Well just finished the stereo install on my MCS 2010. I insulated based more on the "Sound Deading Showdown" philosophy.
I used sound deadeners (Dynamat etc) sparingly maybe 4 sheets in the whole car. I tapped on the sheet metal and found the sweet spots and stuck the stuff down.
Then I used a combination of these products.
http://www.acoustiguard.com/absorber...s/abcmenuC.htm
For instance in the doors I used to strips on Dynamat then I contact cemented the Barymat BM-1C to the outside door skin in 4 pieces I then used foil duct tape on the joints (which I overlapped ) an the top and side edges - I left the bottom edge free so any moisture could drain.
In the back speaker cavity I used the Barymat BTMM-14C. I also stuffed this in the panels where the back wheel wells are.
I wrapped and taped (foil tape) the wheel wells behind the back side panels with the BM-1C. Also put some in the back boot lid.
I didn't touch the floor or the firewall.
I've disconnected the noisemaker and have non runflats.
The results are astounding. Not quite "tomblike" but very close. The doors are now the quietest part of the car. I was going to insulate the wheel wells on the exterior with "Spectrum Sludge" (I already bought it) but I don;t think there is any point.
Although the barrier materials are heavy they aren't much heavier than "Dynamat" buch much much more effective.
The best part....Total cost $200!!!
For all those who want a quieter car this is definately the way to go.

 

So, the doors made a big difference? How big a deal was taking the doors apart?

 

Nice! I got all excited and hoped you had pulled the carpet, but good to know this was enough for you.

Don at SDS is a great guy, and I HIGHLY recommend his products. Like em better than anything else I have used. Nice find on the AcousticGuard stuff too!

 

Robin. Pulling everything was pretty easy. The door center panels hardest part is locating the 3 screws. Get a small rachet - I used the one from my son's tool set. I could pull both doors and put them back now..in 20-30 minutes flat.
You need to run the sheets to roughly and inch above the door sill. Although sound wise it is better to run them all the way. Sound is like water - it can always find a way in. The less gaps the better.

 

The noise in my car is starting to drive me crazy honestly. In the last two days I feel like I've gained more rattles and creaks and squeaks in my car than ever! IT'S DRIVING ME INSANE!
Its driving me insane to the point where I want something else, to the point I wish I didn't have the sun roof. that's how bad it is. But I cant do that, I cant betray my MINI, So I want to strip the entire interior. everything, and I want to dynamatt the whole thing, floor to roof, although I know this will either be an extremely expensive job to bring to someone else or a very difficult job for me. But it has to be done, I'm going to be in this car far too much over the next two years to just deal with it. And I don't always want to have to crank the stereo like the MA's tell me, especially at 630 am. It's BS that this car is built like sh*t for what we pay,

How is pulling the interior apart btw? did you take the rear out?

I'm definitely going to need someone's help that has done this before.

 

Dynamat wont help you much with rattles and squeaks. That is a different issue than reducing road noise. If the roar (or whine) of the tires on the road is bugging you, then sound insulation is what you want. To fix rattles and squeaks, look for threads on the particular rattle or squeak concerning you. I believe there have been threads about sunroof rattles, but not having a sunroof, I haven't paid attention to them.

 

I've had my dealer pull my dash twice to fix a squeak now. they ground down some protruding bolts last time, added some felt tape to the tach and some behind the pass airbag area. The squeak came back after two months, and this time they felt taped basically everything and replaced the kick panel because they jacked it up.

It's gone for now, but it's unacceptable for them to not do anything about it. Press for the felt tape solution or try another dealer.

 

Sorry for not getting back to you guys but here's what I'm thinking.
My plan is that I want to reduce road noise and also quite the car up, our cars are put together like toys. My plan is to add deadinging material to the bare metal and parts of the plastic interior trim. Also I would likely be adding soft material between the connection points of plastic panels to eliminate any noise eminateing from there. while I have the car apart I would be inspecting the trim for anything that is loose and or possibly causing any noise.
Where I am getting most of the noise in my car is from
The Rear of the car.
The passenger side door
The section of roof between the two panes of glass.
I am planing on using Dynamatt extreme and DynaLiner together. this will add mass to the vibrating panels and add more resistance to the incoming sound from outside the car.
tires are getting worn down too so it looks like I'll be switching to regulars soon.

It's not that they havent done anything about it it's just that they either just keep coming back or they cant get them in the first place. thats why i'd rather pull it apart myself and take care of them.

 

Dynamat is a vibration damping material. It reduces vibration of panels. It is not a sound barrier. For best soundproofing you would want a vibration damper, an isolation layer such as closed cell foam, and a barrier material such as mass loaded vinyl.

DynaLiner appears to be just a closed cell foam. While this may reduce some high-frequency noise it really doesn't do much as a sound barrier.

Take a look at Sound Deadener Showdown. You will find good info there about what you need, and quality products at less than Dynamat prices. If you want easier to use panels of CCL and MLV take a look at Luxury Liner Pro from Seconds Skin.

 

uhm, im sorry I feel like your response is a little unclear...

The Dynamatt is a vibration damping material which is a MLV which you are suggesting I should get. that would be the first layer.
Then the second layer is the Dynaliner, which is the CCL.

Are you suggesting a different company other than Dynamatt?
I can get the 72 sq-ft of dynmatt and 72 sq-ft of dynaliner for ~$500 off of ebay.
How much did you use in the back of your mini btw?

 

No, MLV is a barrier material, not vibration damping. Dynamat is a tar-like substance on a heavy aluminum foil backing. It is also known as "constrained layer damper" (CDL), and conforms well to various shaped surfaces.

MLV is mass loaded vinyl. It tends to be a fairly stiff sheet of black vinyl which is loaded with something to make it heavier.
http://www.soundproofingamerica.com/...aded-vinyl.asp

I used a Dynamat Xtreme Bulk Pak on my MCS because I did it before learning about Sound Deadener Showdown's site. I paid $170 for 36 sq. ft. on ebay. Sound Deadener's CDL tiles cost you $378 for 70 sq. ft. and are probably as good or better than Dynamat Xtreme. This is just Butyl on aluminum foil. CDL tiles are 2mm thick, Xtreme is 1.7mm. CDL claims to be tested at 400F for 8 hrs. while Dynamat Xtreme is rated for 300F. So, I'd say you would get more for your $$ at Sound Deadener Showdown.

That said, I don't think you need 70 sq. ft. Since it isn't a barrier material, you don't need to cover every sq. in. You just need to cover the center 25% of a panel. Before I understood that Dynamat is not a barrier material, I covered the entire back of my MCS. That took somewhere around 30 sq. ft. I probably could have used 10.

You do need to cover every sq. in. with barrier material, if practical.

Ideally, you would put down enough CDL to stop a panel from vibrating. Over that you would put a layer of CCF, and then a layer of MLV.

CCF and MLV are also available at building supplies that specialize in soundproofing. My MLV came from here before I learned of Sound Deadener Showdown. However, it was probably too thick and came in a 4x8 ft. sheet that was difficult to handle.

I highly recommend reading the home page of Sound Deadener Showdown.