Sound Proofing the car

[Madarmour]

Well, I didn't regret a bit........... Hmmmmmm............maybe I can use large sheets of the 1cm thick Aerofoam to insulate my music room!

[Cool]

I used the 2cm thick ones to insulate my son's playroom.. incase he crash into the wall on his battery bike.

[Madarmour]

So you use any cloth to cover it? Since it's ugly black with equally ugly prints! Good thing is that it doesn't soak up water, like foam. That's a wonderful idea, man! Everyday we learn something new!

[Cool]

No.. not cover, no body bothers..

[Madarmour]

[Maverick713]

Problem is, Accumat is expensive.............

 

Not only is Accumat very much more expensive (price per sq metre) than bitumen sheets, it is also wafer-thin and you need to buy plenty of it to add sufficient mass to deaden vibrations on car panels. Accumat is around 1mm to 1.2mm thick (really thin) while bitumen sheets are from 1.6mm to 3mm thick. Most DIYers use the 3mm bitumen for large surfaces and maybe 1.6mm ones for small corners and tight spaces.

 

Don't be fooled by the Accumat demo where they use a small piece of Accumat to deaden vibration on an equally small piece of metal. In real life, you need much more mass to deaden vibrations in your car. Only bitumen sheets can provide greater mass at an affordable cost.

[Maverick713]

ah hem.... i actually hav made enquiry regarding soundproofing the car at pin liang few mths back. he actually commented tat conti cars may nt need soundproofing as much as jap. of cos, if owners insist, he will stil take up tis biz.

taking his advise, i drop the idea of soundproofing mine.

 

My Lancer Cedia was probably quieter than my boss's new Saab 93, but I went on to make it even more quiet by DIY soundproofing.

 

When I sit in his Saab 93, I have to "cover my ears" from the road noise entering the cabin.

 

Most continental cars (except maybe BMW, Benz, Opel Omega etc.) are not fantastically quiet. I have sat in other people's Kia Rio (soundproofed) and Hyundai Sonata (stock) and despite being budget Korean cars, they are quieter than some poor continentals.

[Madarmour]

Problem with 3mm bitumen is they are very heavy. Now, I don't know about the stuffs that went into the production of Accumat but I think it's not only bitumen. I think it has to strike a balance here, between weight and effectiveness.

 

Accumat is not without it's advantage. Being thinner, it is more malleable and able to fit into the curvatures of the surface better.

 

I guess both has it's advantages and disadvantages. The bitumen costs much less and if I haven't already used Accumat, I'll choose the bitumen.

 

Agree with you about the Accumat demo, though. To be effective, the entire surface has to be covered, ideally.

[Koolaba]

Hi Maverick,

 

Agreed. The other 'noisy' make is the Volvos. Really need to 'cover my ears'

[Sparrow]

Hi, hi, I better do some clarification lah...Maverick material is not the problem lah, its my expectation of the outcome!!!!

 

I did buy the bitumen from Maverick, and foam from Asia Fridge...used up the whole roll on the boot, floorpan, and the 4 doors...foam was used only in the boot and floorpan...

 

Then I realised that for car like Cef, Camry, there is already certain level of insulation build in....so, what I expect (like Lexus quality) can never be attained lah!!! So regret loh .

 

But I am sure that for the normal saloon car, the original insulation come with it is absolutely minimum, therefore, with extra insulation put in, you will be able to get substantial result!!!

 

Check out sample cars to find out the difference.

 

Therefore, set your expectation right so as not to be disappointed by the outcome.

 

Cheers

[Maverick713]

Alamak..... were you the one who came to my place in a Cefiro, or Kelvin's Cefiro-driving friend at Sg. Kadut?

 

My thoughts when I see these 2 Cefiros were that you already have a very quiet car. I was sceptical and asked if you are sure you want to soundproof this car. Any improvement would be quite marginal.

 

Anyway, if the car is noisy (like my previous GLXi Lancer), the sound reduction improvement seems quite obvious.

Edited December 12, 2002 by Maverick713

[Sparrow]

Hahah, I am not the one at Sungei Kadut!!!

 

Hey, welcome to MCF man.

 

Talk about cabin insulation, I will go around looking for sample car to try...need to see what is really "quiet"!!

 

Hey, one more point...Saab is not exactly a poor conti car hahahahaa

Edited December 13, 2002 by Sparrow

[Maverick713]

>Hey, one more point...Saab is not exactly a poor conti car hahahahaa

 

Right. but if I do own one, I would have to do extensive soundproofing and change out all the noisy Dunlop LM701 tyres.

[Chris_ck]

Hi Maverick if i buy the bitumen sheets from you have you got any mechanics to recommend who can do the soundproofing for me and how much will they charge?

[Maverick713]

There are many audio installers that can do it for a fee:

 

Dupont, Ping Liang, Hock Hin Eng., Zoom Audio, Wee Heng Auto...... the list is too long. Just tell them you are using your own bitumen sheets and insulation foam sheets.

 

The costs varies but should be around $150 to $200 for floorpan and $30 per door. Boot floor is pretty easy to DIY if you don't mind.

 

I would be going down this Friday to collect bitumen sheets for someone. Let me know if you need my help.

[Chris_ck]

Oh Dupoint's owner happens to be my friends but my old car i did not bother to install ICE so never asked him about it. Ok will do so.

[Topgun7557]

Maverick,

 

So, if I want to soundproof my ride, I need to use BOTH Bitumen and Insulation foam sheet?

[Maverick713]

Yep. Bitumen to stop metal panel resonance (vibes) and foam sheets to absorb higher frequency noise.