Noise Reduction

[Turbo Tim 1]

OK, I am probably going to open a whole can of worms up here, but I am interested in quieting down the noise in my cab and have a few questions, rest assured that I love the sound of my engine and often find myself with the windows down so I can hear it singing but on the highway it's another story, so:



1) What deadening material do you feel is the best value?



2) How much material does it take for a quad cab to do the floor, back wall, firewall?



3) Where is the best place to buy the material?



At 70-75 mph my truck is humming at 2400-2500 rpm and I drive quite a few miles, I've put on 8,000 miles in the last 3 months and I'd like to quiet the cab down. Thanks in advance.

 

[SteveE]

I used b-quiet

I pulled the interior and applied b-quiet to the bottom and

b-quiet extreme to the overhead and sides.

Quieted things down nice, Rip rooks exhaust is quieter inside than stock..... I don't think exhaust is quiet on the outside

 

[SteveE]

Cost of materials

1 roll, for floor B-Quiet Extreme is aluminum backed with a supercharged adhesive B-Quiet Extreme weighs 0. 30lb/sq. ft. and comes in three different sizes: 12, 50 and 100 sq. ft I bought a 100 sq ft and used 50.



B-Quiet LiteTM, used about 20 sqft on the top and quarter panels

Each sheet measures 24" x 30" for a total of 5 sq. ft. per sheet and they're sold in 15 and 30 square foot packages



about $400. 00 total for materials... took about 50 hrs to do.

Also added a piece of carpet with 1/4 in pad to the rear panel behind rear seat... . it was probably the biggest noise reduction.



Steve

 

[RedRamer]

I'll be putting the lead to it soon. got insides prety near cleaned out. Man is it loud with only the driver's seat and carpet!

found these funny little plastic bags down in rear quarter panels. Feels like something I used to smoke!!

Will let you know how it works out later.

 

[Lsfarm]

'Operation Quiet Cummins'

Turbo Tim: Check out this place: GSI Great Southern Insulation www.soundstop.com



They have a product like the 'B-Quiet' and 'Dynamat' that costs about 1/3 or 1/2 and is every bit as good or better.



They also have a foam, that I call 'superFoam' that has a layer of a dense 'Lead-like' material sandwiched in the middle. I think the layer is Barium-Rubber. The foam weighs 1# per sw ft. It is VERY effective at blocking sound.



GSI will give TDR members a 15% discount, just mention the club, and this site.



Credit goes to BCFAST for finding this place.



I'm a self-proclaimed Noise-Nazi and have spent a lot of time and a little bit of $ quieting my truck down A LOT.



Email me if you would like to recieve some photos of my project. -- email address removed --



Greg L

 

[Devildog]

I used B-quiet also...

But it only took me 14 hours to install 3 layers on the back wall. 2 layers on the floor and two layers on the doors... It made a huge difference. .

 

[tobaccogrower]

big diffrance on the floor's?

i have a ton of dynomat extreame left over from doing my doors and back panel! how much of a diffrance is it when applied to the floor?it seems like alot of work when there is insulation under the carpet already!if it's worth it, ill put it in this weekend. i already have more then enough material TIA... . james

 

[Lsfarm]

No dB sound readings

James, I didn't buy my dB meter untill I had already added a 'dynamat' type material to part of the interior of the cab.

I concentrated on the back wall and the rear corners of the cab. I have two layers of this bituminus [sp?] 'dynamat' type stuff on the back wall of the cab as well as in the rear corners of the cab. I think it made a difference in the amount of road noise and exhaust noise in the cab, but I don't have numbers to back up my opinion.



I would pull the rear seat and add another layer of your Dynamat Extreeme to your back panel and cover the floor up the rear of the drivers seat. If you think you have reduced the noise then you will have to decide if you want to pull the main seats and cover the rest of the floor. [an extra set of hands is very helpfull!]



I covered the entire floor with a second layer of carpet padding, I think it is called 'Jute', that fiberous stuff on the back of our factory carpeting. The second layer of Jute definitely dropped the in cab sound level. [again no numbers]



I just received my shipment of sheet lead that Goober found a source for, and I'm going to add a layer of this lead between the two layers of jute padding [factory, and mine]. I hope to block a lot of the exhaust sound from the cab with this lead layer. I will have dB readings for before and after for this 'bomb'.



If you want more info, and/or photos, email to -- email address removed --



Hope this helps. Greg L NN

 

[RottnDogue]

Re: big diffrance on the floor's?

Originally posted by RAMHEAD3437

i have a ton of dynomat extreame left over from doing my doors and back panel! how much of a diffrance is it when applied to the floor?it seems like alot of work when there is insulation under the carpet already!if it's worth it, ill put it in this weekend. i already have more then enough material TIA... . james

James are you coming to the Dyno on the 11th?



Darren

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Darren: Last I knew... . James was comin' on the 11th... .



goober said this: "found these funny little plastic bags down in rear quarter panels. Feels like something I used to smoke!! '



ROTFL!

When I discovered those 'bags' in my truck... . I was almost certain I had bought it at a DEA auction, instead of the seemingly law abiding guy that sold it to me... .



Matt

 

[Devildog]

The floor helped a little but, the biggest difference came from the doors and back panel. .

