Sound deadening questions

[dyn085]

Story time was great but I'm still not investing that much in a set of tiny wheels, especially when I can buy some SDS for significantly less. I see a Fit with 15's (or smaller?) most days on the way home and I absolutely refuse to look like that.

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[RAAMaudio]

Do as you wish of course, it is your car, time, money, taste, etc

We all have a personal level of acceptance to the noise, size of wheels and tires, local roads, budget, etc...we end up with different results for each of us as dictated by such things.

Smaller/lighter wheels and the right tires can and will enhance handling, braking, acceleration, ride, lower noise and wear on the chassis, it is the best bang for the buck in how it effects the entire car and driving experience and reduces the amount of time and energy as well as cost of deadening, less weight added the better and with the right products the money saved can be used to help pay for them.

Sticking with taller wheels and spending more time and money on deadening may get one to a happy place in noise reduction but will degrade performance a bit as well. For those willing to accept such results that is fine of course, some of us want to enhance our version of driving enjoyment in more than one way and it is easy to do following a few simple guidelines.

I promote spending ones hard earned money on what does the most for this car, lighter smaller diameter wheels and appropriate tires, then see if you still need a bit of deadening and if so shop wisely, skip the marketing hype, spend less, enjoy.

The proof is all in the physics involved, plain and simple

 

[skidro87]

Drive with ear plugs

 

[Autonomous]

After reading 5 pages, let's call a spade a spade: This is a $13,000 economy car with a performance drivetrain, suspension, and wheels added. It does not have luxury car silence from the factory.

RAAM has done a pretty solid job of describing what is necessary to take the NVH.
1. Dampen the larger panels
2. Decouple body panels from trim panels
3. Change the rolling stock for quieter

There is currently no pixie dust you can sprinkle on your car to magic away the noise. He even offers free guides and admits you don't have to use his products, only beware of marketing hype and not throw money away.

Rather than scoff at free advice from someone with years in the industry, say thank you. If you don't have the time or money or motivation to do any of the above it is not RAAM's fault.

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[RAAMaudio]

Thank you, you nailed it about the car and what I am doing here to help others do the best they can with it and not pay to much while doing so.

Over the years I probably talked 10 times more of my fellow enthusiasts into buying less than buying more. I started the company because I figured out a way to do this for my own use and then a light went on and I thought I can help others achieve their goals and save a lot of money instead of the attitude most have in the industry which is "hey, I can make a lot of money doing this then go about pilling up the BS to sell for the highest margin they can get. I was actually talked into raising my prices once because it made it seem like a cheap product so I did and sales took off and I never felt right about it so did not raise the price for many years though costs went up and up and up.

I have been called a pretty piss poor business owner by not taking advantage of customers, running a hobby instead of a business and could of become far larger but never wanted to as my fellow enthusiast "customers" gave me a wonderful lifestyle, more than I needed.

Rick

 

[dyn085]

After reading 5 pages, let's call a spade a spade: This is a $13,000 economy car with a performance drivetrain, suspension, and wheels added. It does not have luxury car silence from the factory.

RAAM has done a pretty solid job of describing what is necessary to take the NVH.
1. Dampen the larger panels
2. Decouple body panels from trim panels
3. Change the rolling stock for quieter

There is currently no pixie dust you can sprinkle on your car to magic away the noise. He even offers free guides and admits you don't have to use his products, only beware of marketing hype and not throw money away.

Rather than scoff at free advice from someone with years in the industry, say thank you. If you don't have the time or money or motivation to do any of the above it is not RAAM's fault.

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Lol, that's cute. You must be new here?

I definitely agree that it's a cheap car and I was never intending on it coming across as though I expected top-dollar levels of quiet. I'm pretty sure that I've pretty clearly stated that when I've recommended solutions that were not pixie dust. Did you even read the thread?

Different year, same community.

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[Hijinx]

After reading 5 pages, let's call a spade a spade: This is a $13,000 economy car with a performance drivetrain, suspension, and wheels added. It does not have luxury car silence from the factory.

