Car Sound Deadening DIY [Best Materials & How To Tips]

Are you unsatisfied with the sound-deadening layer of your car? Do you want to know how you can DIY a better solution and which materials are best to use? You’ve come to the right place, for we've researched this question, and we have the answer for you.

The majority of sound-deadening products have a rubber or foam core. It is also common for them to have an adhesive side to make installation simpler on various surfaces inside your car.

Let’s talk more about specific materials and what makes them effective in deadening noise inside your vehicle in the succeeding sections. Noise dampening doesn’t always involve the installation of aftermarket material on your car.

Read on!

Dismantling car interior. Disassembled car doors without door cards for repair, installation of sound insulation, soundproofing or tuning of music speakers. - Car Sound Deadening DIY [Best Materials & How To Tips]

Negative Effects Of Too Much Noise Inside Car

Sound plays a vital role in human life.

The primary means of communication that humans use is dependent on sound.

Music is a form of art that depends on sound. It has been a part of different cultures from the birth of civilization to the present. Advances in technology and medicine use sound to map the deepest regions of the world or take a glimpse of an unborn child.

However, despite the many advantages of sound, one of its forms—noise—can threaten human health. Yet, with the rise in noise pollution, the majority of people ignore the noise around them instead of doing something about it.

Car Sound Deadening DIY [Best Materials & How To Tips]

Negative Effects Of Noise On Health

Noise is not just a source of annoyance for some people. It can also be a source of significant health risks.

Data shows that the incidence of arterial fibrillation increases to 23% in subjects with extreme noise annoyance.

Arterial fibrillation is the most common type of heart arrhythmia. Arrhythmia is a condition where the heart beats too fast, too slow, or erratically. The chambers of the heart are not in sync when arrhythmia happens.

A recent study in Copenhagen, Denmark, shows a possible link between road traffic noise and the risk of developing heart failure.

Anything that annoys a person—including noise—can trigger irritation and agitation. This leads to changes in blood pressure, and this can lead to fibrillation.

Moreover, noise can also affect the brain.

The brain instinctively monitors for possible signs of danger around the clock. Thus, frequent exposure to loud and irritating noise can lead to excessive sensitivity to stress triggers. And stress leads to a different set of health problems.

The most obvious effect of too much noise inside the car is perhaps hearing impairment.

Best Materials For Sound Deadening

Aluminum coated car sound insulation bitumen membrane. Car Sound Deadening Mat, Butyl Automotive Sound Deadener, Audio Noise Insulation and Dampening.

The evolution of automobiles led to larger vehicles yet lighter vehicles. However, making a vehicle lighter means changing materials and dropping components. Unfortunately, a large amount of sound-dampening components are no longer part of modern cars.

The slow shift to electric cars made weight even more critical. The lighter the electric car, the farther it would go on a single full charge.

Unfortunately, for internal combustion vehicles, larger vehicles mean more powerful engines, and the creation of more power in an engine means more noise.

The noise coming from a modern internal combustion engine affects both the passengers and nearby motorists and pedestrians. If several modern cars travel on the road at the same time—like on a highway—then the noise generated is compounded by the number of vehicles.

Where to install sound-dampening materials?

Sound is vibration. This means many parts of your car will be a medium for the transfer of noise from outside your car and into the passenger cabin.

To effectively dampen noise, focus on areas of your car that most commonly amplify sound or areas that are close to the source of the noise.

Areas that amplify sound are hollow areas like the doors, trunk, glove compartment, and even the inside of cup holders. Hollow areas serve as a sound diaphragm for noise coming from under your car. They work like the hollow body of an acoustic guitar—minus the soulful music.

Sources of noise in your car are areas that are close to the road and tires. These are parts like the underside of your car and the wheel well.

The engine is also a source of noise. The same goes for the exhaust if it is not correctly muffled.

Engine Oil

Pouring motor oil for motor vehicles from a gray bottle into the engine, , oil change, auto repair shop, service,

This may not be a material that you need to install in one of the areas listed above, but it can still affect the noise level inside your car.

