How much deadener do you really need?

Original wis

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So I have a 2001 Nissan Sentra GXE.



I'm putting four CT Sounds Strato 10's on a Smart 5 eventually.

For now I'm putting four CT Sounds Tropo 10's on a Smart 3 in the trunk.

The front doors will have Hertz Dieci DSK 165.3 components with the tweeters being fabricated into the sail panels.

The kick panels will have Hertz Dieci DCX 87.3 coaxials fabricated into them.

The rear deck will have Hertz Dieci DCX 165.3 coaxials.



My goal is to have a daily driver SQL build. I want a good amount of clarity but I also want to be able to get really loud.



My questions are:



1. How much of the surface area in the doors the roof the trunk and the floor do I need to cover to realistically get a good result? Do I need to spend a bunch of money to cover every single inch of the car like I see them do on the YouTube videos?



2. Do I really need to get like 90 or 120 mil? Is there anything really wrong with 50 mil?



3. Will covering more area with 50 mil give the same result as covering a smaller area in 80 mil?



4. If I cover the floor beneath the carpet with closed cell foam do I still need to put the regular sound deadener there too? The new carpet that I bought has a pretty thick layer of cushion below it and I'm worried that with the closed cell foam it might raise it up up too high if I add the regular deadener too.



5. I reupholstered the rear deck cover. I'm planning on covering the rear deck metal with sound deadener before I put it back in. Will that keep the rear deck from rattling or do I need to actually cover the bottom of the rear deck and the metal?



6. Any other advice that I may have missed or you can help me out with?



Thank you for taking the time to read this and respond.



Lewis King
 
So I did the back deck to see how it would come out this is my first time ever doing sound better here's some pictures of the results. 20220805_183704.jpg20220805_183702.jpg20220805_183656.jpg20220805_183653.jpg20220805_183649.jpg

Would anyone like to provide any tips or feedback?

Thank you
 
So I did the back deck to see how it would come out this is my first time ever doing sound better here's some pictures of the results.View attachment 41102View attachment 41103View attachment 41104View attachment 41105View attachment 41106

Would anyone like to provide any tips or feedback?

Thank you
That looks so similar to my 06 Elantra. If it acts the same your headliner/roof will need deadening and go ahead and do the trunk lid and license plate area. The more deadening the better. 4-10's, she's gonna rattle.
 
I believe it has been proven that you get very diminishing returns from multiple layers or 100% coverage. Strategic placement on the largest and thinnest areas will give you the most improvement then save some for problem areas that reveal themselves after you put the subs in. If you're looking for a luxury car quiet ride you should consider working with MLV and CCF which should be full coverage. As far as keeping thin panels from rattling you shouldn't need to go overboard on deadening. Thicker will be better but I think even 80 can be a bit challenging to work with if you buy one with a thicker aluminum layer. I suspect anything thicker if they're making it now would be a lot of extra work to apply.

Sealing doors makes a bigger difference, as what you're trying to do is create a sealed box out of them to separate the rear wave from the front wave.
 
25 percent coverage in the center of the panel is considered "ideal" by most people for deadener. There are 2 other steps after deadening tho, isolation and blocking. Isolation and blocking are 100 percent coverage deals.

Isolation would be closed-cell foam sheet and blockage would be something like Mass-loaded-vinyl. You can get products that do both in 1.

Matt
 
I went with a heroic (psychotic) level of deadening so you can check my build to get some ideas. I can tell you that deadener is the very first step of many. There are many materials that you can use in conjunction with each other as well.
I'm old dog so I like to mass load as well. My car was obnoxiously loud before deadening. "Rickety shitbox"; I believe were the words I used. The difference after though could almost be called obscene. Here is a list of the materials I have used thus far.

1.Noico, audiotechnix, and siless deadener. 80-120 even if you put it in the sun you should still use a heat gun.
2. Neoprene. 1/8"-1/2" thick depending on location Self adhesive backed and non.
3. Mass loaded vinyl. 1-2 lb. per sq.ft. depending on location. Expensive and heavy in equal measure
4. Egg crate foam with adhesive back. This doesnt have to be thick. Larger panels. B pillars. On the door cards if you can mange it. Rear deck area.
5. Jut/denim stuffing. Used in upholstery projects. These fill in empty cavities. I take small bunches and stuff them in until full using a thin blade screwdriver. Not tight mind you but somewhat loosely packed. Hexibase and a member here put me on to that.
6. Butyl rope. This is great for decoupling panels, sound and vibration isolation. Gooey so be forewarned.
7. Non hardening modeling clay. I like crayola or the cheaper brands. Plastina leaked wax and made a huge mess.
8. Lead shot and or .177 Copper jacketed bb's. This is mixed with the clay and placed around baffles. I do 2-4lbs. usually.
9. Felt washers. These go under plastic upholstery pins. Like for trim panels and the door cards. Plastic-metal direct contact is no bueno.
10. Roll of window weatherstripping. The white kind you can find at home depot is fine. It works where the butyl won't because it can get super messy.
11. Aluminum tape. I use this to tape down harnesses cables etc. I also used it for the mlv. You want the mlv to be secured but still have mobility.
12. Aluminum flashing. I would cut this for holes on the doors. Screw in place then cover with deadener. Works awesome.

