Last December i bought a pack of Dynamat Xtreme (8 sheets) so i can treat my convertibles rear seats and trunk to quiet things down, i ended up selling it and getting the Saleen Glass top coupe and the box sat for about a year. Since we got hit with a big snow storm and i figured its a great time to start the project.
The install happened in 2 stages, one day i did the rear seats and the next week i did the trunk area, each session took roughly 3 hours, some sweat and a little blood (this stuff gets sharp and will cut through gloves). The install is not hard, its actually fun figuring out how to cover the surfaces in the least amount of trimming but its no doubt LABOR.
Using a Sound Pressure Level (SPL) meter on my Google Android phone i was able to get some metrics on how much the dynamite actually did at idle, granted this is not a calibrated tool by any means but it does provide a real world reference. My Saleen exhaust set up consists of a Magnaflow HI-Flo Cat X pipe and Saleen Maganaflow mufflers. At idle, before any Dynamat was installed the SPL was 108db (decibels) peak.
After the rear seats are was treated, the SPL reading came in at 92db peak, taking a ride after i noticed a slight decrease in road noise and exhaust drone. The rear seat area install is kinda of a PITA as they surfaces are very contoured and there are several connection points that must remain clear for the seats to attach, fuel pump and such. The ackward hunched over angles at which you to do most of the install is a killer on the back and ankles.
The trunk install is more straight forward, although there is more surface area to cover, the install went by with a lot less sweat spent. SPL reading went down to 85db Peak from 92db from just the rear seats alone, i even saw as low as the high 70's with the full treatment.
Taking a ride with the rear seat and trunk treated you really notice the difference, it sounds as though a thick blanket was draped behind the front seats, separating the front of the cabin from the rear. Road noise was reduced considerable and drone was reduced somewhat as well, you can feel the isolation, a lot of the frequencies that came through before are being swallowed by the Dynamat leaving you with the more pleasant frequencies of your exhaust note, i noticed a lot of exhaust hanger noise and clunk that previously annoyed me did not sound front and center any longer.
Ive pretty much covered the entire trunk and rear seats area and i had just a small swatch of dynamite left from the 8 sheets in the box. The rear seats were about 3.5 sheets and the rest went to the trunk. Having some heavy gloves and a sharp box cutter are pretty much all you need, i had a roller but i found that it was much more efficient to smooth it out with your hands.
Im not say gonna the difference is not night and day but for those that are more perceptive to sound than others this install should be on your list for winter projects. Dynamat will not be the answer to removing exhaust drone but it definitely brings the level of mind numbing down, i found that the Dynamat was far more effective in reducing road noise and promoting the feel of a more quality ride. I Got the box of Dynamat on sale for under $80 with no special tools or experience required and if you don't mind putting in your own labor this is a fun weekend project.
The install happened in 2 stages, one day i did the rear seats and the next week i did the trunk area, each session took roughly 3 hours, some sweat and a little blood (this stuff gets sharp and will cut through gloves). The install is not hard, its actually fun figuring out how to cover the surfaces in the least amount of trimming but its no doubt LABOR.
Using a Sound Pressure Level (SPL) meter on my Google Android phone i was able to get some metrics on how much the dynamite actually did at idle, granted this is not a calibrated tool by any means but it does provide a real world reference. My Saleen exhaust set up consists of a Magnaflow HI-Flo Cat X pipe and Saleen Maganaflow mufflers. At idle, before any Dynamat was installed the SPL was 108db (decibels) peak.
After the rear seats are was treated, the SPL reading came in at 92db peak, taking a ride after i noticed a slight decrease in road noise and exhaust drone. The rear seat area install is kinda of a PITA as they surfaces are very contoured and there are several connection points that must remain clear for the seats to attach, fuel pump and such. The ackward hunched over angles at which you to do most of the install is a killer on the back and ankles.
The trunk install is more straight forward, although there is more surface area to cover, the install went by with a lot less sweat spent. SPL reading went down to 85db Peak from 92db from just the rear seats alone, i even saw as low as the high 70's with the full treatment.
Taking a ride with the rear seat and trunk treated you really notice the difference, it sounds as though a thick blanket was draped behind the front seats, separating the front of the cabin from the rear. Road noise was reduced considerable and drone was reduced somewhat as well, you can feel the isolation, a lot of the frequencies that came through before are being swallowed by the Dynamat leaving you with the more pleasant frequencies of your exhaust note, i noticed a lot of exhaust hanger noise and clunk that previously annoyed me did not sound front and center any longer.
Ive pretty much covered the entire trunk and rear seats area and i had just a small swatch of dynamite left from the 8 sheets in the box. The rear seats were about 3.5 sheets and the rest went to the trunk. Having some heavy gloves and a sharp box cutter are pretty much all you need, i had a roller but i found that it was much more efficient to smooth it out with your hands.
Im not say gonna the difference is not night and day but for those that are more perceptive to sound than others this install should be on your list for winter projects. Dynamat will not be the answer to removing exhaust drone but it definitely brings the level of mind numbing down, i found that the Dynamat was far more effective in reducing road noise and promoting the feel of a more quality ride. I Got the box of Dynamat on sale for under $80 with no special tools or experience required and if you don't mind putting in your own labor this is a fun weekend project.
