Sound deadening installation

Haughey Was Framed

I'm looking to find someone to install sound deadening material in the doors of my Mazda 6.

It's a comfortable motorway cruiser and I love everything about it, but it's definitely not as quiet as some of the German cars. From looking around UK/US owner forums it seems like doors are a good place to start.

I had a search through the archives and found some people who installed the insulation themselves, however I have a 100% unbroken record of never getting a piece of interior trim back on right. I just bought this car and it's the newest I've ever owned (151), so I'd like it to stay intact a little bit longer.

I found AutoStyle in Kilkenny and they even gave a reasonable quote, but I'm in Dublin and they don't work weekends. It'd be great not to have to take a full day off work to get it done.

Any suggestions on who I could try in the Dublin/Wicklow area? Or anywhere in the country that could do it on a Saturday?

Thanks!

TherapyBoy

I.C.E. in Ranelagh or Safesounds in Drumcondra will both do it for you. But be aware, to do it well takes time & the sound deadening itself tends to be very heavy & expensive.

Haughey Was Framed

Excellent, thanks for the tips!

colm_mcm

Look at the tyres that are on the car too as this can make a huge difference.

Haughey Was Framed

Yeah, it's on Bridgestones and I've heard there're much quieter Yokohamas in the same size. Just need to wear out what's on it first

freddyuk

https://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/category/129/sound-damping

The Rape of Lucretia

colm_mcm wrote: »

Look at the tyres that are on the car too as this can make a huge difference.

Can make quite a dramatic difference. Linglongs are especially excellent in this regard.

Esel

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

Can make quite a dramatic difference. Linglongs are especially excellent in this regard.

Do you sell tyres?

bazz26

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

Can make quite a dramatic difference. Linglongs are especially excellent in this regard.

Your not very good at this are you?

Esel wrote: »

Do you sell tyres?

Na, he mainly deals in Linglongs, Sunnys and Triangles.

Mr.David

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

Can make quite a dramatic difference. Linglongs are especially excellent in this regard.

Because you will be stopped completely in dead silence upside down in a ditch?

Mr.David

I'd say you need to think about what the source of the noise is primarily. Is it engine noise, road noise or wind noise? The approach to resolving each could be quite different.

Haughey Was Framed

Mr.David wrote: »

I'd say you need to think about what the source of the noise is primarily. Is it engine noise, road noise or wind noise? The approach to resolving each could be quite different.

Yep, it's true there're likely multiple aspects. From the research I've done on owners forums it seems like doors and tyres make most difference. Wheel wells, bonnet, etc. not so much.

noelf

Would you be undoing all the work Mazda did to make the car as light as possible for best fuel consumption with it's Skyactiv technology. .

Haughey Was Framed

noelf wrote: »

Would you be undoing all the work Mazda did to make the car as light as possible for best fuel consumption with it's Skyactiv technology. .

My last car was a petrol Forester, so the Mazda already feels like stealing when I pull up at the pump. I lost 20kg of fat over the last couple years too, so I have a bit of a weight budget to play with

It stays parked up during the week and I'm usually on a motorway headed for the coast at weekends, so fuel consumption isn't a major concern. I might be a bit more bothered by changes to handling, but most of the time it's pointing straight anyway.

brownacid

Be mindful of reducing the masking noise when you start adding your own insulation. You might not like the sounds that come above the surface!

Above 80kph around 95% of the masking/background noise in a car is wind/tyre noise. Best places to start would be your door seals, boot liner and door panels as you say.

In terms of powertrain noise, your exhaust could be a big contributor to low frequency booms, you could get an aftermarket muffler to reduce noise but likely would end up decreasing your cars power too.

You could always go made on your bonnet firewall with a bit of foam-lead-foam, which would kill most of your engine noise at low speeds.

Worth bearing in mind that the big German cars your comparing to, especially if more recent vintage will most likely come with active noise cancellation which will take care of the low frequency cabin noises.

wing52

I find that the bose qc30 earphones do a great job at reducing the low pitched noise from the tyres and wind!

They can be set to let outside sounds through so safety is not an issue .

They can be got for around 300 euro and can be linked up with phones via Bluetooth and are rechargeable.

Haughey Was Framed

Thanks for all the tips and advice.

I tried ICE in Ranelagh first (it's closer to where I live) and they suggested SafeSounds in Drumcondra. Cost was €150/door, took a few hours but it's quite a professional job. No sign of any change on the interior (would not be the case if I'd done it myself).

I get a much more pleasingly solid thunk when I close the doors now. It was nearly worth it for that alone.

On the move, noise is definitely reduced. I wish I'd been more scientific about it but I usually listen to podcasts (and care about hearing voices clearly), I can comfortably listen with the volume about 15% to 20% lower than before. It's 1kg of material per door, so the car is 4kg heavier now — obviously not noticeable

SafeSounds were easy to deal with, got a booking for 2 days after I called. The guy seemed to know his stuff, talked through all the options, showed me the material he was going to use. There was no hassle, no drama, car was ready sooner than I expected. I'd happily go back if I needed anything similar done.

He did mention there was hardly any insulation in the doors from the factory, he was surprised by how minimal it was.

It was a bit of cash but I'm very happy with the results. I'll stick some quieter tyres on when my current Bridgestones get a bit lower, and that's probably as far as I'll go.

Thanks again for all the advice!

Stallingrad

Bridgestones are noisy alright. If looking for quiet tyres, and I've researched this at length, Sava Intense 2 or Fulda Sportcontrol (essentially the same tyre) are probably the quietest, good tyre out there.

zilog_jones

Do you know what type of material was used?

Haughey Was Framed

No idea I'm afraid. He showed me the brand, from the US, but I forget now.

Kenny Logins

Dynamat?

kerten

Goodyear Efficient Performance is a silent tyre if you are ok with faster wear. I always found michelins long lasting comparing to noise they produce.

Thanks OP for reporting back and sound deadening is one of the best upgrades you can do. Next change those factory speakers to something decent.

Haughey Was Framed

samih wrote: »

Thanks OP for reporting back and sound deadening is one of the best upgrades you can do. Next change those factory speakers to something decent.

Hehe  It's the factory Bose system, sounds fine to me... (for now).