The best way to soundproof your vehicle

One of the most common questions we get asked is “What’s the best way to soundproof my…….car/van/motorhome/Land Rover/Pick up/classic car?”

Most people who have shopped around the wonderful world wide web for various options, are not usually fooled, but with so much bad advice available its clear to see why some are. Although the internet is one of the best things ever invented, it has now also created a world of self proclaimed experts who have become knowledgeable specialists overnight. Soundproofing correctly is far from rocket science but if its done incorrectly can be a waste of time, effort and money! Also with many people looking for the cheapest way to soundproof their motor, we are never surprised by the amount of rubbish people try to use! Like most things in life though you get what you pay for and often regret not doing the job properly first time, quality is the best policy right!?!

One other point on any company offering soundproofing products is whether its their main focus of their business. If its not, then they generally won’t exactly know what the correct way to soundproof is, so again don’t be fooled! The reason for this is that we frequently see other competitors websites and they basically offer all products under the sun as well as now being soundproofing experts! One great example is an “interior trim” company that used to solely offer beautiful trims and leather seats etc in the VW market. In fact they also used to purchase one of our materials from us! Then they have slowly started to offer cheap soundproofing in the form of a kit but using inferior insulation products as soundproofing as well as claiming all sorts of bad advise as to how soundproofing has to be done. So it may be a good idea to research on any company claiming to know what they are talking about. NoiseKiller is the main division of our company and always has been!

We also get asked on numerous occasions “what amount of decibels will be reduced after fitting one of our soundproofing kits?” Even if this figure was possible to be provided, would you know what a reasonable decibel reduction should be? Are you familiar with how the logarithmic decibel (dB) scale actually works?

We created a handy blog back in 2014 titled “what is noise?” It lists a few common noise problems along with their dB levels as well as explaining about airborne noise, impact noise, soundproofing, sound absorption, sound barrier, sound damping and anti- vibration. Over the past 20 years we have assessed all these noise problems and after years of testing and research created a range of exclusive materials that help reduce the unwanted noise all UK manufactured. It would be great if one material could tackle all the noise issues but sadly that isn’t possible!

When we manufacture a soundproofing kit, we use different materials depending on where that material is being used. One material alone cannot replicate the effectiveness of certain other materials. This is where NoiseKiller’s soundproofing kits differ from other competitors. The internet and main heavyweights eBay/Amazon are littered with competitors anti-vibration material that ranges from 1-4 mm thick with a foil faced layer. Some are plastered with the brand names logo and almost all are actually made outside of the UK. Also don’t be fooled, insulation does not have soundproofing qualities so don’t waste your money on the wrong product types. The companies that import these products can be seen with hundreds of boxes in their factories and often provide false promises to the materials actual benefits and try to convince you to buying a roll or pack of their anti-vibration matting and stick it everywhere you can.

As we are soundproofing specialists we wouldn’t dream of advising you to tackle a soundproofing project this way. If we did we think this was the best way, we have our own superior equivalent called Killer Mat (formerly NoiseKiller Barrier Mat), but an anti-vibration material can only help reduce vibrations, it doesn’t have any absorption properties. Anti-vibration matting type products will remove vibrations but once the vehicle moves it displaces air which if not absorbed will bounce around inside the vehicle and oscillate as the waves wrap around each other and build up as pressure on you ears. Only by absorption with open cell acoustic foams can this be reduced. Which is why NoiseKiller designed a material that combines anti vibration layers with acoustic foams. Our Sound Barrier is a composite material which reduces vibrations along with absorbing airborne sounds.

For example; In one of our VW T5 full soundproofing kits there are 6 different materials/product types in a kit! Every one specifically designed for the area it needs to be fitted, to provide maximum noise reduction.

Another area where NoiseKiller soundproofing kits differ from other companies selling rolls of material is that each kit is already cut to shape and size for you! So your installation time is greatly reduced! If any parts are designed to be stuck in place, it comes with a self-adhesive backed layer (so no need for messy glues!) Each piece is numbered and a fitting guide explains where each number should be fitted. We also offer a fitting service in our factory in Manchester or a mobile fitting service at your address.

You can find out more information and benefits on our vehicle soundproofing kits along with many FAQ’s