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 review of the kits, I figured that since none of you have been able to achieve that elusive goal, let alone even come close to reducing the noise, made me ask the question: What are we missing?

So as I kept driving my M3, I attempted to focus on finding those missing sources ie where is the noise emanating into the cabin from. Turns out they are the 4 corners of the cabin ie the A-Pillars and C-pillars. More specifically, the A-Pillars for wind noise and C-Pillars for road noise.

#1 - The solution for wind noise is the following - Z Weatherstrip down inside the leading edge of the front door, and foam block at the top triangle where the front fender, windshield and door meet.

Z-Weatherstrip

Foam at the junction

#2 - The solution for road noise is the following - 2" Fiber insulation behind the rear seat side panels that cover the rear wheel wells.

I hope this helps everyone who have been pursuing this goal. Thanks for all the contributions and many thanks to @XPsionic for his constant engagement and interest.

 

[GregD60]

View attachment 922299

Probably old news for most but I thought I would share. There is already some sound proofing material on the doors. Today I took my model 3 to do a window tinting and took this picture from the door panel.

I didn't take a picture, but when a Tesla Ranger adjusted the driver side window on my car last week, I saw the same insulation on the door panel.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

That type of sound matting clipped to the door panels has been pretty much standard in any car built within the last 30 or 40 years. Have there been Tesla's without it?

 

[ICE5891]

Did the instalation today.

Trunk well before the instalation, there is quite o lot of room there. I applied 10mm acoustic mat.

The instalation is super easy and quick, simpler then what I was expecting.

Behind the wheel well liner I didn't find much room to install, there is already some tick foam, it is not only a thin liner. Could maybe add something later, don't know if it is really worth it. To do it well would need remove all the liner to have good access.

Then going to the seat side panel there is less room then what I was expecting. I added as much as I could. The ceramic fiber is easy to work with and mold to the spaces.

Tomorrow I post the noise result after installation.

 

[tivoboy]

Did the instalation today.

Trunk well before the instalation, there is quite o lot of room there. I applied 10mm acoustic mat.


View attachment 922681

The instalation is super easy and quick, simpler then what I was expecting.

View attachment 922683

Behind the wheel well liner I didn't find much room to install, there is already some tick foam, it is not only a thin liner. Could maybe add something later, don't know if it is really worth it. To do it well would need remove all the liner to have good access.

View attachment 922686


Then going to the seat side panel there is less room then what I was expecting. I added as much as I could. The ceramic fiber is easy to work with and mold to the spaces.

View attachment 922690


View attachment 922691
View attachment 922692

Tomorrow I post the noise result after installation.

Tease!

looks good though, and I think that the trunk IS clearly an area for better insulation.

 

[SupersonicP3D]

Are there any concerns with using ceramic fiber in the car from the perspective of having it get dislodged and get into the cabin (I assume it's not particularly healthy to breathe in)? Would other non-fiber foam (e.g., PU foam) have the same sound absorbing effect?

 

[enemji]

Are there any concerns with using ceramic fiber in the car from the perspective of having it get dislodged and get into the cabin (I assume it's not particularly healthy to breathe in)? Would other non-fiber foam (e.g., PU foam) have the same sound absorbing effect?

Fiber glass, rockwool should be good options

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

Rockwool is quite safe to the touch and has a nice soft cottony feel with typically zero irritation - very different from fiberglass.

But unfortunately, both products are similar to asbestos when it comes to lung cancer.

 

[ICE5891]

Tomorrow I post the noise result after installation.

Now lets talk about the results. I did a video clip from before and after the installation. Same road, similar weather. This app overlay the video with the db value and other info.

Dont mind the AVG, MIN, MAX and PEAK on the top right corner. Even if it show plausible values I don't guarantee they are comparing apples to apples because the clip length is different, speed was not constant and cars and trucks around were different along the trip.

I compare the clips side by side trying to find areas that they were as similar as possible in speed and traffic around. My conclusion is.
Before, 86km/h - 67db±2
After, 86km/h - 65±1.5

Is there improvement? I believe yes, I cannot say "it is much quieter". It is more like "I think it is quieter". But the difference was measurable and corroborating with this impression that is quieter so I would say that yes, there is improvement.

Is it worth it? That's depends on how much you like those DIY stuff, I found it easy to install and took around 1.5h to do it all.

