Noise levels in 2021 vs 2023 Taycan CT

[tanel]

Hi! I have a 2021 4S Cross Turismo and bought it with 10k miles on it a year ago. Have been pretty satisfied with the car overall but the main gripe I have is related to road and suspension noise, especially compared to the 5-series and X5 I also own. Back in summer I got EV-specific low-noise summer tires and it improved the tire noise somewhat. But even with that, on a bumpy road the suspension generates some really low rumbling/thumping sounds that reverberate in the cabin so that it almost feels like the subwoofer is playing the part of Jurassic Park when dinosaurs are running around. I thought this is a design flaw of the CT cabin acoustics and kind of learned to live with it ...

Until yesterday. I took the car in for service and they gave me an identical 2023 model as replacement. It also had 3000 miles on it, but felt like a completely different car - ALL noises seemed muted. Even the engine sound and especially tire noise. And to great shock, there was absolutely zero suspension noise. I was shocked. There has to be either something wrong with my car or perhaps Porsche started to add extra noise insulation to the Taycan at some point.

Is there anyone who has similar (or different) experience driving different Taycans? I am not sure how this can be and am currently thinking of perhaps adding extra insulation mats or buy a new car completely...

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[j.w.s]

Hi! I have a 2021 4S Cross Turismo and bought it with 10k miles on it a year ago. Have been pretty satisfied with the car overall but the main gripe I have is related to road and suspension noise, especially compared to the 5-series and X5 I also own. I got EV-specific low-noise tires and it improved the tire noise somewhat. But even with that, on a bumpy road the suspension generates some really low rumbling/thumping sounds that reverberate in the cabin so that it almost feels like the subwoofer is playing the part of Jurassic Park when dinosaurs are running around. I thought this is a design flaw of the CT cabin acoustics and kind of learned to live with it ...

Until yesterday. I took the car in for service and they gave me an identical 2023 model as replacement. It also had 3000 miles on it, but felt like a completely different car - ALL noises seemed muted. Even the engine sound and especially tire noise. And to great shock, there was absolutely zero suspension noise. I was shocked. There has to be either something wrong with my car or perhaps Porsche started to add extra noise insulation to the Taycan at some point.

Is there anyone who has similar (or different) experience driving different Taycans? I am not sure how this can be and am currently thinking of perhaps adding extra insulation mats or buy a new car completely...

Did the 2023 have the thermal/noise glass? It makes a very real difference, and is worth the $1K.

 

[tanel]

Did the 2023 have the thermal/noise glass? It makes a very real difference, and is worth the $1K.

Well here's the funny thing, my 2021 has the insulated glass, the 2023 car did not. Most of the disturbing noise seems to come through the floor/wheel arches (except for the low thumping with bumpy roads) and with the 2023 car it seemed as if there was no noise at all coming from wheel arches. I checked, there was no aftermarket insulation installed so I'm speculating the factory started to add more after getting feedback for noisy earlier models, but can't really draw conclusions from two cars...

 

[RAHRCR]

Hi! I have a 2021 4S Cross Turismo and bought it with 10k miles on it a year ago. Have been pretty satisfied with the car overall but the main gripe I have is related to road and suspension noise, especially compared to the 5-series and X5 I also own. I got EV-specific low-noise tires and it improved the tire noise somewhat. But even with that, on a bumpy road the suspension generates some really low rumbling/thumping sounds that reverberate in the cabin so that it almost feels like the subwoofer is playing the part of Jurassic Park when dinosaurs are running around. I thought this is a design flaw of the CT cabin acoustics and kind of learned to live with it ...

Until yesterday. I took the car in for service and they gave me an identical 2023 model as replacement. It also had 3000 miles on it, but felt like a completely different car - ALL noises seemed muted. Even the engine sound and especially tire noise. And to great shock, there was absolutely zero suspension noise. I was shocked. There has to be either something wrong with my car or perhaps Porsche started to add extra noise insulation to the Taycan at some point.

Is there anyone who has similar (or different) experience driving different Taycans? I am not sure how this can be and am currently thinking of perhaps adding extra insulation mats or buy a new car completely...

I had a suspension squeak on my car which drove me nuts. It was a cold weather thing. I finally took it in this winter and had to make a couple of the trips to the dealer to get it sorted out. They had trouble identifying it. Although, I had to be persistent, I got it cleared. My advice is to be persistent with the dealer about this.

 

[RWD_Coil_Springs]

I would also suggest paying careful attention to wheel size (19” vs 20” vs 21”) and the exact tire manufacturer, models and tread depth as well as the exact road surface when comparing two Taycans for road noise.

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

@OP I assume both CTs have air suspension? (Standard in US, I'd assume the same in all markets.) Insulation cannot be the answer - I have an MY23 4CT, and it has less insulation than my (open ear) headphones. As in "I can hear the brake discs barely making contact with the pads after braking" less insulated. I only hear the suspension working at low speed over speed bumps.

First thing I'd check would be tire pressure; assuming that's within spec/on par with the '23, I'd suspect premature suspension wear/damage. Your remarks on reverberation seem to indicate insufficient absorption of impacts - failing or overly tightened bushings, over pressure in the air springs..?

