With all the different types of soundproofing material on the market today, it can sometimes be difficult deciding which ones are the most effective for your vehicle. In this article, I will round up the 12 best vehicle sound deadenening material and also the one to avoid!
I’ve proven in many articles that soundproofing a car does not have to cost a small fortune. Most of the soundproofing information I give you can quickly do as a DIY project.
What is Sound Deadening Material for Vehicles?
Some of you might ask yourself what exactly sound deadening material for a car is? And also what should you look for when attempting to choose the best one.
I’ll admit it; when I began searching for ways to make my vehicle quieter, I initially overlooked all the different ways this could I could do this.
Like most of you reading this right now, I didn’t know why someone would need to soundproof their vehicle. Especially in this day an age if the car were new or at least only a few years old.
After doing a lot of digging and talking to various people that have used all sorts of sound deadening material for cars; I’m also going to answer some of the most frequent questions people have about sound deadening products for vehicles:
- Which types of sound deadening products are on the market today and what are their uses?
- What other ways I could soundproof a vehicle.
- Which tools will you need to apply them for this DIY project?
How to Choose a Vehicle Sound Deadening Material
When choosing the right type of vehicle sound deadening material, there are four main criteria’s to look for.
Types of Material
There are four readily available materials when vehicle noise deadening is concerned that come to mind.
Each of these materials absorbs vibrations, acoustic waves, and resonance in their own methods. Each of these products also has its own designated use; meaning that some of them can not be used in all areas.
These are the types of products you will find on stores shelves;
Sound deadening cars and truck mats: These are the most popular and in most cases the most effective products to reduce road noise inside the cabin of the vehicle.
Woven fiber and foam insulation products: These two types of insulation products are various other options you may use beneath the carpet as well as the floor mats of your car.
Noise absorbant spay: They are utilized in scenarios when regular sound deadening matting is difficult or impossible to apply. It is the least pre-owned technique because they are dependent on using a compressor to be applied. You can, however, find some smaller applications by spray cans to reach those difficult spots in corners.
Noise deadening mats for vehicles can have several uses. Not only are they great for sound proofing; they will also help maintain the temperature cool/warm in the automobile.
They are quite budget-friendly, light-weight, and very easy to set up too, which are additional benefits.
Noise Isolation
As you may be aware, soundproofing materials overall serve one of two objectives. They’re either sound blockers — so they prevent noise from entering and coming out of a room– or they’re noise absorbers.
The latter kind of products, in fact, softens the sound within a space. If you have acoustic foam in your home, you understand precisely what sorts of results you can expect from these products.
Well, vehicle noise deadening products offer little different purposes. A lot of them act as both blockers and absorbers. However, they likewise require to be able to avoid the rattling of steel components within the car.
Dimension
The dimension of the product that you get only depends on the surface area that you intend to cover.
Sound deadening materials for cars and trucks frequently come rolled up. That implies that you can reduce them nonetheless you want for them to fit a particular shape.
On the other hand, some makers market them in sheets/patches. These are more suitable for smaller location coverage.
There are several other options, which are mentioned over (sprays as well as insulation) but their use is limited to particular locations.
Density
This aspect is most apparent. You can either choose a thicker product or a multilayered use the regular ones.
Either way, the very same regulation applies; the thicker your sound insulation, the better, but not always since it depends on the material.
Keep reading because you will learn that an 80 mils butyl sound deadeners are vastly more effective than a 394 mils foam deadeners.
What is Butyl?
- Ketones
- Heat
- Paint or ink dryers
- Weathering
- Ozone
- Flexing
- Aging
- Ester-based hydraulics
- Abrasion
Being a vulcanized and biocompatible rubber, butyl sheet’s also works well with drenched or inorganic salt solutions.
It is not practical for use with mineral or petroleum-based oils or liquids. Due to its supreme insulation characteristics, it is an excellent choice for high-performance electrical and wiring requirements.
Best Sound Deadening Material for a Vehicle
I will first begin by listing some of the best Sound Deadening material for a vehicle. Automakers do not typically consider soundproofing and sound dampening a necessity unless it is a luxury car.
If you’re in the process of learning how to soundproof a car, then this section will be for you!
Soundproofing a vehicle is not only to block noise from coming in but also to make the vehicle sound better while diving.
There are many ways to soundproof your vehicle, but there are no better ways than introducing a good sound deadener to get the job started.
Noico 80 mil Car Sound Deadening Mat (Best Value)
Coming up at number one for the best value to quality is the Noico 80 mil car sound deadening mat (Amazon).
