$1000 to spend: Help a guy out...

Hey all,

I just came into $1,000 that I can spend on my Taco (2008 Double Cab Sport) and my son REALLY wants it to go to audio. I have the basically useless stock set up in it (non-JBL) and I have a few goals.

1.) Quiet the cab. I am on the phone ALL the time and honestly, a much quieter ride and good integration with my phone is all I really care about.

2.) Add a backup camera (and possibly a bed camera if that is an option.)

3.) I don't need award winning super high end audiophile performance BUT make the 15 year old happy quality that doesn't break the bank would be really nice. I don't even turn on the stock set up because of how awful and mushy it is.

I am not really even sure where to start. I know this will involve stripping and re-installing the interior and that is ok but most of this stuff I am looking at, I don't even fully understand what it is talking about. This is WAY out of my area of expertise but I am not afraid to learn.

 

if you want to deal with road noise, that's a great project for you two to do together. remove seats, carpet, and headliner, and add something like dynamat across all the cab walls floor & ceiling. that will change your life in terms of road noise. it's pain to do but costs nothing and you can share the job. dynamat will probably be over $200 for all that coverage but there are cheaper options.

there are several threads on cheap tweeter upgrades. browse around or search for subaru tweeters in the thread title.

 

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_15410455/Dynamat-Xtreme-10455.html

This is what you are referring to?

 

that's the stuff. if you browse around this forum (Audio & Video) you'll see some folks mention different solutions, some cheaper, some that are not so good with heat or maybe off gassing... just look around at options if you want to save the cash. dynamat is the more expensive option.

 

This is noico sound deadener, its pretty cheap but works well. Check Amazon for it.


I got 18sq feet and it did all 4 doors of my 2018 double cab.

 

example: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ebay-extra-20-off-select-tech-items.618818/

lo & behold: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rockmat-50...-Deadener-Material-Bulk-Car-Kit-/302204879574

 

just an FYI to the OP, if road noise is seriously bugging you, doing the doors is necessary but not enough. the real quiet will come after the floor & ceiling, but the PITA factor keeps many from doing it.

 

Its true, it is a huge pain in the ass. I sprayed the headliner of my truck with acouti-x and it took forever in the heat.. I need to do it again to spray the floor and another layer to the roof.... not looking forward to taking it all apart again.

Doors take like 20 minutes each to do.
headliner 3 hours
floor 3 hours

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/premium-audio-upgrade-for-less-than-250.510424/

this might help, it's not the super high end audiophile performance, might keep the 15yr old happy, but lots of good info in the thread.

 

also here's the subaru tweeters that was mentioned above

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-subaru-toyota-3rd-gen-tweeter-upgrade-holy-s.540548/

 

Great info. Can anyone tell me what thicknesses of sound insulation I can get away with in different sections of the truck. I only want to do this one time but I want to do it right.

 

I'm not the expert but i can say the more the better for sound control. many installers double the dynamat if there's room, budget, and big bass (resonance) to justify it.

 

In the video I posted above I used 80 mil noico.

 

First, maybe read through this site thoroughly. The owner has retired and closed the business, but it's still the best concentration of information you will find and a great start to your education.

If you really want to cut down road noise you'll need to do more than apply damper. MLV and a decoupling layer or layers are really necessary if you are serious about wanting a quieter vehicle. It's not only quieter though, it has a more luxurious feel. The whole truck feels more solid...just nicer. Way nicer. Easily worth the cost of materials and a weekend. You should be able to do a full treatment for 500 bucks or so. That leaves 500 for audio - totally enough for a new head unit, speakers and probably even an amp. Or if the kiddo just has to have the boom, cash can be sacrificed from the door speakers to make that happen. Really though, if you treat the front doors right (seal them) you can probably get away without a sub & still have some nice bass - surprisingly nice really. It's a pile of work, but could be considered time spent instead of money for far better results because a decent speaker in a properly sealed and treated door is FAR superior to just bolting in that same speaker.

I'd probably do something like:

$500 for sound deadening full treatment & sealed front doors
$200 for a head unit
$150 for some decent door speakers
$150 for a small amp & wiring

Rear speakers on head unit power

Edit: Err, I missed the camera part. I'd still do the deadening but I'd imagine the other $500 will go to a head unit and camera. The factory audio will be much improved by the treated doors - especially if you take the extra step of sealing the doors...which sets you up for another easy upgrade down the road.

 

Noico 80 mil (2 mm) 36 sqft (3.4 sqm) car Sound deadening mat, Butyl Automotive Sound Deadener, Audio Noise Insulation and dampening

https://www.amazon.com/Noico-deaden...d=1562937429&s=electronics&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1
This stuff is just as good as dynamat, cheaper and easier to see where you rolled it out. I used two 36'Sq of noico doing ins and outs of all doors, backwall,floor from backwall to front seats with 100% coverage and have 18'sq left on my dcsb 17'. That cost $130. I did get

$17 uxcell 315mil 6.46sqft Car Cell Foam 8mm Sound Proofing Insulation Deadener Mat 40x24"

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KAD1XES/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 for certain areas on the cheap and then some mlv from a local store for front doors. Its a fun project to do with your kid, my kid helped me out. You can find some gloves like this that will help make life easier

$14 NoCry Premium Cut Resistant Gloves Food Grade — Level 5 Protection; Ambidextrous; Machine Washable; Superior Comfort and Dexterity; Lightweight Protective Gloves; Complimentary eBook

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W5DMX3C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Then you can use the rest for BU camera, HU, decent speakers, amp, and wiring. Check craigslist to see if anyone has stuff on the cheap too to buffer budget. Good luck!

 

I had seen this site when trying to educate myself. Looks like the right approach but is there anyone/anywhere that has picked up the approach as far as being able to buy the tiles. If I am reading correctly, they were proprietary.

 

The tiles are just a CLD (constrained layer damper), like Dynamat, noico and many others. You just may need a bit more coverage with dynamat as it isn't as effective as SDS CLD tiles. Still can use the partial coverage method though...will just need to cover more area for a similar effect.

 

I'm a fan of the thin stuff for vibration, and the thick stuff for noise reduction.

I don't think it's necessary to cover every square inch with butyl as long as you go over it with the thick cell foam stuff.

 

Honestly, i havent noticed much of a different with mlv in my truck, i had noico and CCF on front doors for a week, then added mlv and noticed absolutely 0 difference in my front doors. Same roads, same weather.... Maybe its just me but i feel like i wasted my time with mlv

 

U really need to treat the whole truck, like as close as possible to 100% coverage to benefit from MLV.