B-Quiet Sound-deadning material installation

$110 for a roll.. Ouch.. I guess my post on using roofing membrane as sound dampening material got lost in the crash.. Instead of spending a huge amount of $$ on stuff labelled for audio (like those wooden knobs for your stereo that are supposed to make a difference in sound quality, only $695!!), elastomeric roofing membrane used for waterproofing is exactly the same stuff: bitumen and rubber elastomer in various thicknesses with a vinyl or heavy aluminum backing... Get it at Home Depot or cheaper at roofing supply.. Same installation procedure, cut into strips around 3-4" wide , peel off backing, place into position and rub down well.. You can put multiple layers on for increased sound dampening. Make sure you get the positioning because once the stuff is rubbed down it is near impossible to get off..

 

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I tried that stuff. It does the job, but it's messy as heck and quite susceptible to heat and cold. If it gets too cold it tends to lose it's grip. If it gets too hot, it starts to run. It's good if you're a cheap bastard like I was, though

110 bucks for 2 rolls of 50 sqft of real deadener was definately worth the cash. It was better than shelling out 10 times the amount for Dynamat at the local big box retailer,

 

I don't know what kind you got, but the stuff I picked up that is in common use up here in Canada (Resisto brand, produced in Montreal) was basically identical to labeled sound deadener.. I had the same concerns about hot and cold and so I tested it on a piece of sheet metal- once adhered and rubbed down (very important), that stuff is simply not coming off.. When heated it stays on and solid- you can scrape and peel it, but it takes a lot of effort, and you end up just peeling the vinyl or aluminum covering off and leaving most of the membrane as a gooey tar and rubber mess.. When cold, it becomes quite hard and you basically cannot make a dent in it- again once adhered, it really sticks to the surface and cannot be removed without a huge effort..

In terms of mess, there was none.. The material is tacky, but it really doesn't come off on your fingers or clothing..

 

I put mine in for thermal insulation as much as sound deadening. I used 1 layer of sound damper and 2 layers of the foam sound absorbers. Already notice the doors are warmer now that the weather is cold.

The absorber is glued to the damper on outer sheet metal and the other layer is glued to the door panels. I had to leave a few gaps on that layer so things would attach flush.

 

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I just installed the B-Quiet today on the passenger door. It was relatively simple to get it all in there. I cut it into strips of different width and proceeded to cover any metal.

I removed the vapor barrier and then unscrewed the bracket for the armrest, the electronics mount, the black metal shield and the piece of styrofoam behind it, and the speaker.

It took about 2.5 hours to install as I went crazy trying to cover anything metal on the door. I covered pretty much everything. It's a good idea to wear long sleeves so you don't cut your arms sticking the sound deadening into the door.

The door has a nice thud sound when it closes now. I have to do the other door tommorow, but I wanted to post this pic here for interested parties since the pictures from this thread are still lost. I'll post my comments after I get the other door done. I plan on doing all four doors plus the trunk hatch.

[Broken External Image]:http://presto.homeftp.net:8080/presto/prius/IMG_3672.sized.jpg

 

So are you leaving the vapor barrier off?

Where on the inside can you safely put the B-Quiet and not worry about the window?

 

yeah.. i just decided to leave off the vapor barrier. I left it off on my last car and it wasn't a big deal.

You can pretty much stick it to anywhere theres metal. The only part you can't stick it on are the parts related to moving the window up and down. I just opened the window and then closed it to see what those parts were.

 

Did you finish the other doors? Is your car quieter now?

 

Hey Presto I like those MDF mounting surfaces for the speakers. Looks like a great way to strengthen the door and prevent vibrations. Were you somehow able to fit the doors back together with those in place? I thought there wasn't enough space to add such a mounting surface. Any details about how you made that happen would be very interesting.

 

The MDF spacers are not any higher then the stock speaker brackets that hold the JBLs. Most of the time, when you install speakers into the car doors you'll need to use a spacer. The main reason for this is to ensure clearance space for rolling down the windows. Having MDF vs the stock plastic bracket makes for less vibration as well. I just traced the stock mounting brackets and cut it, and then a hole for the new speaker.

 

I haven't finished the other doors, yet. It's been on my to-do list for awhile. Nevertheless, it sounds a lot better now. I think there was an earlier post about someone sound deadening the roof as well as the doors and hatch. I believe it made a significant difference. A lot of the sound comes through the doors, so maybe I'll notice a difference when I sound deaden the read doors.

 

I used Parts Express #268-010 double layered in the front doors, under hood, and single in the trunk in 2001 Prius. Back in the old days, the hood was not acoustically treated. Substantial improvement noted, but never got around to doing the rear doors.

Driving north in Baja California, I came to a military checkpoint and noted that the federales were tapping body panels on the pickup truck in front with the handle of a screwdriver. I smiled at my passenger and said "if they compare the front and rear doors on this car, they are going to take it apart".

They didn't.

 

I used to cross the border between Mexico and Texas quite a lot when I lived in El Paso. I thoroughly covered the entire understructure with Dynamat. Normally I would just drive right through. One day this tough looking chick decided to "tap on the doors" and she didn't like what she heard. She inspected the car from top to bottom. Took almost an hour! Only happened that once though. Anyhow, now I'm in Florida, so no more borders to cross.

 

So, did any of you put it on the painted surface? (On the inside?) Or just the inner panel?

Nate

 

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I put it wherever there was Tideland Pearl paint color. I stuck the sound deadening to the surface, behind the surface, and against the outside wall of the door. I went as crazy as possible with the sound deadening. As long as you can put the door plastic back on then it's all good. Also watch out for the power window moving parts.

Here's another picture. As you can see, There is sound deadening right against the outer surface of the door. Then there is some more that is not visible behind the surface. I also sound deadened the side-impact beam. I put the most around the speaker area.


[Broken External Image]:http://presto.homeftp.net:8080/presto/prius/IMG_3674.sized.jpg

 

Presto, what thickness is the MDF, it looks like 3/4"? Is that stuff only available in large sheets?

I just got 50 sq. ft. of B-Quiet Ultimate. My Infiniti speakers are rattling the door with certain notes. I hope this stuff along with using a better mount with MDF will shut that down.

 

yup, it's the 3/4" MDF for the spacer. I think I bought this in 2'x4' sheet, but there were smaller board sizes available at the Home Depot. 50ft of B-Quiet will do both the doors nicely. Don't be afraid to use too much. Just remember not to cover the holes that trim attaches to.

 

I picked up the 3/4" thick MDF today. Home Depot only had the large sheets 49"x97". They cut it for free down to 8 pieces roughly 24"x24". I also bought myself a new RotoZip kit for cutting it