Sound Deadening

[CanadianCoupe]

As soon as the weather starts to get better I am starting to put together my audio system and I will be sound deadening the whole car in the next month or two. My question is what is the best kind of sound deadening to buy? and where is the best place to buy it?

I can get Dynamat at close to retail cost because I have a few friends that work at car audio shops, but it is still pretty expensive. I have seen fatmat and no name stuff on eBay, but I dont know whats the best. Any suggestions will help.

[SniperJoe]

Not much to add except that I was also looking at these two sites as well for sound deadening materials:

http://www.secondskinaudio.com/index.php

and

http://www.b-quiet.com/

[AppleBonker]

I agree with Sniper. Both of those brands are probably the most commonly used and best rated (IMO dynamat performance is ok, but these other two will do a better job). Personally, I've used SSA in two cars (damplifier and their closed cell foam) and been very happy with it. I would recommend that product, but I am obviously a bit biased.

[mpbclutch33]

I am pretty sure I am going to add some Damplifier Pro this spring too. I don't mind the road noise, but all the squeaks and rattles got to go. Since the floor doesn't seem to be the source of the noise, I am thinking about doing both doors, A-Pillars, under the headliner, and the rest in the trunk. I was thinking buy the 36sq. Ft Bulk pack and 36sq. ft of that Rattle Pad. Do you think this will be enough to quite the squeaks and rattles?

[rjdmmfl1]

I am pretty sure I am going to add some Damplifier Pro this spring too. I don't mind the road noise, but all the squeaks and rattles got to go. Since the floor doesn't seem to be the source of the noise, I am thinking about doing both doors, A-Pillars, under the headliner, and the rest in the trunk. I was thinking buy the 36sq. Ft Bulk pack and 36sq. ft of that Rattle Pad. Do you think this will be enough to quite the squeaks and rattles?

36 sq ft will go very quickly... for what you want to do, I'd say you need 100 sq ft!

to the OP, check this write up of sound deadeners...

http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/

I have dynamat EXTREME and B quiet ULTIMATE in my car!

[kuhan]

good thing you guys brought this up because I want to get B-Quiet Ultimate as well. I'm planning to get 100 sq ft for the doors and trunk. It is necessary to put two layers instead of one? And also am I better off doing the whole car? I have a sport car so I don't think I can reduce much noise and vibration.

[CanadianCoupe]

Thanks for that link, that website answered any questions I could have.

My next question is where is the cheapest place to buy Dynamat?

[AppleBonker]

good thing you guys brought this up because I want to get B-Quiet Ultimate as well. I'm planning to get 100 sq ft for the doors and trunk. It is necessary to put two layers instead of one? And also am I better off doing the whole car? I have a sport car so I don't think I can reduce much noise and vibration.

Two layers isn't necessary. It's most useful in the trunk when running a nice sound system. I'd say one layer would be enough. You'll cut down some noise, but you don't want to add too much deadener. You're rocking a Z, so keep in mind the weight you're adding (roughly 1/2 pound per square foot) will negatively impact performance. So I personally wouldn't do the whole car unless I was putting a system like mine in it (which if I had a Z I certainly wouldn't do).

My next question is where is the cheapest place to buy Dynamat?

Either eBay or try some of those other brands. Last time I checked (it was a while ago), B-Quiet and Second Skin were cheaper and performed better than Dynamat (though roughly on par with Dynamat Extreme - which is expensive)!

[iammai]

Thanks for that link, that website answered any questions I could have.

My next question is where is the cheapest place to buy Dynamat?

If your looking for value go with RAAMmat. I used Dynamat extreme on my last car and used RAAMmat on my A/C. The RAAMmat works well and actually had no smell at all. The Dynamat had a very very slight smell at first. I did not have any issues with either mat falling off. The Dynamat was thicker but I did not notice a big enough difference to justify the price. One of the reasons RAAMmat is more competitively priced is because you have to buy it in 62.5 ft^2 increments.

http://raamaudio.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi

[AppleBonker]

This is all explained in the showdown link Doc provided above, but the thicker (heavier) mat will generally work better. It adds more weight to the sheet metal, therefore requiring more energy to get it to vibrate. As with most things, you get what you pay for (again generally speaking) in this territory. Dynamat is more expensive because it is the well known name (like Bose or Kleenex, etc).

Kuhan asked me a few questions via email, but I'll respond here so you can all see them.

First, once the deadener is applied, it doesn't lose it's adhesive properties (unless you get really cheap crappy stuff). It will apply and stick better at first if it isn't freezing. However, I've done multiple sections of cars in a garage when it is below freezing out (probably about 50 degrees in the garage) and had no problems. I've found it might be a bit easier when it is slightly cold, because the initial bond isn't super strong so if you misplace a piece you can remove it and apply again. Make sure when the piece is in its final resting place you either roll it or press it down with force using your hand. Your goal is to get the deadener as firmly applied as possible.

I've been very happy with second skin products (as I've mentioned before). When I first used them, they were cheaper. Now that they've become slightly better known, the price has gone up. However, I've got about 160 square feet of damplifier in my car currently, and in the near future I'm going to add more (I found a few rattles I didn't quite eliminate). Again, this is my opinion, so when you're buying (and it's your money), I cannot give you a definitive "this product is the best". Like everything, I recommend doing research and reading reviews (the showdown site is good, but it is a bit old at this point).

As far as how much to do, it really depends on your goals. If you are still interested in performing in your car (or tracking it), you might want to go less. If your goal is a luxury-like ride, you should probably do the whole car. Additionally, if you're going crazy on the stereo (like Doc and myself), the benefits of doing the whole car are magnified. If you're only rocking a sub or two and some slight speaker upgrades, the trunk and the doors would be of primary concern.

Hopefully this helped somewhat.

[kuhan]

Thanks for the help Adam. I'll probably put 1 layer for the doors and trunk since I don't want to add too much weight.

Hey Adam, we need to set up a date for a Chi meeting since the temperature is warmer up. And I want to check out your car and your sound system.
Modified by kuhan at 9:12 PM 3/3/2009

[AppleBonker]

Any time. I try to help out where I can. Unfortunately that help is only really in the A/V area, so I mainly mooch off everyone smarter than me when it comes to performance mods. This is an excellent forum, and I think everyone contributes well to the knowledge base.

As far as a Chi-town meeting, I'm definitely down. I'd love to see that Z. I've been to one meet here before where a few coupes showed up, but it'd be cool to meet some of the NICO members with other cars too. However, I don't want to demo my system for a short while here. The Dynaudio Esotar mids are becoming painfully close to a reality. With any luck I'll be able to get them ordered in the next few weeks along with a RSB and Eibach pro kit.

Also, completely unrelated, I may still be interested in those wheels. That might give you a chance to check out the stereo (wheels are probably the last mod on my list that I want to accomplish before Carlisle).