Added Dynamat - Got a noticeably quieter ride

[Agent WD-40]

I spent the last two days putting some Dynamat Extreme down in my Yukon Denali. My first impressions on this projects are very positive.

My goal was to quiet things down without tearing the interior apart to do it. I've gutted the interior to lay dynamat in other vehicles and didn't want to do this on this project. I wanted to follow the 80/20 rule here. 80% improvement for 20% of the work. I definitely feel I achieved this.

I didn't remove the seats or the carpet. Everything I laid down on the floor of the vehicle I was able to reach under the carpet and stick down. I pulled up a few of the trim pieces on the door sills/rear cargo door to reach under the carpet.

For the doors I did have the remove all of the interior door panels (including the tailgate panel). I also remove the moisture barrier to get access to the inside skin of the door. I didn't replace

Here is what I noticed:

• There is much less road and wind noise. It reduced some of the tire "slap" when hitting expansion joints in the road. The vehicle didn't become an isolation chamber but it did knock everything down a few notches. I would say it is similar to the 2008-2012 Buick Enclave but not as quiet as the 2013+ Enclave.
• I'm pleased that all of the outside noises went down in proportion- it didn't just reduce tire noise which all of the sudden made the remaining wind noise much more obvious and annoying.
• I completed the floor on the first day and the doors on the second. With just the floor done it did make the noise coming in through the doors more pronounced. Finishing the doors balanced everything back out.
• It seems the intake rumble has been reduced some - not drastically, but a little more subdued. I have an Airaid JR intake with the factory filter/airbox.
• The doors have a more satisfying and solid closing sound to them.
• The bass hits a bit harder to me. I'm not sure if this is because there is less background noise so I hear the bass better or what. For this round I did not replace the moisture barrier with Dynamat which I know from prior experience improves the bass output significantly.

Here are the areas I covered (see red outlines on attached pictures for another view of my coverage):

• As much of the cargo area as I could. Here I lifted up the rear sill cover and reached under the carpet. I didn't cover every square foot under this area. I targeted the areas that sounded the most hollow when I knocked on them.
• I put Dynamat down in the drives side rear wheel well area (where the jack is stored). I was able to access this by removing the cupholder/jack access cover. I didn't lay any Dynamat down in the rear passenger side wheel well area because the rear AC unit is stuffed in there.
• Under the 2nd row seats. I put Dynamat up to about where the 2nd row passengers feat would land. The area under the feet had some vibration dampener from the factory down already and it was difficult to reach without more disassembly than I wanted.I was able to access this area from the split in the carpet that runs between the 2nd row seats and cargo area.
• In the front drivers and passenger foot-well area. This had some of the same factory vibration dampener on the floor already but I still put Dynamat down on top of this. I covered the floor from the from of the seat bottoms to where the floorboard started to curve up toward the firewall.
• All 4 doors and the tailgate. I covered the inside surface of the exterior sheet metal. I left the factory moisture barriers in place for now. I will probably go back and replace the moisture barrier with Dynamat in the future. though.
• I think I used around 60 sq ft of Dynamat (just shy of 2 full bulk packs)

One last tip. If you want Dynamat Extreme check out the 36 sq ft bulk pack on Amazon. It is a great price per sq ft and comes with free shipping (shipping alone would probably be $50 otherwise).

 

[BlackOh7on22s]

Nice job. Last car I did the whole interior was out and I used 100 sq ft total on that one. The Hoe is next on the agenda

 

[Labman2012]

I have a rattle in my drivers side door that is driving me nuts, I wonder if this would possibly fix this issue? I like the idea I having doors that feel a little more solid when closing them!

 

[Agent WD-40]

I have a rattle in my drivers side door that is driving me nuts, I wonder if this would possibly fix this issue? I like the idea I having doors that feel a little more solid when closing them!

It is possible it will fix the issue by doing this. I'll bet you have a much better chance of figuring the rattle out with the door apart though.

I actually had a rattle in one of my rear doors. It turned out to be broken glass in the bottom of the door (I'm guessing the previous owner had a smash and grab). I cleaned the door out as best I could but it was impossible to get everything out. The sound deadening did help the rattle out. The door still rattles a bit when you close it hard but it is much better.

