So guys, I've recently been forced to drive about 80 miles a day for work, and I've begun to really notice the road and wind noise coming from my car. So I've decided that its time to quiet it down a bit. However as many other people in the world, im on a budget. So, ive been researching some budget materials to sound deaden my car. I've also been reading up on this link: https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...lots-pics.html on how to do it right.

So heres my budget list, let me know what you guys think.

Nashua Tape 6 in. x 75 ft. Select Window & Door Flashing Tape-1207782 - The Home Depot (cheap $/sf, butyl based rather than asphalt, and Low voc, so hopefully no/really low smell. The bad is that it is only 20mil thick, so I will have to triple up on it ($75 for 37.5sf), which compared to other butyl based CDL like dynamat ($145 for 36sf) or gtmat onyx($120 for 36) raamat ($109 for 37.5sf) doesnt seem bad, albiet more labor

Foam Insulation, Padding, Closed-Cell Foam - Polyethylene Roll (cheap closed cell foam, figured I would get a 15'X5' sheet and cover the doors and trunk area, they also have neoprene for pretty cheap. Maybe a better option??)

1lb Mass Loaded Vinyl Noise Barrier - Vinyl Barrier (best price I could find MLV at)

Some sort of door sealer to make less wind noise but haven't found a product I want to use yet....Thoughts?

Any thoughts? I was planning to do the entire floor, front to trunk, and all of the doors. Then the space between the firewall and engine.

I could also use some help finding removal guides for the carpet and trunk if anyone can think of it off the top of their head. These guides would be most appreciated.

 

So after doing some calculations on the nashua tape, Ive decided that thespecific gravity of the tape is far to low compared to dynamat/raamat, so that is out and I will probably be getting a real CDL tile, albiet cheaper.

 

So, i am really starting to narrow down my product selection.
Going with raamaudio CLD Tiles. 75sf
1/4" Polyethlene foam from the above link 100sf
1/8" 1lb MLV from amazon (good price and FREE SHIPPING) 100sf

Right now I am down to glue that I am going to use for the foam. I was thinking super 77 would probably work, but I was hoping to find a glue that was just a permanent tack and doesn't harden, but still works with the PE foam. Thoughts? Not sure how many people are actually on this part of the site, but oh well, worse come worse, i track it for the future.

 

I think I might add a layer of 8lb carpet foam with a moisture barrier to the floor of the car. Its 5/16 of an inch, plus the 1/4 of CCF, and 1/4 MLV, im wondering if the carpet/trim of the car can handle an over 3/7 of extra padding around without looking goofy.

 

So i finally did my ordering
Went with 70sf of GTmat onyx. Cheapest Butyl CLD per SF considering shipping

1/8" CCF from ULINE (its packing foam, so i hope it still works) Went thinner, so if I needed to double up I could, but im not forced to use 1/4" incase I run into a space issue. Worse come worse it was only $50 for 350sf

120sf of dB-3 4 ft. x 8 ft. Acoustical Barrier from Home depot. its only .75lb/sf, but It will let me double up in certain areas if I want to or leave it a single layer if I dont want to add all of the weight. Again Cheapest per sf, and its made in America.

My final plan is to put the CLD on with a 70% Coverage pattern. But I also plan to put some on the plastic parts here and there.

Put the CCF everywhere, especially where the metal doors or panels touch plastic panels.

MLV everywhere possible. Double layer on the floor and doors.

Finally put some CLD in the firewall area just to be safe and see if it makes a difference.

I plan to do a before and after weight of the materials so I can figure out exactly how much weight I added to the car.

I took a DB test throughout the past 2 weeks and I was around 89-94db on the highways, and around 86db on the normal roads. I also rode in a 2012 ford focus and it was around 82-85db on the highway. So heres hoping I can get somewhat close to that.

 

Interesting thread. I'm looking forward to read how it all goes. Just curious, what did you use for your spl meter and did you use dB-A or C weighting?

 

I actually didnt use an SPL meter. haha. I just used my iphone 6 plus and the free app "decibel 10th". But the phone was in the exact same location (I use it as a gps, so its got a car mount) and it was giving consistent results when driving on the same roads at the same speed. To be honest, I dont really feel like testing for scientifically objective results. If it sounds quieter to me, that's all that matters. Plus its more money. However, I plan to, depending on how quickly my stuff get here, take a recording using my dslr or zoom recorder at a set gain rate and see how it sounds before and after to a microphone. At least it will be better than most videos where the recording device is set to auto gain on the microphone, total waste.

 

It's all good, because at the very least if you set it up the same reach time your results will be relative to each other so you'll know objectively that it's quieter.

 

Yes good thread, thanks! I will follow your progress and do some of this on my Fit in the spring.

Here are another couple of sources for sound deadening materials to check out:
Sound Proofing from Aircraft Spruce
Sound Absorbers from McMaster-Carr

 

So, weekend 1 of progress.

I did the trunk area and rear hatch as planned. However it took FOREVER. About 12 hours total.

I basically did what I planned to do for all of the panels. Cover with CLD, 1/8 CCF and MLV. However, as some others on this forum have noted, there isnt much room on the rear panels that cover the wheel well, so it was pretty tough to fit everything in there, but I managed to find a way.

One of the main reasons it took so long, and why I don't have many photos unfortunately is because how how complex the shapes were back there. The CCF was ok coverage overall, the CLD was pretty good, but the MLV, in my opinion was horrid. Near the end I was getting frustrated, which might account for some of it, but man it was time consuming.

I was not able to get a perfect 100% seal coverage with the MLV, but overall it sounds a bit better. Not alot, seeing as its the farthest location from my ears, but its noticeable. One thing that I am most proud of is the hatch. That thing sounds like a mercedes when the door closes. A nice solid thud. On the hatch I was able to get a nice solid covering of CLD and a pretty decent coverage of MLV and dual layer of CCF. Overall Happy.

Now for the negatives so far. PANEL CLIPS ARE THE WORST. I broke 1 on the hatch (one of the orange ones), cracked the panel around one of the hatch's clip holders, and cracked a couple holders for the driver side rear panel. Everything is still holding together just fine, but it was frustrating. Everything is clips an you just need to yank the panels off. Very scary.