The Noico sound deadening mats is tough to beat when shopping around for an effective soundproofing material for a vehicle.
As I’m writing this article, coming at $ 1.77 per 1 sq ft, Noico 80 mil is currently the best price for an 80 mils automotive butyl and foil sound deadening on Amazon. This stuff not only works great but is also very cost effective!
This automotive self-adhesive insulation consists of butyl. The total weight of the Noico audio insulation material is 0.7 lbs/1sqft.
There is also a special indicator making it next to impossible to improperly install this product. The indicator embossing on the foil section has to be rolled out with a special roller until the sheet is entirely smooth. You will then be 100% sure the insulation is correctly installed.
What Buyers Have to Say About the Noico 80 mil
I wanted more reassurance when choosing the Noico 80 mil. I not only listened to what some experts have to say; but also what regular buyers thought about the product.
Noico 80 mil Sound Deadener Buyers Review;
One person on a Reddit forum claimed that he Installed the Noico 80 mil in his 2007 Toyota Rav4. 36 sq feet is sufficient to do all the doors, the back hatch, rear side panels with some leftover.
On the doors, he opted to do the inside of the outer door skin in addition to the inside door skin. He bought a small butane blow torch from Amazon and utilized it to warm up the product after application. This enhances bond as well as makes rolling it less complicated.
You likewise require a small roller (obtain the wooden roller if possible) to apply this stuff.
Reducing this is easy; make use of a utility knife or a set of Emergency Medical Technician shears. Ultimately, wear hand protection. He used two layers of surgical gloves because the material is sticky and can be a bit dicey to wash off.
He claimed that he is surprised at just how much quieter his automobile became after the application of the sound deadening material. It felt as though the Rav4 had no sound insulation before.
If you are very fussy and meticulous, anticipate spending about 2 hours per door if you want it done right.
Road noise and also noise from passing vehicles is lowered by a noticeable amount.
The Noico 80 mil works by altering the frequencies of the acoustic waves. It is not essential to cover 100% of the doors. 25% to 50% protection suffices.
As you work to install the noise isolation mat, you can tap or thump the doors to check on your progression.
Doors close with a strong thump much like the door of a Lexus or BMW. There are fewer rattles than previously and the stereo sounds much better than before.
Some Tips While Installing the Noico 80 mil Sound Deadener
Here is a small list of tips that you might find useful while working with this product.
- As someone that has used the Noico 80 mil sound deadener to soundproof an older vehicle, 36 sq ft was enough. I did four doors and the floor of my friends older model Toyota Corolla. Two sheets (8sqft) were left over that I added inside the panel of the trunk.
- If you use a sheet of paper to form a template before cutting the sheet, make sure you have it on the right side up. You can not just flip it over once you cut an irregular shape.
- This product does not stretch whatsoever. Be sure to push it into curved shapes as you’re laying it out in preparation; not while you’re rolling it into place.
- Larger pieces of the Noico noise isolation sheets are much preferred over a bunch of smaller pieces.
- You should keep in mind which holes in the metal are significant vs. which you can cover up with the sound deadening material.
- Remember that you’re trying to roll out all of the air bubbles. Begin rolling from the middle towards the edges to let the access air out.
- If you do happen to miss a few air bubbles, cutting an exit hole is perfectly fine. Leave the blade in the hole while rolling the matt out because of the butyl material being self-sealing.
- Be careful handling the foil edges of the sound deadening mat. They are sharp and can cause minor cuts on your fingers.
How to Instal the Noico and Most Butyl Sound Deadening Material
Please thoroughly check through the entire manufacturer instructions from start to finish. Familiarizing oneself with all the information is important. The effectiveness of soundproofing doesn’t just rely on the product you make use of but mostly is an outcome of the correct setup and execution.
Please note that incorrect installation could bring about unfavorable results or no soundproofing impact whatsoever.
STEP 1
Decide what part of the car you intend to apply the noise isolation material; floor, roof, doors, trunk or firewall.
Treatment of each steel part of the vehicle has its unique benefaction to the general results of the project. Keeping that in mind, I would advise you to soundproof all of the metal sections of the vehicle for optimum efficiency.
Next, locate the owners manual to your specific automobile. Find the section where it explains how to take down the trimming panels.
You ‘d have to be careful when taking off the panels; as well as prevent damaging or misplacing the fixing clips when it comes time to install the panels. That kind of info could be additionally discovered on an appropriate automotive online forum.
