Tesla M3 Cabin Noise

[cucubits]

I like the objectivity in these posts.

Before buying the Model 3 I did some light research and fell on forums from Tesla fanatics claiming the noise comes from the absence of the engine noise. I now know that I should have done better research. I own a Tesla Model 3 Dual LR, coming from a BMW 5 series. And whilst the Tesla is way more expensive, the sound is worse than in a... VW Golf.

I noticed when coming back from holidays that the noise was significantly lower than what I experienced while going. I thought first that I was getting used to it and that things were not that bad. Until I foun7d the reason: when the tires are flatter, the db's go down significantly. I was thinking about leaving it that way, but unfortunately (and understandably) battery performance runs down as well...

So I guess we are stuck with lots of noise. For people owning a silent car and valuing low noise, the Tesla Model 3 might not be your best choice. Maybe wait for more options before switching to EV.

+1 I noticed the same.

Went on a drive test with a LR AWD, took the same route as with our ice car on the way to the store and the model 3 was noisier than our vw beetle !!! even at slow speeds. This was really unexpected.

 

[KenC]

I like the objectivity in these posts.

Before buying the Model 3 I did some light research and fell on forums from Tesla fanatics claiming the noise comes from the absence of the engine noise. I now know that I should have done better research. I own a Tesla Model 3 Dual LR, coming from a BMW 5 series. And whilst the Tesla is way more expensive, the sound is worse than in a... VW Golf.

I noticed when coming back from holidays that the noise was significantly lower than what I experienced while going. I thought first that I was getting used to it and that things were not that bad. Until I found the reason: when the tires are flatter, the db's go down significantly. I was thinking about leaving it that way, but unfortunately (and understandably) battery performance runs down as well...

So I guess we are stuck with lots of noise. For people owning a silent car and valuing low noise, the Tesla Model 3 might not be your best choice. Maybe wait for more options before switching to EV.

Which tires and what were the pressures, and how big a change in efficiency? No doubt the shape of the contact patch can change the sound. That's why worn tires also sound different than when new.

 

[chinnam3]

I like the objectivity in these posts.

Before buying the Model 3 I did some light research and fell on forums from Tesla fanatics claiming the noise comes from the absence of the engine noise. I now know that I should have done better research. I own a Tesla Model 3 Dual LR, coming from a BMW 5 series. And whilst the Tesla is way more expensive, the sound is worse than in a... VW Golf.

I noticed when coming back from holidays that the noise was significantly lower than what I experienced while going. I thought first that I was getting used to it and that things were not that bad. Until I found the reason: when the tires are flatter, the db's go down significantly. I was thinking about leaving it that way, but unfortunately (and understandably) battery performance runs down as well...

So I guess we are stuck with lots of noise. For people owning a silent car and valuing low noise, the Tesla Model 3 might not be your best choice. Maybe wait for more options before switching to EV.

I run my tires at 39PSI (it helps a lot), and have not observed any notable loss in range. On freshly paved asphalt, it is heaven in Model 3( we have few roads near me), very very quiet, very little wind noise (at least in my car).But when I get on rough/coarse concrete road on I-5 here, it is ear grating. It seems most of the noise is being transmitted from suspension to body and body/chassis reverberating that noise. Obviously it changes with speed. I am pretty sure tires are contributing a lot too, and I will try when time comes to change tires. I had very good luck with Continental Pure Contacts on my previous Bimmer which helped substantial with tire/road noise.

 

[Wailor]

The cabin noise is NOT a big issue at all. The car is silent so it appears every sound seems magnified. You get a great sound system too so that should help and if you are one of the few that doesn’t drive with any sounds playing, then you can bask in the beauty of all the different road noises there are, cos different roads have different sounds.

I would say though that some insulation may be needed around the windows when traveling at high speeds due to the little whistling you can hear if sound system is off but in my ice car, the din of the engine noise would have taken its place.

 

[Rob144]

I’ve noticed the wind noise is louder than I was expecting. I was planning on calling service to see if there is a gap or something causing it.

 

[VT_EE]

The cabin noise is NOT a big issue at all. The car is silent so it appears every sound seems magnified. You get a great sound system too so that should help and if you are one of the few that doesn’t drive with any sounds playing, then you can bask in the beauty of all the different road noises there are, cos different roads have different sounds.

I would say though that some insulation may be needed around the windows when traveling at high speeds due to the little whistling you can hear if sound system is off but in my ice car, the din of the engine noise would have taken its place.

This whistling was happening to me near the corner mirrors. A trip to the SC fixed it.

 

[Wailor]

This whistling was happening to me near the corner mirrors. A trip to the SC fixed it.

What did they do??

