The Definitive Guide to Sound Deadening

[Exalted512]

A lot of people on here do sound deadening or want to do sound deadening, this thread is merely a guide of a few different products I've experienced through buying my own for my truck and sound deadening customers vehicles with different brands of sound deadening.

First off, everyone asks how much for their vehicle for specific spots. Here's a generic guide to go by:

Front Doors
Single cab, Extended cab, and Crew cab
8 sq ft PER door

Rear Doors
Extended cab
5 sq ft PER door
Crew cab
8 sq ft PER door

Headliner
Single cab
15 sq ft
Extended cab
20 sq ft
Crew cab
22 sq ft

Floor
Single cab
15 sq ft
Extended cab
22 sq ft
Crew cab
26 sq ft

Back wall
Single cab, Extended cab, and Crew cab
8 sq ft

Notice that all the doors are rated per door. That is only including the inner door skin, double the number to do the outer door skin.

Now for some reviews:
Here is a site that did some pretty extensive testing on a variety of deadeners:
www.sounddeadenershowdown.com

Here are my personal experiences:

Products:
Liquids
Second Skin Spectrum spray
This is a sprayable liquid deadener, you can put it into any paint gun and simply spray it on. If applied in equal thickness, spectrum will work better and be lighter than any comparable mat. All the liquid deadeners require little prep work to get to stick properly. A simple dusting is enough. Also, liquid deadeners are great to use for your fender wells. Doing the fender wells is a great way to reduce road noise. Both spectrum and sludge dry a very dark blue. For all the liquids, 1 gallon covers ~ 40 sq ft.

Drawbacks: As with out liquid deadeners, it has to dry. Depending on the weather and thickness applied, it can take up to 3 days to dry enough to put the interior back in. If applied in equal thickness of a mat deadener on a good hot day, it takes about 6 hours to dry enough to put the interior back in. It can take from 3-7 days to achieve full potential.

Second Skin Spectrum Sludge
This is comparable to mud in thickness and feel. This is great for people who dont have access to a spray gun for spectrum or people that dont have enough patience to put on multiple layers. You can put this stuff on as thick as you'd like. It takes about the same to dry as spectrum, but the thicker you lay it on the more time that needs to be allowed to dry. Sludge is NOT as good as spectrum, but the difference is not noticeable.

Second Skin Firewall
This is Second Skin's best liquid deadener. It is a little thicker than spectrum but not as thick as sludge. All the same qualities. It dries white.

eD's eDead
Buy light blue spray paint, works about the same.

Mat
Peel n Seal
This is a cheap popular deadening material that can be found at Home Depot or Lowe's. It is normally used as roofing material and is asphault based. If you do get this stuff, you MUST prep the area EXTREMELY well and heat up the mat right before it is applied. If the installation is damn near perfect, it'll fall off. This deadener WILL leave your car smelling for a while, especially if you do it in the summer. If you have really hot summers, you might have a reoccuring smell everytime this stuff gets really hot. If you live in really cold temperatures, asphault based deadeners tend to harden up and get brittle, leading to potential adhesion failure. Asphault is very cheap, this is why this and the next few products will be the cheapest products to buy.

Rockford Fosgate's Dead Skin
Buy Peel n Seal, same stuff, a lot cheaper.

eDead v1SE
A little better than Peel n Seal, same asphault based crap though. This stuff isn't as thin as Peel n Seal and sticks much better. It is a little more expensive than the Peel n Seal, but not by much. As with any asphault based mat, it will smell for a week or two after you put it in and if you have really hot summers you might have that reoccuring smell.

Dynamat
Again, a little better then the eDead stuff in both adhesion and application, but a lot less of the smell.

Fat Mat
Fat Mat is a combination asphault/butyl deadener. It is able to keep cost relatively low without having the drawbacks of cracking, melting, or smelling like asphault mats do. This stuff is actually pretty good, especially for its cost, but isn't all that thick.

Raammat BXT60
This stuff gets the nod from a lot of the regulars on this site. It is also an asphault/butyl based deadener. It is thicker than Fat Mat and seems to have much better deadening capabilities than what the difference in thickness would make you think. This stuff can be had for $150 for 95 sq ft if you look around, that price was from the recent group buy that was held here. Basically $1.60/sq ft. Great stuff.

Stinger's Roadkill
A more expensive, all butyl form of Raammat. Not worth the price difference.