Yeah, it's a big list. For my part, a sizeable amount of my budget is dedictated to this. You could do less or more depending on your objectives, personal preference, budget.
 
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I went with a heroic (psychotic) level of deadening so you can check my build to get some ideas. I can tell you that deadener is the very first step of many. There are many materials that you can use in conjunction with each other as well.
I'm old dog so I like to mass load as well. My car was obnoxiously loud before deadening. "Rickety shitbox"; I believe were the words I used. The difference after though could almost be called obscene. Here is a list of the materials I have used thus far.

1.Noico, audiotechnix, and siless deadener. 80-120 even if you put it in the sun you should still use a heat gun.
2. Neoprene. 1/8"-1/2" thick depending on location Self adhesive backed and non.
3. Mass loaded vinyl. 1-2 lb. per sq.ft. depending on location. Expensive and heavy in equal measure
4. Egg crate foam with adhesive back. This doesnt have to be thick. Larger panels. B pillars. On the door cards if you can mange it. Rear deck area.
5. Jut/denim stuffing. Used in upholstery projects. These fill in empty cavities. I take small bunches and stuff them in until full using a thin blade screwdriver. Not tight mind you but somewhat loosely packed. Hexibase and a member here put me on to that.
6. Butyl rope. This is great for decoupling panels, sound and vibration isolation. Gooey so be forewarned.
7. Non hardening modeling clay. I like crayola or the cheaper brands. Plastina leaked wax and made a huge mess.
8. Lead shot and or .177 Copper jacketed bb's. This is mixed with the clay and placed around baffles. I do 2-4lbs. usually.
9. Felt washers. These go underplastic upholstery pins. Like for trim panels and the door cards. Plastic-metal direct contact is no bueno.
10. Roll of window weatherstripping. The white kind you can find at home depot is fine. It works where the butyl won't because it can get super messy.
11. Aluminum tape. I use this to tape down harnesses cables etc. I also used it for the mlv. You want the mlv to be secured but still have mobility.
12. Aluminum flashing. I would cut this for holes on the doors. Screw in place then cover with deadener. Works awesome.

Yeah, it's a big list. For my part, a sizeable amount of my budget is dedictated to this. You could do less or more depending on your objectives, personal preference, budget.

Thanks that's pretty awesome.

I have CCF that I'm planning to use on the front doors and the rear deck. Not really sure where else to use any of the extra. I was thinking about on the trim panels kind of like what you mentioned above but wasn't really sure how much result I would get.
 
I went with a heroic (psychotic) level of deadening so you can check my build to get some ideas. I can tell you that deadener is the very first step of many. There are many materials that you can use in conjunction with each other as well.
I'm old dog so I like to mass load as well. My car was obnoxiously loud before deadening. "Rickety shitbox"; I believe were the words I used. The difference after though could almost be called obscene. Here is a list of the materials I have used thus far.

1.Noico, audiotechnix, and siless deadener. 80-120 even if you put it in the sun you should still use a heat gun.
2. Neoprene. 1/8"-1/2" thick depending on location Self adhesive backed and non.
3. Mass loaded vinyl. 1-2 lb. per sq.ft. depending on location. Expensive and heavy in equal measure
4. Egg crate foam with adhesive back. This doesnt have to be thick. Larger panels. B pillars. On the door cards if you can mange it. Rear deck area.
5. Jut/denim stuffing. Used in upholstery projects. These fill in empty cavities. I take small bunches and stuff them in until full using a thin blade screwdriver. Not tight mind you but somewhat loosely packed. Hexibase and a member here put me on to that.
6. Butyl rope. This is great for decoupling panels, sound and vibration isolation. Gooey so be forewarned.
7. Non hardening modeling clay. I like crayola or the cheaper brands. Plastina leaked wax and made a huge mess.
8. Lead shot and or .177 Copper jacketed bb's. This is mixed with the clay and placed around baffles. I do 2-4lbs. usually.
9. Felt washers. These go under plastic upholstery pins. Like for trim panels and the door cards. Plastic-metal direct contact is no bueno.
10. Roll of window weatherstripping. The white kind you can find at home depot is fine. It works where the butyl won't because it can get super messy.
11. Aluminum tape. I use this to tape down harnesses cables etc. I also used it for the mlv. You want the mlv to be secured but still have mobility.
12. Aluminum flashing. I would cut this for holes on the doors. Screw in place then cover with deadener. Works awesome.

Yeah, it's a big list. For my part, a sizeable amount of my budget is dedictated to this. You could do less or more depending on your objectives, personal preference, budget.

