Tire Noise.

[mswlogo]

Tire noise at this point is my largest reservation. For us, the whole point of this vehicle is comfortable long trips (we frequently do 300 miles on the weekend to our camp).

My friend has the RWD with Aero's and I did not find cabin noise to be an issue. But I was distracted a bit by all the other aspects of the car. I have since test drove a P3D+ and the tire noise was borderline ridiculously bad. I have assumed for now it was the 20" wheels at who knows what pressure. This was not the same road, and as some folks mentions the texture in the road can make a huge difference. So the road could have been a bit of an outlier for road noise. my dB meter was reading 88dB, I assumed it was broken, it might not have been it was pretty bad.

I plan to measure my friends RWD probably tomorrow night and compare it to my Jeep Summit (which I absolutely love for a quiet ride) and my wifes VW CC which has always been pretty bad road noise. The Jeep has double insulated glass on front and sides, Active Noise Cancelation, good insulation, just a V6 and nice tires (I forget what they even are). I don't expect the M3 to beat Jeep Summit but I'd like to get reasonably close. I don't mind giving up a little range via tire pressure or different tires if it solves the issue.

The 20" wheels surprisingly handled bumps fantastic. That was my other concern.

I have a P3D with Aero's on order.

I wonder if the glass roof plays a significant role. I know when I close the Jeep Panoramic Roof it makes a fairly significant change in cabin noise. And it's really an extremely thin cloth that is between you can the glass.

 

[Sunshine Speed]

Honestly I don't recommend Model 3 if you want a car to be comfortable on long trips. Instead I'd recommend Model S or BMW 5-series or even Toyota Camry. Model 3 is a sports car that is bumpy on city streets and many highways. Luckily the Model 3 seats are really comfortable, and compared to any other sports car the Model 3 is good for trips. I love my Model 3!

On another note: I have my Model 3 18-inch wheel tire pressure at 40PSI but on this thread people recommend even lower if I want more ride comfort in exchange for range. If I put the tire pressure down to 36 PSI is there any way to avoid the perpetual low tire pressure warnings on the touchscreen? Thanks!

 

[mswlogo]

Honestly I don't recommend Model 3 if you want a car to be comfortable on long trips. Instead I'd recommend Model S or BMW 5-series or even Toyota Camry. Model 3 is a sports car that is bumpy on city streets and many highways. Luckily the Model 3 seats are really comfortable, and compared to any other sports car the Model 3 is good for trips. I love my Model 3!

On another note: I have my Model 3 18-inch wheel tire pressure at 40PSI but on this thread people recommend even lower if I want more ride comfort in exchange for range. If I put the tire pressure down to 36 PSI is there any way to avoid the perpetual low tire pressure warnings on the touchscreen? Thanks!

I road in a P3D+ over some great bumps and it took them great. I was shocked. No idea what the tire pressure was. I agree the seats help a lot. I didn’t drive it though.

But road noise was bad.

My Jeep Summit measured 66dB (which is my own personal reference). I plan to measure 18” Aeros hopefully tomorrow.

I’ve seen posts of 67dB for M3 from others (I forget which wheels). If I get that I’d be happy.

I consider the M3 to be in the same class as say an Audi R4. I don’t change the M3 classification in my head just because it does 0-60 so fast.

 

[gilscales]

Honestly I don't recommend Model 3 if you want a car to be comfortable on long trips. Instead I'd recommend Model S or BMW 5-series or even Toyota Camry. Model 3 is a sports car that is bumpy on city streets and many highways. Luckily the Model 3 seats are really comfortable, and compared to any other sports car the Model 3 is good for trips. I love my Model 3!

On another note: I have my Model 3 18-inch wheel tire pressure at 40PSI but on this thread people recommend even lower if I want more ride comfort in exchange for range. If I put the tire pressure down to 36 PSI is there any way to avoid the perpetual low tire pressure warnings on the touchscreen? Thanks!

We had a 2014 535d that was fully loaded, had the comfort seats and the sports package among other options, we took the car on a few road trips and for me the car was not as comfortable either in ride or the seats, something about the model 3 that just fits me better, as far as choppy ride I feel the 3 is similar but actually better damped so ultimately more comfortable and drivers seat for me is night and day, I'll take the 3 on the road trip over the 5 series any day, that does not even take into account how much autopilot reduces fatigue after a few hundred miles, just my 2 cents FWIW.

 

[Promo714]

Tire noise at this point is my largest reservation. For us, the whole point of this vehicle is comfortable long trips (we frequently do 300 miles on the weekend to our camp)...

