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For All Who Want Less Road Noise

TDI8901

New member
MEMORY FOAM SOUND DEADENER

This is my first attempt at this so feel free to ask any questions if I forgot something.

Let me start by saying this was not my idea. I saw it in the mk5 forums, but cannot find it or rememember who posted it. If it was your idea feel free to claim it.

Instead of buying products such as dynomat, I decided to use a 1.5 inch thick memory foam matress top that you can get at Walmart for ~$50. A full size matress top is more than enough for a two door. I was able to put a little in the hatch panel too.

I started out by removing the door panels.. Here is a step by step write up I found really helpful.
http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5095

Once the panels were removed I cut the foam to roughly the shape of the panels and romoved any foam in the way of the speakers, wire plug-ins and cut holes for the clips. Dont forget to make holes for teh screws! It was a giant pain in the ass to install the panel and remove it for two little screws:mad:. I also found it helpful to remove a little from the edges for ease of reinstilation.

My first impression of the install was pretty good. I sat in my car and found most of the outside noise was no longer there. So I decided to go for a test drive on a pretty rough road and the ride was much quieter. The next day I took the car on the interstate and it was glorious! My golf is almost or as quiet as my friends CC.

Overall its not perfect and kinda sloppy, but for ~$50 and a couple hours of work its one helluva deal compared to other overpriced products.
 

bcbsox

New member
How does this material handle moisture? If its an open cell foam, it will hold moisture and perpetuate corrosion and mold.
 

Gab-Bolduc

Passed Driver's Ed
How does this material handle moisture? If its an open cell foam, it will hold moisture and perpetuate corrosion and mold.

That is also my concern. You can do some pretty cheap DIY sound deadener like dynamat, this way you'll stay away from moisture in your car.
 

TDI8901

New member
How does this material handle moisture? If its an open cell foam, it will hold moisture and perpetuate corrosion and mold.

Sorry for taking so long to reply. I was busy with trying to get into college. I hadn't had time to look for moisture problems until recently. I couldn't find any signs of mold or mildew. The foam was dry to the touch. Since then I got my hands on some free dynamat (the heavy duty stuff), and put it in the spare wheel well. As far as which project does more, the spare wheel well is the one you want to do, however the materials I used are expensive.
 

ATR

Drag Race Newbie
Excess road noise?
Start with tires that have good reviews in the low noise category.
You may also have a bad wheel bearing. Don't cover the noise up before looking into what the root cause of the noise is.
 

baniels

Ready to race!
I decided to give this a go this weekend. Less for road noise - more for addressing the various door squeaks. I'll check after a while for any signs of moisture, but I don't expect it to be an issue.

I was able to do all 4 doors with a single twin 1.5" topper from Wal-Mart. It was $35 or $40. The rear doors were done with two pieces each due to what I was left with after the fronts.

No doubt this is effective for squeaks. It eliminated all of them. It's hard to say objectively about road noise, but I do believe it makes a difference.

 

QuitersLOSE14

Ready to race!
How does this material handle moisture? If its an open cell foam, it will hold moisture and perpetuate corrosion and mold.


How could water get on this when it in front of the protective plastic that VW has custom engineered to keep the door and all of its electronics safe and dry?? Maybe you were thinking he put it on the door shell itself?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

QuitersLOSE14

Ready to race!
From my experience, after being in a collision and fixing most of the car myself, the main thing that makes a difference is the sound deadened they put in the fenders. It's formed closed cell black foam. Basically it absorbs noise from the tire that would otherwise resonate in the fender and progress to the cabin. I took it out after I saw how many leaves it trapped. Do I notice the difference? Yes. But I am also due for new tires so, I can't say how much louder it is from the passenger side. I like this idea for creativity and whatnot, but I don't think that's an area that matter as much as, for example, dynamatting the entire floor of the vehicle by removing the carpets (a ridiculous job I know, plus lots of extra weight). What I will be doing however is insulating the Bluetooth microphone from wind noise that my roof racks create. That way people can hear me better on the highway.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Stinger

Ready to race!
While I can see the value in sound deadening door panels and wheel wells, what I find most annoying are the door squeaks. Has anyone found a good solution to stop that noise? I've sprayed the insulating foam with silicon but frankly, that doesn't do much.
 

lilfleck

Go Kart Champion
I think I'm going to attempt this. I was thinking about taking it to the dealer since I have a rattle where my speaker is. It is definitely hitting the door panel.

I removed the panel and bumped music, no rattle. I put my finger on the bottom of the speaker suspension and it immediately began to rattle. I would just drop it off at the dealer, but I would rather do it myself the right way, especially if it will be cheaper.
 

thedude4bides

Go Kart Champion
I think I'm going to attempt this. I was thinking about taking it to the dealer since I have a rattle where my speaker is. It is definitely hitting the door panel.

I removed the panel and bumped music, no rattle. I put my finger on the bottom of the speaker suspension and it immediately began to rattle. I would just drop it off at the dealer, but I would rather do it myself the right way, especially if it will be cheaper.

I did this and have leftover material and few extra door clips. Give me a shout if you want to snag them off me.
 

kahuna

New member
for TDI8901:
What is the Dynamat "heavy duty stuff" ? Amazon has "Dynamat 10455 18" x 32" x 0.067" Thick Self-Adhesive Sound Deadener with Xtreme Bulk Pack, (Set of 9)" for $150. Also, exactly where did you put the Walmart memory foam? On the inside of the door panels with cutouts for the retainers ? Or directly against the sheet metal?

All:
I'm in the process of installing a new head unit (Pioneer) and subwoofer (Rockford/Fosgate 8 inch self-powered subwoofer). My previous car, Acura RSX Type S, had LOTS of road noise but the Pioneer HU I installed + OEM Bose amp/speakers overcame all of that. Still, I want a quiet interior like a Cadillac CTS I rented once, so I can hear the SOUNDS and not the road noise. The GTI I got 3 months ago is quieter AND more comfortable than the RSX Type S I used to have, but... I am now driving to work with the trunk completely disassembled and the road noise is very noticeable at street speeds. The most noticeable noise, before I took the trunk apart, at 70+ MPH on California freeways is tire and road noise. And, no, I won't buy a quiet tire that can't equal ultra-performance all-season or summer-performance tires.

I spent the Memorial Day weekend and only got the rear view camera and sub power cable hooked up (like the "UBER-STEALTH Under Floor Sub Install" started by "veedoubleme"). VWs are difficult to work on!!! (expletives deleted). I am starting to appreciate German Engineering (like the ground point connections scattered around the body interior), but sometimes it's too much, like the interior trim that takes a 250 pound NFL linebacker + multiple humongous screwdrivers to gently remove..
 
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