6506gary

I have Borla Stingers on my 04 Z06 and they sound terrific and perform even better, but at 66 years of age my hearing is going, going, and close to gone. I am thinking of installing soundproofing so I can hear the person sitting next to me and wonder if anyone has done this or is it a waste of time and money. I installed a compartment divider and it looks nice, but is not very effective.

sereneDelusions

It helps. You have to add quite a bit of mass to get things properly deadened though. If you take the carpet out of the trunk and knock around you can hear what panels really need it.

I went with a layer of second skin audio deamplifier pro followed up with luxury liner pro.

There was a good write-up with install pics under the audio/electronics subforum. Lots of great pics thanks to Thrash: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/audi...p-by-step.html I know its not a C5, but you get a good idea of what should be done. I also added the aluminum door-panel stiffeners Thrash described.

maxx2200

There is some good information here as well. Good luck

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1569120016-post1.html

bigcypress

you ,sir, and i are chasing the same problem , noise . we also got a trunk baffle [ 2004 vert ] and didn't find it particularly helpful . my next attempt at a solution is to buy michelin a/s3 tires to replace the goodyears . . .good luck and keep us posted if you find a ''magical'' answer . by the way, our 2000 coupe is much quieter , except for fuel pump noise , and it has firestone firehawks [??] on it and no baffle .

LoneStarLizzard

Like you, I am an old guy (65) and wanted something to quiet the Z06 Ti exhaust on my C5 coupe.

My initial "fix" was limited to installing the aluminum-backed heat shield to the behind-the-seat storage compartment of my coupe, plus adding the same cabin sound barrier as you did. While it helped some, it wasn't up to my expectations.

At the same time, I also decided to upgrade my speakers and head unit. So I waded in and did the full monty. While you don't need to replace speakers/head unit/amp when you add sound deadening, you may wish to take advantage of the opportunity. [And if you do, that is an entirely different topic, one which you can get help/advice from a number of Forum members and vendors.]

My research indicated there are really three different "issues" that need to be addressed when improving the interior noise level: vibrations, heat and sound.

It consequently shouldn't be a surprise that there are three separate solutions - one for each issue - that need to be considered.

Issue one is vibration: A lot of the noise inside your car is, in fact, caused by vibration - within the doors, coming from the firewall and floorboards under the seats and also from the rear compartment and wheel wells. This vibration isn't caused by poor manufacturing design or assembly; rather, it's due to the "harmonics" of your car, and the interaction of sounds with surfaces. All makes and models of cars suffer from vibration-triggered noise.

The most effective way to reduce vibration is to attach dense materials to those surfaces of your car that are most prone to vibrating. Research has shown that you don't need to cover 100% of those surfaces; rather, you simply need to attach enough material to dampen the vibration. [Warning: many stereo shops will try to sell you on covering 100% of these surfaces, and paying the correspondingly higher cost. You don't need to do that.]

After much research on the Forum, I chose to purchase materials from a vendor named Sound Deadener Showdown. Here is his website: http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/. He sells 12" square pieces of aluminum foil-backed butyl material that he calls "CLD Tiles", about 20 pieces to the box, and will recommend to you how many of these tiles you will need for your car. [I bought about 50 tiles of this material, just enough for my needs.] He also sells butyl rope, sticky butyl caulk that you literally stick to the interior intersecting corners of your car to address dampening triggered by two joined surfaces (for example, where your inner rear fender joins the floor). [I bought two coils of this rope, but should have only bought one - that was enough.]

Installing the CLD tiles is simple and straightfowrard. Cut a tile into the shapes you want/need with a scissors, peel off the back and stick it on. Then use a roller (the vendor will sell you one if you want it) to be sure the material is firmly affixed to the car's surfaces. That's it. Vibration problems solved.

As a hint, be sure to add CLD to the inside of the exterior door surfaces, becuase doors are apparently a primary source of vibration-triggered sound.

