Lots of good info in this thread. Thanks to everyone who posted. I'm thinking about ordering some bulk Dynomat for my R53 to reduce road noise some. I don't mind engine noise (love it in fact) or exhaust noise (ditto) ... it's that tire drone I want to kill.

Based on Shutterbug's recommendations , it looks like the first places to tackle are the rear wheel wells and doors.

 

Is there any way to do the front wheel wells from the car's interior?

 

No.

 

Just painted (with a brush) 4 coats of Quietcar http://www.quietcar.net/ in the wheel wells and it made a huge difference. You cannot hear the tires in front (or rear) much anymore, and the engine is quieter. I also removed everything behind the front seats and installed Raam mat, covering about 3/4 of the area and placing their ensolite foam over the interior side quarter panels and adjacent wheel well bulges and in the speaker housing. Trying to fix the amp rattle the dealer could not do properly. I think the quietcar made more of a difference in silencing the Mini. I bought a gallon and still have half left over. It is water based and cleans up easily. I covered the brakes/axles with trash bags. If you do this I recommend placing a temporary bolt into the front fenders two screw holes so you do not paint them over and cannot find them later. On the rear wheel wells there are two screws that stick into the well that the liner goes over and have nuts. Cover the screws with duct tape so you do not paint over them.

I also painted it inside the area that holds the tire jack. No reason you could not paint the entire inside, but it takes several coats and you have to wait for it to dry.

 

Good to know there's something else out there that works besides the dynamat type products.

 

This thread is an awesome resource thanks to all of you tinkerers. I know the mini is a sports car and I enjoy the gruff sound of the 4 pot but is there anywhere I can dynamat to help cut down on the drone that fills the cabin when cruising in 5th and 6th gear? Thanks!

 

I did the wheel wells with 8 coats of a spray on product from Second Skin. It worked well to reduce the higher frequency noise but, very little actual db reduction. Maybe a 2-4 db reduction when I was all done with the project. I then replaced all four tires as they were starting to get low on tread. I went with Bridgestone Potenza RE-11. Very noticeable reduction on road noise.

I most recently removed the entire upper dash pad and applied Damplifier PRO to as much of the underside surface as I could without causing any issues with the re-installation. I also applied it to every piece of the dash that I could to reduce vibrations. I did the dash pad to get rid of rattles/vibrations that the dealer "could not reproduce" more so than trying to quiet the car down. But, it did work for both. No more rattles and helped to reduce road noise as well. I can actually use the bluetooth function in the car now without it sounding like I'm in a wind tunnel on the other end of the phone.

I'd have to say, my two biggest complaints with the car is the high level of road noise inside the car and the crappy HiFi stereo.

 

I am using Stinger Roadkill Expert sound dampening. It's just like Dynamat. Cuts easy and sticks great. I HIGHLY recommend getting a RUBBER roller. I purchased the Dynamat Roller and it is invaluable when it comes to applying the mats. I also flip it over and use the wooden handle to press those hard-to-reach corners down. The Stinger mats are not difficult to remove either if you need to. I am multi-layering it in my trunk and back seat area and throwing a layer of Ensolite on top of it. I had driven around for 2 weeks with my entire rear compartment stripped for my audio install. It is still removed but I covered the trunk and spare tire wells and now it sounds like I have the interior back in. I still need the rear quarters and rear seat bottoms to do. I imagine it will make a significant difference.

I kinda went all-in to make my driving experience better. I replaced my run-flats at the same time as doing my audio install and sound deadening project. Overall it should be a night and day difference for me.

-z

 

If you're looking to reduce noise, stop using deadeners. That's not what they're for. You want something like mass loaded vinyl and closed cell foam.

 

just stumbled across this thread and all I can say is THANK YOU !
just bought a mini one 2007 with pirelli p3000 tyres ... I have tinnitus and the road noise from these tyres is really intrusive etc ... so maybe instead of finding quieter tyres I should see if I can find a local body shop that will fit the dynamat in the rear wheel wells as a start to see if that helps ..as Im in the UK I'll have to see if I can find a stockist of the QUIET barrier you mention and try that in the front

so a resounding thank you for sharing ..

best wishes

simon

 

simon, if you can remove the rear seat etc you can remove the fender liners. There are only a couple clips you pry out and a couple of small nuts on bolts. You can see them all with a light. The fender liner comes right out. I painted the inside fender area with quietcar www.quietcar.com However shipping to the UK may be cost prohibitive due to the weight. I would consider lining the inner fenders with the similar stuff available in the UK to what is mentioned above or any dynamat similar product. It is clean under the liners and they will not see much dirt or moisture due to the fender liners. They just have to stay attached in whatever extreme temperatures you may encounter. It made a big difference in reducing tire noise in my dear departed MINI (replaced by a Lexus CT200h to which I plan to do the same job on the inner fenders)

 

Resurrecting old thread-

Holy Crap what a difference. I started to be annoyed at my Beloved Clubman with the road noise in Texas. In NJ, the roads were a dream in comparison. Here, the road noise made the hands free Bluetooth phone unusable. I used Dynamat on the front wheel wells only and the reduction of hwy noise was dramatic.