STEP 2
Try your best to remove all of the factory insulation once trimming off. You just need to do that if the noise isolation insulation from the manufacturer shows signs of wear, damage or has not been adequately mounted. But You can certainly leave it there if it’s still in good shape.
STEP 3
Properly clean and de-grease the surface area before applying the sound deadening material.
If the surface is damp or dirty the material will not adhere to the metal surface properly. You should make use of a degreaser if there is any sign of grease on the surface area.
Make sure to wear the proper protective clothing (Gloves) and to do this in a well-ventilated area.
STEP 4
As soon as the third step is complete, measure the potential surface that you are most likely to apply the noise isolation material.
A quick suggestion for you is to make a design template of suitable size on paper initially; Then afterward transfer it to the sound isolation mat. That will certainly help to put it properly and avoid wasting material.
Use a stationary blade or a pair of sharp scissors to cut the mat down to size.
STEP 5
Next, put the deadening mat to the surface area without removing the protective foil coating.
Ensure that it covers the surface area adequately. You’re now ready to remove the protective foil coating slowly. Make sure not to pull it off too fast. Slower is better to ensure better adhesive effectiveness.
As soon as the sound isolation material is appropriately on the surface area, press it down firmly and let it glue.
Flatten the sheet with your hands. Try your best to avoid creating air bubbles between the self-adhesive mat and metal surface.
Use a rolling tool to press the mat down to the metal surface by rolling it from the center of the mat outward.
The Noico 80 mil sound deadening mat has unique dimples-like foil embossing on the surface of the mat. The embossing allows the user to recognize which spots will need more pressure.
You will have to roll the mat down until the dimples in the foil texture become smooth and flat until correctly installed.
Dynamat Thick Self-Adhesive Sound Deadener (Best Results!)
The real question in all of this is what is the best sound deadener for a vehicle? I believe we’ve found the one that should hold that title.
It does, however, cost more than the Noico sound deadener; but you also get what you pay for with the Dynamat.
I did a fair amount of research before concluding that Dynatmat is, in fact, the best sound deadener for a car on the market today. This is, however, my professional opinion; and might be disputed by some of you that have had success with other sound deadeners.
If you do a bit of research, you will certainly also see that some people chose to apply roofing tar from the local hardware store instead of a specifically made noise reduction mat.
I would think that you would be out of your mind to stick some tar on the inside of your car in hopes of reducing road noise.
Not only because it wouldn’t do a great job at sound deadening, but it would also be a health hazard. Inhaling the toxic fumes stuck in the vehicle’s cabin are probably not the best for your overall health.
The only negative on this product is the high price. But you can certainly save some money by buying in bulk from Amazon.
Dynamat Installation Process
I completely transformed the trunk of my friend’s car (our test car, 2007 Toyota Camry) into an enclosure with Dynamat sound deadener. We covered pretty much every metal surface I could get my hand onto. I did also double up on Dynamat on a few crucial spots.
I calculated that by only doing the trunk and doors you would need between 50-80 square feet. It would, of course, depend on the specific vehicle you’re attempting to soundproof.
You can most likely find out how much Dynamat sound deadener you would need for your car by browsing the question/answer section of this product on Amazon.
If you’re looking to also soundproof the floor of your vehicle, then you would probably need around 100 square feet of this product.
I would certainly use the bulk kit for anything except the doors. You can certainly use the Dynamat in the bulk kit on the doors, but using the door kit strips 12″ x 36″ would result in a much cleaner install since they cover the entire length of the vehicle’s doors.
Helpful Tip While Instaling Dynamat Sound Deadening Mat
Another good thing I can recommend is using heat if possible for applying the Dynamat sound deadener.
Dynamat does state on their website that you do not need to make use of heat during the application process. I found that I was able to put the Dynamat down much flatter by adding some heat into the mix!
The heat is also nice when applying the Dynamat with your fingers. You do this while trying to get into those hard to reach spots where the roller isn’t an option.
I did refrain from using heat on the doors because it could damage some electronic components. Dynamat does say heat is not needed, so there is no need to risk damaging the internal wiring.
HushMat Ultra Black Foil Bulk Kit with Damping Pad
When it comes to heat endurance, and it’s sound deadening effectiveness, Hushmat Ultra Damping Pad (Amazon) is very comparable to its rival Dynamat. Hushmat is a solid deadener which works as an excellent sound isolator.
This butyl-based product has great heat-resistant and is perfectly safe for installing in your car. One more comparison to its many rivals is that it comes in numerous types of kits. The kits for Hushmat can range from bulk, as in doing the entire vehicle, doors only or floors only.
