sound deadening wheel arches

[55EXX]

This was covered previously but this a better pictured guide of using brush on deadener. The other DIY is spray on, which is more costly and less effective as the brush on gear as it is a better compound and a thicker amounts can be put on.

Disclaimer: The following is provided as a GUIDE ONLY, and neither myself nor Ozhonda take any responsibility for the outcomes of someone else doing the following. You follow these steps at your own risk!


Aim: To quieten tyre noise

Required:
Wax and grease remover
Brush on sound deadener (4L drum is heaps enough to do all 4 wheels)
paint brush
srcubbing brush
plenty of rags
jack and car stands

Steps:

jack the car up. make sure the weight is held up by stands not the jack.

remove wheel.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/9/web/2961000-2961999/2961641_49_full.jpg

there will be years of dirt and tar etc built up one the arch. this will all need to be cleaned off with a good scrub and wax and grease remover.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/9/web/2961000-2961999/2961641_50_full.jpg

once the bulk crap is of and you see the paint give the paint a wipe with a clean rag and wax an grease remover to remove all the residue.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/9/web/2961000-2961999/2961641_51_full.jpg


then cover your brakes and suspension with rags to stop any drips from falling on them and paint away. start with a thin coat and build it up as thick as possible. a layer 3-4mm is easily obtained.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/9/web/2961000-2961999/2961641_52_full.jpg

do the areas of the arch that are between you and the cabin. no use deadening the engine firewall etc.


Other comments:
This difference was instantly noticeable! almost no tyre noise!

if you were to use the entire 4l drum of deadener that would only be about 4-5kgs of weight. the whole drum isn't needed to do the car tho. i only used 3/4of the tin to do a very heavy coat on the rear and 2 heavy coats on the front. for hardcore save weighters not for you but those in bigger cars or those wanting a quiter ride but don't mind a extra 2-3kgs definately worth the 40 bucks for the deadener!

[Lukey]

Nice one, I'll have to try this one day.

[SHOGUNOVDDRK]

Very good write up mate :angel:

Might i add for general population sake what type of brush was used to apply this?

Btw Have you sound deadened the inside wheel arche's in the back?

Friend did that and that also made a Big difference ;)

[55EXX]

i just used a cheap old wide paint brush. it wrecks them afterwards so any brush will do as long as your willing to part with it.

i did 2 coats front wheels and a very heavy coat on the rear. made a massive difference.

for those that don't know my car i did this (http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1503012&postcount=33) and then this (http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1503033&postcount=35) to it and i could still hear a big difference

[GIPONU]

would u know where to sound deaden to reduce cabin drone?lol

[STiR]

Some of these sound deadening methods are quite tasteful I must admit. This, coming from someone who has no carpets, insulation, tar sound deadening etc....

I might place some insulation strategically to 'tune' the sorts of noises I get coming through to the cabin.

[vinnY]

out of curiosity how much total weight was added to your eg 55exx?

[55EXX]

to guess i'd say no more than 40 kg. i've done EVERYTHING.... nearly. wouldn't mind more.... somewhere... i know the front firewall i haven't done. could not be f**ked taking the dash off! done the doors, wheel arches, floor, boot, rear qtr panels and felt in boot and floor. the wheels arches would only be less than 4kg tho as i used less than 3L so far now after bout 3 layers.

my hidden secret
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/9/web/2961000-2961999/2961641_33_full.jpg

i've got 2 bulk packs plus heaps of flashtac plus deadening felt plus paint on stuff. basically $700~ of sound dampening. click my sig link to see my semi build thread. haven't bothered adding more. might make a proper one when i get time. i've done heaps since that ancient thread.

GIPONU : for exhaust drone thats all in the mufflers man. that is a whole car resonance. you could deaden the boot like i did in my thread (approx $60 going cheapie, dynamat painted with brush on gear and felted would be heaps more) but that would be no where near as effective as another hotdog put in your exhaust (~$60). dollar for dollar the extra hotdog would eat the deadening alive.

STiR : i would also be looking into strategically placing closed cell foam between panels etc that vibrate against other panels etc. you can buy it at bunnings too. being closed cell it doesn't hold moisture so it is safe to use and is also adhesive backed, like tape, so its heaps easy too.

this is my daily car i did over 50k in it last year the deaden has been a life saver. it made my car no longer feel noisy, thin, rattly and changed it into a newer more luxurious feeling ride. i was actually amazed how much sound the arches removed hence why the DIY i posted. it was so good i had to share.

i have holidays coming up and might make a proper build thread to actively kill time.

[JasonGilholme]

Respect! :thumbsup:

I've done the exact opposite and i can tell you that driving on the highway with my headunit cranking my little speakers as loud as they go, still doesn't make the music loud enough to hear. haha.

[55EXX]

going down the noisy concrete m1 i cannot even hear the road noise past my music :thumbsup:

taking out your deadener. respect :thumbsup:

each to their own. i'd love to buy another eg si and tear the inside out like Marko's ek. no $$$$$ for another car.... not yet anyway... looking into buying a house. bye bye car mods.