What's next? If I would push it further I would apply some of that black foam on the inside part of the rear wheel well. I don't think it is complicated, just take more time because need to fully remove the liner.

Then after that beneath the wheel well.

I don't know if I will ever do it, maybe one day.

 

[tivoboy]

I compare the clips side by side trying to find areas that they were as similar as possible in speed and traffic around. My conclusion is.
Before, 86km/h - 67db±2
After, 86km/h - 65±1.5

Is there improvement? I believe yes, I cannot say "it is much quieter". It is more like "I think it is quieter". But the difference was measurable and corroborating with this impression that is quieter so I would say that yes, there is improvement.

Is it worth it? That's depends on how much you like those DIY stuff, I found it easy to install and took around 1.5h to do it all.

As small as it SEEMS that amount of drop in dB ~2 positive would be noticeable to a human for sure.

 

[Heckraiser]

Did the instalation today.

Trunk well before the instalation, there is quite o lot of room there. I applied 10mm acoustic mat.


View attachment 922681

The instalation is super easy and quick, simpler then what I was expecting.

View attachment 922683

Behind the wheel well liner I didn't find much room to install, there is already some tick foam, it is not only a thin liner. Could maybe add something later, don't know if it is really worth it. To do it well would need remove all the liner to have good access.

View attachment 922686


Then going to the seat side panel there is less room then what I was expecting. I added as much as I could. The ceramic fiber is easy to work with and mold to the spaces.

View attachment 922690


View attachment 922691
View attachment 922692

Tomorrow I post the noise result after installation.

Can you link to the acoustic mat you used? Is it sticky, or did you need a separate adhesive?

 

[ICE5891]

Can you link to the acoustic mat you used? Is it sticky, or did you need a separate adhesive?

I took 2 units of this one, I am in europe so the brands found here are not the same in USA
'40 "x24 394MIL 10 mm 6,46sqft Car Soundproofing Acoustic Mat Insulation Mat

https://amzn.eu/d/fcQ0MYq

It is self adhesive

 

[ICE5891]

As small as it SEEMS that amount of drop in dB ~2 positive would be noticeable to a human for sure.

Yes I think so. We have to think that the target is not 0db, even when car is stopped it shows to me around 45db. If we use the e-tron as a reference the target is then 60db.

 

[enemji]

Now lets talk about the results. I did a video clip from before and after the installation. Same road, similar weather. This app overlay the video with the db value and other info.

Dont mind the AVG, MIN, MAX and PEAK on the top right corner. Even if it show plausible values I don't guarantee they are comparing apples to apples because the clip length is different, speed was not constant and cars and trucks around were different along the trip.

I compare the clips side by side trying to find areas that they were as similar as possible in speed and traffic around. My conclusion is.
Before, 86km/h - 67db±2
After, 86km/h - 65±1.5

View attachment 922963

Is there improvement? I believe yes, I cannot say "it is much quieter". It is more like "I think it is quieter". But the difference was measurable and corroborating with this impression that is quieter so I would say that yes, there is improvement.

Is it worth it? That's depends on how much you like those DIY stuff, I found it easy to install and took around 1.5h to do it all.

What's next? If I would push it further I would apply some of that black foam on the inside part of the rear wheel well. I don't think it is complicated, just take more time because need to fully remove the liner.
View attachment 922964

Then after that beneath the wheel well.
View attachment 922965

I don't know if I will ever do it, maybe one day.

Thank you! That was a good test. Regarding reducing noise levels, it really comes down to the frequencies that are being attenuated. That will definitely depend upon the tire your car is running. If the annoying frequencies are in the higher frequencies ie more than say 700hz, you may find it beneficial. But if your tires are producing resonant annoying frequencies in the lower range under 250hz, this will probably not help.

 

[enemji]

Now lets talk about the results. I did a video clip from before and after the installation. Same road, similar weather. This app overlay the video with the db value and other info.

Dont mind the AVG, MIN, MAX and PEAK on the top right corner. Even if it show plausible values I don't guarantee they are comparing apples to apples because the clip length is different, speed was not constant and cars and trucks around were different along the trip.

I compare the clips side by side trying to find areas that they were as similar as possible in speed and traffic around. My conclusion is.
Before, 86km/h - 67db±2
After, 86km/h - 65±1.5



Is there improvement? I believe yes, I cannot say "it is much quieter". It is more like "I think it is quieter". But the difference was measurable and corroborating with this impression that is quieter so I would say that yes, there is improvement.

