MX Road Noise

[Camera-Cruiser]

Noise was the first thing, and is still the thing that bothers me on my MS. I don't buy into the fact that because it's silent that you hear things that are masked by all the noise an ICE generates. I'm sorry, but a modern ICE luxury car's engine is incredibly balanced, and if it's exhaust system is not tuned to generate sport tones is also nearly silent when operating normally.

I think Tesla has done an incredible job of bringing these cars to market, but that they are a very young, still in their infancy, car company. It shows in many ways, as we all know, since we read about them here hourly, and many of the problems are the same as they were in 2012. Noise being one of them.

I have had my brake booster pump replaced twice in 7 months trying to get a quiet one. Every two presses of the brake pedal and the thing buzzes to life, scaring those nearby. My silent car gets unwanted attention every time I drive through the local In-n-Out, and at intersections. My kids know I am home because they hear the brake pump when I get home.

Road noise and wind nose were lessened by frequent trips to the SC for rear hatch and seal adjustments, but the transmitted noise from the wheels is still abundant. It goes from being a minor nuisance to large bother depending on the road surface. I've had 19's since the start, so I have no experience with the 21's.

The above said, I think a large part of the problem comes from the rigidity of aluminum vs steel. Aluminum being more rigid, transmits vibrations more directly than steel. When I transitioned from a steel framed mountain bike to an aluminum framed bike, I loved the weight savings and responsiveness, but absolutely hated the feel of the bike. I think Tesla has to get the right engineers to tune the frame and improve the bushing materials between it and the cabin to lessen sound transmission. Then they have to work with material specialist to acoustically treat the car's interior to both absorb and better reduce audio reflections.

This is something older, which pretty much means all other, car manufacturers have been doing for years. A 7 series BMW has more years of dedicated cabin sound engineering than Tesla has been in business. So I think we will be in for a bit of a wait as Tesla juggles between a self driving future and a quiet one.

I for one hope they can resolve all of the aforementioned and unmentioned woes. The people coming to Tesla now, are not early adopters, as much as they are seasoned mid to upper end luxury car owners wondering what all the fuss is about Tesla. It is in Tesla's hands to impress those buyers. I think they can pull it off, I love driving electric, I just want it to be quieter.

 

[goneskiian]

Noise was the first thing, and is still the thing that bothers me on my MS. I don't buy into the fact that because it's silent that you hear things that are masked by all the noise an ICE generates. I'm sorry, but a modern ICE luxury car's engine is incredibly balanced, and if it's exhaust system is not tuned to generate sport tones is also nearly silent when operating normally.

I think Tesla has done an incredible job of bringing these cars to market, but that they are a very young, still in their infancy, car company. It shows in many ways, as we all know, since we read about them here hourly, and many of the problems are the same as they were in 2012. Noise being one of them.

I have had my brake booster pump replaced twice in 7 months trying to get a quiet one. Every two presses of the brake pedal and the thing buzzes to life, scaring those nearby. My silent car gets unwanted attention every time I drive through the local In-n-Out, and at intersections. My kids know I am home because they hear the brake pump when I get home.

Road noise and wind nose were lessened by frequent trips to the SC for rear hatch and seal adjustments, but the transmitted noise from the wheels is still abundant. It goes from being a minor nuisance to large bother depending on the road surface. I've had 19's since the start, so I have no experience with the 21's.

The above said, I think a large part of the problem comes from the rigidity of aluminum vs steel. Aluminum being more rigid, transmits vibrations more directly than steel. When I transitioned from a steel framed mountain bike to an aluminum framed bike, I loved the weight savings and responsiveness, but absolutely hated the feel of the bike. I think Tesla has to get the right engineers to tune the frame and improve the bushing materials between it and the cabin to lessen sound transmission. Then they have to work with material specialist to acoustically treat the car's interior to both absorb and better reduce audio reflections.

This is something older, which pretty much means all other, car manufacturers have been doing for years. A 7 series BMW has more years of dedicated cabin sound engineering than Tesla has been in business. So I think we will be in for a bit of a wait as Tesla juggles between a self driving future and a quiet one.

I for one hope they can resolve all of the aforementioned and unmentioned woes. The people coming to Tesla now, are not early adopters, as much as they are seasoned mid to upper end luxury car owners wondering what all the fuss is about Tesla. It is in Tesla's hands to impress those buyers. I think they can pull it off, I love driving electric, I just want it to be quieter.

This post has me a bit worried. I don't recall noticing any excessive noise from the test drives I've taken but they are pretty short and I can understand this is one of those things you realize after living with it for a while.

 

[grommet]

I fully agree... Model S and the Model X are not quiet and "refined" in the world of high-end luxury vehicles. Being fully electric gives them a pass... for now. Since the next car is lower end (Model 3), expectations will likely be lower in this regard.

 

[ohmman]

The above said, I think a large part of the problem comes from the rigidity of aluminum vs steel. Aluminum being more rigid, transmits vibrations more directly than steel.

