Sound suppression in cab

[Gray Ghost]

I have installed extra padding in the floor and added foam padding under the hood. Next I will try the doors, but I am not achieving the noise reduction I am looking for. What has anyone else tried? I'm open to suggestions. Understand I wear hearing aids and the noise is amplified. It tends to give me a headache after an hour or so and I usually commute 1 1/2 to 2 hours each way. Tanks

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

Originally posted by Gray Ghost

I have installed extra padding in the floor and added foam padding under the hood. Next I will try the doors, but I am not achieving the noise reduction I am looking for. What has anyone else tried? I'm open to suggestions.

Try sound of the audio sound proofing material called Dynamat or Dynamat Extreme.

 

[Bigramguy]

Best thing I ever did was install Dynamat,and an extra layer of foam insulation on the rear of the cab and under the rear seat. I did the floor first and left the back of the cab for a while,and after I did it,I noticed that that made the largest improvement. I also noticed a big difference when I did the back of the firewall area inside the cab. I would not of done it,except I had the dash out to do the A\C evaporator. It wasn't east to get it all in there and have the dash and A\C box fit back in tight. I would only consider it as a last resort.



Also,make sure you are using a good noise reduction material such as Dynamat. I also used a spray on urethane coating first,and let it dry before installing the Dynamat. There are other good ones on the market as well,just can't think of them all right now. Just using any old foam will not work as well. Check with a good stereo shop and they should be able to point you in the right direction.

 

[JGK]

Gray,



I intend to install sound damping material in mine this weekend. The stuff I'm using is called B-Quiet. I bought a small roll of their Original and a medium roll each of the Extreme and Brown Bread. Much cheaper than the Dynamat, and I believe it is just as good. I'll be doing the back of the cab, the roof and the doors. I'll let you know how it works out next week.



Jay

 

[Scot]

I went to Dynamat's web site and they offer a number of different products. Any recommendations as to which one to use?



Another question is what to use for heat reduction in a street rod. I have the foil backed jute and also the finer woven stuff about 3/8" thick. It is alright but not spectacular. After several hrs on the road, it gets stifling. I would like better insulation. I can lay an old pair of Nomex coveralls under the jute and get much less heat. Trouble is, it seems that most of the better fabrics like PBI, Nomex and Kevlar are not available to the retail purchaser.



Wish the chicken littles had not gotten asbestos banned.

 

[Bigramguy]

Scot - I have seen a few street rods around here that were done with a spray in fiberglass material,looks almost like stucco,that kills the heat. Doesn't do much for sound though. I believe it is a product that they use for insulating pipes in large industrial buildings. I'll see if I cna get some more info.



As far as the Dynamat,the original is all I have ever used,and it worked fine. I looked at some of the other stuff,but it was way to pricey for me.

 

[socal_rattler]

Here is a couple of links about exhaust blankets you may want to look at. The first is a company web page and the second is a thread that discussed this issue.



http://www.atpwrap.com/dodge_ram.htm



https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21136&highlight=blanket

 

[metal tech]

Scot, you can get the ceramic blankets

from Stock Car Products. They have them on their web site, and are available in several sizes. Hope this helps.



AL

 

[John]

Originally posted by Scot

I went to Dynamat's web site and they offer a number of different products. Any recommendations as to which one to use?

Scot, I used one of Dynamat's newest products, Dynamat Xtreme on part of my cowl, a double layer on the driver/passenger doors, a double layer on the floor area in front of the driver seat, a triple layer on the floor ahead of the passenger seat, both sides climbing the firewall (double layer) as far as possible, and a double layer on the back cab wall. In addition, I applied Dynamat Hood Liner over the two layers of Dynamat Xtreme on the back cab wall. I will probably do the Quad doors when I get around to it. I may install Dynamat Hood Liner in the location it was intended, the underside of the hood, although it isn't really needed with my Air Bulldog induction hood (the double wall fiberglass construction dampens noise extremely well all by itself).



Dynamat Super has twice the sound damping qualities of Dynamat Original, Dynamat Xtreme has twice the sound damping qualities of Dynamat Super (or four times that of Original). Due to the thin, light nature of Dynamat Premium, it works best for roof applications.



One nice feature of Dynamat Xtreme, a heat gun is not used to apply this product.



I believe TXRam has had very good luck with the B Square product(s) at a substantial savings when compared to Dynamat products.

 

[TXRam]

John, I guess we can make up and be friends again!



I put 3 layers of the B-Quiet Extreme on the back wall and it made a big difference - the wife noticed it right away. It may/may not be as good as the Dynamat, I've never tried the Dynamat. It did not eliminate ALL sound, but it did help quite a bit and it was cheap - about $55 for 33sq. ft. I'll probably do the quad doors later. I'm also thinking about adding a SECOND 4" muffler - most of my noise now is just from the exhaust system - pretty loud starting at about 2100rpm (I have 4. 10's so you know what that means). Anyone ever do anything like that???

