Sound Deadening- Don't forget the Door Trim Panel

I installed sound deadening in the entire truck and upgraded the audio system with Speakers, Amp, Processor w/ the OEM HU. Audio is night and day now.

When the bass kicked in, I could really feel it in the door panel. During a conversation with Don at Sound Deadener Showdown, I realized I had forgotten to treat the door trim panel with anti-vibration material.

I used left over scrap pieces and it really makes a difference - especially since your arm is usually touching the trim panel.

FYI- This SDS site has a lot of great information and can keep you from getting too much of the wrong material (learn from my mistake).
http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/

A little bit goes a long way:

 

DId you put the material on the metal door itself? Im just wondering what extra benefit there is to placing it on the plastic trim. Is it the fact that now you have deadener on deadener, instead of the plastic trim vibrating on the deadener that is stuck to the metal door?

I have some FatMat left over from my previous truck. I lined the inside door cavity and the metal that the trim overs, but i never thought to put some on the trim itself. I plan on doing doors of my Tacoma for sure, and anyting else i can before i run out.

 

I put some small strips on the door card when I did my truck, but the biggest cut down on rattles was the CCF that I put on the door. It is 1/4" thick, cuts down on high frequency sound sneaking into the cab, and really puts pressure on the doorcard when installed, keeping rattles at bay. The only thing that really rattles in my truck now are the buttons on my Scanguage II. Those things buzz like crazy with the bass. And I have to deaden my floor, but I have 40 sq. ft. of Shok Mat to do that. I'm just too lazy to strip the truck to get it done.

 

I completely covered my door panels. Two layers in most places. Then I carpeted over all of it. As if that wasn't enough, I picked up some 3" thick foam from the fabric store, cut a hole in it for the speaker, and adhered it to the door. Now the speaker plays directly into the grille, and no sound is lost within the door itself. It made a noticeable difference, and after I RTA'd it, there was a noticeable improvement in the mid-range response. I'll post pictures the next time I have my doors apart which hopefully won't be too long. I blew up another Hertz Mille ML1600.2 mid bass

 

I have Hushmat (FatMat/Dynomat) on the inside of the outer door skin as well as the interior metal skin. You don't have to completely cover it as its only a vibration dampener. MLV is the sound blocker and I have CCF on top as the gasket.

The trim panel is touching you, your arm rests on it. What I found was when the bass and volume kick in, the panel vibrated a lot- it doesn't rattle- but the vibration changes your perception of sound. Putting several strips of the Hushmat on the door trim panel cut it down considerably. Doesn't take a lot.

 

Never hurts to add more sound deadening material anywhere. My door skins, doors, and plastics are all done with Raam mat and ensolite on top of that.