Sound Deadening Model 3

[cab]

I’m in the process of doing that in hopes of quieting the road noise. Having done a few cars now over the years I personally think that using Thinsulate acoustic insulation works better and is WAY lighter than the mass loaded vinyl. I’m also using the same Noico “dynamat” material that the OP used.

Where are you sourcing your thinsulate material? I've read good things about it, but have never used it. Any concerns about it getting "wet" behind the wheel well liner?

 

[Glamisduner]

Yes I've used noico dampening mats, closed cell foams then mass loaded vinyl. Did a lot of reading www.sounddeadenershowdown.com, but man....it was still very difficult.

Below is link to all the materials Ive used if anyone is interested. Make sure you read the above website ten times before making purchases

Sound Dampening Mats
Closed cell foams
Mass Loaded Vinyl
Sealing Tapes
Vinyl Cement
Velcros

that Mass loaded vinyl seems really expensive. The last truck I did I also ripped out the interior when new. I used Raammat and closed cell foam and completely covered the floor 4 doors and back wall. Took me over a month to finish. Nothing like diving around a brand new car without door panels! I think I added about 200lb to the cars weight too.

From my understanding stopping vibration is all about adding weight too the panels that are vibrating and closed cell foam reduces noise. The difference in material is all amount ease to apply and making sure it sticks and fire not melt it break down over time.

Where did you add deadener in the doors? why not just do the entire areas? Too much craziness under the floor?
RAAMaudio - Automotive sound deadening products

nice work and thanks for the pictures

 

[iwannam3]

What about active noise cancellation? My $200 Sony headphones knock airplane noise down a lot. I use it on long trips in our RV. The Model 3 already has a microphone installed. Could it just be a software fix? As we always told our IT guys "How hard could it be? It is just typing"

 

[EV-lutioin]

I’m in the process of doing that in hopes of quieting the road noise. Having done a few cars now over the years I personally think that using Thinsulate acoustic insulation works better and is WAY lighter than the mass loaded vinyl. I’m also using the same Noico “dynamat” material that the OP used.

Wouldn't insulating the firewall be just as effective (an easier) than insulating the wheel wells?

 

[BallzOne]

Where are you sourcing your thinsulate material? I've read good things about it, but have never used it. Any concerns about it getting "wet" behind the wheel well liner?

I just bought it on Amazon. It could probably get wet but it’s “airy” enough that I think water would just run down and drip out via gravity. But that liner is pretty well sealed up in that space.

Wouldn't insulating the firewall be just as effective (an easier) than insulating the wheel wells?

I plan on doing that too. The more “blankets” the better. Also, doing the wheel well I would argue is much easier than tearing apart the inside to get to the firewall.

 

[Alketi]

Nice work OP. I did this many years ago with an Acura TL and a Dynomat knock-off product.

Too late now, but best to get real measurements before/after.

- Drive the same exact stretch of road (highway)
- Drive the same exact speed
- Place/hold a sound meter in the same exact spot inside the cabin (e.g. passenger headrest)

Sound meters are pretty cheap. ~$20 on Amazon.

 

[lotusland]

What about active noise cancellation? My $200 Sony headphones knock airplane noise down a lot. I use it on long trips in our RV. The Model 3 already has a microphone installed. Could it just be a software fix? As we always told our IT guys "How hard could it be? It is just typing"

Many cars already include this. It's called VNC -- vehicle noise compensation -- and it uses cabin microphones plus the car stereo to generate the same kind of anti-noise that your headphones do. It's pretty brute force but works OK. It has become almost standard as vehicle manufacturers have had to eliminate a lot of noise reduction materials in order to keep weight down, and therefore meet EPA MPG requirements.

I don't know if Tesla has this, I assume they do though As I said it is very common and it would work well with the kind of whining motor sounds that an EV can contend with. It generally will not help with wind noise.

 

[jasontallman]

The attached picture is Tesla's process for determining the cause of cabin wind noise on the Model S. This might help determine what is causing the wind noise on the Model 3.

 

[cab]

The attached picture is Tesla's process for determining the cause of cabin wind noise on the Model S. This might help determine what is causing the wind noise on the Model 3.

no attachment...