The engine of your car gets noisy as the engine oil loses its ability to lubricate the moving parts inside. Since the engine is made of metal, it gets noisy when its parts start to rub against each other.

Engine oil gradually loses its ability to lubricate the engine. This is the reason why you need to change the oil and oil filter regularly.

And since the engine is the closest source of noise, it makes sense to dampen the sound it makes by regularly changing the engine oil.

Rubber Spray Paint

The undercarriage of your car is a common pathway for noise from the road. Moreover, the friction between the road and the tires produces considerable noise.

Additionally, the undercarriage of your car vibrates with the movement of your car. The faster your car travels, the more it will vibrate.

Installing a material to dampen the vibration will reduce the noise coming from under your car.

A rubberized spray paint covering the undercarriage of your car is an effective way to reduce vibration. If you have a way to raise your car, you can paint the undercarriage yourself to save on labor costs.

Moreover, the rubberized paint under your car will protect it from rust.

Don’t forget to get rid of existing rust in the areas that you plan to paint. If you don’t get rid of rust, it will continue to spread underneath the rubberized paint.

Use a degreaser to prepare the surface after you get rid of the rust.

Door Gaskets

Dismantling car interior. Disassembled car doors without door cards for repair, installation of sound insulation, soundproofing or tuning of music speakers. - Car Sound Deadening DIY [Best Materials & How To Tips]

The door gaskets in your car serve two purposes.

The first purpose of door gaskets is to serve as a weatherproofing seal. It prevents water from entering your car through the edges of the door. Moreover, it also prevents wind from getting through the gaps in the door while you drive at high speeds.

The second purpose of the rubber gaskets is to absorb the vibration of the doors. Remember that sound is also vibration?

The gaskets around the windows also serve the same two purposes. Thus, the gaskets on your doors and windows must make a seal.

These gaskets are often made of rubber. Unfortunately, the rubber will eventually become brittle.

Check the gaskets for damage. If you don’t see damage on the gaskets, clean them with a rubber cleaner. Regularly apply rubber restorer to maintain the quality of the rubber gaskets.

Replace any damaged gaskets that you find.

CAR GUYS Restorer is available on Amazon through this link.

Adam’s Tire & Rubber Cleaner is available on Amazon through this link.

MLV (Mass Loaded Vinyl)

MLV is the most popular soundproofing material for vehicles. It is a PVC vinyl with inert compounds to increase its density. MLV is soft and can easily follow the contours of your car when you install it.

Install a layer of MLV around the inner walls of the trunk to absorb the sound that enters through there. There are rolls of MLV that has an adhesive side for simple installation.

Additionally, install MLV around the engine bay, especially on the hood and the firewall. Make sure it covers all the surfaces inside the engine bay.

You can also use MLV to line the inside of the tire well. This will effectively dampen any sound that comes from the tires and the road.

MLV is also effective in soundproofing the doors of your car. Use a plastic trim remover to remove the door panels. Install a layer of MLV between the door and the door panel.

You will need to trim the MLV to match the shape of your door.

If you can remove all the seats and carpets of your car, you can install MLV on the floor of your car to deaden the sound coming from the underside. This is even better than using rubber paint.

Although the roof should be the last on your list, you can also use MLV to dampen the sound coming through the roof of your car.

The effectiveness of MLV relies on how much area you can cover with it.

Before you install MLV with an adhesive layer, always clean the surface thoroughly. Use a degreasing spray after cleaning, then leave it to dry.

Tresalto Auto Trim Removal Tool Set is available on Amazon through this link.

Woven Fiber

High resolution seamless wicker texture

This is great as a sound-dampening layer under the carpet or under the floor mats. It is ideal for floors because it will drain any water that gets to the floor of your car instead of holding onto the water.

Woven fiber mats are also great as an additional layer to dampen the sound from the trunk.

Conclusion

Dampening the sound that gets into your car is important to provide you and your passengers with a relaxing trip. Installing dampening materials in key areas of your car is effective in reducing the noise that gets into the passenger cabin.

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