[STiR]

This is what my daily driver interior looks like:
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/4603/n7285790279792565939qs8.th.jpg (http://img150.imageshack.us/my.php?image=n7285790279792565939qs8.jpg)

Will add some carpet and insulation in the back I think, and I'll put the rear plastics back on with some foam under there. I'll try and keep it light, will avoid tar. Though some tar on the wheel arches (3-4kg) is acceptable i think, if it considerably cuts down tyre noise (I have noisey AZENIS RT615s)...

[55EXX]

talking of respect heaps props to you man! :thumbsup:

yeah its tough with something like that. i'd get in the back while someone is driving and put your finger/hands on panels sus of vibrating and feel them. if you can physically feel that panel vibrating it might help doing that area. tar deadener acts in 2 ways, it adds weight and slows vibration due to the increased force required to move that panels increased weight and absorbs that kinetic energy and turns it into heat in the tar, unnoticeable. if it is quite violent in its vibration, the amount of weight needed increases which might be bad in your case, structurally increasing that panels resistance to movement, that creates sound, also does the same thing.

good luck man.

[Banzai69]

mate, this thread is EXACTLY what i am looking for.

I got my ride late last year and one of the problems with it is that i live around heavily trammed areas in Melbourne and driving on the concrete and tram lines produces tons of road and tyre noises, which i suspect is coming in through the wheel arches. This really does affect the comfort of the ride and it bothers me to no end. :( Looking for something cheap to do to fix this up and came across this thread.

Just 2 quick questions,
1) Given a limited budget (these are tough times), what would you do to dampen external sounds first, in terms of value for money? Would this be it?
2) What brand of the sound deadener (you mentioned a 4L drum) did you use and where did you buy it? Possible to buy it at Bunnings?

Thanks in advance!

[55EXX]

it is possible to deaden quite effectively on a tight budget. the 4L drum was bought from super cheap. this alone is a lot! tho it works well in car it does smell for about a fortnight after.

bang for buck would be that painted in the wheel arches and floor pan near the tyre. make sure you scrub back the whole area clean and paint on. this will greatly reduce tyre noise.

this could also be poured into the spare wheel well and spread around the area quite thick then have dampening felt layed over that like in my current eg, click my sig link to have a browse.

otherwise flashtac it a cheap alternative to dynamat etc and can be bought in rolls from bunnings. it is used to cover cracks in roofs and can be found in the roofing section under flashing. it is cheaper than dynamat but to have the same affect 2-3 layers would be needed, which in turn up its cost to equal that of dynamat. one layer of this is better than none. areas to do again would be the spare wheel well and boot area, if desired followed by paint on gear and felt. also the outer door skin of your doors, area nearest to the tyres if only wanting to be really sparing, or you can use the paint on stuff but be careful not to block the water drainage hole in the bottom of the door.

i found the wheels arches (including floor pan near tyre), outer door card near tyres and boot to give the biggest effect. flashtac/paint on deadener focusing on large unstructured areas prone to vibrating and those near the noise source would be the areas of most effectiveness and should be targeted first.

you will read in many places about the quality on flashtac. this is purely crap. from my experience and others, i have to say it is all about the surface preparation! clean it back! course rag and prep sol/wax and grease remover. it is just like paint. prep the surfaces as if you were painting it. i have used flashtac many times and will continue to use it as i have never had an issue with it coming off. on the other hand if you ever want it off. just like stock deadener dry ice and a chisel/mallet.

glad to be of help

i'll write up a 'complete guide to sound deadening your vehicle' as a master guide and re type the topics covered here i think. instead of this dragged out thread. something to kill time with on my holidays.

[Banzai69]

alritey thanks mate, i'll drop by supercheap one of these days to get that 4L drum of sound deadener paint. i better read and re-read your pointers above. Not too handy but this can't be too tough :p

Once i've fixed it up, i'll check back in here, probably some time in April.

[55EXX]

any questions man just pm me i'll give you any tips but it really is dead simple. good luck

[beeza]

Awesome job!!

[redefine]

nice job man. i would do this, but i have a hole in my firewall, so driving noise is pretty high anyway :|

[55EXX]

do you get water in rainy condition etc comes through it? on my mates sprinter with flared guards we cut the inner stock guard away not realising the hole created. one drive on a cruise one day during rain i found myself scooping water out of his car as the floor filled with it. sikaflex fixed it.

[redefine]

nah not really, its just behind the battery (behind the manifold), and the top of the bonnet has a channel that directs the water away from it.

i wouldnt mind blocking it up and using deadening, cause on the highways, tyre noise + engine noise is quite annoying, but untill i block up the hole, the deadening wont do much.

[funworld]

Thanks 55EXX for this write up :thumbsup: I'm giving this a try ... took me a while to do just one wheel arch. Lol, noob :o

[preludeIVgen]

definitely a great solution to a common problem, i will be trying it on my lude very soon. although i googled this body deadening stuff and i found an ACCC warning (http://www.recalls.gov.au/view_recall_detail.php?Recall_ID_Auto=16007) for it!
- should be fine to use unless you start eating the s*** i spose :eek:

[juns]

hey mate nice diy just wondering where you picked up your 4litres of sound deadener
cheeers

[preludeIVgen]

i just bought some from autobarn but they might need to order it in for you. i paid about $42. just waiting for melbournes weather to clear before i start strippin the wheel arches!