DIY: Sealing and deadening your door panels

The taco roof feels pretty thin and turbulence there would make it resonate. I know lumber racks had that effect on my Ranger. The ridges help stiffen it but it still flexes too easily. ATM most of the noise in my Base AC seems to come through the firewall and floor from the 2.7 5M but I'm sure once I put some rails on the roof it will get louder up there. For that reason I'm leaning toward pulling the head liner to get nuts under the rail grooves and then add the deadener.

 

So quick question on this...what benefit does it give to the “real audio junkie?” I love music and am really after some high quality sound. However I am not going to spend 500 or 5,000 on a set of Focal speakers. My JBL Clubs at 180 are about where I’ll probably cap it for the rest of my life.

What I do care about, however, is a quieter ride. This way I can hear the nice little nuances without having to crank it so high over the road noise. It’s amped and plays plenty loud, but as a helicopter pilot, I don’t need any extra help on sending my hearing out the door. I’d like to be able to listen to music into my 80s (assuming I make it that long). So do these provide a notable benefit in this regard? I already have some 80 mil butyl that I’m hoping to install this weekend.

 

Adding MLV and CCF (mainly the MLV) will help make things even quieter in the cabin...that will allow you to really hear those nuances at a lower volume than you currently would.

I have noticed that the higher-end you go (with a really good SQ system), the less "loud" it seems. So a low ambient floor is even more important. Instead, when you get into really good SQ systems, they get more clearer and forceful as you crank up the volume (but not loud in a way that hurts your ears). Despite the extra force, there is still noticeable quietness too. It's weird but really cool. I just wish I could afford a super expensive system like that! lol

 

Thanks. I’ll probably tackle this project later in the year then. Yeah if I’m ever in a position where I have more money than I know what to do with, and my daughter's education is paid for, maybe I’ll go for something like that. Maybe I’ll win the lottery one day...and I’ll be talking to someone on the Bentley forums! LOL

 

So I see the guys talking about the MLV and CCF together. Does it make a difference what you use where? Do you layer the two over top one another, and if so, does it matter which one you put over top of the other? I think I have read for about three hours on the topic and still feel a little "green" even though I have been installing systems since high school.

 

Glad Im not the only guy not paying attention to thread age btw. Lol oh well dgf

 

MLV is the layer that blocks most of the sound transfer into the cabin. CCF is a decoupler & is used where noise might be generated between MLV and some other surface. I used neoprene (a CCF) on both sides of the MLV in my doors, but if only doing one side you should treat the side that faces the interior. The foam will also help block some high frequencies as well as provide thermal insulation - which in at Taco is a real luxury. Insulated doors are nice when it's really hot or cold out.

Edit - that generalization about CCF going on the inside will probably hold true for all our trucks, but on some vehicles the MLV may not make contact with the door card and would instead just hang on the inner door skin. In that case I'd put the CCF on the other side.

 

Oh well

So there are a couple things you are trying to do with noise reduction. Controlling/reducing vehicle panel vibrations and blocking/reducing outside noises.

To reduce the panel vibrations, you want to add the CDL stuff (like Dynomat). Everyone knows about that part which is why I didn't mention it earlier. The thing most people don't realize is that you don't need to cover every square inch. You just need small patches put on the panels that will be subjected to vibrabrations (enough to make it go from a "bang" to a dull "thud" when you tap on it). It also helps reduce resonance that can screw with the soundwaves of your system.

Then you add the MLV to block out stuff like road, drivetrain, or wind noises that are coming into the cabin. This is where I put most of my money in my last higher-end install. The car (an Infiniti) already had some good sound deadening straight from the factory (with CDL-like material and thick foam panels), but when I added MLV to the doors, trunk, and floors, I was surprised how well it worked at reuding the road noise too (especially noticable at higher speeds). The MVL is what is actually obsorbing the soundwaves at the frequency that is most common to with road noises.

On top of that, the CCF is the final layer that is meant to also control panel vibrations, but it's more targeted at reducing rattles. It's just heavy duty foam really. It'd be good for our pillars and the weird areas of our other panels where they can be prone to rattling (and CDL would be difficult or too heavy to use).

Many more details/research/pictures at SoundDeadenerShowdown.com (I just gave you cliff notes).

 

Ok, one more question for you guys. Is the liquid or spray-on sound deadener just a bunch of crap or does its performance rival the CDL,CCF,MLV, ect.? The only reason I ask is because I do own a rather large compressor and a pro spray kit. The few guys I know that are into audio said they dont know firsthand but have heard it sucks

 

Never used it personally but I understand it's going to be inferior to a good CLD. Not sure that it's supposed to replace the barrier layer either. That could get really messy too.

 

Me and the guys I've worked with have never used it, so I am not sure how effective it is (or isn't).