Is it worth it? That's depends on how much you like those DIY stuff, I found it easy to install and took around 1.5h to do it all.

What's next? If I would push it further I would apply some of that black foam on the inside part of the rear wheel well. I don't think it is complicated, just take more time because need to fully remove the liner.


Then after that beneath the wheel well.


I don't know if I will ever do it, maybe one day.

What is this? I don’t have that in my car. The one I highlighted in green.

 

[Tripod1404]

As small as it SEEMS that amount of drop in dB ~2 positive would be noticeable to a human for sure.

It is quite substantial. dB are not reported on a linear scale ( I think it is log10 scale), for example the difference there is a 10X increase in intensity between 60-70 Db.

And this doesn't take into account the frequency of the sound produced or its oscillation. Human ear has higher sensitivity towards certain frequencies and towards changes in sound level. So if the noise is at one of those frequencies, it will be perceived more by a human. The same is also true of the sounds that change in intensity (this is especially bad for wind noise as it often comes as a periodic a "pop" or "whistle" that oscillates). For example, hammering noise is a lot more annoying than a vacuum cleaner noise even though vacuum is louder (but is constant).

 

[XPsionic]

Now lets talk about the results. I did a video clip from before and after the installation. Same road, similar weather. This app overlay the video with the db value and other info.

Dont mind the AVG, MIN, MAX and PEAK on the top right corner. Even if it show plausible values I don't guarantee they are comparing apples to apples because the clip length is different, speed was not constant and cars and trucks around were different along the trip.

I compare the clips side by side trying to find areas that they were as similar as possible in speed and traffic around. My conclusion is.
Before, 86km/h - 67db±2
After, 86km/h - 65±1.5

View attachment 922963

Is there improvement? I believe yes, I cannot say "it is much quieter". It is more like "I think it is quieter". But the difference was measurable and corroborating with this impression that is quieter so I would say that yes, there is improvement.

Is it worth it? That's depends on how much you like those DIY stuff, I found it easy to install and took around 1.5h to do it all.

What's next? If I would push it further I would apply some of that black foam on the inside part of the rear wheel well. I don't think it is complicated, just take more time because need to fully remove the liner.
View attachment 922964

Then after that beneath the wheel well.
View attachment 922965

I don't know if I will ever do it, maybe one day.

Great result and testing!
To my ears, after putting insulation in the rear wheel well/seat area, most of the noise seem to be concentrated near the front of the car. The next areas to look at IMO would be the interior near the firewall/front wheel well area, and the area behind the front wheel well lining.

 

[ICE5891]

What is this? I don’t have that in my car. The one I highlighted in green.

View attachment 923104

Maybe some aftermarket subwoofer support. I took this picture from Google because it was without the liner. Mine also don't have it.

Great result and testing!
To my ears, after putting insulation in the rear wheel well/seat area, most of the noise seem to be concentrated near the front of the car. The next areas to look at IMO would be the interior near the firewall/front wheel well area, and the area behind the front wheel well lining.

Yes I also have the impression the road noise shifted more to the front

 

[aurelian]

Did the instalation today.

Trunk well before the instalation, there is quite o lot of room there. I applied 10mm acoustic mat.


View attachment 922681

The instalation is super easy and quick, simpler then what I was expecting.

View attachment 922683

Behind the wheel well liner I didn't find much room to install, there is already some tick foam, it is not only a thin liner. Could maybe add something later, don't know if it is really worth it. To do it well would need remove all the liner to have good access.

View attachment 922686


Then going to the seat side panel there is less room then what I was expecting. I added as much as I could. The ceramic fiber is easy to work with and mold to the spaces.

View attachment 922690


View attachment 922691
View attachment 922692

Tomorrow I post the noise result after installation.

Have you considered a layer of MLV on top of that mat? You're halfway to a great result with this decoupling layer and MLV is cheap.

 

[enemji]

Great result and testing!
To my ears, after putting insulation in the rear wheel well/seat area, most of the noise seem to be concentrated near the front of the car. The next areas to look at IMO would be the interior near the firewall/front wheel well area, and the area behind the front wheel well lining.

The ideal spot would be the back of the wheel well

 

[enemji]

Yes I also have the impression the road noise shifted more to the front

That is a clear evidence that insulation of the rear wheel behind the bolster does work.