was used to - it was great! I felt less...fatigued if that’s the right word when compared to my 3D after driving for long stretches.

Not sure if it’s just better/more sound insulation but the S does ride much quieter and as a result felt more premium.

I think I saw someone use a decibel meter and found a 2-4db difference translating to about a 40%-60% reduction in perceptible sound. Seems about right based on my experience.

PS - Also, air suspension

Model S is definitely smoother and quieter than Model 3, even in my 2015 coil suspension Model S.

 

[Glamisduner]

Maybe it's whine from the intake, trying using a factory air filter.
Order of quietness
Volt in electric mode > S > 3

fun factory
3 > S > Volt

 

[HeatproofGenie]

For everyone who is on the fence about trying the rubber strip mod, just put a piece of packing tape there along the seam. If it quiets things down at speed then you know. I doubt the adhesive would leave much residue would be easy to come with glass cleaner anyway. I'm considering doing this but my alignment between glass, windshield to roof is good. Only one corner is raised maybe a mm. I'm thinking of doing it with helicopter tape though.

Surprised the passenger mirror trim piece hasn't been mentioned yet. On many cars the chrome trim piece that mates to the seal is not bonded completely and the top peak stands out and causes lot's of wind noise. Mine does it a little bit. I have idea to fix but it's not bothering me yet. To fix you could get some black silicone caulk, apply a little bit in the gap by prying apart and then clamp back together with some clamps and let dry making sure to wipe any excess away before clamping of course.


My car has the most noise intrusion from the tires and it is of course more pronounced the rougher the road. I saw someone on here who took off the front wheel well liners and applied thinsulate all around. He said it helped. I think that's a pretty good solution if it does truly help as it would a lightweight solution. Even better would be to do some deadening and the thinsulate.

 

[gambit48]

of course the wind and road noise sounds better in the 340i, its covered by the door / trim rattles and the engine in front of you and the exhaust behind you.

Fix: annoying door creaking - bmw 3M tape solution

BMW fix is to cover the doors with silicone tape ... lol.

I can't imagine a 340i is all that different in build quality than my X3.

What nonsense. My 340i was completely rattle-free (whereas my Model 3 has already developed a buzz in the passenger door after less than 3 months), and you basically couldn't hear the six-cylinder while driving normally in the city or cruising in high gear at 70MPH. Sometimes I get the feeling many posters here have never driven anything but economy cars before. The Model 3 is a great car with a fantastic drive train, but fit, finish and NVH and not up to par to other cars in this class.

Exactly. I love my Model 3. The drivetrain is fantastic. The UI is a lot better than the iDrive system, even though iDrive is now pretty much universally loved by pro car reviewers.

But the fit, finish, and NVH is nowhere near up to par with competing cars. I went in knowing that. I tell friends/family thinking about a Tesla that the fit and finish is gonna be very lacking. It's the price you pay for cutting edge technology. But my X3 is a freaking bank vault. It doesn't have exhaust noises to cover rattles up (it's not a m40i). You can hear the engine, but from inside, it's barely heard. You touch anywhere inside, and it's very noticeably better put together than the Tesla. And the BMW doesn't even have the best interior of its class IMO. Exteriorwise, it's exactly the same. Water doesn't get stuck in the undercarriage and rip off body parts. There aren't huge gaps between body panels and lights. If there are body panel gaps, they're even all the way around. It looks intentional. It looks even. Those damn black triangles at the side mirrors don't stick out. I love how fun the Model 3 is to drive, but I love how relaxing and calm the drive is in the BMW because the NVH is so much better.

 

[Drizzle]

Hope we can pinpoint the biggest issues because I'm ready to drop cash to fix this. It is fatiguing to me and interferes with my music enjoyment at highway speeds.

 

[agarabaghi]

to each their own i guess. i find the interior of 340i and X3s to be old and our dated. Infotainment to be old and outdate and lacking in features. Seats are no where near as comfortable, more ridged sure and sporty, but its a 340i not an m3 and the ride to be very whatever.

I was merely pointing out that BMW have their own flaws, and they also attempt to repair them from the dealer in less than ideal ways (silicone tape come on...).