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.

 

[enemji]

then i went pirelli p7 as3

You should give the Michelin Primacy Tour A/S. They are built for the Lexus

MSPN: 06522

Buy Michelin Primacy Tour A/S Tires | Michelin

Michelin Primary Tour A/S tires are the perfect match for drivers who want to get the relaxing driving experience they expect from their premium vehicle.

www.michelinman.com

https://tires.costco.com/Product?ItemNo=1508584&tirename=michelin-primacy-tour-a/s&partno=06522&width=235&aspect=45&rim=18

The MICHELIN Primacy™ Tour A/S has the quietest tread design among leading competitors.[2]​

Enhanced ComfortControl with PIANO Noise Reduction Tuning combines frequency cancelling shoulder grooves and block chamfers with ultra smooth belts resulting in an exceptionally quiet ride.

 

[richyrich]

Also to add - tire pressure makes a huge difference- on my 20” wheels, going from 39 to 42 psi quietened and softened the ride significantly.

 

[brianbcc]

Also to add - tire pressure makes a huge difference- on my 20” wheels, going from 39 to 42 psi quietened and softened the ride significantly.

Huh, others have stated the opposite... Lowering pressure = quieter and smoother, but ymmv

 

[hari-bhari]

You should give the Michelin Primacy Tour A/S. They are built for the Lexus

MSPN: 06522

Buy Michelin Primacy Tour A/S Tires | Michelin

Michelin Primary Tour A/S tires are the perfect match for drivers who want to get the relaxing driving experience they expect from their premium vehicle.

www.michelinman.com

https://tires.costco.com/Product?ItemNo=1508584&tirename=michelin-primacy-tour-a/s&partno=06522&width=235&aspect=45&rim=18

The MICHELIN Primacy™ Tour A/S has the quietest tread design among leading competitors.[2]​

Enhanced ComfortControl with PIANO Noise Reduction Tuning combines frequency cancelling shoulder grooves and block chamfers with ultra smooth belts resulting in an exceptionally quiet ride.

have you tested these? tirerack review wasnt all that impressive

 

[richyrich]

I know

Huh, others have stated the opposite... Lowering pressure = quieter and smoother, but ymmv

I know, but this is what I found just recently. I’d imagine certain higher levels of pressure allow the suspension to take more of the load. Definitely could go too high though.

 

[enemji]

have you tested these? tirerack review wasnt all that impressive

I have them on my Mercedes and they are super quiet, and much more than the stock.

I wouldn’t give TireRack a whole lot of credibility because they & their consumers ratings have been very much wrong.

Classic example is the 18” Hankook Kinergy GT on thr Tesla. It is way more quiet than the 18” Michelin MXM4 on the Tesla. But if you check TireRack, they show the MXM4 to be quieter than the Kinergy GT.

 

[enemji]

I wouldn’t give TireRack a whole lot of credibility because they & their consumers ratings have been very much wrong.

Classic example is the 18” Hankook Kinergy GT on thr Tesla. It is way more quiet than the 18” Michelin MXM4 on the Tesla. But if you check TireRack, they show the MXM4 to be quieter than the Kinergy GT.

Vs

 

[kimwin]

I do notice that my 10 years old KIA minivan run quieter than my new M3. Good to know why and how to fix it.

 

[PaulCK]

Thank you for sharing your insights. It appears that the wheel wells are the primary source of noise.I own a 2020 SR+ model, and the only modifications I've made are the addition of softer premium tires and retrofitting dual-pane windows to the front. These changes significantly improved the noise levels.

When I initially purchased the car, it came with soft winter tires, and I was under the impression that it was quite quiet.

From the thread, I learned about the option of adding Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV) to the rear wheel wells. Interestingly, the Model Y also incorporates this feature.

Upon examining their components, it's evident that they have sound-absorbing covers on all wheel wells, including the interior. They also have noise absorbers on the firewall.

It would be interesting to see if those parts could be adapted to fit somehow. However, working on the firewall seems like a shitjob.

On a different note, I had an interesting experience when I transported four padded kitchen chairs covered in fabric. I had the rear seats folded down, and the ride felt quieter. I suspect the chairs not only dampened some of the noise bouncing around but also obstructed the view to the wheel wells. It's just an observation, but worth noting.

Whenever we go on road trips, we usually fill the trunk and the trunk well with soft bags. Surprisingly, the car doesn't seem much quieter in this setup.

For my next experiment, I'm considering adding some dampening material to the side seat area, similar to where you placed the isolation foam.

 

[PaulCK]

The new parts catalog for the Model 3 Highland is online and I was surprised by the lack of noise damping.
From the test drives posted online, the consensus is that the car is not that much quieter than the older models.


What we can see is that they have added some sort of foam blocks in the wells, which seems to indicate they want to dampen the resonance inside that chamber. Model Y have similar blocks, Munro & co videos shows how they pulled a block from inside the well from an MY.

