Wind and road noise reduction solution by 15db or so

Good app for checking Db.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.melon.sound_meter



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Tried the trim fix and didn’t notice much. Getting into speaker upgrades and sound deadending, which imo is the only definitive solution. I’ve done the front doors so far, will see what it sounds like with the rears done this weekend. Haven’t decided if I want to go further than that.

 

Ladies/gents. I have tested this with an audio setup and was unable to find any difference in road noise even at 80mph as monitored on a sound measuring device in decibels. Unfortunately not even a decibel in difference. I was skeptical of 15db (that’s an incredibly large number) but was hoping for maybe 3-5.

Additionally, water likes to get trapped between OEM and added stripping and find a way into the cabin when the door opens. Not much, but even a few drops on my arm is enough to annoy me.

Also, doors are pickier to close. Need a bit more “mmph”.

I have finished filming, will edit soon, and should be up by next Tuesday.

This is in no way a knock on the OP. Any attempt at a mod is admirable. I don’t think they are active on here anymore but regardless, just wanted to save us all time and money.

 

I'm curious what other alterations you have already done to quiet your ride? I think your test is very helpful, and totally appreciate a scientific method! But I am guessing that for those whom have sound deadened the cab, that the wind noise would be more noticeable, and then any reduction to this noise would be a valuable next step. For those with a loud, Stock cabin; the abundant noise would possibly drown out smaller noise; so seems there would be a logical order to sound deadening steps, each to likely have diminished returns.

For me, the big value in your test is in making a priority list of deadening mods, and might bump door gaskets down a few notches; then again, ease of installation and level of invasion for installation are also factors to change priorities.

My guess of order would be deadening material to back wall, air vents, doors, then floor, then possibly ceiling (no first hand experience with ceiling or floors yet). After this, it gets fuzzy for me, could be firewall or under hood, or fender wells, or added door gaskets. I cant really imagine how to do the wheel wells, but at the stage I am at now, tire noise on rough roadways is the biggest upset, so I am replacing tires with something highly rated as quiet (not an option for off-road enthusiasts). My other thoughts when I get to the step of deadening the ceiling, is to wonder what would produce the bigger result; add more deadening layers to the back (where I already triple layered) or doors (currently double layer added)? But I need to do the floor and firewall first.

 

I am all factory. Nothing by way of cabin noise has been altered or attempted to alter. I simply found the mod to make no perceivable difference. I want to though!

 

Did this mod about a year ago and I could tell a huge difference. I also put some foam tubing into the window seal to eliminate all wind rattle with the windows rolled down or bass from musics playing... went from toyota to lexus

 

How much did doing just the front doors help? Worth it?

 

this is just a heads up for anyone trying to measure noise. pay attention to frequency weightings.

there are zillions of sound meters for phones. the ones displaying a single number for human perception are useless unless they are weighted. maybe this app has weighting adjustments but it is not shown in the link. i did not load the app.

it is good to see the levels over the frequency spectrum, but a single number is useless if it is not weighted and you are using it as a measure of what you are hearing. and of course the actual frequency response of the mic/phone is important too, but likely it is good enough, especially for aging ears

here is a simple explanation.
https://www.noisemeters.com/help/faq/frequency-weighting/

edit: when choosing an app, look for one that lets you choose between A and C and FLAT(Z) weighting and know when to use which one. dBA is most useful for what this thread is talking about but the others can be useful ex. trying to pinpoint the source of a particular offending frequency.

 

Maybe 2 decibel difference including adding this mod + pipe insulation outside of the pressure release vents. Decibel meter previously linked is highly sensitive to any noises. These are on the low number side. TIFWIW. My "seat of the pants" feeling was about the same (2dB).

Normal cruising speed before:





Normal cruising speed after:

 

is this A weighted?
generally, anything less than 3dB difference is imperceptible by the human ear.
the difference numbers are so small (and conditions so uncontrolled for such small numbers) i think you really can't draw any meaningful conclusions from them. but it appears it may have a measurable desired direction, even if you can't hear it .
that was my experience when i added pool noodle and stoopid hood insulation.
i keep meaning to remove pool noodle since there is potential for paint damage/corrosion and i don't think it is really doing any good.
i think massive interior sound proofing is meaningful and there are some real impressive builds with that on this forum.

edit: likely weather stripping, if factory stripping is insufficient, could make a difference too. i have not tried it.

 

I'm going to buy a couple sheets of fireproofing carbon felt to wrap around a pool noodle before stuffing it between bed and cab.

$20 3200℉ Fire Resistant Welding Blanket Fireproof - 12" x 36" Rectangular Carbon Felt Soldering Mat, 5mm Thicken Flame Retardant Insulation Pad (2 Pcs)

Amazon Link

 

I know this is reviving an old thread, but I wanted to say I just did the pipe insulation or “pool noodle” mod between the cab and bed and wow it definitely made quite a difference. I could tell right away going 25 mph down my street, but once I got on the highway cruising around 60-65 it was absolutely noticeably quieter. This was on wet roads too. Took me about 45 seconds to install and cost $3.99