Insulate & Soundproof Wheel Arches to Reduce Driving Noise

How to reduce driving noise in vehicles by insulating wheel arches
Next to the engine and the exhaust the wheel arches are third in the row of producing road noise in a car. This road noise, or driving noise, is produced by air getting compressed between the road and the tyres. Noise enters the car via the boot floor and the wheel arches. Soundproofing wheel arches is relatively easy and in most cars the result is very noticeable. On this page you can find a short description on how to insulate the wheel arches and thereby reducing driving noise.

How to insulate and soundproof wheel arches
Remove the upholstery from the boot and wheel arches. Clean the surface of the bodywork and make sure no residue from cleaning agents remain. Brake cleaner is a very good cleaning product for this job. You need about two packages of Vibraflex Extreme sound deadening to insulate two wheel arches, depending on the size of your car. Warm up the Vibraflex sheets to above room temperature, the sheets should as supple as a thick carpet. Apply the sheets as if it were a large sticker and prevent air being trapped between the bodywork of the vehicle and the Vibraflex anti-drumming sheets. Our pressure roller is a perfect tool for the job!

Cover the whole of the wheel arches, and preferably a part of the boot floor as well. Especially if these part of the bodywork sound as a gong when you give it a knock. Because this is the reason why you need to insulate the wheel arches, the thin sheet metal lets road noise through. We often recommend to soundproof the whole boot floor, because of driving noise and exhaust noise. But starting with the wheel arches is a very good first step in soundproofing your car, or other vehicle.

If the wheel arches are not to round, but more box-like in shape, you can soundproof the wheel arches even more with Isomat FM. Great product for insulation and as a finishing touch, especially when you don’t have any upholstery in your vehicle. See our tips page on soundproofing a car for a more in-depth guide.

Products to insulate and soundproof wheel arches

How to soundproof and insulate wheel arches?