The Subaru Outback was first introduced as a station wagon back in 1994. Subaru wanted to design a budget-friendly and economical car that wouldn’t sacrifice interior space. The Outback’s wagon configuration and Boxer 4-cylinder engine accomplished all of these things at once. Subaru even gave the Outback an optional advanced AWD system that would help the car get through nearly any adverse driving conditions with ease. All of these things put together result in a very popular wagon that was loved by the masses.

Today, the Subaru Outback is still known as one of the most versatile yet economical cars on the market. There is however, one issue that drivers of the Outback have consistently dealt with since 1994; cabin noise and road noise. That’s why we’ve developed a guide to the best Subaru Outback sound deadening treatment.

Subaru Outback Cabin Noise Reduction Treatment

We sell the following two of our most popular products together in our Vehicle Soundproofing packages, Damplifier Pro and the Luxury Liner Pro. Our vehicle packages come in different sizes based on the type of vehicle. For a Subaru Outback we recommend our Compact Sports Utility Package to give you appropriate coverage and the best results.

What is Damplifier Pro?

Damplifier Pro has been the best performing sound deadening mat for over 20 years. If you are having rattling or vibration noises coming from your floor, firewall, door, trunk, roof or hood, these noises are what we call “structural”. The Subaru Outback is notorious for having this type of cabin noise because of the hollow doors that lack any sound deadening material at all and the general lightweight construction used throughout the interior. Plus, the open wagon design acts as a small amplifier for a lot of these structural noises once they’re released into the cabin as airborne noise.

Unwanted cabin noise is caused by vibrational energy being transferred through the metal body panels of your Outback. Damplifier Pro is designed to silence those structural noises by damping the vibrational energy By dissipating the structural energy in the form of low level heat, you’ll stop the structural noise that’s getting in your cabin. You should apply Damplifier Pro to any metal parts such as your inner doors, under the carpet, or behind the firewall to deaden the vibrational energy and get a noticeably quieter cabin. We recommend 60% coverage to hear a massive difference in the noise level within your Subaru Outback.

What is Luxury Liner Pro?

The next layer for your Subaru Outback noise reduction is Luxury Liner Pro. You’ll apply this material with 100% coverage on the cabin side firewall, floor and trunk. Luxury Liner Pro is our best performing automotive sound barrier and is known industry-wide as being one of the best sound deadening products on the market. Think of it as an extremely dense extra wall that you install between the cabin and the sources of airborne noise in your Subaru Outback (engine noise, tire noise, and road noise). You're going to want to get as close to 100% coverage as possible because the better your coverage, the better the barrier and the less noise you will hear. This is because airborne noise will enter through the weakest point in any barrier so leaving gaps is like drilling a hole in your gas tank before you fill up your car. Combined with a vibration damping material like Spectrum or Damplifier Pro, Luxury Liner Pro is the best soundproofing treatment you can give your Subaru Outback.

How to reduce Subaru Outback Tire Noise

Road noise, especially while traveling at high speeds on the highway, is one of the most common noise complaints we hear from customers. Oftentimes, this noise can be amplified by the design of the Outback and can distort any car audio system, and in some cases can even prevent passengers from having a normal conversation. If you are dealing with unwanted road noise and tire noise, Spectrum Spray Liquid Sound Deadener as a wheel well sound deadening treatment is going to be the most cost effective treatment for a significantly prominent difference in noise reduction. Many customers choose this treatment because it is easy to install and you do not need access to the interior of your Outback. To install the Spectrum Liquid Deadener, you apply 3mm of Spectrum into each wheel well. This is applied as 1mm layers directly to the metal for a total of three layers. Application can be done by spraying the liquid deadener onto the wheel well, or painting it on with a brush or roller. Just 2 gallons of Spectrum Liquid Deadener will cover four wheel wells. With a Spectrum application like this, you should expect cabin noise in your Subaru Outback to be reduced by 3-5 dB on the highway.

Compact Sports Utility Soundproofing Kit

The Garage: Customer Projects

Subaru Sound Deadening Projects