Being able to choose a kit will prevent waste. This is a very cost effective solution to your noisy vehicle.
Speaking about cost-effectiveness, I would consider Hushmat quite affordable at approximately two dollars a square foot. When comparing to Dynamat, it is a cheaper alternative.
This price point however only applies for the complete Hushmat sound deadening kit.
You will be shelling out around four dollars a square foot for the door and floor kits. Keep that in mind while shopping around for the best deal on sound deadening products.
How to Instal Hushmat In Your Car
Unlike other noise isolation products on the market, Hushmat is one of the easiest sound deadening mats to install in a vehicle. The reason why Hushmat is easier to install is because of its thickness, or should I say the lack thereof.
Hushmat is very thin and is almost unnoticeable after proper application. The fact that this material is thin makes it incredibly flexible and easy to work with compared to some of its competitors.
The installation process works like most sound deadeners with its self-adhesive abilities (follow steps above).
All you need is a pair of household scissors or a knife, and you’re all set. Anyone with even the least DIY abilities would be able to install Hushmat without any problems.
Make sure to apply any self-adhesive mats in a “room temperature” environment and not when the metal is cold.
If the car is cold the self-adhesive bond will not be as strong and could peel off down the road.
Other Automotive Sound Deadening Material on the Market to Consider
Now that I’ve talked about the Top three automotive sound deadening material; it’s now time to talk about the ones that aren’t as popular but could still good contenders.
Some of these noise isolation material is made primarily for heat shielding; but also produces some impressive noise reduction capabilities.
Just because some of these materials and brands are lesser known should not be a reason to overlook them.
Dynaliner and Dynapad from Dynamat
Dynaliner is a Dynamat product that serves two main purposes, sound deadening and heat blocking. What this product does best, however, is blocking heat. That is why most people will install Dynaliner under the hood and on the floorboards to not only have a quiet ride but a cool ride as well.
Dynaliner is a synthetic rubber foam material. This material will not leave any smell lingering inside the cabin of the vehicle. This sound deadener is also water and oil resistant.
There are several different thicknesses of Dynaliner to chose from, but they are very thin when comparing to other vehicle sound deadeners on the market. The thinnest Dynalier comes in at 0.12 inch while the thickness Dynalier sheet is around 0.45 inch.
Some people use the thinner sheets to reduce vibrational noise coming from different areas of the vehicle such as a subwoofer.
I’ve even read that one person installed this sound deadener on their vehicles gas tank due to vibrational noise. He claims that it works great for that purpose.
Dynapad is a bit different from Dynaliner because this sound deadening mat is not self-adhesive. The perfect place to install Dynapad is along the floor of the vehicle where it will combat not only noise but also heat.
The fact that Dynapad is not self-adhesive makes it an easy install on the floor. But only if you’re placing it under the vehicles carpet or rubber flooring.
Noico Green Liner Automotive Sound Deadener
Just as we saw with the Dynamat’s Dynaliner, Noico also has something similar with Noico Green Liner Automotive Sound Deadener (Amazon).
Noico green liner is a closed-cell polyethylene foam. This type of material is not only made for sound isolation but also made for heat and cold resistance.
This material can easily withstand temperatures of at least 210 degrees Fahrenheit. This does not mean it can be used as a heat shield for mufflers, catalytic converters, DPF including more. For these types of heat shielding, you need to use special materials designed for extreme heat of upwards of 900 to 3000 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Noico Green Liner is water and oil resistant. It is also self-adhesive and comes in at 170 mils thick which makes it easy to cut and install.
Kilmat Automotive Sound Deadening Mat
Kilmat automotive sound deadening mat (Amazon) comes in a couple of thickness but the most popular one for sound deadening is their 80 mils.
You might not have heard of the brand Kilmat but they do deserve to be on this list. A lot of people that have tried Kilmat like it almost as much as its top competitors.
The only negative some people wrote on a forum about Kilmat is that it is harder to handle than the Noico. Using heat will undoubtedly make it much easier to install if you find it too rigid.
This is another Butyl self-adhesive foil sound deadener.
Most of the reviews I’ve read regarding Kilmat said that it works great in reducing engine noise, vibrational noise, and road noise.
