Stop unwanted noise with the right sound deadening materials.

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Sound deadening is the hidden secret behind the upholstery of any successful automotive soundproofing project. If you didn't already know that, you're in luck because you've stumbled into the right place. If you did know that and have a noise or heat issue, we look forward to helping you solve it.

We're here to help you find the best car insulation solution for your vehicle. Whether you have rattling metal distorting your speakers, a car restoration project, or want to create a bubble of comfort for yourself as you drive down the highway, we have the high quality products that will get you where you want to go.

Welcome to Team Second Skin. We'll take the time to explain what's going on in your car, while teaching you some of the science behind noise control. Or we'll keep it simple and just tell you what to do – you decide!

Popular Sound Deadening Materials

Why Do Cars Make So Much Noise?

Noise inside the passenger compartment of a car comes from one of three sources:

  • Noise that enters through gaps, holes, and open windows.
  • Noise that is generated by vehicle mechanical systems and travels through the vehicle structure before radiating into the passenger compartment.
  • Noise that is generated by vehicle systems or an external source and enters the passenger compartment by first traveling through air, then passing through a body panel, and finally reradiating into the passenger compartment.

The first type of noise – sounds that enter through holes, gaps, and windows – is what most people think of as wind noise. Stopping that noise is fairly simple… fill the holes. Solving for the other two types of car noise is more complicated, but we'll teach you how to block out noise if you keep reading!

The science behind car sound deadening is the same as other parts of the vehicle. A sound damping material acts to the metal body panels the same way a shock absorber does to automotive suspension. As the wheel goes up and down over bumps, the shock absorber resists movement in both directions by pushing a piston through oil. This resistance reduces the amplitude of the travel of the chassis by a small amount each time, eventually coming to rest. A sound dampening material does the same thing, just in a different way. By resisting the minute stretches required for the metal to move in and out like a drum head, the amplitude is reduced, reducing the sound radiated into the car cabin.

Second Skin Audio has a complete line of auto sound deadening options, and then complements each sound deadener with a selection of noise blocking and noise absorption materials. Not only do we have all the high quality materials you need to completely insulate your car, we'll walk you through every step of the way!

Our Most Popular Product: Damplifier Pro

Two things matter for quality sound deadening (1) the quality of rubber and (2) the thickness of the materials. Our most popular product is the Damplifier Pro™ sound deadening mat – and it excels at both.

  • It's simple to install. Just cut, peel and stick. Controlling sheet metal vibrations is the first step in any vehicle sound deadening project.
  • We only use high-quality butyl rubber and thick annealed foil. We do not use cheap asphalt, and we don't skimp on the foil's thickness.
  • Butyl rubber is safe for use inside your vehicle. It's tough, won't melt, and won't out gas chemicals when it's hot.
  • Damplifier Pro was engineered for high performance, scoring between very good and outrageously good on industry standard vibration testing. It also has good thermal insulation properties to help keep your vehicle comfortable.
  • We price Damplifier Pro to be the best value on the market, combining top-notch quality with an affordable price per square foot.
Damplifier Pro photo

The Two Types of Unwanted Noise: Structural & Airborne

Structural Noise

Structural noises originate from the exhaust, tires, and other external noise sources before entering the vehicle and transmitting through body panels and other metal components. You hear these car noises as vibrations, buzzing noises, roaring, droning, humming, rattles, squeaks, and groans. It's particularly bad in older and antique cars, and of course, any vehicle that has a killer audio system.

It gets worse. The metal body panels will actually amplify your car's structural noises. That's why you hear those aggravating buzzing noises with the audio system's deep bass sound. That's also one of the reasons your car is much louder on the highway – which is often when people notice the worst road noise. Highway road noise can be so loud that you can't hear the person in the passenger seat. Soundproofing your car will solve these problems.

The best way to reduce structural noise is by applying damping materials to the vehicle's body panels. A damping material is a resilient material that constrains the motion of the panel. "Loudness" correlates to the sound waves' amplitude, so by reducing the amplitude, we reduce the noise level. The less a car's body panel can flex, the softer the sound will be that it radiates. If you'd like to take a detour here and learn more about dampening vs damping vs deadening, feel free. We'll wait on you.

Airborne Noise

Airborne noises are sound waves that travel into the car through the air and then bounce back and forth inside the car's cabin. The best ways to soundproof airborne noise is to block or absorb it. You either want the sound waves to never reach you or, once they're in the car, to stop them from reverberating. Then you get to enjoy the quiet, calm environment you've created.

Think of a recording studio. The studio's walls and ceiling are lined with materials that block, trap, and absorb unwanted airborne noise, so only the music is heard and recorded. Soundproofing a car uses the same principles.

In most cases, some sound will still be transmitting through the body even if you did an excellent job damping the metal and dampening that structural noise. Blocking the airborne noise that does make it through is the next step. Reducing sound transmission requires mass. When working in a building, that mass is typically added using gypsum board (drywall) or concrete. In a vehicle, mass loaded vinyl is the best option to achieve high mass with good flexibility and a limited thickness.

