Sound Deadening Project

[tibwolf]

You could seal the holes, but I'm not sure it would matter either way. There aren't any speakers inside to make an infinite baffle setup. Some people go hardcore and use a chemically curing acoustic foam inside the voids, but that's for competition vehicles.

Just don't cover any access holes in case you need to troubleshoot something down the line. Removing the CLD can be a messy affair.

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[johnloov]

You could seal the holes, but I'm not sure it would matter either way. There aren't any speakers inside to make an infinite baffle setup. Some people go hardcore and use a chemically curing acoustic foam inside the voids, but that's for competition vehicles.

Just don't cover any access holes in case you need to troubleshoot something down the line. Removing the CLD can be a messy affair.

My main focus is to reduce the road noise. Even after dampening and sound proofing the doors, after a 30 min drive, my ears were ringing again this morning. I hope insulating the rear trunk and wheel wells will fix this problem, or I can't keep this car. I had an Alfa 4c 5 year ago, and it had zero sound insulation and the road noise blew out my inner ear, and once I sold it, it took me 2 years to recover, and since then, I've driven many cars, and while the decibels are much lower in the Type R than an Alfa 4c, there is some frequencies, that even when I wear ear plugs, are still penetrating my inner ear. Sustained Lowering Frequencies can penetrate the inner ear through your scull and jawbone. I love everything else about the Type R, but if I wake up with ringing in my ears, it's not worth degrading my hearing or health any further. I do notice the change in handling, as I added 27-30LBS to the outer doors, and now I'm thinking should I have just bought that M2 which was much quieter inside -- but that shifter didn't feel as nearly as good as the TypeR. I hope I can solve this, or will have to sell the car.

 

[tibwolf]

My main focus is to reduce the road noise. Even after dampening and sound proofing the doors, after a 30 min drive, my ears were ringing again this morning. I hope insulating the rear trunk and wheel wells will fix this problem, or I can't keep this car. I had an Alfa 4c 5 year ago, and it had zero sound insulation and the road noise blew out my inner ear, and once I sold it, it took me 2 years to recover, and since then, I've driven many cars, and while the decibels are much lower in the Type R than an Alfa 4c, there is some frequencies, that even when I wear ear plugs, are still penetrating my inner ear. Sustained Lowering Frequencies can penetrate the inner ear through your scull and jawbone. I love everything else about the Type R, but if I wake up with ringing in my ears, it's not worth degrading my hearing or health any further. I do notice the change in handling, as I added 27-30LBS to the outer doors, and now I'm thinking should I have just bought that M2 which was much quieter inside -- but that shifter didn't feel as nearly as good as the TypeR. I hope I can solve this, or will have to sell the car.

That's unfortunate. Lowering undesired sound levels (tires, wind) isn't the same as covering them up with louder exhausts or music. Some people don't care.

Are you willing to change the tires? Something like the AS4's are somewhat high performance with less noise.

 

[johnloov]

AS4

That's the next option, but somehow the M2 has the same Pilot 4s and they are able to reduce interior noise to an acceptable level. I checked also the Continentals that compete with the 4s but they were very similar, maybe 1db less than 4s. I wish they made the Continental Q technology and put that into a performance tire. We will find out soon...

 

[Tougefl5]

Buy a different car and let someone else enjoy that ctr. If you have to go through all this just to be able to drive it. Probably just not the right vehicle for your needs.

 

[johnloov]

That maybe unfortunately true.. let's see what happens after the install - fingers crossed

Curious though...... does anyone else suffer from ringing in the ear or a migraine after hours of driving?

 

[johnloov]

Quick update on progress.

so far I’ve used 40lbs of Amazon dampening 2 packs https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07XMF3KK5?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
and 28lbs of acoustic dampening and foam https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0CCRF9MGW?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title 4 packs

and 1 pack of https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07782F7S6?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

foam without acoustic dampening, https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07782F7S6?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title and few open cell foam, weight is nothing https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0CQYJVBL4?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

~68-70lbs total weight added.

lets see how it drives and sounds tomorrow. If it solves the problem, great, if not then the inside of the wheel wells are next.

The goal is to be able to drive hours without getting a headache run lapse all day at Laguna Seca and come home without a migraine.

 

[tibwolf]

That's a lot of product! Hope it ends up serving your needs. You're not on the East coast, are you? It would be fun to compare our cars - relatively low amount of Chonky CLD with loads of thinsulate vs expansive coverage CLD with loads of foam.

I did the rear wheel wells today but don't feel like writing up a conclusion just yet. I'm trying to find an empty road I can get to 70 on and then coast in neutral to around 40 to capture a good mix of wind and road noise. I might have to do some 3am drives to accomplish this.

Now that the car is somewhat quieter, I am convinced that this engine only sounds good from roughly 1800-2500 RPM. There's a little bit of character before you get spooled and then its just like somebody is humming into a microphone.

 

[johnloov]

I’m in Palo Alto west coast. For sure, let's do some data comparisons. Maybe at 60 MPH smooth highway and coarse. Use the same iPhone Decibel meter app, no case, place on the charging pad. I went overkill to see if we can eliminate decibels. In the video you can hear the difference, that front right fender panel, sounds like a tin can, the doors, should like a vault, the Amazon deadener worked, but once I applied the acoustic egg foam with another layer of deadener built in, it was noticeably 5x quieter than just applying deadener.