Second Skin Damplifier
This is a full Butyl based deadener. It is a little thicker than Raammat and can be had for about $1.85/ft for 80 sq ft for just being a member of the forum on the website. They offer better deals on different forums every now and again.

Second Skin Damplifier Pro
This is the thickest deadener on the market, period. It is almost 40% thicker than Raammat BXT, plus it is all butyl based. It also one of the more expensive options. It is $2.80/ft for 80 sq ft for being a member of his forum.

Dynamat Extreme
Not as thick as second skin's damplifier pro and more expensive...

There are also a wide variety of specialty deadeners from Second Skin for blocking road noises and absorbing panel vibration. Cascade also makes some as well as Raammat has Ensolite. The only ones I have used are Second Skin's products, so I cannot tell you the difference between the brands. Once I have used all of Second Skin's specialty deadeners, I will post my results on here.

Other things worth mentioning:
Great Stuff: Gaps and Cracks
This stuff is an expandable foam that works great for putting in the crossmembers under the hood or even in the bed rail. It reduces both vibrations and road noise. It is not recommended to put this stuff in your headliner as it has the potential to bow out your roof, but under the hood is poses no threat. It will not disolve or melt from the heat and elements. Be careful when you put this stuff on though, IT EXPANDS. Apply a little at a time and be careful to not let it expand out and fall on the engine, its a pain in the ass to get off. Putting a tarp over the engine bay will solve all those problems though.

Tips and tricks
For liquid deadeners, I've found foam brushes work the best unless you're dealing with sludge. Then your hand works best or some other type of applier like one that would be used for bondo or the like.

For mat, as crazy as it sounds, tennis balls work great. Theyre small, easy to grab, and easy to put a lot of pressure on. For tight spots, I've found that wooden spoons with a flat edge are great. I have a metal panel popper that works great. In fact, if you look at my pictures, youll see very distinguished lines about 2" apart all over the mat. That is the mark from my panel popper. It is similar to middle one found in this picture


That panel popper and a wooden spoon is what I did my truck with. Tennis balls work great for places that are really uneven, like a trunk.

For prep work, use acetone and a rag. It works the best. Mineral spirits isn't as good as an idea because it leaves behind a bit of a residue. Alcohol is another one, but doens't work as well or fast as acetone. After cleaned and air dried, go over it with cheesecloth to get anything else left behind.

Airbubbles:
Everyone will get them, no matter how experienced you are. Ive done my whole truck in mat and when I was doing some today in the rear doors I got air bubbles. They're very simple to get rid of, simply take a raser and cut it right down the middle, then press the two sides back together one at a time.

Also, cut in small strips. If you have to keep pulling the deadener off and reapplying to get it in the right spot, you will start losing its adhesion capabilities.

My personal recommendations:

If I had to do my truck and did not have a huge amount of power behind my subs, I would use Second Skin's sludge for the entire vehicle. The only drawback, and I mean ONLY draw back is that it has to dry. Other than that, it gets in more spaces that mat can't, is cheaper, and works better.

If drying time was a concern, but money is:
Raammat BXT60. Its a relatively cheap and effective method of deadening.

If drying time was a concern, but money wasn't:
Second Skin Damplifier Pro. Best stuff on the market, but you'll pay for it.

Some pictures:
My truck:
http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forums/...d.php?t=184254
Anthony of Second Skin's truck (great example of how to do your doors)
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2119519/2
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2119519/3
Other FSCs:
http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forums/...ed-stereo.html
http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forums/...-complete.html
http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forums/...lete-pics.html
http://picasaweb.google.com/H82LUZ/T...ey=Hw3NWukB3IU
(If you have a link of your FSC that you would like on here, shoot me a PM with the link and I will get it up)

If you have any questions/comments/pictures, post 'em here
-Cody

[davecaris]

GREAT INFO, THANKS! I think I'll go with RAAM MATT.

[slicpartna]

damn good info

[slicpartna]

does anyone know the reduction in db's of each of the sound deadners listed above? i believe that is equally as important to know imo.

[Bostonian Fats]

definitive--big word.

good thread. on the peel n seal. i didn't prep at all. and only heat i had was the summer sun. my smell lasted a day at most. and in 2 going on 3 Texas summers it hasn't melted, smelled, come off, etc. It's not the best deadener but, like said above, cheap form of deadener.

but if you're going to spend money then second skin should get the nod.