RAAM has done a pretty solid job of describing what is necessary to take the NVH.
1. Dampen the larger panels
2. Decouple body panels from trim panels
3. Change the rolling stock for quieter

There is currently no pixie dust you can sprinkle on your car to magic away the noise. He even offers free guides and admits you don't have to use his products, only beware of marketing hype and not throw money away.

Rather than scoff at free advice from someone with years in the industry, say thank you. If you don't have the time or money or motivation to do any of the above it is not RAAM's fault.

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Just let them hash it out. Nothing new to see here...



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[RAAMaudio]

Yes, the good old days, much fun, missed it

 

[Autonomous]

Lol, that's cute. You must be new here?

I definitely agree that it's a cheap car and I was never intending on it coming across as though I expected top-dollar levels of quiet. I'm pretty sure that I've pretty clearly stated that when I've recommended solutions that were not pixie dust. Did you even read the thread?

Different year, same community.

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I bought my car January 2014, and lurked for about a year before joining the board. I just don't post much, as most of the questions have been answered a dozen times over, or I'm reading to learn as well.

I've read the whole thread, yes. I've read a lot on the subject, and I don't think we disagree on what is needed. We agree it is an economy car that can be improved upon. You dislike the idea of changing tires/wheels, which is fair, but it is an option.

If there is anything you disagree with in my statement feel free to discuss it, but take it easy on the dismissive phrasing. It doesn't come across as being authoritative, but rather the opposite.

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[dyn085]

I'll have to play with this some more. Obviously not as accurate as legitimate equipment, but probably close enough for my needs. Taken while on cruise control with the radio off on my way home today.

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[Hellboy's_Fist]

After going back and forth, I only did sound deadening to reduce resonance for the speakers.
I know cutting road noise will make them sound even better but, I'm not ready to add that much weight for a slightly upgraded stereo.
As long as I don't hear panels vibrating and buzzing, I'll try and over power the road noise Either way it's still soooo much nicer than
stock and everything was free.

 

[Kazz]

After going back and forth, I only did sound deadening to reduce resonance for the speakers.
I know cutting road noise will make them sound even better but, I'm not ready to add that much weight for a slightly upgraded stereo.
As long as I don't hear panels vibrating and buzzing, I'll try and over power the road noise Either way it's still soooo much nicer than
stock and everything was free.

What did you use, where, and how'd the install go? Thanks!

 

[RAAMaudio]

Using the methods in my guide one can make a nice improvement with little added weight when done carefully, add mass only where needed which in this car there are few places it will do much good, sealing up access holes helps more and I would only use the mat on some of those, the rest just a bit of PS Ensolite will do the job, acoustical foam in critical areas like inside and near the rear corners, behind trim panels, etc adds barely any weight and helps quite a bit, I like to stuff it under the dash as well.

Making the car a little quieter is not a big task, costs little and at the most 10-12 lbs added, mostly at the rear of the car helping the weight balance a bit, make sure the exhaust is not to loud, nor the tires, it can help make the car much more enjoyable and yes the audio will be better, even the stock system would as well.

To make this car super quiet would be a big task, add a fair amount of weight and just not the right thing to do to this wonderful car.

 

[Hellboy's_Fist]

What did you use, where, and how'd the install go? Thanks!

I just cut a GTMAT 10 sqft kit I already had in half and it was more than enough for each front door.
I even had a couple panels left to put over the rear spare tub area over the exhaust. I put two big
squares through each speaker hole(folded). One above and one below the crash bar. I put some around
the inside of the interior door panel by the speaker grill to add some weight. The rest was used
on the plastic frame where the speaker mounts. That thing is actually really solid so I just placed
the most near the speaker mounting point and it naturally tapered off outward as I ran out. Little
pieces used by cables, to cover holes, and such to prevent them from making noise.

If you cut everything before you peel the back and use a heat gun with the roller they give you it's
simple. Even the stock speakers sounded better. I know because I did the left side first and it was
very noticeable on the way to the work.