 

[John]

Originally posted by TXRam

John, I guess we can make up and be friends again!

Absolutely!

 

[Ramafid]

I used Dynomat Extreme on the rear cab area and it made a big difference. I don't hear the exhaust until rpm is above 2300 which works out great. The stuff is too darn expensive though.

 

[Scot]

Originally posted by John





Scot, I used one of Dynamat's newest products, Dynamat Xtreme on part of my cowl, a double layer on the driver/passenger doors, a double layer on the floor area in front of the driver seat, a triple layer...

John,



Was the money and effort worth the expense?



How much quiter is the truck now?



Did you ever put a dB meter in to check before and after?



Can you tell any heat insulating qualities?



Scot

 

[Joe G.]

Gray Ghost,



As a fellow deafy, may I offer a couple of suggestions. When I am alone I turn my aid down all the way and turn the stereo up to the "crack glass" setting. That works fine, I don't hear the truck and I can listen to my favorite music.



If I am not alone, I turn my aid down a bit. Other people tend to talk louder than normal because of the Cummins racket. This way I understand them better because the background noise is reduced.

 

[John]

for answers

Hey Scot, to answer your question, I feel my time and the expense of the Dynamat were worth it however, I'm sure others might not draw the same conclusion (due to expense). Less expensive materials might prove to net close to the same results although, your labor will be virtually the same irrespective of which way you go (which can be very labor intensive depending on just how serious you are about this project). Personally, I wanted to go with the very best sound deadening materials on the market, layering them to achieve the best performance possible. I didn't use a sound meter before and after to substantiate anything (there are two TDR articles that did though) however, I can tell you this, it did make the cab area quieter and made for a more pleasant driving experience. As for heat reduction results, it is too hard to tell given all the variables (Dynamat installation took place in stages, other additions/changes to my Ram took place during this time... you get the idea).

 

[Gray Ghost]

Joe G

I tend to leave my out all together, if I am alone. Truck sounds nice then. Unfortunately my ears are in the canal type. hard to adjust on the fly. Looking at some new ones that are supposed to cut down on noise. Don't know how well they work. It hard to come up with $3500 to 4K and take care of 2 grandkids.

 

[Joe G.]

Yeah, I hear that alright. A new power digital aid that will work for me is over $2K. I tried one about two years ago but it didn't have the gain with enuff feedback control. So I'll keep my old Oticon until it dies.



I added some insullation to the cab and it helped a bit. It's still too loud when I'm with someone. I may add another layer and see what that does. There is an old thread that discusses putting a piece of flex pipe in the down pipe from the exhaust manifold to kill the drone. I havn't tried that yet. It's on my to-do list.

 

[Newf Limo]

Gray,

I remember a product that was made here in So. Cal for the Cummins. It is a blanket(s) for the engine. I saw it at dieselfest lastyear and I know I have a brochure on it somewhere. I will try to dig it up. They have actual dB test info. I also listened to the engine from inside the cab, it sure seemed quieter to me. Just an added bonus, it didn't look bad at all Everything is custom fit and has a very professional fit and finish. I am remembering numbers like 85dB to 60 something dB's but those numbers mya just be stuck in my head from my last moving violation

 

[SlyBones]

How Much?

I see that people think its expensive, and quote square foot costs. I realize it depends on how much you use, but whats the typical cost for some of you guys that do the entire cab with a couple layers? How much time to install?

 

[John]

cost of Dynamat

SlyBones, I have at least (gulp) $275. in Dynamat on my back cab wall alone. That consists of two layers of Dynamat Xtreme and a single layer of Dynamat Hood Liner, covering 100% of the wall. That wall is so "dead" now it doesn't even clunk, just a very dead thump. Additionally, I wouldn't be able to add any more sound deadening materials to the back cab wall even if I wanted to, that is unless I didn't care if the seat latched in the upright position again. I have at least another $300. to $400. in Dynamat Xtreme in my Ram. Was it worth it? I think so however, you will have to determine for yourself whether you are prepared to spend that kind of money and whether or not not you want to expend the labor involved to disect your Ram to make it happen. There are less expensive alternatives out there although I can't comment as to how well they perform.



Newf Limo, the company your are describing is ATP I believe. "millfly" did a very comprehensive test on the complete kit, taking sound readings with the addition of each piece he installed. The test conducted by "millfly" was on the TDR web site about a year ago however, I haven't looked for it recently. Additionally, "JCBrown" (NW BOMBer) has the complete kit installed on his Ram. He even had them custom make a little sound deadening jacket for the muffler/tailpipe on his Espar hydronic heater. Having heard this first hand (with the hood open and running as well as riding with him), I can tell you it does make a difference. Is it worth the cost? There again it depends on the individual. In my case, it would kill me to cover up my chrome!



I have been considering the possibility of having ATP custom make me a hood liner compatible with my Air Bulldog hood and induction components.