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Deaden Road Noise with Car Undercoating Soundproofing
Deaden Road Noise with Car Undercoating Soundproofing
Soundproofing your car is a step-by-step process that starts from the ground up. If you're looking for an undercoating and you’re also dealing with annoying road noise, either because you drive over a lot of low quality roads or because you drive a truck/hot rod/performance vehicle, a spray on sound deadener will do the trick.
There are a lot of solutions out there for undercoating your vehicle, but for effective soundproofing that lasts, there are a few key points to keep in mind:
- Materials matter. If you apply an asphalt-based or wax undercoating, you get what you pay for. Asphalt is tough, but a less effective deadener. Wax never truly hardens and often needs to be stripped and re-applied yearly.
- Product type matters. Many folks have sprayed the underside of their car with a rubberized undercoating and expected better sound deadening. While the rubberized undercoating is awesome for protection from rust, moisture, and dings, it’s not an effective vibration damper.
- There isn’t one cure-all solution. Although using a high-quality deadener on a vehicle can take a big chunk out of road noise, undercoating isn’t the only route you can take. There are also effective treatments for the vehicle's interior.
Read on to learn more about undercoating, whether or not it’s a good solution for your vehicle, and how to do it properly.
Soundproofing your car is a step-by-step process that starts from the ground up. If you're looking for an undercoating and you’re also dealing with annoying road noise, either because you drive over a lot of low quality roads or because you drive a truck/hot rod/performance vehicle, a spray on sound deadener will do the trick.
There are a lot of solutions out there for undercoating your vehicle, but for effective soundproofing that lasts, there are a few key points to keep in mind:
- Materials matter. If you apply an asphalt-based or wax undercoating, you get what you pay for. Asphalt is tough, but a less effective deadener. Wax never truly hardens and often needs to be stripped and re-applied yearly.
- Product type matters. Many folks have sprayed the underside of their car with a rubberized undercoating and expected better sound deadening. While the rubberized undercoating is awesome for protection from rust, moisture, and dings, it’s not an effective vibration damper.
- There isn’t one cure-all solution. Although using a high-quality deadener on a vehicle can take a big chunk out of road noise, undercoating isn’t the only route you can take. There are also effective treatments for the vehicle's interior.
Read on to learn more about undercoating, whether or not it’s a good solution for your vehicle, and how to do it properly.
What is a Car Undercoating?
Undercoating is an extra layer of aftermarket protection and insulation you can choose to apply to the undercarriage of your vehicle, which includes parts of the chassis, exhaust, suspension, and wheel wells. Manufacturers may apply undercoating at the factory, but in certain environments it can make sense to re-apply or to upgrade.
Protect the Undercarriage
If you think your vehicle will need extra protection, it's best to apply a protective undercoating as soon as you buy it. Otherwise, you need to clean the undercarriage thoroughly to avoid just covering up the dirt and grime already on there. By protecting the exposed parts of your car from rust as well as dirt, grime, dust, salt, and everything else you’ll find on the road, you can extend its life and prevent maintenance issues down the road.
Deaden Road Noise
Road noise is caused by a combination of your car's structural construction, the tires you're driving on, and the condition of the road. Applying a sound deadening undercoating will reduce the vibrations as you drive, making a big dent in your car's structural noise. When your vehicle is in motion, the structural noise it creates is a result of its moving parts. Vibrations, rattles, metal-on-metal sounds — they’re all structural noise. The way to combat that noise on the underside of your vehicle is with a liquid deadener undercoating.
It would seem obvious for car manufacturers to install high-quality undercoating to vehicles off the line, but that’s usually not the case. Instead, it’s left on the consumer to apply deadening and protection to their vehicle’s undercarriage.
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Will Undercoating Reduce Noise in My Car?
If you drive on dirt or gravel roads, have performance tires, or drive a hot rod or truck, a sound deadening undercoating will reduce noise in your car. Even If you’re not in one of these situations, if you’re experiencing road noise, an undercoat of sound deadener may be a good solution for you. A sound deadening undercoating will:
- Reduce overall structural noise from your vehicle
- Shield critical parts of your car from rust
- Add automotive heat insulation to reduce heat transfer (like for RV underbelly insulation)
At Second Skin Audio, we've formulated an undercoating we call Spectrum, a liquid deadener that can be applied with a brush, roller, or spray gun. For applying to a vehicle’s undercarriage, a spray gun is the best method to make quick work of the project.