Once airborne sound waves are inside the car cabin, the last line of defense is to absorb them. The OEM insulation and upholstery in your car do most of the work here. If you're looking to add on, two high quality options are hydrophobic melamine foam and jute insulation.

Car graphic

Quality Materials Matter for Sound Deadening. Don't Be Fooled.

The best products combine a butyl rubber, elastomeric material with a thick, high-quality foil. That's what we use to manufacture our Damplifier™ and Damplifier Pro™ peel-and-stick sheets. As we mentioned earlier, the quality and the thickness of the rubber and the foil determine the material's overall effectiveness. You can see the thickness of the rubber and the foil on most technical specs – if they're hiding it from you, you may want to avoid that product.

The worst quality sound deadening material you can buy is made from asphalt roofing material. (We don't sell that.) Yes, asphalt will deaden metal. And while it doesn't perform as well, there are always customers who are willing to sacrifice performance to save some money. We avoid asphalt entirely because we don't mess around with the health concerns, but we would strongly discourage you from using those cheap sound deadening products if you live in a warmer climate. Asphalt will melt and out gas chemicals at high temperatures. Avoid the sticky mess and the fumes. Keep asphalt on your roof or on the road, not inside your car.

How do I know if a sound deadener has asphalt? None of them mention asphalt anywhere! (Wonder why that is…) It can be hard, but there are a couple of giveaways. If a product is sold by the roll, like the roofing material in your local hardware store, it probably contains asphalt. Another giveaway is the temperature rating. Asphalt melts at a lower temperature than rubber, so as you start seeing a lower temperature range – the sound deadening material has cheaper fillers in at best, but probably contains asphalt.

So there you go – one of the sound deadening industry's dirty little secrets. Use the information how you will.

Back to Second Skin – if you're looking for an alternate sound deadening product to our mats, try a sound deadening spray like Spectrum™ or the thicker Spectrum Sludge™. Both are water-based viscoelastic materials specifically formulated by Second Skin for high performance and easy workability. Yes, they work well. They're also easy to clean up with soap and water, environmentally friendly, and non-toxic. You just apply them differently. Spectrum™ is easy to spray, brush, or roll on. You can use it in place of our Damplifier products or in addition to them, because they can go places where it's hard to apply a sound deadening mat, like your vehicle's undercarriage or for wheel well soundproofing.

Mats or liquid

Mats or liquid? Which sound deadening method is best?

These can be used together. Many people do just that. The sound deadening mats are great for flat areas, making it an excellent choice for the firewall, floor, roof, or trunk. Mats can follow curves well too, if you trim them to fit, which is what most customers do for their door panels.

Sound deadening liquids are great for those hard to reach places, like a sound deadening undercoat, inside the fenders, and inside the wheel wells. We think both products look great – Damplifier has black mats with a ghosted Second Skin logo whereas Spectrum has a dark grey, seamless look once it dries.

You can apply Spectrum inside the car too. The product is really easy to spray or brush on once you've exposed the metal. It typically just comes down to your preference. Spraying Spectrum™ really shines if you have a large area to treat, like the inside of a van, the back of a Jeep, or a truck bed. Be sure to use our PlastiWrap™ and Wire Tape™ to mask off anything you don't want to be sprayed. Don't want to spray or don't have the equipment? No problem. Spectrum™ and Spectrum Sludge™ are easy to apply with a brush or roller. The Sludge can even by applied by hand.

Application FAQ

To learn more about how to install sound deadening material in a car, take a look at our sound deadening mat install guide in The Owner's Manual resource center. You can also read about the technical specifications of our sound deadening mats by reading up on Damplifier Pro.

 

Use Second Skin™ Products to Soundproof Your Home

Any metal that makes too much noise can be soundproofed with the sound control methods you just read about. A few common examples we hear about are:

  • Generator boxes, RV generators, or any place a generator is stored. Deaden the metal around the generator enclosure to kill the vibration noise. If you use deadener on the inside of the enclosure, just be sure that it's 2 inches away from generator heat sources.
  • Computer tower walls. It kills the vibration noise that resonates through the metal.
  • Screen doors. Apply a couple of small cut outs to stop the cymbal like noise.

We hear about customers using our products around the home to soundproof dishwasher enclosures, on HVAC ducting, or to seal up a noisy window. Commercially they've been used in too many ways to count, ranging from coin counting machines to hospital and warehouse carts. If the metal rattles, a little of our high quality soundproofing material will deaden it.

Got Questions? That's Great! We Can Help!

Each project is different. Let us apply our years of experience to help you find the right product for the job. We’re happy to talk through any project with anyone who calls in. We've seen thousands of jobs – let us save you some time. Second Skin is here to help!

Any vehicle that rattles or shakes, and most do, can benefit from sound deadening. Whether you installed a high-end sound system, are fixing up a hot rod, or just want to carve out a little bubble of comfort for your drive to work, Second Skin's sound deadening are best in class. Join Team Second Skin and turn any car into a luxury vehicle!

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