I also used it under the rear seat, but it was less of a result. I am going to apply it to the rear wheel wells today.

Thanks to this thread for the idea. It was well worth it and probably the best money I have spent on the car so far.

 

I second how awesome this thread is. Did a ton of research, probably more than I should have, and settled on the Mcmaster Carr adhesive sound dampers (9709T39) and Quietcar / Quietcoat for the wheel wells. I didn't love the idea of having adhesive sheets on the wells for fear that they'd loosen in the cold WI winter. I think I'll do a base layer of QC inside too and overlay the mcmaster.

Then I can finally drive and talk on BT in peace.

 

Roof Sealing Tape.. Called Peel and Seal.. 6" wide rolls, $7 at the home center. Every good as Dynomat.. I've used it for years without issues on various vehicles. I plan to do the rear floor area of my car when I have it apart for speakers..

 

Be sure to post pics!

 

Peal and Seal... Thanks! after years of looking at DynaMat and the likes and not spending the $$, glad to see a reasonable alternative. There's even multiple auto related reviews on Lowe's site for the product!

 

I gotta give props to yall that did the full soundproofing. After lining my interior with the Mcmaster mats (minus door panels which I hear are a pain) and the two rear wheel wells, I'm done with this project.

Started taking the liner off my front passenger wheel well last weekend and was horrified to see how painstaking it'd be. Stripped one of the torx screws and decided to call it quits.

This project is not for the light of heart and I'd say things are better but not great. I think the design of this car results in a louder ride per se. Put my rear bench back (removed rear seats previously) and things are even better.

Aside from the awful dash ergonomics, the road noise is my second biggest gripe about my MCS. Once I wear out these runflats, I'm getting some low noise tires. Hope I dont have to sacrifice the sexy low profile tire look though.

 

Just pull up some of the carpeting near the front wheel well fender areas and slap down a McMaster pad to help quiet the road noise. You do not need complete coverage, just fitting some in that area will help.

I see you were going to get some Quietcoat/Quietcar. Did you buy it? It is the perfect thing to use under the fender liners you unfortunately, were unable to remove.

 

The Torx screw I stripped is holding the rear section of the front wheel well liner. When I pulled back what liner I could, most of front area just reveals the headlight/bumper section, which has no surface to cover nor do I think it creates noise. What area do you mean I should cover?

Quietcoat Co. got purchased and no longer sells their product so I went with . Great customer service and gave me a discount by ordering direct. I can't compare it to anything else, but they gave me some Dynamat-style pads and they are much stickier than the McMaster. I would go w/ GTMat over Mcmaster if I did it again.

BTW, tennis ball + heat gun works great on the pads.

Maybe when I've forgotten the pain of this project, I'll do the driver side front well... still can't do bluetooth on the highway.

 

You only need to focus on the part of the fender closest to the passenger compartment.

 

Yeah, I figured. That's where the stripped Torx is.

Interesting that you said to put the quietcoat/GTmat on the liner. I tried that on one of the rear liners and it seemed kind of strange so I stopped. I don't understand how these felt liners could produce noise?

 

I removed the fender liners and painted the QuietCar on the car metal that is covered by the felt fender liner. Had the car on jackstands in my garage for almost a week.

I added lots of Rmat to the interior at the same time. However, I have taken several cars apart before this project.

I just used up my remaining QuietCar doing the fenders on my CT200h and learned there are other similar liquid sound deadener products to replace QuietCar. These include GT Liqui-Damp ( I think same folks that made your GTmat ) and Lizard Skin.

 

I bow my head in honor of all those who came before me.

I thank you. Thank You.

This past month in preparation for MITO 2013, I installed dynamat extreme in the front & rear wheel wells and flat surfaces in the boot and underneath the rear seats. A total of 27 lbs. It has made such a difference for us. Now I can talk to my nav, use BT, and listen to Willie Nelson. Since I have some sheets left, next I will attempt the doors and the quarter panels behind the speakers only. Hopefully I accomplish this before I get drafted for the holiday honey doos.

 

Well I bit the bullet and finished the project last night. Those Torx screws in the front wheel wells are a ***** to get out! It has made a significant difference, though not the tomb I was unrealistically hoping for. Managed to have a conference call on the road today. Someone asked what that droning noise was, but what can you do when you like in Milwaukee? Roads are rubbish here. Overall, project was worth the trouble. Used all but a cup of my liquid dampener.

 

Dampener is not the same as deadener. If you wanted quiet then you needed something like mass-loaded vinyl instead of a CLD or liquid dampener.