I would say it is at least worth a shot. Worst case you will have a better ride when you are done.

 

[okfoz]

It is possible it will fix the issue by doing this. I'll bet you have a much better chance of figuring the rattle out with the door apart though.

I actually had a rattle in one of my rear doors. It turned out to be broken glass in the bottom of the door (I'm guessing the previous owner had a smash and grab). I cleaned the door out as best I could but it was impossible to get everything out. The sound deadening did help the rattle out. The door still rattles a bit when you close it hard but it is much better.

I would say it is at least worth a shot. Worst case you will have a better ride when you are done.

I had a car that someone did a smash and grab with the same problem. I used a small shop vac to get the glass out. Don't use a house carpet vacuum that the shards go through the motor, it will destroy the motor (ask me how I know)

 

[Labman2012]

I think I will start by using Dynomat on the doors and if the difference is significant then I will finish the hoe.

 

[okfoz]

I used the generic stuff from Lowes called Press and seal on the Doors and the rear interior sheet metal behind the jack, liftgate motor and the Rear A/C unit, and I noticed a difference.

---------- Post added at 03:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:45 PM ----------

I have a rattle in my drivers side door that is driving me nuts, I wonder if this would possibly fix this issue? I like the idea I having doors that feel a little more solid when closing them!

I had a rattle in a 2006 Rendezvous in the rear door, it was driving me crazy, When I got into it, one of the bolts that holds a window track had come loose. 10mm nut-driver and a few turns and it was just like new... Your rattle might be something really simple, jut have to figure out what it is.

 

[NathanJax]

I used the generic stuff from Lowes called Press and seal on the Doors and the rear interior sheet metal behind the jack, liftgate motor and the Rear A/C unit, and I noticed a difference.

Look up:


Frost King - Duct Insulation
Self Adhesive Foil and Foam

http://www.lowes.com/pd_28929-1410-FV516_0__?productId=1081449




Do a Google search and see what others are saying about it compared to the expensive Dynamat stuff

 

[Agent WD-40]

Word of caution to those considering Peel and Seal (or similar foil skinned asphalt based roofing products). The stuff will make your car smell like tar for a few weeks. And then it will smell like tar every time it gets hot out again.

Plus the tar will drip and melt when it gets hot out. It will pool up in the bottom of the doors and drip out of the drain holes onto the driveway.

I helped my brother do the entire cabin of his truck with Peel and Seal about 8 years ago. Every summer (even now) he still gets the tar smell in the truck and tar dripping onto his driveway. I would never use this stuff again after that experience. It is worth a bit extra to me to know I'm getting a quality product and one I won't want to pull the vehicle apart and redo in a few years.

The other comment I'll make on Peel and Seal is you need to use about twice as much to make it as effective as Dynamat. So factoring in the extra cost and labor of this plus the fact it is a product that isn't suited for an automotive sound deadening application makes me never recommend this product.

I've never used frost king so I cannot comment first hand. Generally good sound deadened will have thick foil and a butyl rubber adhesive layer (not asphalt or tar). Also a good sound deadened will be effective at reducing vibrations over a wide range of temperatures. I've seen ratings for other products that are decent at reducing vibrations at 75 decrees F but are only about 1/3 as effective over 100 or less than 45 F. Again that makes them not a very well suited product for an automotive application where temps will easily be in these ranges in the car even for people in fairly mild climates. I know Dynamat and Second Skin work over a wider temp range.

All of this is to say that is just why I spend the bit extra and get something I know will work well the first time. For me the Dynamat bulk pack on Amazon with free shipping is a great deal and half of what it would cost elsewhere. I've also personally used Second Skin Damplifier Pro and it is great but it is a bit more expensive so I stick with Dynamat from Amazon.

I know there are other quality products out there I just don't know of them off the top of my head.

 

[NathanJax]

Completely agree about the tar based stuff. I've seen/smelled exactly what you're talking about


I've done car audio, home audio/video, home theater installs for years (and years) and while I agree that Dynamat/Second skin etc are good at what they do, they are also crazy expensive for what they are and probably 80% of the time, most people WAY over do it with it.