 

[cab]

The cabin noise is NOT a big issue at all. The car is silent so it appears every sound seems magnified. You get a great sound system too so that should help and if you are one of the few that doesn’t drive with any sounds playing, then you can bask in the beauty of all the different road noises there are, cos different roads have different sounds.

I would say though that some insulation may be needed around the windows when traveling at high speeds due to the little whistling you can hear if sound system is off but in my ice car, the din of the engine noise would have taken its place.

Says the guy in the home of "quiet asphalt" - ;>
But seriously: Quiet Pavement and Noise Program

I wish more areas would abandon concrete and move to asphalt with a high rubber content...sooooo much quieter than aggregate impregnated asphalt or the nightmare of grooved concrete freeways.

 

[VT_EE]

What did they do??

They replaced the black triangular shaped seal and hard plastic exterior triangle next to the drivers mirror. It fits much better now. Previously, I could hear the whistling coming from the seal. Now it’s quiet.

 

[Ofarlig]

This thread was a gold mine of information. I am actually contemplating switching my 2018 S for a 3 but I am quite noise sensitive so for me noise is a big thing.

My S seems to be built well as it is one of the more quiet Teslas I have been in. The 3P was noticeably noisier than my S but I had hoped the LR AWD would be quieter. It seems it is a bit quieter but have anyone compared it to a later year S?

 

[cucubits]

I went on a back to back drive test with a new 3 AWD and an S. The 3 was much much noisier, even at low speeds I could hear a lot of the ambient traffic noise from the outside. At highway speeds it was just as bad. It was even noisier than the ICE I drove to the store...

This made me stop looking at the 3 and shop around for a used S.

It is possible that the 3 I got for the drive was particularly bad since the quality on these is very hit or miss but I don't believe a "good" one would have made that much of a difference.

 

[Ofarlig]

I went on a back to back drive test with a new 3 AWD and an S. The 3 was much much noisier, even at low speeds I could hear a lot of the ambient traffic noise from the outside. At highway speeds it was just as bad. It was even noisier than the ICE I drove to the store...

This made me stop looking at the 3 and shop around for a used S.

It is possible that the 3 I got for the drive was particularly bad since the quality on these is very hit or miss but I don't believe a "good" one would have made that much of a difference.

Thanks, good to know. I have done 2 test drives with 2 difference 3 Performance cars on roads I drove my S right before and after and both of them had were significantly more tire noise and road noise from traffic. I was hoping at least the tire noise would be significantly lower in a 3 LR AWD due to the 18” and that it might actually approach the level of my S that has 19”.

I kind of want the 3 to be an option but since surgery left me with sound sensitivity I might have to pass then...

 

[cucubits]

I also put a lot of value on a quiet car. I really wanted a new Tesla and the S is out of my budget so I even started planning to properly soundproof a Model 3 by myself but from all the tests I've seen around, it does help but it doesn't make a lot of a difference and it's hard to get it even to "S quiet" levels.
Looks like it's due to a number of design choices in the Model 3 (very stiff body, poor and minimal factory soundproofing, huge glass roof).

 

[Dayreg]

We have two Model 3s, one AWD with extensive sound proofing and a new P3D stealth. Both have 19" wheels.

The AWD has Pirelli Cinturado P7+ all seasons which we also used on our S. We find this 3 pretty quiet on different road surfaces.

The Performance 3 has 19" Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires and the road noise is a lot louder. As is the wind noise, though that might be a seal issue from the factory.

I intend to measure both with a mic soon to get measurements. If the numbers match what my ears tell me, I'll be adding sound insulation to the P3D as well. ( MLV, CCF and Noico, similar to Dynamat, to all four doors and under front footwell carpet. Same with rear bench and rear footwell. Rear doors also have thinsulate.) All these products can be found on Amazon or eBay. YouTube has videos on removing the door panels and rear bench. Do not remove the window regulators on rear doors, watch videos online as they are difficult to repair.

Hopefully the P3D results match the AWD. If I still get wind noise, I'll ask mobile service to look at it only if I can't figure it out.

 

[TrooperCA]

Let me take all the science out of it and give an honest answer. All the technical answers said so far are true.

I thought I was going to have an issue with the road noise as well but if you cruise at 65 everything is really manageable and calm.

if you got a stretch of rough road then oh well. If you feel like it’s too loud. Just floor it once in awhile to get a grin on your face and move on...I smash on lawnmowers each once in awhile cause...why not...

 

[john85775]

We have a Raven X and M3P- (Performance with 18" wheels).

We did multiple overnight test drives with the 19" and 20" wheels and couldn't get over the rough ride -- especially for our use case, which is 100 and 200 mile runs at a time. After a brief stint with a 2019 Volt, we tried the 3 with 18" wheels and gave the 3 a passing grade for ride comfort -- C or C- if you will -- and its other attributes (fun, fast, technical chops, good looks) compensated for the rest.