See post #13. I measured 64-66 dBs at 75-80 mph on a freeway that is not particularly smooth when I first got my RWD with 18" aeros. I have since put 2200 miles on it with a couple few hundred mile trips and it seems fine for long trips (to me). As far as interior noise, I don't even think about it, so it's not a problem as far as I'm concerned. I came out of a 2015 Model S and I prefer the 3 for all forms of driving. The seats are comfortable and I can see much better out of the 3 vs. the S (the windows seem larger or maybe it's the lack of a front instrument cluster). But it's subjective and you might feel differently.

 

[Shizzrock]

When you guys are measuring, make sure it's set to A-weighting and slow response. Otherwise your results will not be accurate for the application.

 

[Promo714]

When you guys are measuring, make sure it's set to A-weighting and slow response. Otherwise your results will not be accurate for the application.

Mine was set to A with speed of 25 ms.

 

[mswlogo]

See post #13. I measured 64-66 dBs at 75-80 mph on a freeway that is not particularly smooth when I first got my RWD with 18" aeros. I have since put 2200 miles on it with a couple few hundred mile trips and it seems fine for long trips (to me). As far as interior noise, I don't even think about it, so it's not a problem as far as I'm concerned. I came out of a 2015 Model S and I prefer the 3 for all forms of driving. The seats are comfortable and I can see much better out of the 3 vs. the S (the windows seem larger or maybe it's the lack of a front instrument cluster). But it's subjective and you might feel differently.

Yeah, I want to measure myself with the same meter on the same road compared to my reference vehicle. I suspect I’ll get similar measurements.

I’d like to remeasure the 20” wheels for grins too. Just confirm what I think my ears heard.

I did screw up and was using C-weight and realized my error.

 

[Shizzrock]

Mine was set to A with speed of 25 ms.

You might want to slow it down to 1 second, that will take out the peaks and give you an averaged measurement. But if you're just measuring between car A and car B I guess it doesn't matter.

 

[mswlogo]

Measured tonight. M3 RWD Aero's was 68dB and Jeep was 66dB.

The difference to my ears seems larger though.

I suspect the frequency is higher in the Model 3.

I meant to record it so I can do an Spectrum Analysis on it later to see where the peaks are.

M3 was definitely not bad but still quite noticeable.

 

[animorph]

The sportier tires of the P3 will undoubtedly be noisier than the all-seasons on the standard aero.

 

[Robpdx]

I have had my Model 3 since April, and live in Oregon - a state that allows studded tires. If driving at freeway speed on a road thats about due to be resurfaced due to ruts from the studs the noise is so bad there is no way I can talk on the phone as nobody can hear me. I dont have this issue in our X3, or E350 MB. This car is VERY noisy. Would changing the tires help? I have the 18" aero wheels.

 

[mswlogo]

I have had my Model 3 since April, and live in Oregon - a state that allows studded tires. If driving at freeway speed on a road thats about due to be resurfaced due to ruts from the studs the noise is so bad there is no way I can talk on the phone as nobody can hear me. I dont have this issue in our X3, or E350 MB. This car is VERY noisy. Would changing the tires help? I have the 18" aero wheels.

I have X-Ice Xi3’s for winter and they are a little quieter than stock 18” tires. I also added Tesla Sunscreen, Tuxmat Trunk/Frunk Mats (on top of carpet), MaxPider cabin mats. And overall it’s much better on noise. I’m still looking for more ways that are not invasive to quiet it down further. I wish they made a rear sunscreen. Glass on the ceiling is part of the reason it’s noisy.

I might consider different tires for summer if I’m sure they would be significantly better.

 

[coleAK]

I’m in Alaska and our roads are terrible. with studded tires on the model 3. I think it’s that the road noise is more noticeable given the lack of engine noise and vibrations. We also have a e-class and the Tesla rides more sporty and harsh (that isn’t necessarily a bad thing). I’ve only had it to 60mph for short stretches as in 5-10 miles and even with the Hakka 9’s it’s not what I would consider “loud” on the inside but everyone is different. Before my LX 570 I had a G500, that thing was loud couldn’t hear my self think due to the wind noise at 65mph.

 

[mswlogo]

I don’t buy the no engine noise exaggerates tire noise. People just can’t hear me on the phone, period and they could hear me fine in all other cars, on any tires, any road, any speed.

The Model 3 lacks some critical insulation. Which some folks have taken upon themselves to “fix”.

My Jeep even has double insulated windshield and side windows to cut down noise as well as active noise cancelation.

Lucky I don’t drive to fast because the difference in noise is amplified as you drive faster.

