Dynomat Question

[Brandon J]

I plan on getting some Dynomat to make my car quieter but I have some questions. How many layers should I get? Also, should I cut out holes wherever holes are in the sheet metal in the doors, or should I cover them up? That's all I plan on doing now - just the doors. Then the rest of the sides later. The audio place I went to didn't have Dynomat - they had another brand. What are the differences between the brands?

Thanks for the help!
Yeah, I know this is in the newbie forum too, but no responses there.

[bme107]

1. You can use as many layers as you would like. (within reason 1-4, I'd say)

2. You can cover up any holes that are not used by the door plastics or other mechanisms to be mounted through.

By doing the just the doors you should be able to hear a difference. Do a little research on the internet about the different products, there are about 4 name brands and numerous knock-offs that work just as well. Search Ebay for dynamat or sound damping and read all the listings, some will be for the knock offs. You can get a feel for the prices too. Retail it is very expensive, $4/sqft.

I used Raammat by Raamaudio (knock off) and was really satisfied with its installation and performance. Email Rick at raam@raamaudio.com for pricing for 50sqft rolls (about $1.75/sqft shipped), mention that you heard about him here and are interested in a discount that he honors us.

I used 100sqft to do the doors, sides and hatch area. In the pics below green is 1 layer, yellow is 2 layers, and red is 3 layers. (these pics have been photoshopped for this purpose, the real color is silver/aluminum)

-looking through the car at the passenger door
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid11/pc92a7a0b64577706dfb069c398e670ce/fe13a955.jpg


-looking at the spare tire area from the front seats
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid11/pb47656bc19013acdfa21bfbc75664844/fe13a950.jpg


-looking at the right side of the trunk area towards antenna
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid11/p0232244395017bf8d6bfe89883b35136/fe13a952.jpg


-looking at the right rear speaker/seat area from behind the driver's seat
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid11/p00e49e31464a7083c0be9445598a0864/fe13a953.jpg

[Brandon J]

Thanks! I am SO glad I didn't go ahead and get the 4 ft^2 roll for sale at the audio place I stopped by yesterday - it was $25.00. I want to do about what you had shown by this summer.

It looks like it might be a few weeks to a month before I can get started. Will the pricing you mentioned still be avaliable? Another question about the pictures: did you cover up the large hole behind the speaker in the doors and below the speaker in the back seat? It looks like it's put on the inside of the body sheet metal. You put three layers of material behind the speakers themselves (inside of the body sheet metal again)?

This is great help! Thanks for the answers.

[bme107]

The closer to summer you can wait the better, unless you have heated garage. I applied the mat as cold as 55 degrees but it definitely went on easier when it was 80. The warmer it is the better it forms to all the folds in the metal, though I never tried to heat it with a heat gun or torch.

His pricing will probably be the same. Drop him an email, he is no-pressure with his sales and gives great customer service. If you order more than one roll at a time the shipping is cheaper. To give you a price quote all he needs is the quantity and your zip code. He takes paypal and money orders.

I didn't cover the holes the speakers sit in. The 3 layers (red) you see is placed on the inside of the body's "skin" directly behind the speaker locations. I ended up using so many layers there because I had extra on the roll after i had finished everything else and to stop the body panels as best I could. You'll get better sound from the speakers if you don't have the reflected waves bouncing back and interfearing with the back of the cone as it is trying to produce the next beat. After finishing one door i turned the stock system up 1/2-2/3 volume. You could see the door without was puffing in and out like crazy, while the other (with damping) was only noticeable to the touch.

[Brandon J]

My garage isn't heated, but some 80 degree days might start showing up in February. I might be able to go ahead and order the stuff pretty soon (been looking for a job and I think I got one).

Thanks for clearing up the speaker thing. Is the only large hole in the door the one cut for the speaker? I haven't taken the panel off yet - just been looking at how they come off (I found the hidden screw in front of the handle).

[bme107]

There are 2 large holes in the door. 1 for the speaker and the other for access to the power window mechanism.