craigmakes321

Decided to try to cut down the interior noise of my '89 S2, particularly after installing 18" wheels. Dynamat'ed everything from the base of the back-seat to rear of car, and the two doors. Quite a difference, and only $175 all in.

GPA951s

Home Depot, Roofing section, They sells rolls of this stuff basically the same as Dynamat at 1/16 the price.. I lined my car with it and installed a new carpet... Worked awesome..

A Good amp and sub work wonders as well to cut down on road noise.. LOL

SeaCay

Description of item? Photo? SKU?

AkechiMotors

How would you judge the difference? Significant, moderate, slight? Is there a lot of insulation from the factory? I've read that and see some on the wheel tubs in your photos, but my own experience from probing around under the carpet says otherwise. If there is a lot of factory sound proofing, is it hard to remove? I've read that as well.

craigmakes321

I don't want to sound like a know it-all, because I am dumb as a loaf, and I am impressed with your budget mindedness. But I am also a contractor, and that material at Home depot is called "Ice and Water" and it is a rubber membrane used as an underlayment for shingling your roof. I am glad you are happy with the results. I am also not a salesman for dynamat, but here are the advantages it has: Much lighter, much more pliable, which is crucial to getting it into all the shapes in the metal stampings of the body panels. Most importantly, it has a powerful adhesive quality which is critical because it needs to stick without any air gaps to prevent moisture getting trapped, etc. Aluminum coating also stops heat penetration. It is a product clearly designed for this purpose

As for the difference (before and after installation)? It is dramatic. Those two wells behind the rear wheel arches, coupled with the spare tire area, and all that space under a big glass hatch create a giant guitar for the noise generated by the drivetrain. The soundproofing provided with the car is 1989 technology, and pretty useless. Each well has a thin piece of rubberized paper adhered to it (paper is a fraction of total surface area, you want to cover 30% at least) and behind the passenger side is a wedge of foam similer to what you would find in a synthetic sponge. There is thicker, rubber soundproofing coming down the c pillars, which I left for the time being.

Conversation can now be had at normal volume for two people sitting that close together - the stereo can be heard, and long tours are a far more pleasurable experience. Ironically, the little sounds that were drowned out before (squeaking of leather, flapping of loose sunscreens etc.) can now be heard.

GPA951s

Peel and seal Aluminum Sold by the roll 6" x 25 ft roll .... just walk into the roofing section and you will see it on the shelf... If I recall correctly there were two different thicknesses...

AkechiMotors

Are there a lot of wires hidden under the carpet, or is most of the wiring harness (which I guess goes back to the tail lights and maybe the ABS) hidden somewhere else? I guess what I'm asking is, once you peal away the carpet and factory soundproofing, is it pretty much bare steel that is easily accessible without having to move anything around?

craigmakes321

I think my car has had original carpeting removed, so nothing in the hatchback area was glued down. Only area that was glued was the piece that is under the small window and covers the front half of the wheel well. All the wiring is in one large (diameter of your pinky finger) bunch that is under some wire clips that simply bend open and closed. You can see it in the first picture I posted, on the left side of the mat that is installed. Remember, you only have to cover 30% or so of the panel, although i covered 100% when possible.

Really easy project - I bought some poster board to make templates for the quirky areas. Really amazing difference in noise level. I have owned 4 Porsches of various models, and fun as they are, the noise level is a bit tough to take....