This guy ******* deadens.

You left out the expanding foam(extreme, but SUPER NICE), rope caulk(for sealing door skins to doors or getting rid of those in-dash rattles that felt just can't fix), and the trusty 2 part epoxy.

Matt
 
I would do bare minimum unless I plan on keeping the vehicle. If i were to keep it and its a dependable vehicle, Id prob Deaden 80-95% of what I could reach and do myself. Other than that.. I wouldnt deaden more than needed if I were going to Sale or keep the vehicle less than 2 years. Thats me
 
I would do bare minimum unless I plan on keeping the vehicle. If i were to keep it and its a dependable vehicle, Id prob Deaden 80-95% of what I could reach and do myself. Other than that.. I wouldnt deaden more than needed if I were going to Sale or keep the vehicle less than 2 years. Thats me
This vehicles definitely not for sale anything soon.

My car philosophy is that I'd rather take a used car, put 7,000 into it and turn it into the car that I want instead of paying some dealership 22,000 for a new car over 6 years that doesn't have half the crap in it that I would actually like anyways.

Even if I put $10,000 into it and the end result is a car that is mechanically sound and completely customized my taste, I am still 10 to $15,000 ahead of where I would have been paying for that new car.

Anyway, it's just a thought, y'all have a good day.
 
This vehicles definitely not for sale anything soon.

My car philosophy is that I'd rather take a used car, put 7,000 into it and turn it into the car that I want instead of paying some dealership 22,000 for a new car over 6 years that doesn't have half the crap in it that I would actually like anyways.

Even if I put $10,000 into it and the end result is a car that is mechanically sound and completely customized my taste, I am still 10 to $15,000 ahead of where I would have been paying for that new car.

Anyway, it's just a thought, y'all have a good day.


I bought my jetta for $2500, 11k of performance upgrades and maintenance, plus stereo, Yea sounds about right... Lol

Matt
 
I would drive that car until I couldnt afford to replace parts on it any longer too.

That's the plan. I've already done basically everything except a full motor/transmission build and an AWD swap. That's only about another 10k or so. It's paid off, gets 25mpg around town, can break the tires loose in 3rd, and I don't have to worry about scratching it.

Matt
 
That's the plan. I've already done basically everything except a full motor/transmission build and an AWD swap. That's only about another 10k or so. It's paid off, gets 25mpg around town, can break the tires loose in 3rd, and I don't have to worry about scratching it.

Matt
Two of my Brothers are driving one of my vehicles ATM. I am very Fortunate to have all my vehicles paid off. My 08 HHT LT(2.4l with 228k). I had issues with battery drainage with BNEW Battery and Alt. ECT. I finally narrowed it down to the STARTER of all things??Runs smooth as a babbys azz now and still looks great Gets approx 27mpg. Truck has my temp setup in it with 267k on it 5.7l runs like a top 15-17mpg. I get the gas guzzler 2014 Chev. 2500HD LT 4 door Longbed 6.0l. Just did a nice Tune up in it with 10mm wires,E3 Plugs, and KSU Coils. It may get 15mpg without the lead foot.LOL
 
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I've got a pickup I added a single layer to about 90% of the cab. I have a pretty loud system for my setup, and what I noticed about adding sound deadener is what you are really trying to do is keep noise out. It's not your noise you are trying to quiet down or isolate, it's the ambient noise of everything else that you are trying to block out.

My best comparison, is to go open all the windows in your house or car. Go watch TV for an hour, get used to all that noise at your "normal hearing volume", get used to it, then go close the windows. Closing them is the difference in what adding sound deadener was like. The purpose of it, is to quiet down the other noise. Watch tv from 20 feet away. Twenty feet behind that put a radio. That radio is the other vehicles on the road that you are putting sound deadener on to quiet out.

After I added mine, I started appreciating the quiet for a while, and stopped listening to my stereo all together for longer than I expected. When you add the deadener, you block out the other noise, so you can lower the volume and still hear it just as well as you did. It doesn't make anything louder, it makes everything else quieter.

Sorry to say, but the rear deck is probably the last place I would have put it. Unless you are trying to not hear what's in your trunk, then you just wasted it.

Personally the first place you should always put it is the doors. Most of the noise you hear while on the road is coming from other cars. Put the sound deadener between you and them.
The back wall/trunk is great if you have a loud exhaust/fart cannon, long tube headers, then you can also do the floor to remove road noise, such as loud tires, or depending on the roads you drive.
The roof depending on where you live might be more important to help keep out the heat. If you live in a city where there are buildings above you, large vehicles around you, the roof will do minimal to create a cocoon of noise suppression.

If we're talking percentages of areas, personally I would do the doors completely before adding on to other areas. You can always add to it slowly if you have extra and need to buy more later. If you slowly work on it, you can hear where "other noise" is coming from and work on those areas next.
 
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