I've noticed when I leave my car on and run out to the mailbox that although the engine makes no noise (as expected) you can hear the music from outside the car. I don't play my music all that loud (well I don't think so anyway) but man, I wasn't expecting to hear every lyric and every note from 15 feet away. I never had that in my old car. Bass, yes. Everything else, no. And yes, I do close the door... Is this a consequence of the car being built to be so lightweight?
yeah.. they wanted it lightweight.. you could put in dinamat.. or.. dynomat.. whatever it's called.. but it's not light. I heard someone on here installed it on their doors. big improvement. I want to install it in my doors and in my floor. I'm not too worried about the weight right now.
I worry more about the noise heard from inside. Sound insulation needs improvement to minimise the roar when travelling on coarse road surfaces. The type of tyre tread contributes here, but I think more effort is needed to reduce the entry of tyre noise. I have Michelin Energy tyres, which tend to be very noisy when not running on a smooth tar surface. It's disappointing that Toyota engineering seems to have missed this - maybe they erred in favour of a "lighter" vehicle! kenmac
Costly? I would hardly say so - if you were to dynamat the whole vehicle, you'd add anywhere from 50-100lbs - if anything, I would say it's negligible.
well, i can't define it, but if it were negligible, i would think they would do a bit more at the factory. unless it's cost prohib.
interesting. i wonder if the prius, being a light vehicle and a hybrid (running on electric and coasting) falls within those parameters?
I have sound deadening all over my car, including doors, roof and floor, rear hatch, hood, etc. Almost thirty pounds worth. I'd say any mpg impact is miniscule compared to A/C in summer and heat in winter. The current Texas drought has taken a severe toll on my mpg. My average for the last month has been around 41mpg, compared to 44mpg in summers past, and 48mpg in the spring.
can you estimate before and after mpg's? i suppose 30 lb's isnt that much. i could go on a diet to make up the difference. how does the noise level compare?
Even though I kept detailed records of gas mileage before and after the installation, I could not see any noticeable difference. One of the difiiculties was that the car was being driven by two people with very different styles (my wife and I) resulting in inconsistent averages. Also, the amount of semi-permanent stuff in the trunk added to the weight. If there is any negative impact, it is negligible. The pros far outweigh the cons (no pun intended). I notice a big difference in humming and rumbling noises when I drive my friend's 09 Touring.
A bonus is the sound insulation also provides some thermal insulation, so the A/C works a little less hard. In winter it also decreases the heat demand which can reduce the time the engine will run when not otherwise needed.
