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Impact of sound deadening kit on the 2.0

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mpt

Electrics are back
Supporting Member
I've just had the soundproofing kit and wind noise fix from the 2.5 added to my 2010 2.0.

The job took two days to install; it's all labour!

The kit comprises;
  • Sound deadening pads under foot, under the seats and behind the seats
  • Sound deadening cushions behind the seats, behind the dash on the left and right & in each door.
  • Fibre mat wheel arch liners

The tech measurements are listed below but the effect seems to exceed the numbers. I have a 2.0 which is already better than the 1.5; I can't the imagine the effect on a 1.5. But on the 2.0 the biggest change is the sound of the car; the gearbox is muted, the clunk from the drive/overrun change is muted and the sound the car makes when crashing over potholes has changed from "clack-clack" to "duh-duh".

Numerically, it's only a couple of DB. As you can see from the attached images taken before and after on my iPhone using the FFT app the impact is across the spectrum. The FFT iPhone app is a pretty clever piece of software, I was surprised at how accurate and linear it was when compared to my reference SPM. It was certainly good enough for a before/after comparo.

Overall, looking at three situations:

35mph on the flat, good road quality; overall reduction from 69.9dB to 67dB
35mph down a long hill held on regen, good road quality; reduction from 68.9dB to 66.3dB
65mph poor, loud road; reduction from 77.4dB to 76.0dB.

I've attached combined images from the app to show the difference.

Net-net; I'd do it again; it makes the Roadster feel more refined.

Combined 35mph downhill big regen.png
Combined 35mph.png
Combined 65mph.png
 
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I dabble in sound measurement too, and a 3dB change is typically noticeable, but not dramatically so.
Perhaps the changes also improve the timbre of the noise, not just the amplitude?

Lots of good stuff here:
http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/phys_agents/noise_basic.html
http://www.animations.physics.unsw.edu.au/jw/dB.htm
...Note, too, that a doubling of the power does not make a huge difference to the loudness...
...One decibel is close to the Just Noticeable Difference (JND) for sound level...
When I drove a 2.5, my thought was it felt more "of one piece" than earlier Roadsters I had been in.
 
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When I drove a 2.5, my thought was it felt more "of one piece" than earlier Roadsters I had been in.

That's it; that's exactly it. The clack-clack as you glance a pot-hole is now duh-duh as though the car is more screwed together.

Wind noise is lower as well; the fan on position three is now louder than the wind at 65mph, that wasn't the case before.

VFX; steady on mentioning the price, my wife may read this!
 
MPT, where did you find out about the sound deadening kit? I have a 2.5, so I don't need it, but was wondering if there was a location on Tesla's website that lists upgrade kits available.

I received a list from the dealer; Basically, sound proofing, interior and exterior CF trim update, wheels, seats, interior dash (for 1.5), 2.5 nose and tail are all available for 1.5- cars.

Anyone want a pair of Red-on-Black 2.0 seats? The wide ones with the adjustable lumber support? If not they're going to become a kick-ass racing seat for XBOX360.
 
My car was one of the last 2.0's produced (they announced the 2.5 on the day it was delivered!). It has many of the 2.5 improvements, the main exceptions being the very obvious ones -- dashboard and body styling. Among other things, I was told that it has the improved sound deadening.

Just before my car was delivered, I had the old Toronto 2.0 demo car for half a day. Now this wasn't a back-to-back comparison, but I definitely felt mine was quieter on the highway.

As for the wind noise fix, I'd definitely like to get that. I've noticed if I push on the trim at the front corner of the window I can make the cabin noticeably quieter.
 
I too just had the sound dampening done to my Roadster 1.5 and I am very pleased. The ranger said I now have the quietest Roadster on the road as we went way above the normal factory kit. I was fortunate to have the ranger install the kit at a home visit. After the first day the car was literally stripped in my garage. So I went out and purchased another 24 sqft of Dynamat and applied it to the car in places not covered by the factory kit
Tesla_Sound_dampining_04.JPG
. I applied it inside the doors, the FULL floor and the entire back. It made a noticeable difference. I tried a little app for my phone and it seemed to drop sound levels from 6-11db

100 hz the sound dropped from 42-36db,
@ 400 hz 42-36 db
@ 1200 hz 36-28db
@ 4000 hz 18-10db
@12000 hz 14-3db

The measurements were at 60 with the soft top on. I also switched out my rear tires to the Continental Extreme Contact DWS at about the same time and I think they also made a slight improvement. The car definitely feel much more refined and hopefully my hearing will last a lot longer.
 
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The measurements were at 60 with the soft top on. I also switched out my rear tires to the Continental Extreme Contact DWS at about the same time and I think they also made a slight improvement. The car definitely feel much more refined and hopefully my hearing will last a lot longer.

Pretty good improvement. FYI, I am currently using Toyo Proxes T1R's and they are quite a bit quieter than the stock AD07's. The difference is very noticeable, especially with the wind noise fix in place.

Also the hard top is definitely quieter than the soft top, so I put it on when going on longer highway trips.
 
FYI, I am currently using Toyo Proxes T1R's and they are quite a bit quieter than the stock AD07's. The difference is very noticeable, especially with the wind noise fix in place.
I don't mean to be argumentative or anything :-0 ... but the trouble with such a comparison (unless you took specific care to *NOT* fall into this trap) is that you are most likely comparing reduced treadwear older (previous) AD07's with "suddenly" new (just mounted) full-tread Toyo's. (Many (?all?) tires get noticeably (actually, *NOT* because it happens so slowly) noisier as you add miles to them (i.e. "remove" rubber).)
 
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