Reducing noise and keeping the door sills clean

[Magnets!]

I had creaking sounds just like this and it was from the rubber seals. It began after the rains and sounded like i was in an old galleon. I could lodge my hand directly down to the left of my seat and press in the jam to recreate it.

SC fixed it with a door seal spray. I can see some residue on the seals, and all creaking is gone. Now I have to see if it comes back, but they didn't deny any of it.

Creaking from this door seal mod or from the stock door seals?

 

[Roentgen]

I had creaking sounds just like this and it was from the rubber seals. It began after the rains and sounded like i was in an old galleon. I could lodge my hand directly down to the left of my seat and press in the jam to recreate it.

SC fixed it with a door seal spray. I can see some residue on the seals, and all creaking is gone. Now I have to see if it comes back, but they didn't deny any of it.

I had this problem with my Lexus ct200. Service figured out the seals would rub at low speeds, and used a silicon spray to lube it a little. It would come back though, after the lube dried out. Gave up getting it redone after awhile.

I did not have this problem with my 3 when I first got it. I can imagine the extra seals could add enough extra friction/compression to keep the door a little more secure if it is indeed the cause of the noise.

 

[superbaka]

Creaking from this door seal mod or from the stock door seals?

Stock. Have not done any mods to the doors.

 

[mister yub]

Worth doing some sealing at the trunk or frunk?

 

[buddhra]

I finally got a chance to test this and was really surprised that it makes a measurable difference, but it does!

 

[Zcd1]

I finally got a chance to test this and was really surprised that it makes a measurable difference, but it does!

Really appreciate your taking the time to do this. 4dB is pretty significant IMO, so to me, this is well worth doing, especially for the low cost and ease of installation.

I'm with you regarding all those soundproofing projects - generally LOTS of effort for not much benefit.

The difference in road noise from smooth to textured roads is much more pronounced in the Model 3 than in previous cars I've owned, which tells me that it's likely that the suspension is transmitting a bunch of sound to the chassis.

 

[Roentgen]

Validates my anecdotal experience from my typical driving speeds of 60-75 mph. I rarely go 80+ where the sound improvement is more pronounced.

Still a mod totally worth doing, for both the possible modest sound improvement, and definite improved door sill cleanliness.

 

[dfwatt]

Actually it IS true. What you are talking about is actual SPL (which indeed is logarithmic) and not perceived loudness. You can google these terms and read about it. You will find that 1dB is considered imperceptible change and 3dB is barely perceptible change.

True except for the notion that 1 db isn't perceptible. 1 db is the minimum change that people with average hearing can actually consistently hear as a discernible change. That's how the scale was developed, and of course it is logarithmic. 3 db is a doubling of acoustic energies, but isn't typically perceived as such, and 10 db is typically rated as a doubling of volume. Lower DB levels for some frequencies are more easily discerned than other frequencies, interestingly enough, it's the middle of the speech register for the female voice that we are most sensitive too, for both male and female hearing, presumably due to evolutionary pressures to pay attention to what Mom was saying!

 

[Magnets!]

True except for the notion that 1 db isn't perceptible. 1 db is the minimum change that people with average hearing can actually consistently hear as a discernible change. That's how the scale was developed, and of course it is logarithmic. 3 db is a doubling of acoustic energies, but isn't typically perceived as such, and 10 db is typically rated as a doubling of volume. Lower DB levels for some frequencies are more easily discerned than other frequencies, interestingly enough, it's the middle of the speech register for the female voice that we are most sensitive too, for both male and female hearing, presumably due to evolutionary pressures to pay attention to what Mom was saying!

I'll stick with 1db being imperceptible change and 3db being barely perceptible. Source below and that's the experience in my Tesla. Have you tried it out with a sound meter? Perhaps an expert in a sound studio or even a layperson with headphones and a tone test can notice 1db, but in a loud car, I say imperceptible (source below says imperceptible) I also maintain that loudness (not SPL) is not logarithmic...as you stated 10db is a doubling in loudness, how is that logarithmic?

DECIBEL (LOUDNESS) COMPARISON CHART | Galen Carol Audio | Galen Carol Audio

 

[dfwatt]

I'll stick with 1db being imperceptible change and 3db being barely perceptible. Source below and that's the experience in my Tesla. Have you tried it out with a sound meter? Perhaps an expert in a sound studio or even a layperson with headphones and a tone test can notice 1db, but in a loud car, I say imperceptible (source below says imperceptible) I also maintain that loudness (not SPL) is not logarithmic...as you stated 10db is a doubling in loudness, how is that logarithmic?

DECIBEL (LOUDNESS) COMPARISON CHART | Galen Carol Audio | Galen Carol.

Why don't you use a real reference. Take a look at the Wikipedia entry on the decibel measurement system. Explicitly contradicts what you're saying. You also have trouble restating my argument accurately. What I said is that what people rate as a subjective doubling is actually 10 Db which is way more than a doubling of power, more than eight times as much power. Our nervous systems were carved by Evolution to handle what are enormous ranges in both sound and light. This is why logarithmic scales are useful. Again check out real scientific references and not someone who's doing audio installs. Hardly any version of a scientific expert. It is after all a scientific measurement system, yes?

