After a few years of driving your car, at some point, most of the car owners experience the engine noise getting louder. In some cases, there might be a genuine issue with the engine, most of the time the real problem is faulty hood insulation.
Noise can come right inside the car when a hood liner is worn or damaged and some cars do not even come with soundproofing hood liner. if you're convinced that the reason for your car's excessive road noise can be attributed to the lack of proper soundproofing insulation, you should consider soundproofing your car.
Hood liner or Hood insulation is made of sound deadening material which looks like a thin layer of sheets with a sticking side. It works by dampening the noise of your engine so that overall engine noise is contained within the hood, the noise would not disturb you in the car or people on the road. the paint on your hood will last longer due to reduced engine vibrations. you can easily install your own DIY insulation, with the DIY installation you will be able to customize look, feel and functionality to suit your taste.
Enough talk, let's look at this DIY guide to Car engine sound deadening and hood insulation.
CHOOSE YOUR UNDERHOOD SOUND DEADNING INSULATION
Choosing the correct type of underhood sound insulation is the key to better soundproofing. There are different types of underhood sound insulation available to choose from. besides picking between different methods, you can mix and match them. These are various choices you can make:
USING A SOUND DEADENING MATS
Sound deadening mats reduce vibration and absorb the sound waves making them the ideal choice in the cars, they not only provide soundproofing, but most of the materials also work great for thermal insulation. These benefits make sound deadener a great pick for your DIY car underhood insulation.
High quality sounds deadening mats are available for purchase online, in particular, Dynamat and Noico sound deadening mats have good customer reviews. Noico mats are a little bit cheaper than the Dynamat. when it comes to soundproofing and thermal insulation both are comparable. Best of all these mats work on many surfaces such as car's hood, door, floor, and roof. Possibilities of mix and match are endless.
Self-adhesive properties of Dynamat and Noico sound deadening mats are very easy to install. they come with special embossing making the DIY install a breeze. This marked embossing indicates whether the installation is proper or not. you need to aim for completely smooth sticking of the sound deadening mat. This high-density material is great at stopping sound from bouncing and coming through the surface.
This makes your stereo sound twice as good as it reduces the road noise and vibrations. using this mat allows you to add more mass to car surface. As you know, more mass equals less noise getting into the car. It also works to dissipate heat, leading to cooler interior temperatures deadens noise, giving your vehicle a more solid sound and "feel":
The Dynamat Extreme bulk pack contains enough to cover the whole trunk or the interior doors of your vehicle and I would highly recommend this product if you consider installing a sound system in your car. This is for the best sound and performance quality. I will definitely recommend you to buy Dynamat extreme for any future car audio installations!
Use the rolling pin and a tennis ball to smooth out and work in the contours. I would suggest wearing gloves. Any creases or tears in the backing material will cut your hands as the Aluminum-coated for heat-resistance can be sharp. The permanent adhesive on the back is highly sticky take your time to align before rolling to stick the material.
Every single sheet is about two square feet, you can easily cut the sheet as needed. make sure to check if the sound deadening mat also provides the thermal insulation and helps with vibrations. Make sure the thickness is at least 0.067 or more there are some cheap alternatives with the thickness of 0.05 and these mats don't work well.
USING A HOOD LINER
Most of the people use sound deadener, however, some prefer hoodliner, these provide Instant relief from engine noise and a major reduction in the amount of heat felt through the hood.
The application couldn't have been any easier. you hold the one piece sheet to check measurements for the hood of your car and for most of the models it almost perfect fits, no trimming is required. To install just tore off about a 1/3 of the waxy paper backing and fit it tight against the leading edge of the underside of the hood - about an inch back - pushing lightly until it stuck. next, pull off the self-adhesive backing and gently press the rest of the liner into place pushing firmly using a roller, inching along until the whole sheet is placed without bumps.
That's it! It looks good and the best thing is that you start getting benefits the second you drop the hood and fire your engine up.
Choice of sound deadeners or a hood liner should not be a personal preference but an informed decision. Using high-quality hood liner provides you with a cooler and quieter ride. we have listed the products that are made specifically for the purpose of insulating the hood of your car.
Hood liners are permanent self-adhesive and normally come in two square feet in size, it's easy to cut according to your hoods with scissors. Hoodliners are generally thicker than the deadeners and they come with an aluminum layer for heat insulation as they are close to the engine and need protection from engine heat. make sure to check these features are available in your choice of hoodliner.
Here are my few recommendations of hood liners:
Dynamat hoodliner
Dynamat is the most famous maker of car insulation materials and their hood liner offer high quality with a moderate price point. Dynamat hoodliner is not fireproof but its fire resistant that can withstand a very hot engine. The aluminum coating does appear to hold-on very well. If your vehicle has turbo located on the top of an engine we recommend Dynamat extreme.
