If you are considering making your car quieter but don’t want to mess with the engine or inspect car sounds yourself, sound deadening your vehicle is what you can do instead. This may not apply to newer vehicles, but if you want to go one step further with yours, you can still install a sound deadening material. While there are a lot of such materials, one that springs to mind the most is a mass loaded vinyl barrier.
This type of barrier is made from vinyl which has been filled with either barium sulphate or calcium carbonate. The elasticity and viscosity of MLV allows it to change its shape without cracking or deforming. This is crucial as this way sound that comes from your car is absorbed into the material and slowly decreased. MLV is also known for keeping vehicles cooler and enhancing the surround system. If your vehicle comes with sound insulation, you needn’t do anything but if it doesn’t – you need to install some MLV.
Contents
How To Install Mass Loaded Vinyl
Preparation
Good preparation will help you make the most out of the materiel and spare you from spending more time than needed for this job. Mass loaded vinyl requires three things in order to be properly installed: a razor, rubbing alcohol and a roller. Before you start installing the barrier you’ll need to prepare your vehicle by stripping the interior in order to get to the bear metal. You’ll need to clean the vehicle from any debris, oils and rust too in order for the mass loaded vinyl to stick to the surface. Remember this type of installation is for the long run, so the material need to stay in place for as long as can which is bets done with a clean surface.
Installing MLV
1. Installing a mass loaded vinyl barrier will not be the same on every part of the vehicle because the material needs to be measured and cut accordingly. You can install MLV on the doors, floor, roof and boot too but you’ll have to take your time with measuring precisely and cutting each piece. Make sure to have everything planned out before you start putting up the sound deadening material.
2. Before you start sticking MLV on your car, first clean up the debris using a vacuum cleaner and make sure you’re thorough. Once that’s done, get rubbing alcohol and apply some on the bare metal with a soft cloth. Make sure you cover every nook and cranny with it so that the pieces of MLV stick on it properly. Any debris or oils can make the job for the adhesive extremely hard and the material can fall off quickly. You can also cut the material while applying it to the metal – just cut it with the razor where you want it to end before you cover an area with it.
3. To apply the MLV insulation on any area first peel of a bit of the backing, usually the top half is a better solution but if you want you can peel of the whole backing. Put the exposed adhesive on the area you want it to cover and apply some pressure with your hands. Get the roller and do the same thing but more thoroughly so that no air is left between the metal and the adhesive. This can be tedious but doing it properly will go a long way. Once this task is finished, you’ll just need to put back the interior and you’re done.
Additional Sound Deadening Tips
Tire Change
Sometimes insulation is just not enough, which is why you may also need to change your tyres. Since they are the only component that touches the ground they can have a big impact on road noise. The vibrations from the road and engine can be quite hefty on tyres and over time the noise can become even more apparent.
Tire Width & Size
Width and size are the two main factors when considering getting tyres that can effectively reduce the noise coming from your car. If low-profile tyres are your thing, you’ll need to forget about them since they are not as effective as high-profile ones. While the former are more visually attractive, they provide the least amount of rubber between the metal and concrete. The more rubber there is between the two the better as rubber much like MLV can absorb much of the sound coming form both the metal and concrete.
When it comes to the width of the tyres, you should go for the thicker ones. The more surface area there is in contact with the road the better as this way more vibrations are absorbed and less noise is generated. You’ll also want to put the narrowest possible wheels your vehicle can work with. This helps reduce noise since there will be less metal for vibrations to come in contact with.