No it's not pro level, I already had it and it worked out well for what I wanted. The entire package
and box weighs 2.5 lb's according to amazon. My goal was to stop vibrations in certain areas and
NOT to block out road noise.

 

[Kazz]

Thanks!

 

[neeqness]

Though informative and I plan to return here to follow up on this info myself later...I apologize if this was mentioned already or if it has been addressed before...

But the stock Potenzas are very noisy all on their own. One of my very first mods was to change the tires and I was amazed at how much quieter my new tires were compared to oem. I changed them because I suspected them to be noisy and because to improve the ride with a more comfortable tire but I didn't expect such a big drop in noise levels. I was able to listen to music a few notches lower than usual.

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[neeqness]

I like many others love a great sounding exhaust, intake as well, just not drone and not to loud, louder when getting on it is great, mellower the rest of the time is best for longer drives especially.

This sounds like what I'm looking for in an exhaust...without the burbly pop noises. Something simple, growly, deep and somewhat subtle. What exhaust (with stock dp) would you recommend to achieve this sound?

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[RAAMaudio]

I built my own, fewer and less angle on the bends, full 3" SS with a 5" diameter SS packed resonator, fairly small oval straight through Borla race muffler with single oval tip(oval because I liked the looks and kind of a Ford shape) less restriction and weight than a dual tip. The muffler comes off via Vband so I can put a straight pipe on for track and it is far louder than it would seem that little muffler could reduce the sound.

A cat makes a huge difference in overall noise and greatly reduces the popping which was kind of fun, DHM DP with WG fed around the expense race cat.

All that said, that is the exhaust I know, others I cannot really vouch for, sorry.

 

[neeqness]

I built my own, fewer and less angle on the bends, full 3" SS with a 5" diameter SS packed resonator, fairly small oval straight through Borla race muffler with single oval tip(oval because I liked the looks and kind of a Ford shape) less restriction and weight than a dual tip. The muffler comes off via Vband so I can put a straight pipe on for track and it is far louder than it would seem that little muffler could reduce the sound.

A cat makes a huge difference in overall noise and greatly reduces the popping which was kind of fun, DHM DP with WG fed around the expense race cat.

All that said, that is the exhaust I know, others I cannot really vouch for, sorry.

No problem. When you say build your own (because it sounds pretty interesting) do you have a local machine shop build to your specifications or do you build it in your own shop?

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[antarctica24]

I knew the ST was loud but it took a road trip in my wife's new Legacy to realize how loud. After installing the sub I really want to bring down the noise floor. I found a pack of sound deadening material in an old box in the garage and I'm down to put them in. My question is for those who have done dynamat or something similar, where did you put it, or would you put it if you were going to do it again? Floors? Trunk? Doors? Other? All of the above? Any tips for best results?
I am planning on doing before and after readings with a dB meter as well. Thanks in advance!

Sound deadening is a multi-part process. If you want to be thorough, you have to add mass to the vehicle to remove resonances. Then you have to add a sound barrier to prevent sound from getting into the vehicle. For the resonance part, any old rubberized with aluminum backing will do, I used boom mat, but Dynomat, or a number of other products will do the job. There is no magic in one brand over another. You pull the seats out, you pull the carpet out, you pull the doors off, and start peeling and sticking. You do not have to coat the entire vehicle. But the door panels and floorboards will do. As for the sound barrier, you have to decouple the carpet from the floor by putting a barrier in between. Dynomat, secondskin all sell something called pro liner or the like. I personally went to Walmart and bought yoga mat. Yep, 14.99. Best stuff ever, and you wont pay stupid money buying from the likes of Dynomat or one of the other companies. The stuff I got is 1/2" thick. You cut it to fit, then you tape everything together once you have it laying out in the car. Then lay the carpet back over top of it and you are good to go.

As for the doors, you need something a little less thick, but you want to coat all of the door panel the outside metal, and you want to put deadener on the actual door panel itself. Then use the yoga mat, and put between the door panel and door then you are good to go.