Maybe. Though, based on the fit and finish issues I've had with both my S and X, I'm more open to the idea that the cars just aren't put together quite as well as they could be. If they can't align panels or fit seals properly, who's to say they can secure all of the contact points to limit noise? There are also design considerations, as you note. Designing for function and aesthetic is one thing, but dealing with noise is much more complicated.

I'm surprised they haven't employed more noise canceling technology like other manufacturers. That seems like a cheap way to deaden the cabin a bit. Maybe that's more complicated than I am assuming.

 

[Camera-Cruiser]

This post has me a bit worried. I don't recall noticing any excessive noise from the test drives I've taken but they are pretty short and I can understand this is one of those things you realize after living with it for a while.

I don't know if you should be worried, as much as aware. Take as many test drives as you can and tell the specialist to leave the radio off, and to not talk while driving. Sure, smash the accelerator a few times, but listen at steady speeds. Try to drive 65 to 75 mph and listen to differing pavement types. When done, drive your own vehicle over the same demo loop to compare.

My other ice car is a Land Cruiser. It is big, heavy, and quiet, but it has a noise profile. It has a different type of quiet and noise profile than my MS, I'd say I prefer it in terms of noise, but still drive the MS 99.9% of the time. I've said in other post that the MS is vexing, and it is because of this.

I'd be a zillion times happier if I never heard the brake booster pump again. Newer MS's use a different model brake booster that supposedly eliminates this noise, but I have not driven one yet. Maybe someone with the newer brake booster will chime in here.

I also think foregoing the pano roof and air suspension will help too. When looking for a CPO, I drove my dream car; blue exterior, black interior, springs, 19 wheels, and no pano. Loved it and almost bought it, but it was a 60, and battery, reluctantly trumps those things - I think. I went with an 85, that was the opposite, just look at my sig.

Worry, no. Just be aware of what is important to you. If you drive the same loop as you did with the MS in your car, and you are happy with the differences, then great!

As many have wished and said here, it would be great if Tesla would "finish" the car, instead of things like auto pilot. But, we are greedy, and want both. Tesla is so close, but now they have to get a model 3 out the door.

Tesla is juggling cash flow, distribution, sales, technology, competition, and worldwide manufacturing infrastructure, to mention a few things, and being run by a man oil companies would prefer to be gone, that wants to go to Mars starting in Los Angeles via a Hyperloop to San Francisco to catch a rocket in an attempt to save humanity while selling solar panels with his cousin on the side in case the Mars thing doesn't pan out. If you want to worry, that is what to worry about.

Hell, forget everything I've just said and buy one. Tesla service is great.

 

[Camera-Cruiser]

I'm surprised they haven't employed more noise canceling technology like other manufacturers. That seems like a cheap way to deaden the cabin a bit. Maybe that's more complicated than I am assuming.

I'd say it's all very complicated. Engineers want a design that solves problems like noise. They don't want to fill the car up with mass loaded vinyl to deaden the noise and add weight.

Sure the aftermarket will come up with solutions like that, but to an engineer, that's failure.

 

[gfizzle]

I picked up my MX 90D with 20" Continental tires. I have to say that this vehicle is very quite on the road as compared to 2 test drives i had prior in a P90DLs with 22" and 20" wheels. I, too, believe the difference is the tighter manufacturing controls, 20" wheels, and possibly the Continental's. I still own Lexus, Audi and Porsche vehicles and I am very pleased.

 

[Darryl]

I was one of the first cars off the assembly line when they started producing the production cars. A couple of weeks later and a couple of hundred cars later they shut down the assembly line to fix production line issues. It took two months from the time my car was delivered to the SC before they fixed it enough for me to be able to get it home without a problem. I decided to enjoy the car for a while and created a list of things which needed fixing.

Since they wanted me to bring the car in for the seat recall I decided to have them fix the other issues. There are 16 items on the list. The first item on the list is the wind noise around the front Windows. I have been in other Model X's and they had no wind nose. From what I have read there is a new seal which is a harder rubber which supposedly fixes the wind noise. The SC told me they would have to order the new seals if appropriate and they are backordered so it would be a while before he could get them and they wouldn't fix it on this trip. They had indicated it would be one to two days to fix the other issues. It has now been a week. I called yesterday and they couldn't give me a date when it would be ready. In addition to a bunch of minor stuff the "lane keep" and "blind spot" indicator doesn't seem to work at all. I have read the manual regarding how they are suppose to work but I have had no luck. The service technician was unable to show me how to make it work.

They gave me a Model S P85+ as a loaner so I would rather they take their time.

 

[ptsagcy]

@KristianW Yes I replaced the Michelins with Conti-Silents and they are much quieter.

