sound deadening wheel arches

[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

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 I'm giving this a try ... took me a while to do just one wheel arch. Lol, noob

[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 for it!
- should be fine to use unless you start eating the s*** i spose

[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!