One of the most critical things a car enthusiast can do is to sound proof his car. Whatever the make, model or brand of the car may be, extra sound proofing is beneficial to all cars. External noise and vibrations can be minimized to a great extent. You can have a quieter ride, less distraction, and an overall more comfortable environment when you sound proof your car. You can bid goodbye to those resonating panels or vibrating frame member.
Sound Proofing starts with some means of damping. A number of products are available for this, and they all have various degrees of effectiveness. The best results are always obtained from using a combination of these products. There are mats, sprays, foams, and insulation available from a number of manufacturers. This can be treated as a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) project.
Sprays can be used for damping. These sprays normally come in a professional can, which require a compressor and paintgun to apply, but many companies are starting to market aerosol cans of sound deadener spray. The spray is often used in places where matting would either be too difficult, or would add too much weight. Door panels are the most common application for sprays, as well as highly irregular crevices like inside kick panels. Sprays are suitable for large panels as well, but they tend to be messy, and require taping or masking upholstery and windows.
Foams come in two forms: Sheets of foam, and foam sprays. The sheets of foam are used much like mats are; they are laid over panels to reduce and absorb vibration. Unlike mats, which absorb the vibration and convert it to heat energy, foam sheets disperse the vibrations throughout, reducing its total energy. Foam sprays are used to fill in crevices. As they dry they expand slightly, pressing against the adjacent panels. The individual cells help to disperse energy away from the vibrating panel, and absorb them.
Eastwoods Flexible Sealer & Sound Deadener with application hoses is a unique high-build flexible coating that has an unlimited number of uses. Its no-crack flexible properties and UV resistance make it ideal for both inside and outdoor protection and sealing. Its high-solid content makes it a great sound deadener and it will easily fill small cracks and holes. Other uses include trunk liner, battery tray protectant, bumper cladding and trim restoration. It seals out moisture, prevents corrosion and can even be used as a concrete and asphalt sealer. Flexible Sealer bonds to metals, wood, concrete, asphalt, PVC and plastics. It dries to a jet black finish in about an hour and can be top-coated any color you choose. You can use the 24 inch hose included in the kit, to reach into areas such as inner door frames, trunk recesses, and rocker panels and under dashes.
Mats are usually either Styrene-Butyadine-Rubber or asphaltic sheets backed with an adhesive of some type, although other materials are used in some cases. Installing mats in your vehicle is a simple way to reduce vibration, and is effective as well. The way mats work is that they are used to cover panels. The material they are made of absorbs vibrations in the panels, and turns them into heat, or it may simply lower the resonant frequency of the panel. Mats can also be placed between panels to reduce the amount of vibration between the two panels when they are in close contact. Many times, the mats will also have a metal foil backing to improve the heat resistance of the matting thus allowing you to use it in an engine compartment. The matting also adds weight to a panel, reducing its tendency to vibrate in the first place.
Eastwoods Dynamat creates a “sonic barrier” restoring 3, 6, even 12 dB of lost dynamic range Gaining just 3 dB doubles your effective amplifier power. Not only do you up your amp output, you hear more of the sounds you want, like music, navigational systems, video and cell phones. Xtreme has 4 times the vibration control over original Dynamat. There is self adhesive backing that includes 4 sheets 12″ x 36″ each, for a total of 12 square feet.