Just finally finished, car looks stock now, it was an insane amount of work, my body hurts from covering every surface, hand massaging every piece into place, maybe 50 hours of work, will take it for a drive tomorrow. Fingers crossed

 

[johnloov]

Before After!!!! Massive difference!!! Now all I hear is the engine. What I realize is we have a very loud car with lots of different noises your reticular activating system, which is your brain tries to filter out and adjust for different tones and sounds. I don’t wanna hear tires. I’d rather hear engine but now the engine sounds very thrash. Something I never heard before. I know this not scientific, and the db meter doesn’t capture most of the story and frequencies, but for 100 sure, the difference it’s day and night
Look at the difference !!!!!! CTR feels very tight.
Today overkill on doors + trunk:

before with over kill on just doors:

Before any dampening !! It was in the redline !!! Driving a food blender loud!!!:

I think I’m gonna do the wheel arches also, might as well, went this far maybe the hood also. All I hear is mechanical events from the engine.

 

[Imped]

Holy shit, what an awesome thread. I can't believe I just discovered this.

Context: I applied some trunk and trans tunnel deadening my first month with the car, as it's a standard practice for me. I also have an ND2 Miata and have done quite a bit there, but not to your levels.

My brother suffers from Hyperacusis (well managed, improving slowly, he's effectively an audible genius at this point) and my hearing, while normal, is somewhat sensitive.

Request: Can you provide links to the products you used and any alternatives you'd recommend? Can you rank the product + placement in the vehicle (this can be your opinion)?

I'd like to do some additional work on my car, but want to attack the most impactful areas in the correct manner first.

I really appreciate the work you've done and your updates.

 

[tibwolf]

Holy shit, what an awesome thread. I can't believe I just discovered this.

Context: I applied some trunk and trans tunnel deadening my first month with the car, as it's a standard practice for me. I also have an ND2 Miata and have done quite a bit there, but not to your levels.

My brother suffers from Hyperacusis (well managed, improving slowly, he's effectively an audible genius at this point) and my hearing, while normal, is somewhat sensitive.

Request: Can you provide links to the products you used and any alternatives you'd recommend? Can you rank the product + placement in the vehicle (this can be your opinion)?

I'd like to do some additional work on my car, but want to attack the most impactful areas in the correct manner first.

I really appreciate the work you've done and your updates.

Can't speak for @johnloov but I plan on having a conclusion post and what I subjectively feel was most effective in a few days. Hope some of this work translates to helping out your brother!

For some research, https://resonixsoundsolutions.com and diymobileaudio.com are good sources of quality car audio information. Resonix sells products but the founder is pretty active on DIYMA even before he got into business.

Before After!!!! Massive difference!!! Now all I hear is the engine. What I realize is we have a very loud car with lots of different noises your reticular activating system, which is your brain. Tries to filter out and adjust for different tones and sounds. I don’t wanna hear tires. I’d rather hear engine but now the engine sounds very thrash. Something I never heard before. I know this not scientific, and the db meter doesn’t capture most of the story and frequencies, but for 100 sure, the difference it’s day and night
Look at the difference !!!!!! CTR feels very tight.

I think I’m gonna do the wheel arches also, might as well, went this far maybe the hood also. All I hear is mechanical events from the engine.

I'd say the wheel arches are time and money well spent. Definitely better than treating under the rear seat. Take care with the fender liners towards the lower portions. There's not a lot of room and you might need to buy longer push fasteners to account for the extra gap you'll have.

 

[johnloov]

1) Amazon Basics Car Sound Deadener, 18″ x 32″ (9-Piece)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XMF3KK5?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
2) TroyStudio Triple Noise Insulation Sound Proof Foam Panel - 16 X 12 X 0.7 Inches Pack of 6 Self-Adhesive Closed Cell Foam Soundproofing Foam - Car Sound Deadening Mat - Egg Crate Acoustic Foam Panel
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCRF9MGW?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
3) SOOMJ 20mmThick self-Adhesive Sound Proof Padding Soundproofing Foam Acoustic Eggcrate Design Car Heatproof Foam Deadener
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07782F7S6?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
4) GOOACC 238Pcs Trim Removal Tool, Auto Push Pin Bumper Retainer Clip Set Fastener Terminal Remover Tool Adhesive Cable Clips Pry Kit Car Panel Radio Removal Auto Clip Pliers (GRC-207)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLCH1HZL?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

5) 2pcs Car Vehicle Sound Deadener Application Rolling Car Audio Sound Deadening Wheel Roller 2" and 1.2" with Handle
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076HMMKMT?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

6) Sound Proof Foam Panels, Soundsbay Acoustic Panels Sound Absorbing High Density Fire Resistant, 12 Pack Soundproof Wall Panels for Home Studio, with 60pcs Double-Side Adhesive, 12" X 12" X 1"
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQYJVBL4?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

 

[johnloov]

Also, one thing I learned is, if you are using a decibel meter app on the iPhone, make sure you turn off bluetooth and wifi so it doesn't connect to your car's microphone, as that will throw off the decibel reading by 9-10dbs or so. Use you iPhones mic.

 

[johnloov]

Can't speak for @johnloov but I plan on having a conclusion post and what I subjectively feel was most effective in a few days. Hope some of this work translates to helping out your brother!

For some research, https://resonixsoundsolutions.com and diymobileaudio.com are good sources of quality car audio information. Resonix sells products but the founder is pretty active on DIYMA even before he got into business.



I'd say the wheel arches are time and money well spent. Definitely better than treating under the rear seat. Take care with the fender liners towards the lower portions. There's not a lot of room and you might need to buy longer push fasteners to account for the extra gap you'll have.

Do you have any photos of your wheel arches after the install ?

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