The 3 is tolerable with 18" wheels but the X ride quality just puts it to shame.

 

[tinkererguy]

I measured a 1dB difference before/after using one of the door gasket sets on Amazon. This was measured on the same three sections of highway at roughly 70MPH. Not all that impressive. I didn't capture the waveforms, but I agree with @postersw that the majority of road noise seems like it's lower frequency and as such is unaffected by adding door seals.

I did a little bit of testing of before and after installing door seals, my video here:

I've repeated this test as best as I could with my wife's 2020 Tesla Model 3 SR+ and a newer door trim kit, but didn't get great footage of the spectral analysis app. The (unpublished) results were about the same, a modest but noticeable reduction in noise. Next up, trying the BASENOR cotton covering on the unpainted metal in the trunk in both vehicles. I'm keeping track of my sound deadening efforts in my accessories article here. For a little perspective, my wife and I had 2005 and 2006 Honda Civics, and this is the first time in 30 years we can actually carry on a normal volume level conversation with back seat passengers. In other words, going from ~30 years of mostly Honda Civics was a big step up for us. Getting rid of some of the higher frequencies bumps in the spectrum has really helped for the many long distance highway trips I take (25,000 in 2019 alone), and the costs of these efforts has been minimal.

 

[PNWLeccy]

I did a little bit of testing of before and after installing door seals, my video here:

I've repeated this test as best as I could with my wife's 2020 Tesla Model 3 SR+ and a newer door trim kit, but didn't get great footage of the spectral analysis app. The (unpublished) results were about the same, a modest but noticeable reduction in noise. Next up, trying the BASENOR cotton covering on the unpainted metal in the trunk in both vehicles. I'm keeping track of my sound deadening efforts in my accessories article here. For a little perspective, my wife and I had 2005 and 2006 Honda Civics, and this is the first time in 30 years we can actually carry on a normal volume level conversation with back seat passengers. In other words, going from ~30 years of mostly Honda Civics was a big step up for us. Getting rid of some of the higher frequencies bumps in the spectrum has really helped for the many long distance highway trips I take (25,000 in 2019 alone), and the costs of these efforts has been minimal.

I have been doing some diy DB measurements using my phone after each noise reduction effort i make but haven't really noticed any difference yet. I first tried the roof wind noise reduction gasket, then door seals with no real improvement.

I just installed the trunk insulation but only temporarily tacked it into place on mine. I have 2018 with the hole in the trunk roof that I'd like to cover over before permanently installing. Do you have any ideas what would be a good material/solution for covering that BEFORE putting the trunk insulation mat over it?

By the way I just got my trunk insulation from ebay for $50 and saved $30 over the BASENOR/amazon ones because they are exactly the same.

 

[67King]

Qualitative, anecdotal feedback. Road noise isn't much of an issue below about 80. It seems to be exponentially related to speed. I odn't normally drive that fast, but when I first leave in the mornings (this is about 4:40AM - too early for music for me), and merge onto the highway, I have at times accelerated to a higher speed than intended, and if I exceed 80, the noise tends to get really loud. Below that, I don't find it objectionable.

I have wondered, though, if undercoating may have something to do with it. There is a large, presumably minimally shaped part of the floor in the back behind the console, where teh driveshaft tunnel would otherwise be. Drop a soccer ball or something like that on that spot, and you'll think you just got hit by a meteorite it is so loud. Definitely not what I would call acceptable. But if that spot is any indicatrion, there is minimal undercoating which helps with sound deadening in there.

Going to try the seals linked last year. For $35, not a big deal if they don't help much. Some is definitely wind noise, but not all.

 

[cab]

We have two Model 3s, one AWD with extensive sound proofing and a new P3D stealth. Both have 19" wheels.

The AWD has Pirelli Cinturado P7+ all seasons which we also used on our S. We find this 3 pretty quiet on different road surfaces.

The Performance 3 has 19" Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires and the road noise is a lot louder. As is the wind noise, though that might be a seal issue from the factory.

I intend to measure both with a mic soon to get measurements. If the numbers match what my ears tell me, I'll be adding sound insulation to the P3D as well. ( MLV, CCF and Noico, similar to Dynamat, to all four doors and under front footwell carpet. Same with rear bench and rear footwell. Rear doors also have thinsulate.) All these products can be found on Amazon or eBay. YouTube has videos on removing the door panels and rear bench. Do not remove the window regulators on rear doors, watch videos online as they are difficult to repair.

Hopefully the P3D results match the AWD. If I still get wind noise, I'll ask mobile service to look at it only if I can't figure it out.

In your case, I would swap the P7s (a supposedly very quiet tire) onto to the P3D to see if the tires are virtually the entire issue. Sound deadening/blocking (in my experience) is never as effective as having less noise to deal with in the first place.