To FatMat or Not To FatMat the Doors and Ceiling?

[justinevert]

That is the question.

I live in Texas = HOT!!

I have a sunroof on the 02 and that car will be in black = recipe for disaster?

Your thought please!

Thanks!!

Justin

[creede]

Painting my car now and moving to Texas in July. I'll definitely be following this thread.

Have you searched? It seems like I remember reading people's opinions about this already.

[ifayeoh]

No,

I would try the "paint on" sound deadner products first.

just my oh 2 cents

frank

[Rocan]

I have deadener from audiotechnix on the outside and inside panels of my doors, inside the rear quarter, and under the rear seat. The difference in sound was stunning; at least 40% reduction in road noise.

DO IT.

[austinmf]

Not sure if stick on will handle the heat.

Paint on is probably the way to go

[PG7202]

FYI if you decide to go with paint on method you can make your own paint by adding microspheres to your own paint. It's a lot cheaper and the way I did it a couple of years ago.

[Ian]

I've been thinking of making up some of the insulating paint myself. What size microspheres did you use? From trolling the internet, it sounds like a mix of sizes could work best.

[PG7202]

As I recall I used one size, but I'll look back and double check. It was pretty straight forward, just had to be sure to wear a respirator while mixing and then I just used a brush to paint it on.

[HarryPR]

Microspheres sound interesting. Where can they be purchased?

[thinksound_mike]

Does FatMat absorb water? I live in the northeast and would be concerned about adding anything to the inside of my doors that would act like a sponge. But I would like to make it quieter inside a bit if I could. Is a paint-based application better for doors?

[napa02]

My .02 cents worth... Fatmat, dynamat, etc. weigh quite bit...

I'm not building a racecar, but poundage is a consideration.

[Rocan]

My .02 cents worth... Fatmat, dynamat, etc. weigh quite bit...

I'm not building a racecar, but poundage is a consideration.

 

I put it on all of the places I mentioned before and added at MAXIMUM 20 pounds to the car... if even that. You do NOT need 100% coverage; the point is to weight down the panels enough that they do not resonate as much (or rather, they will resonate at a much lower frequency). I didn't notice a difference in performance (not anymore then adding a gallon of gas) and since the car is NOT a race car, I enjoy driving it that much more and as a result, I drive it that much more. a little bit goes a long way. 

[robsanab]

a couple things... first check out sounddeadenershowdown.com (SDS) and his philosophy... things have changed a bit since I wallpapered my car with the asphalt mat/vibration dampener 5 years ago. It worked well and my car is so pleasantly quiet on a long trip. But he is big into using just enough mat to dampen the vibration in the panels that resonate and then layout down some closed cell foam AND THEN using a mass loaded vinyl which does the primary job of blocking sound.

 

specifically to your question on using it on your roof... I did, also put some thick closed cell foam with quality high temp glue... BUT I don't live in high heat. Not all products are the same... I used second skin damplifier which at the time won all the tests for holding up best under high heat... SDS claims his will stick and not turn to too much goo at 500 degrees or something like that. The guy at SDS is great to work with and will give you his recommendation... for the roof I think he recommends just using some 3M insulate product but I could be wrong, check his site for details. You mention fatmat... if you already have that particular product ask him what he thinks... he's familiar with many products since he's tested a lot of them... seems like a straight shooter and won't over sell you.

[Ian]

Microspheres sound interesting. Where can they be purchased?

I haven't bought any yet, but you can get them from Aircraft Spruce (http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/bubbles.php?clickkey=23717) and from HyTech (http://www.hytechsales.com/insulating_paint_additives.html).

 

There is a nice discussion of process on the Hotrodders board: http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/alternative-lizard-skin-103610.html

Edited April 27, 2013 by Ian

[mikesmith]

There's a (lengthy) thread on the QuiteCoat / QuietCar stuff here:

 

http://www.rx7club.com/interior-exterior-audio-26/quietcoat-sound-dampening-195306/