How to Make Your Car Soundproof in 2023

Why Soundproof Your Car?

Driving a vehicle consistently opens you to elevated degrees of commotion. After some time, this constant commotion can become annoying and upsetting. There are several key reasons why you may want to consider soundproofing your car:

Protect hearing: For drivers who spend many hours every week in their cars during drives or road trips, Acoustic Foam provides an important layer of assurance to the ears. The National Establishment for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) prescribes commotion openness be restricted to something like 85 dB north of 8 hours to avoid potential hearing misfortune.

Lessen road commotion and sound transmission: Road clamor from tires on pavement and wind hurrying by the vehicle can reach 80-90 decibels. That is stronger than a garbage disposal or vacuum cleaner. Over years of daily drives, this degree of commotion can cause hearing damage and accelerate the beginning of age-related hearing misfortune on the off chance that not addressed.

Decreased stress and fatigue: Constant uproarious sounds create an unpleasant climate after some time. By chopping down road commotion, drivers experience diminished pressure, fatigue, and better concentration. This leads to safer driving and less wear and tear on the body from being overstimulated by commotion.

Increase privacy: For drivers who take a great deal of calls or video gatherings in their vehicles, soundproofing further develops privacy. It forestalls the other individual on the line from hearing clearly road clamors in the background.

Improve acoustics: Upgrading factory audio systems or adding subwoofers results in better sound quality when road noise transmission is reduced. Passengers can also speak at normal volumes instead of yelling over the top of sounds penetrating the vehicle’s interior.

DIY Car Soundproofing Materials

There are several effective soundproofing materials available that car owners can install themselves to reduce road noise:

Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV)

Mass Loaded Vinyl is a thick, putty-like sound barrier commonly used for car doors. It utilizes the principle that heavier, denser materials block sound transmission better. To install, the doors are stripped of their panels and MLV is applied to completely cover the inner door metal. This forms an airtight barrier that road noise must pass through, reducing noise by 10-15 dB.

Dynamat or FatMat

This butyl rubber Dodo Sound Deadening is applied to large flat interior surfaces like doors, floors, and trunk areas. Pieces of Dynamat are overlapped on metal to form an airborne sound absorption barrier. It is sticky on one side for adhesion. Dynamat reduces noise in the 300-3000Hz range where road and wind noise predominates. The application requires 8-12 hours to properly cover doors and larger areas.

Polyester Insulation

Thick polyester wool insulation works well for soundproofing hollow cavities in doors, firewalls, and other enclosed areas. It can be stuffed into open spaces after MLV or Dynamat is applied. Polyester’s high density stops remaining road noise resonances and reflections within enclosures. R-values of 3.0 to 5.0 aid thermal insulation too for all-season comfort.

Closed Cell Acoustic Foam

Available as large interlocking tiles or rolls, closed cell acoustic foam adheres directly to interior surfaces without additional adhesives needed. It effectively dampens mid to high frequencies between 400 and 4000Hz. An area like the roof takes just 1-2 hours to fully acoustically treat. Foam provides noise blocking and sound absorption to reduce road noise levels.

Those are some of the most common and effective DIY car soundproofing materials options. The proper application does require some patience and effort but results in a dramatically quieter ride within the vehicle cabin.

Areas to Focus On Soundproofing

When attempting a DIY car soundproofing project, concentrating effort on certain areas provides the best return on investment of time and materials. Here are some of the key areas car owners should focus on:

Car Doors

Vehicle doors are the single biggest source of road noise entry. They typically have hollow interior cavities that resonate with outside sounds. Applying Mass Loaded Vinyl or Dynamat to completely cover inner door skins is critical. Fill the remaining space with dense polyester for best results.

Trunk/Boot Area

While not the main living space of the vehicle, the trunk can act like an echo chamber amplifying road noises entering the passenger cabin. Covering the underside of the trunk lid and spare tire well with sound deadening materials blocks the transmission of rear noises.

Wheel Wells

Spray foam insulation or closed cell foam panels adhered to inner fender walls significantly reduce tire and road noise transfer into the footwells and cabin area. This is sometimes overlooked but makes a difference.

Flooring

Adding a second layer of Dynamat or similar product sandwiched between the existing carpet and new sound absorbing floor mats creates an acoustic barrier blocking noises entering from below.

Headliner

Replacing the thinner factory headliner with a heavier commercial grade sound deadened headliner is an advanced project but yields big results, cutting down road noise and wind noise transfer into the roof area.

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