 

[tobaccogrower]

thanks for the heads up!!

thanks for the info, guys... ... .

i have enough dynomat extreme to cover the rear wall again and do the entire floor. i will try to do it this weekend before the material gets lost in my storage room darren and matt: i'll try to get there(where am i going anayway?)truck is going to the stealer tomorrow morning to get a MAP sensor replaced. if thing's go like the always do, they will have my truck in for two or more days maybe i'll take dad's truck and put it up on the rollers. get some numbers for him!... . james

 

[Bratton]

After a 3800 mile trip in the CTD, my wife is very supportive of a noise elimination campaign in my truck. It is a 2002 ST model, so it has the rubber floors and plastic door panels. I'm thinking that all these hard surfaces may be making the truck a good bit noisier than the SLT models (try your home stereo in a room with hard floors and compare it with a carpeted room,big difference. )



Logic would say that a good upgrade for noise reduction would be installation of carpet, but I have no hard facts to support this. Of course, if the noise were kept out of the cab in the first place then it probably wouldn't matter.



Does anyone have any insight to share?



Thanks,Bratton

 

[Lsfarm]

Lead sheet

I have installed a couple of pieces of the lead sheet [1/32" thick] that Goober found a source for. I didn't have a lot of time, so I just made two lead 'floormats' and put them under the front seat carpeting.



My first impressions of the lead sheet is that it is both really easy, and at times a PITA to work with. It folds and rolls like a stiff fabric, but gets wrinkles in it that are hard to 'iron' out.



What is nice is that you can cut it easier than a fabric, and shape it to fit over and around objects without the 'springback' of foam or fabric.



Now for results. I think it is too early to tell, [I haven't driven it much yet] but the first impressions are that there IS a lot less noise coming from the floor area under the dash.



The dB meter readings taken by aiming the meter at the floor and under-dash area are about 2dB lower. But the readings with the meter sitting on the center armrest aimed forward at the dash have dropped only about 1dB on average. I'm now seeing 56-59dB ["A" scale] or 67-70dB ["C" scale] at idle in neutral or park.



The problem with dB readings is that the meter is so sensitive that I have to look at averages of the high readings and the lows. The door dinger is good for 4dB !! At any one given time, the readings can vary by 3-5dB based on whether the truck is on concrete, over my lawn, or on gravel, or inside the shop or if the wind is blowing hard.



A 10 mph tailwind at 70 mph level ground reading is 6-8db quieter than turning around and heading into the wind. 6-8dB is a lot of noise! It is the difference between the fan on low vs. the fan on high setting.



But there is no doubt that "Operation Quiet Cummins" is a success. There also is no doubt that my truck is still Cummins powered, it still has that wonderful 'Cummins Chuckle' but the sharp edge is off the clatter, and is much less annoying. Normal conversation levels at any speed, and I can talk to someone standing by my window without having to turn of the engine, or yelling.



Hopefully I'm going to be at Muncie, [I'm bidding for next month's schedule this week, wish me luck!]



I will bring some samples of the various foam products and the lead sheet. And I will be glad to show and demonstrate some of these products and processes.



Greg L, [the Noise Nazi]

 

[Cooker]

Greg, hope to see you in Muncie. Take it easy.

 

[Powder Extreme]

How are you guys installing this stuff on the doors? Do you put it right over the top of the sheet metal etc. just underneath the door panel? About how many sq. feet total would a guy need to insulate the cab, and does insulating under the head liner make a significant difference?



Thanks,

Jerry

 

[moparguy]

Jerry, I glued 1/8" sheet rubber, the kind used in roofing systems, to my doors.



After removing the door panels and the plastic dust barrier, and with the window rolled up, I doned a pair of rubber gloves, covered a sponge with yellow contact cement and did the best job I could of coating the inside of the door panel.



Since it's really tough to work inside the door, you need to be at least thriple jointed.



I didn't follow instructions and apply glue to the rubber sheeting and let it set for the recommended 10 minutes necessary for instant bonding on contact with the door sheet metal. Reason being I needed to slide the sheet rubber around a bit to get it in position, instant bonding would've been a bad thing.



After applying the glue to the door sheet metal, working as quickly as possible I worked the rubber into the door cavity and after positioned it on the inside of the exterior door skin, used high tack HVAC aluminum duct tape to hold it in place while the yellow contact glue dryed. To insure a good bond, I'd go back inside the door every few minutes and apply pressure with my hand to make sure the rubber didn't move as the glue dried.



You've gotta have long, slim arms to use this method, and a few band-aids may be required.



This step was very worthwhile in my sound reduction efforts, the doors now have a Volvo or Mercedes feel and sound when closed. Well worth the effort.



Good luck, Ronnie

 

[Powder Extreme]

Ronnie,



So if I'm understanding correctly, you placed the rubber on the inside of the door? In between the two metal skins of the door where the window is? I think I follow you. Did you have to use a couple of different pieces? Do you think putting it on over the inside part of the door, right under the door panel would work? Sure sounds a heck of alot easier. Also did you insulate the quad cab doors?



Thanks,

Jerry

 

[moparguy]

Jerry, yes the inside of the outer door skin is the one I worked on. I did the same thing in the quad cab area (club cab in my case). Also, on the cavities in the club cab, I stuffed them as full as possible using carpet underlayment foam after gluing in the rubber.



Would you get good results from working under the interior door panels, I can's say, access would be good, and I suspect if you gave appropriate consideration to the fasteners/clips and door handles it would work and would have to help.



Did I use two pieces? You know, now that you mention it, I think I did, that was two years ago and I had forgot that step.



One of my goals was to decrease that kinda tinny sound/feel of the stock door when closing, and that was accomplished by the somewhat difficult process I used.

 

[CCahill]

Noise

A helpful hint...



As you know. . noise is caused by vibration. . we don't need to cover the whole area we are working on. . for instance the doors, as far as noise reduction, we only need to "patch" areas inside the door skin itself... it works just as well to cover 1/2 of the area in patches, as it does to cover the whole skin. Thermal insulation is a different matter. . in that case the complete area needs to be covered... Patches seem to be enuf for accoustical applications.



Colin