This is going to sound a little silly, and maybe it is. I have an 05 r52 cooper S, and I'm planning on adding sound dampening to the doors and the rear of the car near the speakers and under the rear seats. This is mainly to improve sound quality, but I was just wondering how much engine sound it would take out. I actually really like the way the engine sounds, it's perfectly loud enough for me and it doesn't sound artificial like some of the new bmws I've driven. So how much of that sound is the dampening material going to take out? I really don't want it to sound as artificial as some of the newer luxury sports sedans.

 

I sound-deadened my '04 R53 from the rear bumper to the front of the front seats, plus the door interiors. I did not sound deaden from the front seats forward because the carpet there has thick foam under it that already reduces noise. I can tell you that it made quite a bit off difference reducing the sound from the rear end and exhaust but engine noise is still the same. I did add a CAI that made the supercharger noise louder which I like.