How to reduce road noise
Quiet your car with Dynamat
In our final installment in the Car Stereo Proving Ground series, we examine the effects of Dynamat on sound quality. We had better-than-expected results, achieving an incredible 9dB drop in road noise in most situations, and better results over noisy terrain. The Dynamat greatly reduces noise, which in turns makes our music sound more detailed and present.
Read all about it in our article, Putting Dynamat to the Test.
How to reduce road noise with Dynamat | Video Transcript
Welcome back to the Crutchfield Labs and this ongoing saga with the Ford F-150. We're really trying to define for you, the consumer, where to help spend your money, and what's gonna make the biggest difference. And one of the things that people have always told us is that Dynamat makes a big difference. I believe that as well, but I can't tell you how much of a difference that it really makes. So today we're going to try to validate, now that we've created a baseline in the truck, we're gonna try to validate what difference Dynamat actually does for us.
And the theory is, that if we had done Dynamat along the way, yes, we would have perceived probably and gained incremental value by doing that. However, we couldn't tell you at all on where that actually helps, and what it actually helps. So the plan for today is we're gonna actually get in the vehicle and we're gonna drive around in three real-world scenario driving conditions. We're gonna take the truck on kind of a dirt/gravel road. We're gonna take the truck at normal speeds around, say, 25 to 30 miles an hour around town, and then we're gonna take the truck up to highway speeds, probably around 65 miles an hour.
Alright, so we just took a road trip and what we determined was that certainly, you know, engine noise, road noise, wind noise, other car noise all tends to be in this low frequency.and now you probably understand better why I wanted my slope the way I want it.
This was a quick snapshot we took at about 35 miles an hour, but when we were up to 65 it got a little extended out even a little further — all the way up to 1.25k., even 2k at one point. The point is, we should be able to kill a lot of this with some Dynamat. We're gonna do these pieces at a time. We're gonna do the doors first. Then we're gonna do probably the hood and the floors. And then we're last gonna do the headliner and the really, really, last I guess will be the rear doors.
But, you know, we think that we're gonna be able to see some marked improvement, and hopefully get better SPL out of the system. I expect maybe 1dB. I expect that we'll also get better bass response. I know we'll get less rattles in the system, and it should even have a little more impact from the midrange as well. So hang on.
It certainly doesn't sound like the same truck. This is the noisy bridge. 90. It has literally been a long bumpy road — a long process. I'm kind of tired of taking the seats in and out. But I tell you what, we learned a lot. We learned that basically just having Dynamat in the car killed the road noise and wind noise of standard driving about 9dB. But when we were on gravel roads or bumpy roads, 16dB of noise reduction to the overall sound system. So that's pretty awesome.
What I've also noticed since living with this for a little bit longer is that the response in the mid-bass and the midrange has really jumped. I've gotten a lot more impact and a lot more visceral response out of the doors, which means that we're getting more frequencies. How do I know this? Well, when I went to re-tune the car I actually had to bring several of the midrange frequencies down because they were now out of my target curve. So that's great news. So we're driving the speaker less hard, it's, the enclosure, or the door itself, is actually helping to work a little bit harder, and overall the sound is great.
The best news is, I think we're done for a while, so we're gonna enjoy the system and then we'll be ready for the next round of gear that we want to throw in and test in the mobile lab. Thanks for joining us on this great experiment.
Comments (17)
Please share your thoughts below.
Brad from Winfield, IA
Posted on 1/31/2021
I just purchased a brand-new 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. I am very disappointed in the sound system (I got the basic system and blame myself) so I'm overhauling the sound system. I'm starting out with simply switching out the stock speakers for aftermarkets (eventually adding a 4- channel amp for these, mono sub amp and sub) and want to squeeze the most out of the upgrades. My question: in this new vehicle with modern-day insulation and such, would it be financially reasonable to purchase this stuff? Times are tough and my budget is tight. Thank you for your insight.
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 3/22/2021
Dan Lue Everett from Foster City, Ca
Posted on 9/28/2020
Question, if you could do only doors or only floors which would give the biggest impact
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 9/29/2020
ARIEL ESQUIVEL from Omaha
Posted on 8/15/2020
So where exactly in your doors do these dynamats go?
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 8/18/2020
Don from emerald isle
Posted on 1/23/2020
where did dynomat get installed? doors only? article sid it would eventually do more area?
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 1/24/2020
Erik Almaraz from Manchaca
Posted on 10/12/2019
I recently installed an aftermarket exhaust system and although it sounds awesome on the outside I hear a lot of the drone in the cab. Will this help with reducing drone?
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 10/14/2019
Stan from Bloomfield, NJ
Posted on 4/10/2019
Here's a novel application for Dynamat: I have an older house that I am not able to upgrade to central A/C or the newer mini-splits, so I must use window or wall A/C units. In my college days, I worked as an A/C mechanic in the summers, on units from the '60s and '70s. The best of those units had asphalt impregnated felt noise absorption material on the outside of the firewall to prevent outdoor compressor and fan noise from getting inside the house. Most of today's window A/C's have little more than Styrofoam, and possibly thin sheet metal between the inside and outside, meaning that all that machinery noise (and a fair amount of street noise) gets inside. A layer of Dynamat on exposed areas of sheet metal substantially quiets these units down, just as it does in your car. Well worth the time and money invested. Note: I would not recommend wrapping any refrigeration components such as the compressor; they would likely run hotter and shorten the life of your unit.
James
Posted on 3/1/2019
I have sound deaden that I'm waiting to install when it's warmer. After doing a lot of research on home speakers and those that may need deadening, I find it interesting while sound deadening material is placed inside a speaker box, we're all installing deadening material to the outside of the inside of one's vehicle doors. Besides being difficult to install inside the door itself, I can't help wondering if installing deadening on the outside of the door makes a huge deference? I guess it's more about reducing vibration of one's doors, than the absorption of the back-wave and other mechanical noises that could come back through the cone. Anyway, I may attempt to install my dampening material differently than every article and video I've read or seen. Thoughts?
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 3/2/2019
Jesse Nash from Sarasota Fl
Posted on 8/15/2018
I am 74 and unable to do an installation. Do you have anyone in Sarasota Fl. area that can install for a Camry 2017?
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 8/15/2018
Janice J.
Posted on 8/11/2017
When I hear the word noise, it reminds me of the overwhelming wind noise that I had to endure in my roadster until I managed to find a good wind deflector to rein that in. Thanks to the Zefferus windscreen, cabin is calm as a clam.
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
Posted on 5/1/2017
Adi, Adding Dynamat will reduce audible road noise and door reverberation, improving the signal-to-noise ratio of your system. It will not affect the system's tone.