MYLR7 Sound Deadening

[dupeks]

Worked with Ernie at Sound Innovations to get sound deadening for my 2023 MYLR7 and also to install the RPM Tesla noise reduction kit. I'm impressed with the end result (less so the kit) and would recommend sound deadening at Sound Innovations to anyone on the fence.

• Noticeably less outside noise from other cars etc.
• Reduced road noise, especially in the back
• All door rattles gone, and doors close with a satisfying *thud*
• Wind noise still mostly there, but it wasn't too bad to begin with
• Measured to be roughly ~6db avg difference both at 45mph and 65mph. Note that traffic was a little heavier in the later readings -- either way I can tell the difference.

Here's what we had done

• 4 doors 2 stage sound deadening - they took out the window and motor assembly to properly line the exterior (see pictures)
• Trunk area full coverage sound deadening - they took out all of the trunk and sub-trunk panels and lined the exposed metal surfaces coming up to the side panels. We chose to focus on this area in addition to the doors because the forward section of the cabin already has the battery to help absorb road noise, but the trunk does not.
• RPM Tesla Noise Reduction Kit gen 2 on 4 doors, trunk and frunk. Helps keep the dust out, nicely absorbs any slams from the slightly heavier doors. Possibly helps with noise too (didn't do separate testing, but based on noise difference at rest I'd wager this kit helps only a little). Seals are a good material, but adhesive was poor on many of the pieces. Used additional thin 3M double-sided tape to fix areas that were not sticking, but it may fail after a short while
• All in all ~25-30lbs of material added (not sure impact on range), in exchange for a more comfortable interior experience and more satisfying door thud

Posted some photos of the before/after, and noise readings

• Install took 2.5 days, and readings were taken roughly the same time in the morning before/after.
• Unfortunately there was a little heavier traffic on the highway the second day.
• Took the car over wake up lines to simulate bumps and a louder sound profile
• Missed getting photos of the front doors, but similar to the back

More photos in first comment

 

[dupeks]

More photos, including measurement readings

 

[plastus]

Impressive effort! How much did the parts and labor end up costing you?

 

[exxxviii]

That is very cool. Out of curiosity, did the tool that measured and presented the differences also give an A-Weighted SPL for the before & after?

 

[dupeks]

That is very cool. Out of curiosity, did the tool that measured and presented the differences also give an A-Weighted SPL for the before & after?

Unfortunately they only took a C-weighted SPL

Impressive effort! How much did the parts and labor end up costing you?

About half as much as full ppf+tint combined at Bay Area prices

 

[exxxviii]

Unfortunately they only took a C-weighted SPL

Bummer. I was super curious the difference, since A-Weighting is closer to what we perceive at normal sound levels.

I could see tackling some areas of the car myself, like the trunk, to deaden sound. But doing the doors is a major project, as your pictures illustrate.

 

[ggs gas]

Curious about the hatch area. Did they tackle the hatch door itself as well? I seem to have extra movement and noise emanating from the plastic lining of the hatch most likely around the speaker shrouds. The carpeted area in the lower middle near the trunk light seems pretty hollow and loose. Thanks so much for posting this. It has me thinking…

 

[rugox]

ehh don't really see that much of a difference in the readings chart.

 

[dupeks]

Curious about the hatch area. Did they tackle the hatch door itself as well? I seem to have extra movement and noise emanating from the plastic lining of the hatch most likely around the speaker shrouds. The carpeted area in the lower middle near the trunk light seems pretty hollow and loose. Thanks so much for posting this. It has me thinking…

They did not. I also have a small rattle from the plastic, especially when the car is hot. I talked to Ernie about it when I was setting up the plan and he said they are usually reluctant to put sound deadening in the trunk hatch itself because the motor/sensor is sensitive to the added weight and may not open correctly. It’s possible to add gaskets and light foam layers for panel isolation but I opted not to do so. Might go back in the future if it gets worse.

ehh don't really see that much of a difference in the readings chart.

Agree it’s not the cleanest chart data and honestly am not educated to read it. Going back for a radar detector and some work on front wheel-wells so will ask for repeat reading including A-weighted but not really sure if that will give anything more meaningful.

For me the important test was whether family members would notice/be happier, and it for sure passed that!

 

[enemji]

Bummer. I was super curious the difference, since A-Weighting is closer to what we perceive at normal sound levels.

I could see tackling some areas of the car myself, like the trunk, to deaden sound. But doing the doors is a major project, as your pictures illustrate.

You may like this approach….
You should not deaden sound, but rather absorb the sound.

Solved: Road Noise & Front Wind Noise

Through the last few months, I have been watching and reading up the various posts regarding the many ways many of you all have attempted, as well as the various kits available online, to reduce if not eliminate road noise and wind noise from the Model3. After reviewing all those posts and...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[enemji]

Unfortunately they only took a C-weighted SPL


About half as much as full ppf+tint combined at Bay Area prices

So like $700 ?

 

[kel8kel]

So like $700 ?

I'm going to guess more like 3k

 

[dupeks]

So like $700 ?

Aye if only. The lowest quote I got for full ppf was 6k, sound deadening was half that like the other guy guessed. Any less and I think it would be a hack job around the Bay Area — wish it weren’t so but alas haha

I ordered the materials you suggest and will attempt to add sound absorbtion DIY

 

[enemji]

Aye if only. The lowest quote I got for full ppf was 6k, sound deadening was half that like the other guy guessed. Any less and I think it would be a hack job around the Bay Area — wish it weren’t so but alas haha

I ordered the materials you suggest and will attempt to add sound absorbtion DIY

I had no idea about the cost... I guess I might not be too well at "Price is Right"

 

[dupeks]

I went back for work on the front wheel wells, wanted to share pictures. Am going back in a couple weeks for sound measurements (aiming same time and day of week as before measurements we already took), will share those as well.

Layperson's experience is that the front deadening helped with road noise and a resonant boominess. Am very pleased with the results so far, and am also going to try enemji's sound absorption mods next!

 

[dupeks]

more pics of front end work (2 of 3)

 

[dupeks]

more pics of front end work (3 of 3)

 

[ilovecoffee]

IMO I think you'll get the best return on install if butyl is on a metallic surface rather than plastic (such as the wheel shroud). Metal surfaces are more likely to carry resonance whereas plastic surfaces are not. But I'm not an audio engineer!

 

[dupeks]

IMO I think you'll get the best return on install if butyl is on a metallic surface rather than plastic (such as the wheel shroud). Metal surfaces are more likely to carry resonance whereas plastic surfaces are not. But I'm not an audio engineer!

Agreed, I think we put some material on the wheel shroud to have the contact points be dampened / reduce risk of rattle. Most of the material was added to the metal elements underneath.

I'm also not an audio engineer, but these folks at Sound Innovations seem to know what they are doing haha.

 

[enemji]

Agreed, I think we put some material on the wheel shroud to have the contact points be dampened / reduce risk of rattle. Most of the material was added to the metal elements underneath.

I'm also not an audio engineer, but these folks at Sound Innovations seem to know what they are doing haha.

Ask them about my Mod. Definitely would love to hear their opinion on what I did from someone who actually does this for a living.