Surface pavement does make a huge difference. On smooth roads it’s quite reasonable. On coarse textured roads it’s a problem. Around town (under 45 mph) is also quite good. That’s when I notice no engine noise. On highway tire/wind noise dominates.

 

[coleAK]

In driving the 3 this AM to work. I paid more attention and It is pretty loud. I’ve driven a lot of loud cars over the years so I guess I didnt really think about it. I think the glass roof is a large contributor. The more I think about it overall the glass roof is largely impractical (roof rack issues, also major source of heat loss) although it is aesthetically pretty awesome.

I had a 2012 Jeep grand Cherokee overland summit with the off-road II for 2 years (and overall it was terrable). I ran AT tires and nokian hakka 7 and had the Hemi (that was loud), so that would add noise over OEM tires and the V6. I don’t think it was much quieter then the 3, but then I got rid of it over 4 years ago so can’t directly compare. I know my Jeep didn’t have double glass (but the newer ones may) on the windshield since I replaced it.

Why was it terrable? The viscous center diff overheats in the sand on sand mode, so yes it’s a Jeep you can’t drive hard in the sand. It was at the dealer 14 times in 30 months, they replaced the air suspension controller twice, replaced the ECU, replaced the uconnect, the windshield washer jets broke every time it got below 0. Jeep could never fixed the tech “gremlins”, it would go into “limp mode” whenever it felt like it and I would have to stop, disconnect the battery (under the passenger seat) and let the car reset. That said it drove well, really a nice balance of comfort and driving dynamics on road (not off-road), but completely unreliable.

Now our LX 570 is quiet and smooth pretty much the opposite of the Tesla. And our MB E-Class seems quieter, smoother, and less responsive than the 3. But both those cars have a tremendous amount of sound deadening material and overall are heavy stout vehicles. The LX has an additional ~200 lbs of sound deadening meterial over its Toyota Land Cruiser cousin.

I would guess Tesla sacrificed cabin sound for the glass roof and weight savings. It would be interesting to see if adding a quilted cover to the underside of the ceiling would signifigantly help.

 

[NoPetrolDream]

My previous car was a Sonata hybrid, which had the skinnier low rolling resistance Khumo tires. The pitch of tire noise from those shoes I found bothersome; it tended to be higher, to my perception, than the tire noise in my LR RWD Model 3 with the Michelin MXM4 shoes. When I took delivery of my 3 I was delighted to hear the tire noise occupy a lower band, which I guess I'm less sensitive to.

Recently I added the optional sun shades for the front and rear roof glass in the car. Seems to make the cabin feel a bit more "hushed" when going down the road...and was a LOT cheaper than tint for the roof!

 

[mswlogo]

My previous car was a Sonata hybrid, which had the skinnier low rolling resistance Khumo tires. The pitch of tire noise from those shoes I found bothersome; it tended to be higher, to my perception, than the tire noise in my LR RWD Model 3 with the Michelin MXM4 shoes. When I took delivery of my 3 I was delighted to hear the tire noise occupy a lower band, which I guess I'm less sensitive to.

Recently I added the optional sun shades for the front and rear roof glass in the car. Seems to make the cabin feel a bit more "hushed" when going down the road...and was a LOT cheaper than tint for the roof!

How did you do rear glass sunshade on the Model 3. I didn’t see one available. They are available on other models.

 

[mswlogo]

My previous car was a Sonata hybrid, which had the skinnier low rolling resistance Khumo tires. The pitch of tire noise from those shoes I found bothersome; it tended to be higher, to my perception, than the tire noise in my LR RWD Model 3 with the Michelin MXM4 shoes. When I took delivery of my 3 I was delighted to hear the tire noise occupy a lower band, which I guess I'm less sensitive to.

Recently I added the optional sun shades for the front and rear roof glass in the car. Seems to make the cabin feel a bit more "hushed" when going down the road...and was a LOT cheaper than tint for the roof!

I just noticed it was in the Tesla store but is already sold out.

I was surprised it covers the whole back window. How does that effect visibility?

 

[NoPetrolDream]

I just noticed it was in the Tesla store but is already sold out.

I was surprised it covers the whole back window. How does that effect visibility?

It reduces visibility somewhat, but a side benefit is it also reduces glare from headlights at night. I haven't had any problems with it so far, and I drove over 300 miles this past weekend.

Rear view mirrors in modern sedans are next to, but not quite, useless, now. They mainly serve me for seeing if someone is approaching or tailgating. When backing up, I do execute a shoulder check but also use the backup camera to maximum advantage. I also occasionally flip on the backup camera while on the freeway to get a better bead on changing lanes in heavy traffic.