 

[Magnets!]

Why don't you use a real reference. Take a look at the Wikipedia entry on the decibel measurement system. Explicitly contradicts what you're saying. You also have trouble restating my argument accurately. What I said is that what people rate as a subjective doubling is actually 10 Db which is way more than a doubling of power, more than eight times as much power. Our nervous systems were carved by Evolution to handle what are enormous ranges in both sound and light. This is why logarithmic scales are useful. Again check out real scientific references and not someone who's doing audio installs. Hardly any version of a scientific expert. It is after all a scientific measurement system, yes?

You must have missed the source for the data I posted....it's at the bottom of the page ( a University study). Lots of impressive equations on the wiki page...as I suggested get a sound meter and try it out and tell me what you hear. I still believe that log is useless for what the ear actually hears as we all know that 10db is not 10x as loud. I also believe that you are conflating the concept of absolute sound with the ability of the ear to hear a change in sound. Can the ear hear a 1db sound?...probably so in theory, can it hear a change in 1db from say 70 to 69, I doubt it.

 

[dfwatt]

You must have missed the source for the data I posted....it's at the bottom of the page ( a University study). Lots of impressive equations on the wiki page...as I suggested get a sound meter and try it out and tell me what you hear. I still believe that log is useless for what the ear actually hears as we all know that 10db is not 10x as loud. I also believe that you are conflating the concept of absolute sound with the ability of the ear to hear a change in sound. Can the ear hear a 1db sound?...probably so in theory, can it hear a change in 1db from say 70 to 69, I doubt it.

Magnets with all due respect you are rewriting what is a standard scientific definition. When you were called on that you produce an enormous flood of verbiage that has nothing to do with the original issue. Please don't take my word for it. Look it up. Please. I think I'm wasting my breath here.

 

[Trevor B]

@bradhs Is there an installation video?

While this might be very intuitive for most of you folks, I'm not very handy at such things, hence the request

 

[bradhs]

Hi Trevor, Here are a few YouTube videos done by some great Tesla folks. Like you'll see in the video, the sounds reduction really comes in to play at faster speeds. Enjoy.

@bradhs Is there an installation video?

While this might be very intuitive for most of you folks, I'm not very handy at such things, hence the request

Thanks for the inspriation @BradS! I just installed the seals and made a video. Will test tomorrow against the baseline from my other sound deadening videos!

I finally got a chance to test this and was really surprised that it makes a measurable difference, but it does!

 

[dfwatt]

Check out this image. There's another issue that needs resolving to reduce noise. Where the two doors come together at the very top, the insulation does not seal well so you've only got one seal in that area. I'm thinking of finding a solution for that area.

View attachment 372431

First of all Brad thanks very much for starting this thread. Your inventiveness and creativity in finding these

solution are impressive. I actually by mistake put the Z stripping on the back of the rear door and found that it's just about right. The rear door shuts almost as easily, and the Z striping doesn't seem to get in the way of the front door shutting either. I'm still awaiting the P striping.

When I did originally however was heavily Dynamat with Noico all 4 doors, the trunk and the front shock Towers. In combination with the additional weather sealing / sound insulation, the doors now shut with a very satisfying 'thunk' and without any of the tinny quality that they demonstrated when the car was new. I use noico and I've had very good luck with it. I also placed an enormous amount around the front speaker mid woofer basket because that was resonating quite a bit. In any case, thanks again for your great suggestions.

 

[Eddiem5]

Which floor mats did you get? Do they make a difference in the noise?

I was considering getting Luxe mats.

Did you get the mats?

 

[Magnets!]

Did you get the mats?

I bought the 3d Maxpider mats for the trunk and frunk, but have not bought anything for the cabin yet. I'm considering these:
Ultimat Floor Mats

 

[Joe Car Stuff]

I bought the 3d Maxpider mats for the trunk and frunk, but have not bought anything for the cabin yet. I'm considering these:
Ultimat Floor Mats

The 3D MAXpider mats XPE middle layer is sound absorbing. I still like them the best out of any floor liner I've come across in my 8.5 years in the car business. You can get a discounted price as a forum member from joecarstuff.com by using coupon code TMC at checkout to get them for $189 instead of the $205 minimum advertised price.

 

[groovidad]

Really appreciate your taking the time to do this. 4dB is pretty significant IMO, so to me, this is well worth doing, especially for the low cost and ease of installation.

I'm with you regarding all those soundproofing projects - generally LOTS of effort for not much benefit.

The difference in road noise from smooth to textured roads is much more pronounced in the Model 3 than in previous cars I've owned, which tells me that it's likely that the suspension is transmitting a bunch of sound to the chassis.

I concur. I, too, noticed on a nice, smooth road it glides along very silently. Once I hit rough roads...AAAAARRRGH! Stands to reason, though.

 

[dfwatt]

I concur. I, too, noticed on a nice, smooth road it glides along very silently. Once I hit rough roads...AAAAARRRGH! Stands to reason, though.

Yes we noticed that too and that's why I Dynamatted the front strut towers. I wouldn't say it made a dramatic difference but it helped.