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redline

Member Since: 28 Jun 2015
Location: Mountains and Lakes
Posts: 221

Another soundproofing thread

As I'm getting towards the end of the soundproofing process of my 110, I thought I'd post some information on here which may be useful to some.

I know that many purists are quite disdainful of soundproofing a Defender, and to a certain extent I'm on-board with that. My aim was not to turn this into a Lexus, but rather to make it a bit more bearable on long trips, particularly with wife and 3yr old. The secondary objective was to improve the thermal insulation as it tends to get warm in the Dubai sunshine.

Firstly I spent a lot of time trying to understand where the heat and noise is coming from, and the physical principles behind mitigating these. Where possible I tried to eliminate the noise sources: rattling rear windows, ineffective door seals, transmission access panel were all low-hanging fruit. Fixing these had a tangible effect, possibly not in volume but certainly in comfort and quality, by cutting down certain frequencies.

In parallel, I was deciding on the materials. This involved much reading on this and other forums, as well as trying to source the supplies as cost effectively as possible. As the basic principle of most vibration damping materials like Dynamat is to add mass to the panel, I looked at the cost/kg as the driver of performance [ignore costs, as these are in our local currency]:

Based on that, I decided on the STP range of materials. They are much more cost effective than Dynamat, and come in three different weights: 3.5kg, 4.2kg and 6kg per sq.m depending on where you want to use it.

I also decided to use closed cell foam as a second layer areas such as the roof, and MLV on the flat floor areas. My final material selection looked like this:

Click image to enlarge

So most areas have two layers (vibration damping + closed cell foam OR vibration damping + Mass loaded vinyl).

For the doors I did not use a second layer bonded to the vibration damping layer, but rather a thin viscous PU foam bonded to the inside of the door-card. I also replaced water shedders on all doors whilst the door cards were off, as the originals were rather tatty.

24th Feb 2016 8:13pm

redline

Member Since: 28 Jun 2015
Location: Mountains and Lakes
Posts: 221

Having spent far too much time thinking about it, it was time for action! First step was taking out all the interior, and cleaning all the glue from the carpet off the sheet metal. The last bit was a heck of a job. I can't imagine why the previous owner would have glued in the carpet... seems a very odd thing to do. Anyway, after much elbow grease, this was the result:

Click image to enlarge

With everything out, I used the LR water ingress manual to identify any possible leakage areas, and sealed these as per the instructions. Next was the application of the vibration damper. The roof was fairly easy, as we used the 3.5kg / sq.m material, which is fairly pliable and easy to work with.

Click image to enlarge

For the floor areas I chose to use the 6kg / sq.m stuff. This was harder to apply because its much stiffer (even in warm temps) and because the floor areas have contours and bends. A lot of time was spent with the roller, working out air bubbles and ensuring good adhesion. Aluminium tape was used to cover all the joints:

Click image to enlarge

24th Feb 2016 8:26pm

redline

Member Since: 28 Jun 2015
Location: Mountains and Lakes
Posts: 221

The original plan would have then had me laying down the CCF and MLV where applicable, followed by a custom fit removable carpet... however... I then decided to install a rear storage box in the load area. Had I known this previously, I wouldn't have bothered with the vibration damper in the rear. Whilst the box was being made, a friend suggested lining the interior surfaces with a protective coating such as Line-X. I initially dismissed the idea, but having a few days to ponder over it, I convinced myself that actually it would be pretty neat. My rationale was that it would be a hard-wearing and easy to clean surface in instances that I am doing dirty work (under the removable carpet).

Cue much forum reading.... It seemed that some people had tried it, but I couldn't find any feedback on how to apply it, and the longevity. Before committing to doing the entire car, I decided to try some samples. We laid out a panel with a vibration damping layer, cleaned and scuffed the surface, and sprayed it with two light coats of Rhino Liner (cheaper than Line-X). The result was very positive. I tried jet washing it, scratching it and generally abusing it, and it held up very well. So I decided to go ahead and line the entire interior floor area, over the vibration damping layer. Here is a shot of the passenger foot-well:

Click image to enlarge

And a close up of the surface:

Click image to enlarge

Overall I am very impressed with the liner. Its aesthetically nicer than the underlying matt layer, and functional in that it is grippy, easily cleaned and water proof. I will now lay an MLV layer in the foot-wells and carpet on top, but which can be easily removed when I need to.

Driving around (with no interior) the 110 sounds considerably quieter, and less tinny. Its by no means quiet, but certainly more bearable than previously.

Once I have applied the CCF layer to the roof, replaced the head lining, and refitted the interior I am sure there will be some further minor incremental gains. All in all, I'm quite pleased with the result

24th Feb 2016 8:58pm

JOW240725

Member Since: 04 May 2015
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 7923

2012 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Orkney Grey

Excellent work!

24th Feb 2016 9:28pm

LoveTheMud

Member Since: 19 Feb 2015
Location: Weybridge Surrey & Pontefract West Yorkshire
Posts: 411

2014 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Santorini Black

Thought you might like this to watch. I found it very interesting.

&sns=em

24th Feb 2016 9:42pm

redline

Member Since: 28 Jun 2015
Location: Mountains and Lakes
Posts: 221

Good video from Dynamat! I only take issue with them saying that Dynamat can be 10x more effective than competing products

It may be slightly more effective because of the composition and internal visco-elasticity, but tbh they are all butyl based layers. I have friends in the high end car audio business who sell multiple products, and they say that the differences between the good ones is generally imperceptible.

Also the bit about the coverage is misleading. Whilst it may be true that you need only 40-50% coverage to cut the panel vibration and give it that "dead" thud sound, it ignores the fact that covering the entire panel acts as a noise transmission barrier. That may not affect a cymbal hanging in the air, but in an enclosed space that is a car, it does further cut noise coming through the panel. Obviously you get to a point of diminishing returns in terms of bang for buck, but in a Defender I feel that its worth covering as much as possible.

25th Feb 2016 5:18am

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