Some of you might also like the fact that Kilmat comes precut in 9.8 by 15.7-inch sheets. Many people find sheats easier to install than when the sound deadener comes in a roll
Fatmat Self-Adhesive RattleTrap Sound Deadener
Before I began this article, I wasn’t going to add Fatmat RattleTrap Automotive Sound Deadener (Amazon) on the list because it is an asphalt-based sound deadener. I am however deciding to add Fatmat because of the many hundreds of five-star ratings and reviews on Amazon.
The main reason why asphalt base sound deadeners are becoming a thing of the past is that of the awful smell.
I am hearing from some people that are using Fatmat that the smell does go away in time.
One person I was talking to in a forum claims that he likes Fatmat better than Dynamat. He does admit though that the 80 mil Fatmat is slightly more challenging to install than the Dynamat Extreme.
He found that Fatmat conforms and sticks to almost any shape, but you might need to use some heat to achieve this. In some areas, they did admit to using a hair dryer to make the job easier.
If you’re careful and take your time installing by using both ends of the roller, (the wooden handle end is beneficial in hard to reach areas) you will have great results.
One person said that they had great luck with Fatmat’s customer service. After ordering, he sent an email wanting to know if they could ship his product as soon as possible. He received a response that same day and was told that they already sent the product and that it would arrive on time.
Sometimes it’s the small things that matter. Knowing they have a good and responsive customer service is nice to know since they claim a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
If you’re not happy with Fatmat’s possible lingering smell, then you should have no problem in returning the product.
Fatmat Sound Deadening Floor and Hood Liner
Just like it’s competitors, Fatmat has a lineup of different sound deadening products on the market. One such product is the Fatmat sound deadening floor and hood liner (Amazon).
The hood liner is .75 inch thick foam product with one side being adhesive, and the other has a layer of foil. The layer of foil on the Fatmat hood liner faces the engine protecting the hood from heat. The hood liner doesn’t only work good for heat but also works well as a sound absorber.
The Fatmat floor liner is much thinner at .25 inch since it only has to deal with noise and not heat. Made of vinyl and foam, the floor liner is made to block some of the road noise from coming inside of the cabin.
The floor liner will not move under the carpet after installation because unlike the other floor liners on this list; this one is self-adhesive.
SoundQubed Q-Mat Sound Deadening Mat
B-Quiet Viscoelastic Sound Deadener
The B-Quiet Viscoelastic Sound Deadener (Amazon) is very flexible, odorless, heat-resistant and works very well as a sound deadener. Incredibly the B-Quiet is not butyl but has all the characteristics as a butyl deadener.
You can either get this as foot-wide 12 or 50-foot rolls, and all of their thickness is the same at 60 mils.
B-Quiet Viscoelastic operates by transforming the vibrations of the vehicle, either from within or from outside causes into thermal energy. Because of this fact, this stuff works really good as a sound deadener for your car.
I was reading through the manufacturer’s description, and they say that this product should be used in conjunction with another sound deadener.
They suggest using their B-Quiet Extreme alongside the Viscoelastic sound deadener; Im still trying to figure out if this is a sales tactic or if the Viscoelastic is just not good enough on its own.
I will look into this further and let you know in the comments when I find out more. There’s just not enough information about this product for me to thoroughly recommend it.
I still want to mention it in case any of you reading this could shine some light on how this stuff compares to other popular vehicle sound deadeners.
Uxcell Car Noise Sound Deadener
The Uxcell car noise sound deadener is different from the other deadeners because of its thickness. This stuff is 394 mils thick and is said to work well.
This automobile sound deadener is made of dense foam with aluminum foil on one side. This material is self-adhesive and according to some online reviews, does stick well to the metal surface of a vehicle.
Even though Uxcell is much thicker than most of its competitors, it does not work near as well as butyl.
One alarming aspect of this foam material is that one person claims in an Amazon review that it caught on fire from just one spark. He needed his fire extinguisher to put out the quickly accelerating flame.
I will personally not be recommending this product because of the fire hazard. I would avoid the Uxcell because there are so many other sound deadening materials out there to risk having a fire on your hand.
Please let me know in the comment section is any of you has had experience with Uxcell sound deadener. More importantly, have you had an incident regarding its flammable ingredients?
The Verdict
The final verdict from this long list of vehicle sound deadeners is a matter of budget and also ease of use and effectiveness.
Of course, the top three deadeners on this list are the ones I would recommend for any type of car noise reduction project.
The Noico, Dynamat, and Hushmat are all great contenders and should all serve you well to quiet down your ride.
Let us know in the comment section below if you have a different opinion than what we have on our list or if there is something that we missed.
Thank you for checking us out and don’t forget to share!
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