Showcase Hummer H1 Part 5: Sound Insulation and Anti-drumming

How to insulate and soundproof the doors of a car
The doors of car are, just like the bottom plate, parts of the vehicle that can potentially block a lot of noise. After all, doors form a big part of the total surface of the vehicle and are made from relatively thin sheet metal. Because of the thin sheet metal, the car door quickly starts to vibrate causing noise nuisance.

The three methods of soundproofing car doors

• Basic door insulation
  This method effectively counters the most frequently occurring type of noise nuisance and consists of covering the inside of the outer part of the door. The outer plate should be covered for about 80% of Vibraflex Normal sound insulating anti-drumming sheets. You can apply this method for insulating slight resonance coming from the bodywork and airborne noise that you hear whilst driving.
• Normal door insulation (recommended)
  This is method has the basic insulation plus an extra step. You apply the same materials on the same spots as during the first method, but with the additional step of also covering the metal interior panel of the door with Vibraflex Normal.
• Extreme door insulation (car audio improvement)
  Optimal sound insulation for perfect car audio reproduction. In this case, the goal is not to counter noise nuisance, but to make most out of the car audio system. The door should almost entirely be covered with Vibraflex Extreme. Heavy, sturdy doors will vibrate less, allowing the music to sound a lot better. This is a must have for participants of car audio contests. In addition driving noise become far less audible.

Caution: pay attention to the amount of extra weight you add to the door.

Optimising the sound of your car audio system
As an addition to the described methods, you can equip the door with some sound absorbing material, Akotherm Basic, 25 mm thick, in order to improve the sound quality of your car audio system. You place the Akotherm plate on top of the layer of Vibraflex products. This absorption plate ensures your car door won’t function like a sound box and prevents a hollow echo, both in case of professional or standard loudspeakers.

Tips for processing

• Pay attention to the wieght and thickness of certain products and the space they need, making sure the window can still be opened and closed.
• Do not cover spots of the bodywork/doors that you will need access to later on in case of maintenance, such as electric window control.
• Thoroughly degrease and clean all surfaces before you get started! Use the pressure roller to apply the bitumen damping sheets, Vibraflex. A handy tool that prevents air bubbles between the sheets and bodywork.

More information about vehicle insulation
On our page with solutions regarding vehicle insulation you will find the most common problem areas. Additional tips pages about various types of vehicles you will find here:

• Camper van & Motorhomes
• Land Rover
• Mercedes 508 & 608 (Hanomag)

Do you need personal advice?
Do you have questions concerning this topic? Please feel free to contact us, we will be happy to answer your question as soon as possible.