I'd like to Dynamat the doors in my R55 but I've heard a lot of weird things about the process. The goal is to eliminate buzzing/rattling, some road noise, and improve speaker sound. After a lot of searching, these were the only instructions that popped up.

A few quick questions for those who have done this:

• Is this really as hard as people say? What problems should you be ready for?
• Do you need to cover the entire panel?
• Can adding Dynamat or opening the panel affect the window mechanism?

And results:

• Was it worth it?
• How much of a reduction in road noise can be expected?
• How much of an improvement in sound?

Thanks, I hope this thread clears up these questions as I know they're on other people's minds as well!

 

I've read that you don't need to cover every inch with Dynamat to stop a panel vibrating. I'm not sure how that affects sound blocking.

The recommendation I've read for best sound blocking is to put down Dynamat, then cover that with 1/8" or 1/4" closed cell foam, with mass loaded vinyl on top of the foam. Not sure there would be room for all of that in the door.

I ran across "Lightweight Vinyl Sound Damping Sheet" at Part-Express, and wonder if it wouldn't be good in the doors?

My concern would be that after all the work to access the door panel, just using Dynamat in might not produce the optimum result.

Whatever you do, let us know how it comes out.

 

This is the stuff you want to buy. http://www.raamaudio.com/

Much cheaper than Dynamat, better product, easy to install and they also sell the correct foam to insulate.

 

Would all of that fit in the door of the Mini without disrupting the window mechanism, though?

 

Yes. I have done several cars, but not the Mini. I am about to order a 2010. You remove the interior panel ( I am sure there are instructions somewhere on this forum, it is not that hard, most cars are similar if you have done a few ). The trick is to leave the window up and hope the holes are large enough to reach through and around the window mechanism to install enough pieces of deadening material. You cut it into appropriately sized pieces and just press it on and sometimes use a roller to seal it better against the paint. You want more in the area just behind the speakers with some additional foam applied on top to absorb standing waves. Do not block the drain holes at the bottom. Watch out for wires. Try not to cut your hands up on the window mechanism frame, they often have sharp edges. On my last car, an Infiniti G35, it was easier to unbolt and remove the entire window mechanism than to work around it and slice up your hands. The Raam mat site has lots of tips and photos. It also helps with tire and road noise by installing under the rear hatch area, rear seat and front foot area near the tires, also behind the rear speakers. Or just cover the entire floor, and doors, but that is a several day project gutting the interior. Look at this door install link at Raam http://www.raamaudio.com/index.php?o...d=51&Itemid=63

I advise just to deaden the outer door skin behind the speakers.

 

There are a number of companies that offer competitors to Dynamat. Another source is here: http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/products/cld

I used Dynamat before I knew of these alternatives. So, I haven't really tried any of them. However, deadening panel vibrations is only half the battle. You also need to absorb or block sound. These panel deadeners don't do a lot of that.

I see that RAAMaudio has closed cell foam as their second line of defence against unwanted sound. According to Sound Deadener Showdown, closed cell foam doesn't do much on its own. You would have to use a very thick layer to absorb the low frequencies in car noise, and there isn't enough room in a car for that. They recommend a barrier method, rather than absorption. Closed cell foam is just used to isolate this barrier from the car panels.

 

Robin, you mentioned that total Dynamat coverage with your rear-seat-delete may have been too much. How much do you think the door would need to be covered? Maybe 75% of the door, with most Dynamat (or other material) directly behind the speakers?

Still hoping to hear from someone who has Dynamat'd their own doors... might just have to try it and figure it out . What is supposed to be so hard about it?

 

All I know is what I read on the internet.

To stop the metal panel from vibrating, supposedly, you don't need to cover it all. Sound Deadener Showdown claims that with their substitute for Dynamat you only need 25% coverage. However, you are still left with sound coming through, even if the panel isn't resonating.

Read this page: http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/products/cld
There is a nice little example with sound file of a square sheet of 22 gauge steel undamped and damped.

I think their point about not needing to do all the irregular surfaces and corners is probably true because they don't tend to resinate like a smooth panel.

The question becomes, what do you do about sound transmission in the doors?

So far, I've mostly ignored the doors and just put DynaXorb panels directly behind the 6.5" speaker. When I'm done with the fresh air intake area behind the engine bay, and my bulkhead and cover for the rear (replacing the rear seat) then I'll worry about the doors.