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Tremendous road noise
- Thread starter maroon555
- Start date
irishndude4
Member
[QUOTE="To be fair all noises seem a little higher due to the lack of ICE noise.[/QUOTE]
I agree on this point. My first night when I had the car running in my garage, and I stood outside the car, I thought something was really wrong because I heard a loud noise humming from the car but I realized it was just the A/C blowing, and you normally don't hear the A/C over an ICE motor/engine, so it's a new type of car sound to get used to. As far as on the road driving, it's been rather quiet for me I suppose. Haven't heard the tires as you say, not sure what that would even sound like.
I agree on this point. My first night when I had the car running in my garage, and I stood outside the car, I thought something was really wrong because I heard a loud noise humming from the car but I realized it was just the A/C blowing, and you normally don't hear the A/C over an ICE motor/engine, so it's a new type of car sound to get used to. As far as on the road driving, it's been rather quiet for me I suppose. Haven't heard the tires as you say, not sure what that would even sound like.
Brentt
Member
It’s the road surface. Concrete is the worst. My model 3 is as quiet or quieter than most other cars on the same road
Have you had an EV before? If not, then that's probably the road noise that you could never hear because of engine noise.
When I did a test drive earlier this year I found the road noise definitely louder than other cars in this price class, more in line with inexpensive economy cars a la Honda Civic (and no, it's not because I'm used to ICE cars; my main commuter car is a plugin hybrid that I drive almost exclusively in EV mode, and our ICE crossover is generally also much quieter than the M3). But I wouldn't describe the noise as tremendous. Perhaps they forgot to install some of the insulation material at the factory?
I don't think it's Unique to model 3 my 2012 model S has always been a lot noisier than I think it should be. Nowhere near as quiet as my previous Lincoln Town Car or my Chevy Volt for that matter. Road noise and tire noise is extremely invasive into the cabin for some reason. Seems they could have done a lot more for sound deadening but they chose not to I guess.
That said I'd still rather be driving this then anything else out there, but it would be nice if the road growl was muted a little bit more.. okay ALOT BIT MORE!
That said I'd still rather be driving this then anything else out there, but it would be nice if the road growl was muted a little bit more.. okay ALOT BIT MORE!
Have been driving a BMW i3 for more than a year which has almost no road noise comparing to my model 3. All I hear in i3 is a slight motor whine. There was no motor whine in model 3 instead there is this ever present cabin noise. What did I get myself into?
AustinPowers
Total Smeghead
I have yet to drive a Model 3, but as for BEVs, I have test-driven a Zoe, two e-Golf, an i3, two Model S and an Ioniq. In all of them the road and wind noises seemed more prominent than in an ICE, but my impression was that this was due to the lack of engine noise. Also, there were some differences. While the e-Golf, the Model S and the Ioniq seemed quite well insulated against exterior noise, the Zoe and the i3 were less satisfactory in that regard. If I had to rank the models I have driven for overall perceived quietness, it would be as follows
1. Model S
2. e-Golf
3. Ioniq
4. Zoe
5. i3
1. Model S
2. e-Golf
3. Ioniq
4. Zoe
5. i3
Threads like these really confirm me in my conviction that I can under no circumstance buy a Model 3 without test driving it beforehand....
I can`t even describe how furious I´d be if I bought an EV in the price class of my previous E-Class and it turned out to have higher in-cabin dB than the Merc. Road bump compensation and silence in the cabin are the premium attributes to me.
Edit:
Found this in another thread:
Model 3 - January 2017 build, 18" wheels:
0mph, fan off, 30 seconds: avg 51.2dB, max 52.6dB
0mph, fan set to 3, 30 seconds: avg 56.9dB, 58.5dB
65mph, fan off, on smooth surface, 10 seconds: avg 82.8dB, max 85.0dB
F*** that`s bad.
The E-Class / 5 Series have ~60 at those speeds. 20+dB difference is tremendous.
the Model S isn`t better, though. Seems like that`s one of the woes of not having 100+ years of car manufacturing experience.
