Sound Proofing for Engine/Road Noise...
 

My GSR is pretty noisy when cruising above 75mph...and I'm looking for ways to cut down the engine/road noise a little.

I've used Dynamat in previous cars...which is expensive and tricky to apply in some places. I just learned about FatMat. (looks like Dynamat but cheaper)

But painting on something like eDead seems like a much easier way to cut down noise (if it really works). Has anybody tried painting on eDead v3? Did it work?

Any suggestions on where to start? Doors? Floor?

I'm actually looking into this myself because I have the same complaint. I took a 2300 mile round road trip and the noise is just crazy at that speed, lol. I had to keep it at 70mph-75mph for it to be tolerable.

How well did Dynamat work on your previous cars? I've heard a couple good things about FatMat but I've never heard of eDead v3.

If anyone has any experience please help, lol. I don't have any experience in this.

I just looked at the FatMat site and I think I'm going to give that a try. You really can't beat that price compared to the Dynamat.

I know this might be a stupid question but where would you place the material to make the road noise quiter?

I would assume the firewall/floor mainly. Also underneath the back seat and trunk area.

I sound deadened my X about 2 weeks after I bought it. I used the stuff from secondskinaudio called damplifier (which is like dynamat), Overkill, and Luxury Liner.

Basically I put the damplifier mat on the bare metal all over the car (from the trunk to bottom of firewall) then used the OverKill in the trunk and anywhere the luxury liner was too thick for. Then I laid luxury liner under all the carpet and back seats. I also did the doors with the mat, overkill, and pieces of luxury liner. Overall it made a difference, it's not like a real luxury car, but I didn't expect it to be. Before I did the install, it sounded like there was no insulation at all...especially through the floor. I could hear everything thru the floor and the wheel wells.

I wish I could have gotten to the firewall easier...but I really didn't want to take the dash apart. And yes, it did add weight to the already heavy X, but it's my daily and not a track monster. I'll make up for it with a some horsepower :)

Here are some pics of the stuff:

http://s281.photobucket.com/albums/k...d%20Deadening/

What about the hood
 

Thanks for posting the pictures!

Without a decibel meter -- it's hard to compare notes. But my stock GSR Radio needs to be set around 28-30 just to hear the music above the noise of the car at 75mph. Do you have an idea of how much less radio volume you need to hear the music above the car at 75mph? (i'm trying to quantify the amount of improvement you got out of your install)

Did you consider insulating the hood too? I see that they have hood liner kits which shouldn't be too hard to install. Supposedly that's a good way to lower the engine noise too.

Holy sound deadening, i think that most of the noise is coming in from engine, you would probably have to remove dash and insulate the there and floor boards driver and passenger side

Well with the SSS radio, on the highway traveling between 75-80 mph I would have the volume anywhere between 20-24. It's not the greatest way to measure the level of sound deadening because everyone has difference preferences / noise tolerances. I could still kind of hear the engine and stuff at these levels but it was loud enough to hear clearly especially CDs.

I have thought about the hood liner...but I would tackle the firewall before I did that...and who knows if I will ever do the firewall. Unfortunately, the engine is the loudest part so I still get that coming thru the cabin. I'm used to it...but would like to quite it down a bit if possible.

One more thought, it makes the cab louder, but the engine whine gets taken over, is add an exhaust. i know you want to silence the engine noise, but a nice exhaust will over ride the noises that are bothersome.

I have noticed that the Evo in stock form does get a little "boomy" at about 4000 rpm.

:eek:

I've actually thought of that. I'll do exhaust eventually, but I want a quiet one...hopefully it will turn the engine whine into a nice deep rumble.

My main noise complaint is wind noise. It's at an incredible level. I don't know if it's because of the dumbo-like side mirrors or the design of the door itself or the window seals, but it's pretty bad. It makes my Civic sound like a Lexus inside at highway speeds.

I sort of like the noise...coming from an RS it's pretty quiet :)

Somebody buying a Evo and then complaining about road noise! That's priceless! Hillarious! :D

Sell the Evo and buy a bmw/audi/vw whatever...