 

[WaitingForY]

you might have to get uprated gas struts as when i dynamatted my other cars the boot and bonnet used to slam shut with the extra weight of the material

 

[mswlogo]

What about active noise cancellation? My $200 Sony headphones knock airplane noise down a lot. I use it on long trips in our RV. The Model 3 already has a microphone installed. Could it just be a software fix? As we always told our IT guys "How hard could it be? It is just typing"

I don't think it's the proper MIC to do the job. My Jeep has 4 Noise Canceling Mic's one in each corner of the headliner.
The Phone MIC might not have the low frequency fidelity either.

It might be possible though. I doubt it would be great since it wasn't designed with it from the get go.
Some advanced systems have sensors directly on the suspension.

I've added now

Front SunScreen
Rear SunScreen (on the way - Model S Sun Screen Temporarily)
TuxMat Frunk Mat (Over OEM Carpet Mat)
TuxMat Trunk Mat (Over OEM Carpet Mat)
TuxMat Lower Trunk Mat
Thick Blanket stored in Frunk
Maxpider Cabin Mats Front and Rear (removed OEM Carpet Mats for good fit, I debated keeping them under)
Michelin Xi3's Snows (Quieter than OEM 18" Primacy)
RPM Wind Noise Gasket
Tested Blocking Rear Deck (I think it did help but killed some bass and worried about poor ventilation and removed)

I think these all combined have helped a lot. Cabin is dead silent up to 45 MPH.
At 65 MPH on most roads it's excellent. On some coarse pavement at 65 MPH modest tire noise still cuts through, not bad but I've had better. Without accessories above I thought my head would explode on a long stretches of course pavement.

I'll be curious how OEM 18" All Season sound again in the spring. If I find it bad I might look for other tires.

 

[jasontallman]

I finally found the cause of my wind turbulence noise in my car. I'll give you the complete story below so you know what I went through and who to stay away from if you are having the same problem. This is also part of a broader lesson about trusting your gut and not accepting when Tesla tells you something is normal.

Since the day I picked up my car I noticed a wind turbulence noise in my car when driving over 50 mph. It was distracting and annoying. I had a mobile service tech go for a ride and he also concluded something was wrong. Then Andy Sheinkman the service manager at Mt Kisco, NY told me they test drove the car and also did an audio test. He said the cabin noise was within normal limits. After receiving the car back I continued to hear the wind turbulence sound. I tried a different approx. I cranked the heat up in the car and let it run for 10 minutes. I then used a thermal imaging camera and could clearly see there was in fact a leak. That’s what you see in the colorized picture.

I sent all this information over to the same service manager and he responded by telling me he would no longer entertain my thoughts about why the car was loud. He then proceeded to tell me that no car company uses thermal imaging to detect leaks. He said the proper test was ultrasonic which they did and everything was normal. At that point, I figured it was worth a shot to do my own ultrasonic test. I purchased a tester for $500 and using the Tesla Tech Note I found online proceded to perform the same ultrasonic test. Guess what? My test results weren’t the same as there’s. The ultrasonic tester triggered on two areas. I removed the trim surrounding the front a-pillar and ran my camera along the bead of urethane meant to hold the windshield to the car. Low and behold a huge hole. I temporarily plugged these wholes with children’s tacky puddy and guess what? No more wind turbulence in my car when driving over 50.

This is why if your gut tells you something is wrong with your Tesla you need to continue to push till they fix it. They will continue to tell you it’s normal or within spec. With my specific situation, they will even outright lie about performing a test that they clearly didn’t perform.

 

[Stellavator]

Regarding the road noise portion of cabin noise, it seems to me that it is primarily transmitted through the suspension. Is it possible that there are bushings that could be replaced to better insulate the road vibration from being transmitted to the body and cabin?

 

[cab]

I finally found the cause of my wind turbulence noise in my car. I'll give you the complete story below so you know what I went through and who to stay away from if you are having the same problem. This is also part of a broader lesson about trusting your gut and not accepting when Tesla tells you something is normal.

Since the day I picked up my car I noticed a wind turbulence noise in my car when driving over 50 mph. It was distracting and annoying. I had a mobile service tech go for a ride and he also concluded something was wrong. Then Andy Sheinkman the service manager at Mt Kisco, NY told me they test drove the car and also did an audio test. He said the cabin noise was within normal limits. After receiving the car back I continued to hear the wind turbulence sound. I tried a different approx. I cranked the heat up in the car and let it run for 10 minutes. I then used a thermal imaging camera and could clearly see there was in fact a leak. That’s what you see in the colorized picture.