Model S - December 2017 build, 19" wheels:
0mph, fan off, 30 seconds: avg 49.6dB, max 51.8dB
0mph, fan set to 3, 30 seconds: avg 68.4dB, max 68.6dB
65mph, fan off, on smooth surface, 10 seconds: avg 84.0dB, max 87.4dB
I can`t even describe how furious I´d be if I bought an EV in the price class of my previous E-Class and it turned out to have higher in-cabin dB than the Merc. Road bump compensation and silence in the cabin are the premium attributes to me.
Edit:
Found this in another thread:
Model 3 - January 2017 build, 18" wheels:
0mph, fan off, 30 seconds: avg 51.2dB, max 52.6dB
0mph, fan set to 3, 30 seconds: avg 56.9dB, 58.5dB
65mph, fan off, on smooth surface, 10 seconds: avg 82.8dB, max 85.0dB
F*** that`s bad.
The E-Class / 5 Series have ~60 at those speeds. 20+dB difference is tremendous.
the Model S isn`t better, though. Seems like that`s one of the woes of not having 100+ years of car manufacturing experience.
Model S - December 2017 build, 19" wheels:
0mph, fan off, 30 seconds: avg 49.6dB, max 51.8dB
0mph, fan set to 3, 30 seconds: avg 68.4dB, max 68.6dB
65mph, fan off, on smooth surface, 10 seconds: avg 84.0dB, max 87.4dB
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Well one has to keep in mind that the battery is very expensive.
They are trying to cut corners in other areas as unobtrusively as possible, but still keep the car price & feature competitive in segment.
When I hear some wind or tire noise, I think to myself that I spent my money on fancy battery tech instead of more sound deadening.
jschwefel
Tesla fan/TSLA, Model Y and Cybertruck owner.
I just had a 2018 Model S 100D loaner, and I was very impressed with how quiet it was. The car is noticeably more refined than earlier models.
>I can`t even describe how furious I´d be if I bought an EV in the price class of my previous E-Class and it turned out to have higher in-cabin dB than the Merc. Road bump compensation and silence in the cabin are the premium attributes to me.
For last 6 years I had 3 consecutive leases of Mercedes E350 and now I have Tesla 3 for a month and 3000 miles. The E350 feels like my grandma's car (and I am 65). Tesla feels like you are in the future. The ride in Tesla is much better than in E350, much more surefooted on high speed and bad California freeways. The road noise on smooth surfaces is same or less, on rough worn freeways is 4-6 decibels higher. However, the overall experience of the car is like no other. Unless you drive one you don't know what you are missing, the difference is stark and obvious. I will never even think of going back to another E class after having the Tesla. E class was great car before I drove the Tesla. Now it feels sloppy and simply old and tacky.
For last 6 years I had 3 consecutive leases of Mercedes E350 and now I have Tesla 3 for a month and 3000 miles. The E350 feels like my grandma's car (and I am 65). Tesla feels like you are in the future. The ride in Tesla is much better than in E350, much more surefooted on high speed and bad California freeways. The road noise on smooth surfaces is same or less, on rough worn freeways is 4-6 decibels higher. However, the overall experience of the car is like no other. Unless you drive one you don't know what you are missing, the difference is stark and obvious. I will never even think of going back to another E class after having the Tesla. E class was great car before I drove the Tesla. Now it feels sloppy and simply old and tacky.
Ulmo
Active Member
I used to have a 2005 Mercedes E500, and I also had a 2016 Tesla S60D. The Tesla was much louder. In the Tesla, passing motorcycles and busses were as if the window was full down even when it was full up. In my Mercedes, a loud motorcycle or even jackhammer could be outside my closed window, and while I could hear it and identify it, it would be a mere wisper. Furthermore, the Mercedes had better heat insulation.
People here speculated that I was not used to the lack of ICE engine noise in the Mercedes. No, that's not true; the Mercedes engine was wisper quiet in the cabin, and the Tesla motors were louder than the Mercedes engine, by a lot. The Tesla also had a lot of road noise.
Basically, the Tesla doesn't worry about sound. The Mercedes did.
I've always wanted to go to work for Tesla and bring some of the basic functionality of a luxury car into their varous classes, but I don't think they want me or my ideas.
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