The other find is acoustic windows at the back.

Seems they did some quick fixes instead of molding new foams but if they do it like this, there has to be a reason?

I would think that a proper cover like the DIY here are better than this block solution for that back atleast.

 

[loti]

Maybe wrong forum, but on my MY, the rear door seal are not flush to the body. SC this are too spec.
Clearly there is almost finger gap in some areas and defeat having a seal there.

As for windnoise around the window, SC will not do anything unless I pay since my window were tinted.

 

[enemji]

The new parts catalog for the Model 3 Highland is online and I was surprised by the lack of noise damping.
From the test drives posted online, the consensus is that the car is not that much quieter than the older models.


What we can see is that they have added some sort of foam blocks in the wells, which seems to indicate they want to dampen the resonance inside that chamber. Model Y have similar blocks, Munro & co videos shows how they pulled a block from inside the well from an MY.

The other find is acoustic windows at the back.

Seems they did some quick fixes instead of molding new foams but if they do it like this, there has to be a reason?

I would think that a proper cover like the DIY here are better than this block solution for that back atleast.

View attachment 983807View attachment 983808

They added the foam block because they removed the subwoofer from the rear wheel well.

 

[PaulCK]

The foam parts are under the sound isolation section of the catalog

 

[PaulCK]

They added the foam block…

What kind of material do you recommend besides ceramic fiber?

I really don’t want to mess with that,
I saw that you had tested different materials before?

I’m looking into PU foam to absorbe the noise rather than MLV that is a blocker, but I’m not sure what is the best bang for the buck

The material used stock on the MY seems to be a latex foam of some sort. Like heavier density.

I plan to cover the arch and the seat sides as you.

 

[enemji]

What kind of material do you recommend besides ceramic fiber?

I really don’t want to mess with that,
I saw that you had tested different materials before?

I’m looking into PU foam to absorbe the noise rather than MLV that is a blocker, but I’m not sure what is the best bang for the buck

The material used stock on the MY seems to be a latex foam of some sort. Like heavier density.

I plan to cover the arch and the seat sides as you.

PU foam was the worst noise blocker of them all in my test I am sure it helps with reducing the bouncing of sounds in large areas ie echo as it is used for that intention in buildings as well as speaker cabinets

If you have concerns with ceramic, fiberglass is the best option as that is used by the automotive & housing industry for this same reason

 

[Kimmo57]

The new parts catalog for the Model 3 Highland is online and I was surprised by the lack of noise damping.
From the test drives posted online, the consensus is that the car is not that much quieter than the older models.


What we can see is that they have added some sort of foam blocks in the wells, which seems to indicate they want to dampen the resonance inside that chamber. Model Y have similar blocks, Munro & co videos shows how they pulled a block from inside the well from an MY.

The other find is acoustic windows at the back.

Seems they did some quick fixes instead of molding new foams but if they do it like this, there has to be a reason?

I would think that a proper cover like the DIY here are better than this block solution for that back atleast.

View attachment 983807View attachment 983808

The Highland is massively quieter than my MY19 to which I've installed a lot of extra sound insulation and double pane front glasses. I'm looking forward to getting the rear glasses too, once Highlands start appearing to breakers.

 

[kimwin]

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
View attachment 917275

Foam at the junction
View attachment 917276



#2 - The solution for road noise is the following - 2" Fiber insulation behind the rear seat side panels that cover the rear wheel wells.
View attachment 917277

View attachment 917284

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.

The close up photos are great. Could you also take zoom out photos so I can tell exactly whereabout the insulations are. A short video pointing out these insulation stuff would be IDEAL. Thanks in advance. I can hear road noise when driving my M3. That's annoying.

 

[mimetz]

It's likely most of us won't have access to high quality calibrated equipment like this. It might actually be better to use our own smart phones to measure noise and just state what phone was used and to pick some app that's available on both iOS and Android. That way we can get an idea of relatively how much better the noise suppression is. A calibrated db meter will give us an absolute picture but most of us lack the equipment.

Noisee, 99 cents on the AppStore. Tells me w/o any mods on good highway, 65mph, noise level is 64-66db.

 

[XPsionic]

I find that in my car, the noise level vary dramatically depending on the road surface. Half of the freeways around here are grooved concrete slabs, and those are annoyingly loud, I can't hear any wind noise over the tire noise. The asphalt topped roads on the other hand (even older ones) are almost silent and all I hear are wind noises on those roads.

I think that means a quieter tire than the half worn MXM4s on my car would make the biggest difference.

 

[enemji]

I find that in my car, the noise level vary dramatically depending on the road surface. Half of the freeways around here are grooved concrete slabs, and those are annoyingly loud, I can't hear any wind noise over the tire noise. The asphalt topped roads on the other hand (even older ones) are almost silent and all I hear are wind noises on those roads.

I think that means a quieter tire than the half worn MXM4s on my car would make the biggest difference.

Switch to Kinergy GT and you will be amazed