Soundproofing T4

[andyg_prs]

Hi there,

I'm still researching the best route to sound proof my '02 T4. I have changed to Toyo Proxes and Optilined to reduce noise as best as possible. I have recently been driven in an older S40 diesel and it was much quieter. My take on the reasons for the noise I get on the motorway are:

• It's an estate (but my company 320d Touring was too and was v quiet)
• The suspension is very hard on a T4 (but my 320d Touring also had sports suspension and was v quiet)
• The T4 has a noisy engine
• There isn't very much sound proofing
• I drive very fast - but I have always done that!

So all in all, sound proofing seems the way forward.

I have checked out Dynamat Original, Dynamat Xtreme, FatMat, RattleMat etc.

The thickest of these is RattleMat at around 2mm thick. With shipping, enough of this to soundproof my car would cost around £150 and more like £180 if it gets stopped at customs and duties added.

www.noisekiller.co.uk will send all the materials required at £180 or £345 for a custom 'design and fit'. I have had a pack of materials from them and they have a Dynamat equivalent that is around 3mm thick. I do want to check with them about the properties of the material they use as most use a black butyl/bitchumen type material faced with aluminium, the noisekiller version seems more rubber based. They also have barrier mat material for the floor pans and under the seats, and a different material again for under the bonnet.

Anyhow, it seems that the complete materials that they supply match or exceed what I would pay for the Dynamat equivalent alone.

I need to check with them exactly what they will install and where - they were concerned about taking the door trims off last time I spoke with them but I have since got a Haynes manual and it seems simple enough.

I also want to check how much material they will put in each place - a colleague of mine had the boot on his Mondeo soundproofed for an ICE installation but in reality they just put a couple of patches of it in the spare wheel cavity and other places.

Has anyone else undertaken soundproofing and what kind of results did you get?

Also, has anybody taken the 4 door trims off? Is there enough room to work to degrease ready to adhere the soundproofing material?

Are there any particularly delicate parts I need to take care of when working inside the door cavities?

On another note, I am planning to re-chip via MTE in the future, should give about 40bhp more - any idea what this would mean for the noise of the engine.

I might also consider moving up to larger wheels....again, any idea how much difference this would make to the noise levels?

Any advice gratefully received...and of course I will report my findings and pics of the before and after install once I finally get it done.....

Cheers,
Andy

[knobby]

Hi there

I've done most of my S40 2001 with Dynamat Extreme, i.e. front doors, and all of the boot. I removed all the trim in the boot to achieve this, no big deal. Also the parcel shelf and the boot lid/shelf.
I think the car is quite quiet.....but then it was beforehand.
I did it mainly because I installed a decent sound system with amps and a sub.
I quite like the car with the sound system on and with it off. I think it makes a difference overall.
Its quite easy to do remove all the door trims, the only thing u need to be wary of is the 'seal' in the door. Basically a 'stuck' on piece of plastic sheet on the inside of all the doors that helps keep out the water.

Hope this helps
Matthew

[andyg_prs]

Thanks for the reply. Could you please tell me more about the seal?

Where is it exactly and did you remove it to apply the Dynamat?

Which areas of the inside of the door did you apply the Dynamat too?

Thank you again!
Andy

[spangoolies]

i know of a few people that sound-proofed thier cars with a type of roof sealant. you can buy large rolls at a fraction of the price and it is a simular material apparently. do a search on www.s40concepts.net.

[knobby]

Originally Posted by andyg_prs

Thanks for the reply. Could you please tell me more about the seal?

Where is it exactly and did you remove it to apply the Dynamat?

Which areas of the inside of the door did you apply the Dynamat too?

Thank you again!
Andy

Yeah I got the idea from www.s40concepts.net (aswell as many other ideas)

The seal is just a piece of plastic sheet that is 'gummed' to the inner skin of the door. You can peal it off carefully to get 'inside' the door then reapply it afterwards.
If you take the door trims off you'll see what I mean straight away.
Its up to you how much Dynamat (or else) you apply and also depends how much you've got.
The more the better basically, but it will take a while to apply it. Dont worry about adding extra 'thickness' to the door, the door trims go back on without a problem.

PM me for any further questions if you want, but if you take off the door trim you'll know exactly what you've got to do

Matthew