kastle
01-14-2002, 09:27 AM
I ordered 10 sheets of 29" X 32" "Sound Deadening Sheets" from http://www.partsexpress.com . The part number was 268-015. They also have smaller (268-010) and larger sheets available (268-020). They are virtually identical to dynamat original, except for they don't say dynamat on them, obviously. They are adhesive on one side, and you just peel and stick to install. They are far cheaper then authentic dynamat. To apply the sheets you cut the piece to fit, peel away the blue backing covering the adhesive and stick it on the piece you want quieted. I bought a small 1.5" wood roller to help apply the material. Basically you stick it where you want, then roll it with the roller to help it stick to the metal better. For the curves and contoured sections, it helps to heat the material up with a hairdryer to give it more elasticity. I had the best results when I laid the material in the driveway in full sun, and the just brought what piece I needed into the garage one at a time. When the pieces are nice and warm they are easiest to cut and apply. So far I have only used about 5 sheets.
APPEARANCE & WEIGHT:
The sheets themselves aren't nothing to be too impressed by. They are a brownish-black color and fairly heavy. Each sheet weighs about 4lbs. They are easy to cut with a utility knife.
PERFORMANCE:
The sheets do work well. I have covered the doors, inside of the door panels, the floorpan, and a portion of the trunk.
The doors made a big difference in the quality of the sound from my mid-bass drivers. I covered 75% of the door in the material. The only portions I didn't cover was the area where the metal rods for the door handle and lock pass into the door. I didn't cover that, because it appeared it would rub if covered. Even with this portion not covered it made the sound much better. The midbass response is much better. I have been able to adjust my subwoofers, since the midbasses are covering more frequencies. The door sounds MUCH better when shut now. Before there were many rattles when the door was slammed, now it just makes a solid thud-type noise.
The floorpan made a difference in the amount of road noise transmitted into the cabin. I removed the seats and the carpeting, and covered most of the floor. I also put strips on the lower portion of the rear seat, and on the metal panel covering the ECU. My wife an I both think the car rides much quieter now, but I don't have any measurements to back that up. The material was harder to apply to the floorpan due to the textured material that is on there from the factory.
I put a couple pieces on the sides of the trunk, behind the trunk liner material. The panels don't rattle now, and have a solid sound when you knock on them from the outside. I removed the 3rd brake light in the wing and put strips of the sound deadening on it and the wing. No more rattles from that. The gas tank rattles the most now, I will look into ways to fix that. There are also two black plastic pieces that have plastic flaps that allow air to pass to the outside from the trunk. I am assuming they are there to release pressure when the trunk is slammed, the airbag deploys, etc. Unfortunately they are letting the bass escape and making a lot of noise in the process.
I will try to find a way to fix that as well.
OVERALL:
I have spent about 10 hours and used $50 of the product I bought. The doors made a huge difference, and the fllorpan did reduce noise. I feel this is a worthwhile investment, if you have the time and energy to put into it. I will be covering more of the car when I have the chance.
IMAGES:
http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impreza/images/product.jpg
http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impreza/images/sppassbefore.jpg
http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impreza/images/sppassbefore2.jpg
http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impreza/images/sppassengerside.jpg
http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impreza/images/spdriversside.jpg
http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impreza/images/sppassdoorbefore.jpg
http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impreza/images/spdriversdoor.jpg
http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impreza/images/spdoorpanel.jpg
APPEARANCE & WEIGHT:
The sheets themselves aren't nothing to be too impressed by. They are a brownish-black color and fairly heavy. Each sheet weighs about 4lbs. They are easy to cut with a utility knife.
PERFORMANCE:
The sheets do work well. I have covered the doors, inside of the door panels, the floorpan, and a portion of the trunk.
The doors made a big difference in the quality of the sound from my mid-bass drivers. I covered 75% of the door in the material. The only portions I didn't cover was the area where the metal rods for the door handle and lock pass into the door. I didn't cover that, because it appeared it would rub if covered. Even with this portion not covered it made the sound much better. The midbass response is much better. I have been able to adjust my subwoofers, since the midbasses are covering more frequencies. The door sounds MUCH better when shut now. Before there were many rattles when the door was slammed, now it just makes a solid thud-type noise.
The floorpan made a difference in the amount of road noise transmitted into the cabin. I removed the seats and the carpeting, and covered most of the floor. I also put strips on the lower portion of the rear seat, and on the metal panel covering the ECU. My wife an I both think the car rides much quieter now, but I don't have any measurements to back that up. The material was harder to apply to the floorpan due to the textured material that is on there from the factory.
I put a couple pieces on the sides of the trunk, behind the trunk liner material. The panels don't rattle now, and have a solid sound when you knock on them from the outside. I removed the 3rd brake light in the wing and put strips of the sound deadening on it and the wing. No more rattles from that. The gas tank rattles the most now, I will look into ways to fix that. There are also two black plastic pieces that have plastic flaps that allow air to pass to the outside from the trunk. I am assuming they are there to release pressure when the trunk is slammed, the airbag deploys, etc. Unfortunately they are letting the bass escape and making a lot of noise in the process.
I will try to find a way to fix that as well.
OVERALL:
I have spent about 10 hours and used $50 of the product I bought. The doors made a huge difference, and the fllorpan did reduce noise. I feel this is a worthwhile investment, if you have the time and energy to put into it. I will be covering more of the car when I have the chance.
IMAGES:
http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impreza/images/product.jpg
http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impreza/images/sppassbefore.jpg
http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impreza/images/sppassbefore2.jpg
http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impreza/images/sppassengerside.jpg
http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impreza/images/spdriversside.jpg
http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impreza/images/sppassdoorbefore.jpg
http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impreza/images/spdriversdoor.jpg
http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impreza/images/spdoorpanel.jpg