Fatmat Hood-Liner
These are thicker hoodliners with self-adhesive Sound Deadening containing aluminum Face, Price and quality are similar to Dynamat. The thickness and the reinforced aluminum foil facing make these standout. This hood liner is made of acoustic foam and reinforced with aluminum foil. As a result, it has some additional heat-resistant features, it can protect the paint on your hood from the engine heat. The acoustic foam, which is a sound-dampening material, will reduce the level of noise-induced vibrations coming from your engine. This product is covered in a strong peel-and-stick adhesive. As long as you install it correctly, it should provide you with instantly noticeable results.
Hushmat Ultra Heat Hoodliner and Reflective Pads
If you have an old car that produces more heat hushmat ultra are a great choice for heat protection and sound dampening.
DOUBLE ADVANTAGE OF COMBINING A SOUND DEADENER AND A HOOD LINER
you don't have to settle on Sound deadener or hood liner, you can combine them. This is the best approach for soundproofing your car. The question is how and where exactly should you install them together.
All the products we showed in this guide are self-adhesive and easy to work with Before you start combining the materials you need to understand the qualities to better judge where to use both or stick with one. Fist factor is heat, make sure to attach sound dampening or deadening material first then add the lining with aluminum layer side facing the engine.
you need to cut both of sheets into the appropriate shape using a drawing paper to make the template and using the paper templates cut both sheets. next, clean and dry the hood of any dust or moisture, remove the wax coated paper on self-adhesive release liner from the sound deadener and install it on the hood. Then, using the sound deadener as the base, install the hood liner on top of it. That way, you will benefit from the heat protection and soundproofing qualities of both product types.
Engines can produce lots of heat and these products go inside the hood in very close proximity to the engine, it is absolutely necessary to pick heat-resistant materials. Otherwise, the heat coming from your engine will quickly damage the insulation and it may even put your life in danger. You should be extremely careful with the sound deadeners since those are not necessarily made from the fire resistant material.
DECIDING HOW HOW MANY SHEETS YOU WILL NEED
Most of the top brands come with 36 square feet material which is sufficient in most cases, however exact amount of the sound deadening material you may need depends on the size of your hood however its very rear that you need more than 36 sqft.
some people do not insulate entire hood, they prefer to insulate in patches, this is not a good idea as sound travel through vibrations of atoms and leaving gaps will ultimately defeat the purpose. Although adding insulation in patches reduce some vibrations it will not make much difference in road and engine noise. Make sure to use paper templates before cutting the actual material this way you can avoid the errors when cutting leave an extra 1/2 inch so that you can trim it off after installation.
A pair of heavy scissors or a utility knife, a roller , a tennis ball and drawing paper for templates are all that you need, use the roller and tennis ball to make liner flat and even.
FOLLOW THESE FIVE STEPS FOR DIY CAR SOUNDPROOFING HOOD LINER INSTALLATION
1. Clean off any grime and dirt that may be sticking to the inside of the hood panel. The hood needs to be perfectly clean for the adhesive to work.
2. Cut the sheets into shapes with a strong pair of scissors or a utility knife.
3. once you have cut up the liner into the right shapes, remove the protective film from the liner and apply it. Once you’ve glued it down, it is going to stay firmly stuck.
4. Use a roller and a tennis ball to make sure there are no bumps.
5. use a utility knife or razor to trim down any extra material.
BENEFITS OF SOUND DAMPING AND SOUND DEADNING
There are many health benefits of installing soundproofing in your car, first is the obvious protection from the sound pollution.
Sound deadening provides a comfortable ride, the material absorbs the vibration generated by wheels and the engine helping you from the stress.
your car paint will last longer as the vibrations over time saturate the paint on the hood. the heat generated by the engine shortens the lifetime of car paint.
In case your engine to catch fire, under the hood insulation with fire-resistant capability can stop the fire from spreading and saving your life.
When it comes to making your hot rod ride like a luxury car, hood liner and sound deadener does the job. hoodliner and sound deadener is used by the world’s top hot rod and custom builders because they know it makes their cars ride cool and quiet.
Hoodliner and sound deadener make cars feel solid, car's doors, the trunk will feel snug, when your travelling in rain, noise wind will virtually disappear. you will experience interior quietness, the commute will become comfortable.
To conclude, Although some brands are expensive, setting up good quality hood-liner insulation is worth the buck. It can truly pay off it self. if you are using your car to commute every day, and your ride should be comfortably cool and quiet.