Issue two is how to attack the heat that eminates from the floor and firewall of your car. Lots of Forum vendors sell this stuff, known as aluminum- and poly-backed, closed cell foam (the vendors call this stuff sound-proofing material, and in truth it does somewhat reduce the sound) in rolls or in pre-cut shapes that readily fit the contours of your car. Here's a link to Eckler's version of this material:

http://www.ecklerscorvette.com/corve...1997-2004.html

When installing this stuff, you simply spray the car's surface with 3M carpet glue (which you can buy from these same Forum vendors, as well as from Home Depot, Auto Zone, etc.) and then place the closed cell foam onto the glue-sprayed surface.

Issue three is true sound deadening: My research revealed at least a couple of alternatives for this.

One solution is to apply Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV). This stuff comes in sheets, and you have to cut it to fit each surface you want to deaden. Then you have to tape it to the surface, using Gorilla tape, duct tape or some similarly sticky, strong adhesive material. MLV is reputedly the most complete sound-blocking material you can use. It's downside? You have to cut it to fit, and tape it to the interior surfaces with Gorilla or duct tape. You can buy MLV from Sound Deadener Showdown

An alternative solution (easier to apply, but not nearly as effective as a sound barrier) is to install Ensolite closed cell foam, which comes in pre-cut kits to outfit your whole car, or in smaller kits for special purposes (for example, your doors only). Here is a link to MidAmerican Motorworks' version of this material:

http://www.mamotorworks.com/corvette...earched=619405

You attach the Ensolite to your car's surfaces on top of the aluminum-and-poly-backed foam using 3M adhesive, just like above.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

So...there you have it. The most complete way to block nasty road noise, etc. from invading your interior.

For your information, I am attaching a link to a Forum site in which a member does the full monty on his C6. This is a lengthy thread, and I encourage you to read the entire 4 pages of comments before reaching any conclusions:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/audi...o-install.html

I am also attaching a not-quite-as-detailed link to a write-up by Patches, one of our C5 resident gurus:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/audi...-overhaul.html

While there are other excellent write-ups, the two above should be enough to get you started.

Finally, how difficult is it? Well, with no prior experience, it took me two full days to do everything, including removing my stock speakers, installing new door and cabin speakers, installing an aftermarket amp, wiring everything, then installing the 3-layer sound-proofing solution described above. But I must admit...I first read, then re-read every Forum thread on this topic so that I was completely comfortable with what I was doing.

There is nothing new under the sun. Our fellow Forum members have done it all, and documented what they did with excellent word/picture write-ups.

Good luck, and feel free to contact me (via PM if you wish) or any of the other Forum members who have experience in this area in the event you want to talk about this further.

The Lizzard

Evil-Twin

There is no insulation for open windows, in a C5. People will tell you anything, but the reality is the tires and exhaust are just a few feet from your open windows. You need to change the exhaust to effect the sound. even with the windows closed, you are not going to change much. The harmonics of the tires and the exhaust tone resonate throughout the undercarriage and finds its way into the cabin. You can effect the root cause by changing it, but you cant bandage the actual harmonics.

Oldvetter

Here is what I did, its cheap, light and surprisingly effective.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...dproofing.html

olbear1962

I went the second skin path and it worked very well

donald4972

I went to Vettnuts in Tennessee last year, and had the entire kit installed. They stripped my entire interior out. Including door panels, and console. Then the double layer of sound deadener/insulation was installed. Each piece computer cut, and sealed with tape. Took about 4 hours for them to do it.
Five minutes out on the interstate on the way home (back to Illinois), and I was so thrilled by the decrease in the cabin of road noise, tire noise, and my stereo sounded so much better.
Reduction in interior heat, I"m sure will be great later this summer. We just haven't had too much hot weather yet, here.
I highly recommend this, as an upgrade to C5. It's dollars well spent, that will never wear out. And the improvement is immediately felt, heard, and appreciated.
Those who think it not worth it, have never had it done right, or at all, on their C5.

6506gary

Thanks for all the replies. Gary

onlyavette

The best thing I ever did to mine was put a T.I. exhaust on it. Nothing else did as much to quiet things down.