I sent all this information over to the same service manager and he responded by telling me he would no longer entertain my thoughts about why the car was loud. He then proceeded to tell me that no car company uses thermal imaging to detect leaks. He said the proper test was ultrasonic which they did and everything was normal. At that point, I figured it was worth a shot to do my own ultrasonic test. I purchased a tester for $500 and using the Tesla Tech Note I found online proceded to perform the same ultrasonic test. Guess what? My test results weren’t the same as there’s. The ultrasonic tester triggered on two areas. I removed the trim surrounding the front a-pillar and ran my camera along the bead of urethane meant to hold the windshield to the car. Low and behold a huge hole. I temporarily plugged these wholes with children’s tacky puddy and guess what? No more wind turbulence in my car when driving over 50.

This is why if your gut tells you something is wrong with your Tesla you need to continue to push till they fix it. They will continue to tell you it’s normal or within spec. With my specific situation, they will even outright lie about performing a test that they clearly didn’t perform.

Dude , that's some impressive sleuthing there - Kudos! BTW, which infrared camera and ultrasonic tester did you buy/use?

 

[Pete_in_FL]

I’m in the process of doing that in hopes of quieting the road noise. Having done a few cars now over the years I personally think that using Thinsulate acoustic insulation works better and is WAY lighter than the mass loaded vinyl. I’m also using the same Noico “dynamat” material that the OP used.

The 3M site for Thinsulate is very confusing, but it looks promising. Which version do you recommend?

 

[SoCalGuy]

I finally found the cause of my wind turbulence noise in my car. I'll give you the complete story below so you know what I went through and who to stay away from if you are having the same problem. This is also part of a broader lesson about trusting your gut and not accepting when Tesla tells you something is normal.

Since the day I picked up my car I noticed a wind turbulence noise in my car when driving over 50 mph. It was distracting and annoying. I had a mobile service tech go for a ride and he also concluded something was wrong. Then Andy Sheinkman the service manager at Mt Kisco, NY told me they test drove the car and also did an audio test. He said the cabin noise was within normal limits. After receiving the car back I continued to hear the wind turbulence sound. I tried a different approx. I cranked the heat up in the car and let it run for 10 minutes. I then used a thermal imaging camera and could clearly see there was in fact a leak. That’s what you see in the colorized picture.

I sent all this information over to the same service manager and he responded by telling me he would no longer entertain my thoughts about why the car was loud. He then proceeded to tell me that no car company uses thermal imaging to detect leaks. He said the proper test was ultrasonic which they did and everything was normal. At that point, I figured it was worth a shot to do my own ultrasonic test. I purchased a tester for $500 and using the Tesla Tech Note I found online proceded to perform the same ultrasonic test. Guess what? My test results weren’t the same as there’s. The ultrasonic tester triggered on two areas. I removed the trim surrounding the front a-pillar and ran my camera along the bead of urethane meant to hold the windshield to the car. Low and behold a huge hole. I temporarily plugged these wholes with children’s tacky puddy and guess what? No more wind turbulence in my car when driving over 50.

This is why if your gut tells you something is wrong with your Tesla you need to continue to push till they fix it. They will continue to tell you it’s normal or within spec. With my specific situation, they will even outright lie about performing a test that they clearly didn’t perform.

Hope you reported your experience to Tesla management. That manager should be fired.

 

[chinnam3]

I finally found the cause of my wind turbulence noise in my car. I'll give you the complete story below so you know what I went through and who to stay away from if you are having the same problem. This is also part of a broader lesson about trusting your gut and not accepting when Tesla tells you something is normal.

Since the day I picked up my car I noticed a wind turbulence noise in my car when driving over 50 mph. It was distracting and annoying. I had a mobile service tech go for a ride and he also concluded something was wrong. Then Andy Sheinkman the service manager at Mt Kisco, NY told me they test drove the car and also did an audio test. He said the cabin noise was within normal limits. After receiving the car back I continued to hear the wind turbulence sound. I tried a different approx. I cranked the heat up in the car and let it run for 10 minutes. I then used a thermal imaging camera and could clearly see there was in fact a leak. That’s what you see in the colorized picture.