@CaliX - I don't know about 22's but the Conti-Silents come in 20" which is what I have on mine

 

[FarmerDave]

From what I have read there is a new seal which is a harder rubber which supposedly fixes the wind noise. The SC told me they would have to order the new seals if appropriate and they are backordered so it would be a while before he could get them and they wouldn't fix it on this trip.

They gave me a Model S P85+ as a loaner so I would rather they take their time.

Had my Model X in for the rear seat recall and a complaint about wind noise from the triangular passenger window, including the seal folded over. The Service Center planned to replace the triangular windows and seals on both front doors with the harder rubber seals.

Because the passenger side was back ordered only the driver's side was replaced. Now I have the original passenger wind noise plus a whistle on the driver's side that begins at 30 mph. The car will go back when the parts are in.

Even with the noise I prefer it to the loaner Model S 85+ (personal preference).

 

[ptsagcy]

I just read on Facebook Tesla owners club Norway that the ContiSilent are much more silent than the Michelin pilot sport. Has anyone tried the ContiSilent on an X?

Yes. I switched my Michelins for Conti-Silents and they are much quieter. Tire Rack carries them and includes road hazard coverage free.

 

[mikegre]

Tesla is juggling cash flow, distribution, sales, technology, competition, and worldwide manufacturing infrastructure, to mention a few things, and being run by a man oil companies would prefer to be gone, that wants to go to Mars starting in Los Angeles via a Hyperloop to San Francisco to catch a rocket in an attempt to save humanity while selling solar panels with his cousin on the side in case the Mars thing doesn't pan out. If you want to worry, that is what to worry about.

Truly very very funny take on Musk.

 

[FroglegsX2015]

I had my car in for wind noise this week at Rocklin. They said the 65 dB was normal, since another X had 67dB. The S loaner was silent. I don't have road noise (20" Continentals) and they replaced the seal on the driver's triangular window previously. What do I do if I don't think 65dB is appropriate for a $125k car and the $90k car is quieter?

VIN 50xx Picked up 4/28/16

 

[ohmman]

I had my car in for wind noise this week at Rocklin. They said the 65 dB was normal, since another X had 67dB. The S loaner was silent. I don't have road noise (20" Continentals) and they replaced the seal on the driver's triangular window previously. What do I do if I don't think 65dB is appropriate for a $125k car and the $90k car is quieter?

Have you tried pushing on the quarter window seal(s) while driving? That's where the majority of my noise comes from, and it seems to be a source of a lot of complaints in this thread. I know they replaced it, but that doesn't mean it's not soundless. When I press my seal outward, it eliminates the bulk of the noise. To me this means that it's fixable.

Otherwise, you have to accept that the S is going to be quieter since it has a smaller profile. Paying more money gets you a bigger car, not necessarily a quieter car. A $150k semi is far from silent.

 

[electricity]

I had my car in for wind noise this week at Rocklin. They said the 65 dB was normal, since another X had 67dB. The S loaner was silent. I don't have road noise (20" Continentals) and they replaced the seal on the driver's triangular window previously. What do I do if I don't think 65dB is appropriate for a $125k car and the $90k car is quieter?

VIN 50xx Picked up 4/28/16

I have a X 90D its silent. Quieter than a Cayenne S which is rock solid built. I had tested a Model X before which had tons of wind and road noise, so no your mx should be very quiet.

 

[FroglegsX2015]

I had my car in for wind noise this week at Rocklin. They said the 65 dB was normal, since another X had 67dB. The S loaner was silent. I don't have road noise (20" Continentals) and they replaced the seal on the driver's triangular window previously. What do I do if I don't think 65dB is appropriate for a $125k car and the $90k car is quieter?

VIN 50xx Picked up 4/28/16

 

[FroglegsX2015]

Thanks for the info. I'll try pushing on the window seal.

 

[VBXATL]

I had the a lot of wind noise from the triangle window in my passenger side. When I pressed on it from the inside the noise stopped. I took the car in. My SC adjusted the amount the door latch sucked the door in. According to him, when you open the door there should be a good pop. When the door is sucked in properly, the door window should be flushed with the triangle such that the seal bulges out between the two window planes. Here's a couple of pics that hopefully shows this.

 

[FroglegsX2015]

Thanks VBXATL. Having trouble figuring out the image, but I'll take a look. AC died today, so the car will be down there again next week.

 

[Mark Z]

I recently took a sound meter and drove a 2009 Escalade (Michelin Defender LTX), 2012 Model S (19" w/ Michelin Primacy) and early VIN Model X (22" w/ Pirelli Scorpion Zero) on the same noisy concrete freeway lane at 65 mph. Results were Escalade 71 dBA, Model X 74 to 76 dBA, and Model S 76 to 78 dBA. While noticeable, the ICE engine is quieter than the road noise.

For those who question my Pirelli's, read this: "The joint activity of Pirelli and Tesla technicians led to the creation of a version of the Scorpion Zero to suit the particular needs of the new Model X." Unfortunately, while that text is visible on a search engine, the link is empty.