Model S whine

[Asciidv]

Today I collected my new Model S 90D.
Great excitement, with a 130 mile drive home from Manchester to Northumberland.
It was the silence that was the most impressive.
Hovever after 100 miles I began to notice a motor 'whine' at around 10-30 mph before tyre noise took over. is this a fault with my car or do all Tesla's whine?

Any guidance would be appreciated.

 

[California Roll]

I think that's normal (depending on how load it is, and what kind of whine. I have the same type of car, S90D, and it does a bit of a electric noise during acceleration and regen in 10-30 mph range, kind of like a jet airplane taking off noise.

 

[msnow]

Today I collected my new Model S 90D.
Great excitement, with a 130 mile drive home from Manchester to Northumberland.
It was the silence that was the most impressive.
Hovever after 100 miles I began to notice a motor 'whine' at around 10-30 mph before tyre noise took over. is this a fault with my car or do all Tesla's whine?

Any guidance would be appreciated.

I think what you're describing is the normal and, pleasing to me, "spaceship" sound.

 

[xborg]

I think that's normal (depending on how load it is, and what kind of whine. I have the same type of car, S90D, and it does a bit of a electric noise during acceleration and regen in 10-30 mph range, kind of like a jet airplane taking off noise.

Hi,

I just got my car. I am fine with accelaration sound. But I also hear that sound while driving at constant 30 mph, in the city. is it normal?

 

[Todd Burch]

You are hearing the awesome "quiet turbine" sound. Love that futuristic faint jet spin-up sound!

 

[TaoJones]

There are many noises - some normal, and at least 14 that are abnormal. I know this because I had #14 from the abnormal list for 3 months or more until combining the fix for that (drive unit replacement #1) with recent annual service. For planning purposes, they quoted 8 hours for the annual service and 6 hours for the drive unit replacement, and evidently the expectation is that these are done sequentially - not concurrently - so should you be in the same boat, be prepared to drop off your car early on Day 1 and to retrieve it on Day 3.

You'll find a list here: Sounds of Tesla Vehicles | TeslaTap

 

[Ron Purrington]

I also have a D and it's done the whine since day 1. (July '15) It's normal as far as I'm concerned and I think it sounds pretty cool.

 

[supratachophobia]

Most likely normal, especially since on the dual motor cars, that front motor is more near to you now. However, if have a chance, it doesnt hurt to record the sound with your phone and send it over to Tesla for analysis. They can run it through some software that will identify it as normal operating or something abnormal.

Then go drive it with the AM station tuned to the lowest band and the speakers cranked up. That's the real spaceship sound (easter egg).

 

[liuping]

Hi,

I just got my car. I am fine with accelaration sound. But I also hear that sound while driving at constant 30 mph, in the city. is it normal?

Try turning on the range mode option. That uses the front motor more often. With it off, I only get the front motor whine when accelerating.

 

[Asciidv]

Today was the second day of ownership and I gave some colleagues from work a ride out. As you might imagine they all thought it was fantastic and everybody loved the faint whine as they thought it was just like a jet taking off. I know have a second question that I wonder if you can answer. I have read that Tesla do not like frequent Supercharger use. What do they think of frequent Chademo use? I guess that Chademo charging is half of Supercharging but it is still pretty aggressive compared with a domestic single phase supply. Any views?

Thanks.

 

[msnow]

Today was the second day of ownership and I gave some colleagues from work a ride out. As you might imagine they all thought it was fantastic and everybody loved the faint whine as they thought it was just like a jet taking off. I know have a second question that I wonder if you can answer. I have read that Tesla do not like frequent Supercharger use. What do they think of frequent Chademo use? I guess that Chademo charging is half of Supercharging but it is still pretty aggressive compared with a domestic single phase supply. Any views?

Thanks.

I don't see an issue with Chademo. The issue with using the SpC was people were using them when they were close to home taking up charging stations for travelers.

 

[ecarfan]

I have read that Tesla do not like frequent Supercharger use.

No harm is done to the car by Supercharging frequently.
There have been indications that Tesla does not want owners to frequently use a Supercharger local to them if they can charge at home instead.

 

[supratachophobia]

No harm is done to the car by Supercharging frequently.
There have been indications that Tesla does not want owners to frequently use a Supercharger local to them if they can charge at home instead.

Remember that when you supercharge that, yes, you have insane amounts of electricity going into the car, but it's spread out over 7104 batteries so they aren't being stressed beyond their normal charging specs.

 

[geobrick]

I noticed the whine when I took a test drive last July. I described it in this thread. What I didn't post was that the whine was either significantly reduced or completely absent in the 70D when compared to the 85D and P85D. There's no way for me to know if it's because the 70D has less powerful motors or if it's because the 70D was newer than the other two (I didn't check the miles on the cars). I'll find out when I get my 70D delivered sometime this month (it entered production yesterday - I ordered it in October and specified a late January/early February delivery).

 

[Fanatic1]

I like the muffled jet engine taking off "whine" in my 85D.

 

[midlife crisis]

Had an extended test drive in a S85 RWD - no whine from the rear motor. I'll be disappointed if the 90D is not similarly quiet from its front motor.

 

[davidc18]

There are many noises - some normal, and at least 14 that are abnormal. I know this because I had #14 from the abnormal list for 3 months or more until combining the fix for that (drive unit replacement #1) with recent annual service. For planning purposes, they quoted 8 hours for the annual service and 6 hours for the drive unit replacement, and evidently the expectation is that these are done sequentially - not concurrently - so should you be in the same boat, be prepared to drop off your car early on Day 1 and to retrieve it on Day 3.

You'll find a list here: Sounds of Tesla Vehicles | TeslaTap

+1 - this is a great site. I wish I had found it sooner.

 

[davidc18]

Had an extended test drive in a S85 RWD - no whine from the rear motor. I'll be disappointed if the 90D is not similarly quiet from its front motor.

I would trade my 70D for an 85 (rear drive) in a heartbeat to stop hearing the front motor. I find it very annoying and its the only disappointing thing about the car. I feel that Tesla really dropped the ball on sound proofing around the front motor. I've had the front DU replaced once. The new DU is quieter but far from silent.

 

[jmsurpri]

The front motor whine is noticeable, especially when accelerating fast. However at cruising speeds on hwy and even around town I cannot hear it at all. Make sure range mode is off. The front motor is utilized more at cruising speeds when range mode is on which might be why you're hearing it more. I'm going to take my work commute with range mode on next week to see if there is a noticeable difference in noise.

 

[Caligula]

First tesla experience was a P85+. Sat in the back and noticed a slight whine. The owner said he never noticed it before. Then I got to drive, and couldn't notice it myself.. now own an 85D and notice it every day. It's normal for your proximity to the motor.