If you're still looking into this, I highly recommended Raamat: http://www.raamaudio.com/

I have an extensive background in car audio and, imho, Rick's product is the best deal out there. You'll save a TON of money over Dynamat, and he's a true hobbyist who sells what he uses himself.

Pick up some Ensolite to go along with it, and it'll be a great improvement. (It's what's going in my '09 Mazdaspeed3 as soon as I get some decent weather to apply it/strip my interior out.)

-Ben

acutally, this is the stuff that I used. I forgot that I ordered my supplies from 2 different places. Raamat is great. Cheaper than dynmat and performs just as well. I put almost 2 full rolls in my car.

I got the other stuff from second skin audio.

Bet that was alot of work.

Was it a big difference? I don't want to do all that work have it not reduce the noise level hardly at all, lol.

:EDIT: Nevermind, didn't pay attention that you're the same guy on the first page, lol.

I'm getting Dynamat laid down on Tuesday. You can buy the bulk pack for $150. I don't know how much cheaper the other stuff is, but given the labor-intensiveness of the install, I'd rather not risk getting the best rest result just to save a few bucks.

There's a lot of debate in teh world about dynamat vs fatmat. Fatmat is asphalt based, whereas dynamat is not. I just got done installing a bunch of fatmat in my 95 tacoma, and while it helped, I won't be able to tell the full difference until I get the doors done. I ripped out the floor and installed the fatmat with new carpet. It's a little quieter, but there's so much noise from the doors.... I'm planning to rip out the speakers, and install some new stuff, so eventually this will get done.

fatmat is great stuff, but my truck stank like a new road for about 2 weeks.

Does anyone have a MR stripped? I wanna see where the factory sound damping is located, because that is where i will put it, not lay it all over the entire cabin, which is a waste!

This is a great thought. Why put the sound deadening all over the place if you can strategically place it in a few places and get the desired result?

Has anyone driven a GSR and MR and can comment on how much quieter the MR is over the GSR?

One other thing to consider to reduce road noise. Change the tires. The stock Advan tires are very noisy. Changing to a different tire could reduce the noise considerably.

I believe the MR is not that noisey.... It's a lot quieter then my IX thats for damn sure. Then again the MR is a 6 speed... and the shifting is so fast that you dont hear the egine whine in between the revs... my MR is very quiet.

+1 I've been wanting to know this too. The first Evo X I drove was an MR and that thing seemed super quiet; I could barely hear the exhaust. But that was back in July. I would expect that if the engineers were going to add another 11lbs. to the MR that it must be doing something.

Haha...yeah. I took out a Evo X GSR for a test drive a couple weeks ago, and the first thing I noticed was how quiet it was. I was like, "wow is this really an Evo?"
I can't believe that people complain about the road noise. Personally I really like the extra noise to feel like I am in a fast car.

That being said, If you want the best results, go with the best stuff. If you want the cheapest results, go with the cheapest stuff.

The MR has more sound deading applied to it then the GSR. if you have access to the manuals you can find this in pdf "gr00000800-1.pdf on page 1-25. On average, it looks like the MR has twice the amount of MD-12 sound deading material applied to it than the GSR.



So to folks who are wondering if the MR is quieter... yup, it is =)

Thanks!

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While this is generally a great philosophy, with sound deadening material, there are a lot of arguments that dynamat isn't the best performer for the money. There are a lot of products out there that are lighter and produce better results than dynamat. Some are asphalt based, while others are plastic/rubber based.

stokEd omg that's great!! Any firewall application listed in the manual?

I'll take a look in a few hours when I'm home from work and let you know. :)

Why?!
 

If you want an luxury car with the performance of an evo.... get a luxury car with the performance of an evo. I always though evo's were for the people who want the raw performance and control with awd. Luxury items like sound deadening and power seats add a lot of weight. You are killing the design intentions of the battery / washer fluid in the trunk, and aluminum body pannels, etc. If you have the money you can buy a new M3, M5, Porsche, etc. If not, then a used M3, M5, or porsche for the price of a new Evo. The Evo X MR with all the luxury items is pushing 45K right?

OK, It is loud.....and the trade in values suck. Lets look for great ways to make it quiet.

http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/

Check this out Veronica!

The diagram is excellent! Thanks for posting that!

Does it also list the doors?