I sent all this information over to the same service manager and he responded by telling me he would no longer entertain my thoughts about why the car was loud. He then proceeded to tell me that no car company uses thermal imaging to detect leaks. He said the proper test was ultrasonic which they did and everything was normal. At that point, I figured it was worth a shot to do my own ultrasonic test. I purchased a tester for $500 and using the Tesla Tech Note I found online proceded to perform the same ultrasonic test. Guess what? My test results weren’t the same as there’s. The ultrasonic tester triggered on two areas. I removed the trim surrounding the front a-pillar and ran my camera along the bead of urethane meant to hold the windshield to the car. Low and behold a huge hole. I temporarily plugged these wholes with children’s tacky puddy and guess what? No more wind turbulence in my car when driving over 50.

This is why if your gut tells you something is wrong with your Tesla you need to continue to push till they fix it. They will continue to tell you it’s normal or within spec. With my specific situation, they will even outright lie about performing a test that they clearly didn’t perform.

Thank you for doing research above and beyond what people normally do and share with us. Luckily my Model 3 does not have any wind noise issues.(Tire/road noise is another matter). I wouldn't have bought equipment and tested. I still cringe to drive our Relatively new Honda minivan which has this weird windnoise which sounds/feels like a one of windows is open and dealer did not do squat despite complaining several times. They are keeping car and using as transport. I gave up and let it go.

Your idea of using FLIR is wonderful. It will show us where the leaks are for sure.

 

[chinnam3]

Regarding the road noise portion of cabin noise, it seems to me that it is primarily transmitted through the suspension. Is it possible that there are bushings that could be replaced to better insulate the road vibration from being transmitted to the body and cabin?

I also feel same. It seems like noise/vibration is being transmitted via suspension components in addition to airborne noise. Softer bushings should help, but not sure how it affects handling.

 

[zhu-]

I finally found the cause of my wind turbulence noise in my car. I'll give you the complete story below so you know what I went through and who to stay away from if you are having the same problem. This is also part of a broader lesson about trusting your gut and not accepting when Tesla tells you something is normal.

Since the day I picked up my car I noticed a wind turbulence noise in my car when driving over 50 mph. It was distracting and annoying. I had a mobile service tech go for a ride and he also concluded something was wrong. Then Andy Sheinkman the service manager at Mt Kisco, NY told me they test drove the car and also did an audio test. He said the cabin noise was within normal limits. After receiving the car back I continued to hear the wind turbulence sound. I tried a different approx. I cranked the heat up in the car and let it run for 10 minutes. I then used a thermal imaging camera and could clearly see there was in fact a leak. That’s what you see in the colorized picture.

I sent all this information over to the same service manager and he responded by telling me he would no longer entertain my thoughts about why the car was loud. He then proceeded to tell me that no car company uses thermal imaging to detect leaks. He said the proper test was ultrasonic which they did and everything was normal. At that point, I figured it was worth a shot to do my own ultrasonic test. I purchased a tester for $500 and using the Tesla Tech Note I found online proceded to perform the same ultrasonic test. Guess what? My test results weren’t the same as there’s. The ultrasonic tester triggered on two areas. I removed the trim surrounding the front a-pillar and ran my camera along the bead of urethane meant to hold the windshield to the car. Low and behold a huge hole. I temporarily plugged these wholes with children’s tacky puddy and guess what? No more wind turbulence in my car when driving over 50.

This is why if your gut tells you something is wrong with your Tesla you need to continue to push till they fix it. They will continue to tell you it’s normal or within spec. With my specific situation, they will even outright lie about performing a test that they clearly didn’t perform.

If you offered a service where you verified Tesla build quality I would absolutely pay for it. I swear my car is louder now after 1k miles than when I took delivery. I scheduled a mobile visit but the earliest is March 6.

 

[Glamisduner]

I’m in the process of doing that in hopes of quieting the road noise. Having done a few cars now over the years I personally think that using Thinsulate acoustic insulation works better and is WAY lighter than the mass loaded vinyl. I’m also using the same Noico “dynamat” material that the OP used.

What am I looking at here, the tire liners as from the factory? Let us know how it works out. More pictures welcomed too!