What is Soundproofing and why do you need it?

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Soundproofing, also known as Sound Deadening, Sound Damping, Sound treatment, or Acoustic treatment, are various types of materials used in vehicles to reduce road noise, improve the sound of the existing audio system, eliminate annoying rattles, and heat control.

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Road Noise:

Road noise enters the vehicle in two ways, which is through the vehicle's structure or through the air. So we are dealing with structural noise and airborne noise. Structure transmitted noise can be caused by the engine and road surface creating vibrations in the sheet metal / plastic body panels. The sheet metal / plastic panels of the vehicle vibrate when energy passes through it. The noise transfers from the tires through the frame, wheel wells, and floor pan directly into the interior creating a noisy environment. Your radio has to be turned up and conversations in the car have to become much louder. Sound Deadening products like Constrained Layer Damping ( CLD ) will reduce structural noise. Constrained Layer Damping will basically take the vibrations of the structure, which would be a mechanical energy and turns that vibration into heat. Since the the top layer of Constrained Layer Damping is typically some kind of aluminum the heat gets trapped in the Sound Deadening so the vibration / heat does not enter the vehicle. Constrained Layer Damping will reduce road noise for sound frequencies at 1,000Hz and below.

 

Noise from the exhaust and wind rushing thorough roof racks, pillars, frame, etc. penetrate the vehicle's interior through the air. This airborne noise is a variable frequency that can cause fatigue in drivers & passengers over very short distances & time. There are many holes, cracks and channels in an automobile. An opening or crack of just 5% in a surface or area can allow up to 80% of airborne noise to rush inside your vehicle. Also as vehicles age the seals weaken and the vehicle becomes more vulnerable to these airborne noise issues. Open cell foam is used as a sound absorbing foam that will absorb the high frequency engine noise / exhaust / wind noise entering the vehicle. Open Cell Foam not only absorbs high frequency noise that enters the cabin but also other high frequency airborne noise that is already inside the vehicle bouncing around. Open cell foam will absorb noise by trapping those sound waves with in the foam. Airborne noise can and will be at frequencies above 1,000Hz, which is why using more than one type of Sound Deadening product is crucial for proper road noise reduction.

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Audio Systems:

Sound Deadening is a MUST if you are looking for great sound! Vehicles are not good platforms for audio because it consists of flimsy metal and plastic panels. Vehicle doors are not solid built speaker enclosures and that is why any speaker suffers inside of a vehicle door. Installing Sound Deadening products to the door, inner door cavity, and door panel will help make your door a better enclosure for your speaker. An untreated door will make the speaker sound more distorted and rattle the metal / plastic panels with loud volume or bass heavy songs. Reflections of sound is something that happens with all speakers in any environment. Using an open cell foam through out the vehicle will reduce those sound reflections so we can hear the pure sound the speaker is reproducing instead of the reproduced sound in combination with all of the reflective sounds. Another issues speakers face being in a door is the fact that the outer skin ( exterior painted panel ) is very close to the rear of the speaker. When a speaker reproduces sound the cone pushes sound waves out of the front and back of the speaker. That back wave will bounce off of the outer door skin and go right back into the rear cone of the speaker which causes distortion. Sound Deadening products like wave breakers will absorb the rear sound wave of the speaker and eliminate that back wave distortion so your speaker can sound its best! Sound Deadening keeps the sound in and the noise out!

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Rattles:

As we mentioned your vehicle being made of flimsy metal / plastic. You will experience rattles with or without an audio system playing. The structural vibrations of every day driving will cause all of the panels to make contact with other surfaces causing rattling sounds. Love bass? Have factory or aftermarket subwoofers? The bass from your vehicle will also make the panels of the vehicle flex creating rattling of panels resting against other panels. Constrained Layer damping absorbs the vibrations that cause panel flexing and Open or Closed Cell Foams can be used at contact points of two different panels to decouple those panels which will eliminate the rattling. The more your vehicle panels flex, the more noise you hear, and the less bass you hear. Sound Deadening your vehicle will make the bass response of any speaker or subwoofer sound better, deeper, and louder! 

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Heat Control:

Heat reduction is another benefit of installing Sound Deadening into your vehicle. Not only is the heat uncomfortable for the passengers, but it forces air conditioning systems to work harder to maintain comfortable cabin temperatures. Tremendous amounts heat are generated in relatively small spaces from things like the engine, exhaust, and catalytic converter. This heat conducts through the surfaces closest in proximity ( floor or firewall ) which transfers that heat into the driver/passenger compartment of your vehicle. Sound Deadening will help create thermal barriers to keep the heat out. Sound Deadening will also keep heat in, so your vehicle's interior will warm up faster on those cold days.

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If you want a comfortable ride and want to enjoy your music, not noise, then Sound Deadening is the answer!

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Below are some pictures of our Sound Deadening installations.

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Enjoy!