[Exalted512]

Originally Posted by Bostonian Fats

definitive--big word.

good thread. on the peel n seal. i didn't prep at all. and only heat i had was the summer sun. my smell lasted a day at most. and in 2 going on 3 Texas summers it hasn't melted, smelled, come off, etc. It's not the best deadener but, like said above, cheap form of deadener.

but if you're going to spend money then second skin should get the nod.

seems like everyone has different experiences with that stuff. We had a competitor that put peel n seal on and it fell off within a month...
-Cody

[///M5]

Good write up, but beware as stated above "definitive" is a bit strong. Some people use lots more deadening than your recommendation and I happen to be one of them.

[Exalted512]

if you can fit more than 8 sq ft on the door on one layer youve got some talent...

Its obvious that if you want to put more layers, then double the number. Im going to have 32 sq ft of mat on each of my front doors...
-Cody

[///M5]

hehe, I have 3 layers with 4 in some spots in my front doors on the outer shell, plus a layer on the inside of the inner and a double layer on the outside of the inner. I like my truck quiet. Now if someone could help me quiet up the rubber door seals.

[Exalted512]

my truck has one layer of mat on the outer shell, followed by second skins firewall. Then on the outside on the inner door skin i have 1 layer of mat followed by ony layer of sludge. Then 2 layers of mat on the inside of the inner door followed by a layer of firewall
-Cody

[mthafcka]

what is the easiest way to put sound deadening materials up under on the roof of my truck (Ext cab). I would try but I don't want to destroy my headliner (although a new suede headliner would be nice)

has anyone had expierience with the easiest way to apply it the the inside roof of the cab, cause that **** rattles like tin cans

[tuckermitchell]

www.sounddeadenershowdown.com

just thought we could sticky this and it is useful information if you haven't seen it

[mthafcka]

I don't mean being able to set off car alarms from two blocks away. If that's your goal, tear out the OEM sound deadening materials and drill some vent holes in your trunk. Mount some nice blue flashing lights on the roof and call it a day.

this is quoted from sounddeadenershowdown.com

what does he mean by drill vent holes to be heard farwawy (it couldnt be big enough to make a difference and, I thought my system was a lot louder and clearer when i put dyanamat all over my grand cherokee

and where is this supposesed oem sound deadening materials

and whats this talk about blue lights on your roof too

[Exalted512]

Originally Posted by mthafcka

what is the easiest way to put sound deadening materials up under on the roof of my truck (Ext cab). I would try but I don't want to destroy my headliner (although a new suede headliner would be nice)

has anyone had expierience with the easiest way to apply it the the inside roof of the cab, cause that **** rattles like tin cans
I don't mean being able to set off car alarms from two blocks away. If that's your goal, tear out the OEM sound deadening materials and drill some vent holes in your trunk. Mount some nice blue flashing lights on the roof and call it a day.

this is quoted from sounddeadenershowdown.com

what does he mean by drill vent holes to be heard farwawy (it couldnt be big enough to make a difference and, I thought my system was a lot louder and clearer when i put dyanamat all over my grand cherokee

and where is this supposesed oem sound deadening materials

and whats this talk about blue lights on your roof too

the easiest way would be using second skin's sludge, just use your hands and smear it on there

he was just being sarcastic about drilling holes and putting lights on it. Basically saying those people just want attention.

some vehicles come with oem sound deadening in one form or another. If you have a newer chevy, pull up the carpet in the front and youll see some black rubber looking stuff, thats oem deadening. A lot of the newer cars have deadening in the trunk where the spare tire goes.
-Cody

[dapolice1]

This really should be a sticky

[Unrthdxdream]

damn straight it should be

[Lurius]

I used some Fatmat on my truck, have done the two front doros, two back doors(ext cab), back cab wall, and stuffed some other places to stop rattles. It has worked pretty good, I havent ever used any other brands but am willing to bet that dynamat wouldent do so much better to justify the price difference for 99% of peoples systems.

Thanks for a great writeup!

-Lurius

[DSZ71]

Correction you damn Texan...Raammat bxt60 is $99/roll per group buy pricing. Thats 62.5 sq feet, so....$1.58 sq ft.

[Exalted512]

Originally Posted by DSZ71 from the group purchase thread

1.5 rolls BXT RAAMmat (93.75 sq ft) $148.50

-Cody

[Cougar Rugby]

Exalted512, you are the ****.