Spectrum is a high heat, water based viscoelastic polymer that when sprayed, results in a thick coating that is soft enough to deaden noise but hard enough to stand up to wear and tear.
| Spectrum Undercoating | Rubberized Undercoating | |
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Rust & Corrosion Protection |
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Effective Vibration Damping |
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Grime, Salt, & Dirt Protection |
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Durable Impact Protection |
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Effective Thermal Insulation |
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Easy to Spray On |
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How to Apply Sound Deadening Undercoating
Step 1: Prepare the Application Surface
One of the goals with undercoating is to protect your car from dirt and rust, and the best way to start your project is by by cleaning the undercarriage. Wash away as much dirt and grime as possible (we recommend cleaning with denatured alcohol) and remember to wipe the entire surface dry. Moisture is the enemy, you don’t want to apply your undercoating with moisture trapped between it and the car.
If you see rust, you’ll need to scrub it away with a wire brush. If you want to use a primer to the areas affected by rust, we recommend POR-15. Let the primer cure for about a day.
Step 2: APPLY Spectrum Undercoating
If you’ve decided on using Spectrum, you’ll need about 3 gallons for your average sized vehicle (60 sq ft). Some larger vehicles may require another gallon. Spectrum comes with a long straw and short straw — if you decide to use liquid sound deadener, use the short straw when working upside down.
Apply Spectrum to the entire underbody of the vehicle and make sure to stay at least 2 inches clear of any heat source. Most exhaust systems hang at least 2 inches from the vehicle, but if that’s not the case with you, make sure you spray around the exhaust. For an exterior application, we recommend 3 coats of Spectrum for a total thickness of 3mm (1mm per coat). Wait about 24 hours for Spectrum to dry before driving the vehicle.
Once you have finished spraying Spectrum liquid deadener, you’re set. Spectrum will bond for the life of the vehicle. If you want to add a rubberized undercoating on time of your deader to protect from heavy impacts, wait a week to allow Spectrum time to cure.
67 Camaro BEFORE Spectrum sound deadening undercoating
67 Camaro AFTER Spectrum sound deadening undercoating
SaabKyle04 Undercoating His Chevy S10 with Spectrum
Step 3: Install Extra Heat Protection (Optional)
Spectrum is a good thermal insulator, so it will be a big help with (or even solve) your heat issues too. If you are dealing with a lot of heat, you may want to consider Thermal Block — our signature aluminum reflective heat shield - or FireWall - our ceramic thermal coating. Apply either on top of Spectrum for extra thermal protection or directly to the metal if heat is your only concern. Anything sending heat into the cabin (muffler, exhaust, catalytic converter, etc) will no longer be an issue after one of these heat resistant treatments.
What Are You Waiting For? Get That Undercoating Done!
If you're looking to get everything you need to spray Spectrum as an undercoating on your vehicle all at once, this is your lucky day! We've bundled together all the essentials into Spectrum Spray Kits. All you have to do is decide how much deadener you want to spray on.
- Spectrum Spray on Deadener is applied in 2 layers on the undercoating of your vehicle to a total thickness of 2-3mm. Not only will this provide superior sound deadening, it'll also protect your vehicle from rust.
- Continue applying Spectrum to your car's wheel wells and interior metal focusing on the doors, floor, and top side of the wheel wells to put an end to any metal that can vibrate.
- Spray kits include a wide nozzle spray gun, bottle, trim tape, and plastic masking.
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Let Us Know if We Can Help With Your Undercoating Project
Now that you’ve got the basics of what to look for in an undercoating, where to install it, and how to install it, you’re ready to go. As we mentioned before if your primary goal is noise reduction, undercoating is just one piece of the car soundproofing puzzle.
Give us a call if you want to learn more about how to turn your car into a soundproof bubble of comfort!