4 Sound Deadening Tips for Tesla Model S

You’ve probably fell in love with Tesla Model S on first sight. You took it for a test drive and it all seemed perfectly fine. The seat was comfy, the car was pretty fast and it was exactly as you expected – a next gen vehicle for the coolest bloke on the block.

But on the highway at higher speeds you noticed that there is a lot of wind noise and road noise coming into the car cabin. While it’s less noisy than your old car, it’s still enough to cause discomfort. And you didn’t buy the Model S to be in any discomfort. So is there any way to reduce the noise?

Luckily, there are many soundproofing options for cars. There exist sound deadening products specifically made for Model S and they’re available through online stores like Amazon.

There are other more universal products such as Dynamat Xtreme that can fit in almost any car and work great for sound and thermal insulation.

You can install these products by yourself or get a professional to do it for you. I’ll share with you the common areas through which noise can fall through and what materials you can use to soundproof your Tesla.

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How to soundproof a Tesla Model S

Before proceeding, check out this video demonstration of the noisiest areas:

1. Insulate the floor with Tesla specific mat

The car cabin floor is like a large diaphragm, so any bumps and rattling noise coming from the road will inevitably resonate on the floor’s surface.

Tesla cars are good in this regard, but there are still upgrades available to reduce it further. There is one special floor mat for Tesla Model S available through Amazon. It’s called 3D MAXpider floor mat.

This mat provides both sound and thermal insulation. According to multiple customer reviews it works like a charm. It’s made out of three layers, the middle layer having shock-absorbent properties. Tbis mat is used to cover the floor in Model S without damaging the surface in any way, as can be the case with universal sound deadening mats that have a strong adhesive backside.

It has the exact measures for Model S floor so no reshaping or cutting of the material is needed. On top of that, the material is completely environment friendly and odorless.

There are three options to choose from: complete set, front row or back row. So if you’re interested in insulating the floor area in any shape or form, this is the product I recommend for doing it.

2. Insulate the doors

As the video above demonstrates, much of the road noise falls through gaps in the doors and around the doors. For soundproofing doors, you’ll need to remove the door panel and use self-adhesive sound deadening mat of your choice on the inside. Once you’ve installed the mat, return the door panel back in place.

Which product to use?

There are three popular options at the moment: Dynamat, FatMat and Noico. Dynamat has the best reputation but it’s the most expensive option. It’s made from butyl and mass loaded vinyl, both great materials for blocking airborne and impact noise as well as thermal insulation.

On the other hand, FatMat and Noico are more affordable, but they’re not as thick. But all three work pretty well and are regularly used for car soundproofing. And all of them can be used to insulate other areas in cars, including the engine compartment due to the heat-resistant aluminium foilage.

If you want to go with the most proven option, Dynamat Xtreme is the top choice at the moment. The other reason I recommend Dynamat is because they have an exclusive Sound Deadening Door Kit product. The door kit includes four 12″ x 36″ self-adhesive pieces, and enough material for soundproofing two standard size doors.

So if you decide to use the 3D MAXpider mat on the floor, it’s only natural to use a more specialized product for the doors too and this is the best one available.

A quick tutorial on how to sound deaden car doors:

3. Insulate the wheel wells

Insulating wheel wells is similar to other areas. It requires covering the wheel well with a thick but flexible material.

Since wheel wells are so close to the tires they’re important for blocking road noise. So using a thick sound deadening mat can go a long way to mitigating the rattling noise from below.

To be on the safe side in this regard, either use Dynamat Xtreme or pure Mass Loaded Vinyl. But if the noise is not too significant, FatMat or Noico can also get the job done.

The only negative side of MLV is that it’s not self-adhesive. So you’ll need to use a spray adhesive to make it stick. Other than that, it’s 1/8″ thick and incredibly durable, making it a good choice for wheel wells.

Any leftovers can be used for other soundproofing projects in your home, such as soundproofing walls by screwing it on the joists, insulating hollow doors, or creating a soundproof box for noisy products like a generator.

4. Check the tires and suspension

If your tires are worn down, replacing them can be very useful for mitigating the road noise. There could also be suspension/alignment problems increasing the noise further.

If you feel like one of these things is possible, it’s worth giving it a look. Here is a more comprehensive guide on how to reduce road noise from tires.