Door Sound Proofing

Mike Burke

Mike Burke

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Hello, we have a 2011 GMC Denali Yukon XL that we just bought used.
I think there is a lot of road noise coming through the front doors. I haven't taken the door panels off yet. I work at a auto glass shop and have seen on some of the newer vehicles there is a heavy rubber material that they use for sound dampening.
I would like to try some of this on our front doors and see if I can dampen the road noise some.

I have did a little research but haven't nailed down a material to use yet

Does anyone know a good material to use for sound dampening on car doors ?

Thanks
Mike
 
Dynomat is the product I've heard most people using for this purpose, but it looks like there are others out there.

For road noise you might want to look at other places on the truck to apply the material. In a car the floor panels get looked at too since a lot of road noise is transmitted from the bottom of the vehicle too.
 
Thanks for the suggestions
I shouldn't have used "Sound Proofing"

I'm looking for more of " Sound Deadening" or "Sound Dampening"

I know that behind door panels of most vehicles there is a layer of moister barrier / sound barrier...what ever you prefer to call it. On some of the newer vehicles its a heavy rubber barrier. I was thinking I could find something like that material.

I have heard good things about Dynomat also.

Thanks
 
Sound deadening should not be done with a single product. Dynamat is a common product recommended and it is a constrained layer dampener (CLD) product, which essentially adds dampening/mass to a panel to decrease the frequency with which a panel resonates. They do have other products but CLD is their most popular. However, that just addresses ringing/vibrating of a panel and is only 1 aspect of trying to improve noise performance. You’ll want to look at other items such as butyl rope and Tesa tape to stop rattles, foam between surfaces to stop squeaks, and maybe even mass-loaded vinyl to block noise. You may also look at aluminum or plastic to block openings in the interior door skin.

Sound Deadener Solutions used to be a one-stop shop for the combination of products to tackle automotive sound deadening as a system as well as providing how-to guidance but they closed a few years ago. Resonix was founded after SDS closed and it took some time for them to identify high-quality products as well as how-to guides but I’d say they are the leading automotive sound deadening company today. By the way, the founder of Resonix owns Vanguard Automotive Design, which is a high-end car audio company.

Take a look at Resonix’s vehicle database to get an idea of how far you can go with the sound deadening. Resonix has many new products so you may also want to reach out to them once you get an idea of how far you want to go.
Vehicle Database – ResoNix Sound Solutions

And I’m a regular at DIYMobileAudio forum, which is a good place to go to get better feedback on your sound deadening plan.
 
Look into various HVAC Sound deadening materials. Thermo-Tec is one I've used on firewalls, etc. of hot rods, etc. 8/10 vs products like Dynomat but at a fraction of the cost. I've done a number of my own vehicles with it for a dramatic improvement when done.
 
TTQ B4U said:
Look into various HVAC Sound deadening materials. Thermo-Tec is one I've used on firewalls, etc. of hot rods, etc. 8/10 vs products like Dynomat but at a fraction of the cost. I've done a number of my own vehicles with it for a dramatic improvement when done.
Click to expand...

I had a car I did about 20 years ago and every summer CLD (Raamatt) leaked out of the bottom of the doors and ruined several pants of mine and my wife’s. Now I won’t cut corners or try for a cheaper product. Besides, there is a performance difference for cars. HVAC is pretty easy in terms of sound deadening, cars are quite complex audio and noise environments.
 
Great info in this thread.

But I'm liking it for a different reason.....

I'm fabricating a generator enclosure shed this spring. :)
 
PaulMys said:
Great info in this thread.

But I'm liking it for a different reason.....

I'm fabricating a generator enclosure shed this spring. :)
Click to expand...

Look up information for a hush projector as well as enclosing generators since you have to allow intake and exhaust. Also focus on decoupling of the generator from the ground. I sell big home theater subwoofers (18” and 24”) and one thing I’ve done to decouple subs is to put multiple layers of wood separated by dense rubber (rubber, wood, rubber, wood, rubber). Completely decouples from the floor and pretty easy to make.
 
Hockey pucks are another great way to decouple a sub from a floor. They work great for the sub I have in our basement.
 
dgage said:
I had a car I did about 20 years ago and every summer CLD (Raamatt) leaked out of the bottom of the doors and ruined several pants of mine and my wife’s. Now I won’t cut corners or try for a cheaper product. Besides, there is a performance difference for cars. HVAC is pretty easy in terms of sound deadening, cars are quite complex audio and noise environments.
Click to expand...

Thermo-Tec isn't cutting corners. It's the real deal. It's used in the building of performance cars to yes, HVAC system because it's also able to handle high temps. It's 8/10 vs Dynamat at far less costs. Used it for years.
 
dgage said:
Look up information for a hush projector as well as enclosing generators since you have to allow intake and exhaust. Also focus on decoupling of the generator from the ground. I sell big home theater subwoofers (18” and 24”) and one thing I’ve done to decouple subs is to put multiple layers of wood separated by dense rubber (rubber, wood, rubber, wood, rubber). Completely decouples from the floor and pretty easy to make.
Click to expand...

Good ideas.

I'm just looking for some basic sound deadening. (Walls and lid.) I'll use a 1" thick horse mat for the floor.

I have all of the venting/exhaust all planned out. :)
 
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