Joined
·
73 Posts
My former car was a Scion xB, which I gutted, covered all holes (such as in the doors) with thin sheet aluminum, applied a sound deadening layer of something similar to dynamat, and then glued a layer of sound absorbing foam (sold by the yard in sheets). The results were amazing; I could barely hear my Borla exhaust and would sometimes roll the window down to catch a bit of it's rumble.
I saw pictures on this forum recently where someone was installing a sound system, and noticed that spare tire well had nothing in the way of sound deadening. I removed all the easy parts that covered the spare tire well and battery cover yesterday, and used up most of the left-over materials that I had from my former Scion job. The spare tire well seems like it could be a substantial source of road noise. Without the spare tire installed, it seemed very thin; a few wraps with my knuckles transmits more noise than a kettle drum. I installed a single layer of the sound deadening mat, and it did not seem to change it that much. I added a second layer in some places, and then put a single layer of the foam over the mat. I also put the mat on the exterior surface of the battery cover, which appears to be made out of thin galvanized steel. I then re-installed the spare tire, being sure it was tightly secured with its bolt; I think the tire actually adds quite a bit of rigidity of the well. I also replaced all the other covers, and then took it for a ride.
My perception is that the rear of the car is quieter in terms of transmitting road noise. Now the front seems louder to me, of course. I would like to have covered the rear wheel wells, but I was not sure how to removed the covers and I didn't want to break any retaining clips. So I have a couple questions:
1.) Has anyone removed the rear wheel well covers (where the rear speakers are located), and how did you do it?
2.) Has anyone put sound deadening materials in the front floor or door areas, and did you encounter any problems with removing carpet, covers, or moving wires?
I saw pictures on this forum recently where someone was installing a sound system, and noticed that spare tire well had nothing in the way of sound deadening. I removed all the easy parts that covered the spare tire well and battery cover yesterday, and used up most of the left-over materials that I had from my former Scion job. The spare tire well seems like it could be a substantial source of road noise. Without the spare tire installed, it seemed very thin; a few wraps with my knuckles transmits more noise than a kettle drum. I installed a single layer of the sound deadening mat, and it did not seem to change it that much. I added a second layer in some places, and then put a single layer of the foam over the mat. I also put the mat on the exterior surface of the battery cover, which appears to be made out of thin galvanized steel. I then re-installed the spare tire, being sure it was tightly secured with its bolt; I think the tire actually adds quite a bit of rigidity of the well. I also replaced all the other covers, and then took it for a ride.
My perception is that the rear of the car is quieter in terms of transmitting road noise. Now the front seems louder to me, of course. I would like to have covered the rear wheel wells, but I was not sure how to removed the covers and I didn't want to break any retaining clips. So I have a couple questions:
1.) Has anyone removed the rear wheel well covers (where the rear speakers are located), and how did you do it?
2.) Has anyone put sound deadening materials in the front floor or door areas, and did you encounter any problems with removing carpet, covers, or moving wires?