 

[Replika]

on a bumpy road the suspension generates some really low rumbling/thumping sounds that reverberate in the cabin so that it almost feels like the subwoofer is playing the part of Jurassic Park when dinosaurs are running around.

A lot of EVs I've tested have made this annoying low pitched sound. My wife doesn't notice it. I can't stand it. Sedans with the sealed off rear are inherently quieter.

Also FWIW, BMWS I have driven have better NVH than equivalent Porsche cars. That includes the i4 against the Taycan sedan.

Thermal glass wouldn't reduce this noise that comes from the body of the vehicle, in fact it may exacerbate it since more low frequency sound would reflect back against double-paned glass versus the thinner glass.

 

[BenJL]

Guys,
For those who takes this option (Thermal glass), have you seen an impact on your phone network quality?
I heard a few years ago that your signal decreased a lot :/

 

[Hirschaj]

Guys,
For those who takes this option (Thermal glass), have you seen an impact on your phone network quality?
I heard a few years ago that your signal decreased a lot :/

yep, it definitely impacts cell signal inside the car.

 

[ciaranob]

Guys,
For those who takes this option (Thermal glass), have you seen an impact on your phone network quality?
I heard a few years ago that your signal decreased a lot :/

Well as commented on in many older threads there seems to be two camps on this (at least in the US) - with T-Mobile here in Houston I have no noticeable effect whatsoever on my reception with thermal/Insulated glass. Others clearly do have issues and if I recall with different carriers so not entirely clear to me if primarily related to the glass.

 

[Hirschaj]

Well as commented on in many older threads there seems to be two camps on this (at least in the US) - with T-Mobile here in Houston I have no noticeable effect whatsoever on my reception with thermal/Insulated glass. Others clearly do have issues and if I recall with different carriers so not entirely clear to me if primarily related to the glass.

My thoughts, based on very little data, are that it depends on how strong the signal is wherever you are located. Here in Austin there are a few spots (like near my house) that have generally poor coverage and my windows (when rolled up) make it borderline unusable. Roll down the windows and there is a noticeable improvement in data speed and signal quality. In an area with stronger signal it becomes irrelevant.

I also have some good perspective from owning 2 different Taycans. The 1st one did not have the optional insulation in the windows and cell reception was fine inside the car, where as in the same areas with the 2nd car (which of course has the optional glass) the cell reception is problematic... until I roll down those windows.

So that's my theory for what it's worth.

 

[MarkR]

I have a 2024 MY CT4. The car is smooth and I have no concerns about any low rumbling noises at all. I don't have the noise insulating glass. I am impressed at how this compares to my previous car which was a 2020 BMW X5 45e. I cannot comment on the earlier models of the Taycan, but I can say that the 2024 CT does not appear to have any issues with noise. In fact I drove quite some distance yesterday and most of it with the sport sound switched off, and it just felt quiet. I guess noise is subjective, but I have had a lot of different cars and the Taycan constantly impresses with its smoothness and low interior noise.

 

[JWreck]

Identical to the option? Same wheels? Same headliner? Same glass? Same suspension? A lot of variables that could cause it to be totally different.

 

[f1eng]

Hi! I have a 2021 4S Cross Turismo and bought it with 10k miles on it a year ago. Have been pretty satisfied with the car overall but the main gripe I have is related to road and suspension noise, especially compared to the 5-series and X5 I also own. I got EV-specific low-noise tires and it improved the tire noise somewhat. But even with that, on a bumpy road the suspension generates some really low rumbling/thumping sounds that reverberate in the cabin so that it almost feels like the subwoofer is playing the part of Jurassic Park when dinosaurs are running around. I thought this is a design flaw of the CT cabin acoustics and kind of learned to live with it ...

Until yesterday. I took the car in for service and they gave me an identical 2023 model as replacement. It also had 3000 miles on it, but felt like a completely different car - ALL noises seemed muted. Even the engine sound and especially tire noise. And to great shock, there was absolutely zero suspension noise. I was shocked. There has to be either something wrong with my car or perhaps Porsche started to add extra noise insulation to the Taycan at some point.

Is there anyone who has similar (or different) experience driving different Taycans? I am not sure how this can be and am currently thinking of perhaps adding extra insulation mats or buy a new car completely...

The most significant noise path from tyre contact to cabin is via the suspension through the subframe into the shell.
If there is a big difference the most likely explanation IMO (I was a noise and vibration research engineer as my first job) is that either they changed the spec of the rubber suspension bushes or subframe to chassis rubber mounts between model years, or at least one of them has failed and gone metal to metal.

It is astonishing how much difference this makes to sound transmission.

 

[ciaranob]

I’ve been meaning to propose a new variation of the term TBH (To Be Honest) for the Forum - new term being TBF or To Be Frank to be used for example :
“TBF … there is very likely a perfectly reasonable explanation for this” in honor of our own in-house expert @f1eng - pretty damn cool to have an F1 engineer contribute to this Forum !!

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