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Re: Sound proofing Posted by REM in Seattle [Email] (#4) [Profile/Gallery] (more from REM in Seattle) on Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:55:55 In Reply to: Sound proofing, Johnhcarter [Profile/Gallery] , Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:50:17 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I have added a fair amount of sound proofing to my 1998 SET. Here is awrite up for you. Youa can also see picture in my Saabnet members photo gallery.
REM in Seattle
2005 Saab 9-3 Aero Convertible; Steel Gray metallic; 5-speed; 36,000 miles
1998 Saab 900SET; Silver metallic; 5-door; Automatic; 127,000 miles
SOUND DAMPING IN A NG900 5-DOOR.
By Rob Mustard (aka REM in Seattle)
Search word: rem_mod
Last updated â April 26, 2010
SOUND DAMPING
I mainly listen to jazz and blues and found the amount of road noise a bit too intrusive. So I decided to add sound damping and absorbing material where possible. The following details the current sound deadening material found in my 1998 SAAB 900SET 5-door and what modifications I made.
Front Wheel Wells and Floor Boards:
Under the carpet is a 0.070â thick asphalt mat covered by an approximately 0.090â thick white closed cell foam mat with a strong synthetic rubber backing. These two materials cover the entire area from the behind the dash, down the firewall to the beginning of the front seats, and from front left wheel well to right front wheel well including the center console.
There was no need, or much room, to add anything in this area.
Front Doors:
The interior door panel is made of a good quality pressed composite board. There are two pieces of rigid foam glued to the back of the interior door panel. Under the interior door panel is a foamed synthetic rubber membrane covering the entire inside door skin. The membrane is adhered to the door skin along the bottom edge and along both sides. The top is not adhered. Under this membrane is a smaller rubber membrane with an adhesive backing that covers the electric window motor assembly. The exterior door skin (the sheet metal skin that makes up the exterior surface of the car) has a piece of 0.070â thick asphalt sheet approx. 4â by 18â applied to the lower portion of the door skin. There are three pieces of rigid foam wedged in to the door. Two pieces are wedged at the bottom of the door between the inner and outer door skins, and one piece is wedged as a âstopperâ in the square opening of the inner door skin.
I added a piece of 0.060â thick Dynamat Super approx. 5â wide by the width of the door to the inside of the exterior door skin, just above the side collision reinforcing bar. I also added an 8â by 8â piece of Dynamat Super to the inside of the exterior door skin directly behind the door mounted mid-bass speaker. After replacing the factory rigid foam pieces, I then covered the lower half (approx. 12â high) of the interior door skin with Dynamat Premium. I then replaced the two factory rubber membranes and the interior door panel.
Rear Doors:
Like the front doors, the interior door panel is made of a good quality pressed composite board. There are two pieces of rigid foam glued to the back of the interior door panel. Under the interior door panel is a foamed synthetic rubber membrane covering the entire inside door skin. The membrane is adhered to the door skin along the bottom edge and along both sides. The top is not adhered. Under this membrane is a smaller rubber membrane with an adhesive backing that covers the electric window motor assembly. The exterior door skin (the sheet metal skin that makes up the exterior surface of the car) has a piece of 0.070â thick asphalt sheet approx. 4â by 18â applied to the lower portion of the door skin. There is a piece of rigid foam glued to the inside surface of the exterior door skin. There is also one piece of rigid foam wedged at the bottom of the door between the inner and outer door skins.
I added a piece of 0.060â thick Dynamat Super approx. 5â wide by 14â long to the inside of the exterior door skin, just above the side collision reinforcing bar. After replacing the factory rigid foam piece, I then covered the lower half (approx. 12â high) of the interior door skin with Dynamat Premium. I then replaced the two factory rubber membranes and the interior door panel.
Rear Cargo Area:
I exposed the rear cargo area by removing the carpet covering the wheel wells on each side, cargo area carpet mat, spare tire, tools, etc. The rear wheel wells each have three small pieces of 0.070â asphalt mat applied to them. One at the front of the wheel well, one at the middle, and one at the rear of the wheel well. The inside surface of the exterior skin of each rear quarter panel has one piece of 0.070â asphalt mat approx. 4â by 18â attached to it. There is also an 8â by 24â piece of soft foam wrapped in plastic inserted between the inner and outer skins of the quarter panels on each side. There is a 0.070â asphalt mat covering the cargo floor above the rear muffler. The hatch lid has no sound damping material at all.
I covered the rear wheels wells with Dynamat Super. I also covered the exposed cargo floor on each side of the spare wheel well with Dynamat Super. I then covered the spare tire well with Dynamat Premium. I used some left over scraps of Dynamat Premium to cover the rear speaker shelves and to apply to the hatch lid. I also applied about 6 square feet of 0.75â thick Soundcoat sound absorbing foam (similar to Dynaliner by Dynamat) behind the carpet in the area around the rear speakers.
Conclusion:
The additional sound deadening seems to have reduced the road noise by about 10-25%. The doors close with a more vault like âthunkâ. The mid-bass speakers seem to be a bit clearer, and there is less sympathetic vibration apparent in the door at loud volumes. There is definitely a lot less road noise from the rear cargo area of the car. I would guess that the Dynamat claim of a 3 dB reduction in the road noise level is about right. The sound damping in the rear wheel wells and cargo area is probably the most important aspect of this improvement. I would rate this âexperimentâ as $250 and 2 days well spent.
Additional Notes:
I used one 12 square foot sheet of Dynamat Super (a 0.060â thick rubberized material with a 5 mil aluminum foil covering on one side and pressure sensitive adhesive on the other side) and two 13 square foot sheets of Dynamat Premium (a 0.045â thick mineral filled rubberized material with pressure sensitive adhesive on one side). I purchased the material from Crutchfield (http://www.crutchfield.com). The total weight of the material added less than 15 lbs to the car. There are several comparable sound damping materials available at car stereo retailers (Cascade, Accumat, B-Quiet, etc.).
While I had the door panels off, I added some Wurth Body Protection Spray (a clear rust proofing wax compound for door panels, doorsills, etc. Very thin when applied, it gets into all the crevices and dries to form a hard, protective wax coating). One spray can have more than enough material to all 4 doors and the hatch lid.
Disclaimer
This information is a compilation from numerous sources and is provided for general information and education only. It is not intended to be and is not a substitute for professional advice. Use of any information contained herein is at your own risk and all information is provided on an "as is" basis without any representations or warranties. The reader assumes all responsibility for any problems, injuries, or damage resulting from use of this information.
_______________________________________ REM in Seattle Current: 2013 Volvo XC60 R-Design, Rebel Blue, 3.0L 6-cyl turbo, Automatic 2024 MINI Cooper S Convertible, 2.0L 4-cyl turbo, 6-speed manual Former: 2005 Saab 9-3 Aero Convertible, Steel Gray metallic, 2.0L 4-cyl turbo, 5-speed 1998 Saab 900SET 5-door, Silver, 2.0L 4-cyl turbo, Automatic 1991 Alfa Romeo Spider convertible, Alfa Red, 2.0L 4-cyl, 5-speed 1984 Saab 900T 3-door, Red, 2.0L 4-cyl turbo, 5-speed
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