1991 V2500 Suburban sound insulation project

[yevgenievich]

Decided to post a thread with what I have done so far for creating a lower noise level inside the my suburban. I have it in the build thread but it is difficult to reference when talking about sound insulation only. Going to post individual steps. Overall from start to finish I have at least 8-10db noise reduction. It is still 8db louder than 2013 Sonic at highway speeds and 2db louder than a stock 94 crew cab silverado. Last steps for me are to get a the exhaust toned down, add spray on liner in the front and add insulation to the firewall.

Started with basic sound dampening on in the cargo area, some on the roof. Cover with ensolite and left it for some time. Not too much of a difference at that point.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[yevgenievich]

Second round in the back involved additional layer of ensolite, a bit more dampening mat and regular high density carpet underliner. Also added a bug shield and on the door upper seals to cut down the wind noise. The door seals were only used for couple of years on early squares, but gm dropped them probably due to cost. I think they are a must on any square that drives on a highway. I have also used a 3m undercoating to create additional layer from below on rear wheel arches and rear floor area. The undercoating did make a bit of a noticeable noise drop, a very big drop with the seals. At that point just insulating rear cargo floor was not doing much because of the rest being factory.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[yevgenievich]

Then I went crazy with ensolite and more heavy dampening mat on all interior panels and doors. The vents on the door should be sliced to allow air movement. Otherwise when ac is set to bring air from outside at full blast it creates a bit of a higher pressure inside the vehicle.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[yevgenievich]

Last most recent step was to add insulation to the floor of the passenger area. I did not use ensolite this time, but instead used floor muffler floating wood floor underlayment. I put the heavy dampening mat pretty much on the hole area, then covered with floor muffler, followed by factory mat, and then followed by another layer of floor muffler and finally carpet. After all of the steps, exhaust and engine are biggest noise makers at highway speed. And maybe if I can figure out a way to put earlier thicker door glass in, that would help.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Honky Kong jr]

That should be a nice quiet ride fore sure now.

 

[yevgenievich]

Next stage, firewall and under the dash. Just starting. Also found a large gap on the defrost vent connection. I put heavy mat on the back of the dash, especially on the thin areas around dash tray. Dash metal was very noisy in that area. Still in process of removing everything under the dash.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[ajd89]

Wow very nice job!

 

[Crispy]

Sweet project, definitely something that needs addressing if driving these vehicles on a regular basis. This is something I'd like to tackle in the future.

Did you by chance record how much weight youve added with all of the sound dampening material?

 

[yevgenievich]

Sweet project, definitely something that needs addressing if driving these vehicles on a regular basis. This is something I'd like to tackle in the future.

Did you by chance record how much weight youve added with all of the sound dampening material?

The weight is probably on the scale of about 100lb-120lb. Not enough to bother as the the conditions inside the vehicle become a lot nicer, especially on longer trips. The last two parts that were bothering me are the noises through the dash and the exhaust drone from a stock style muffler. Hoping to get the dash/firewall solved with this set, and have a different muffler waiting to be installed. Also want to add a thicker insulation layer under the hood and get rid of the noisy r4 compressor. But that is going to be for later. One major thing to note, is that sound insulation should be installed everywhere to take advantage of it. A gap in insulation will let a lot of noise through.

Another step that I was thinking is 300 micron thick clear film on all of the windows to drop the noises through glass a bit. But that is a major expense if a shop does the installation.

 

[Crispy]

The weight is probably on the scale of about 100lb-120lb. Not enough to bother as the the conditions inside the vehicle become a lot nicer, especially on longer trips. The last two parts that were bothering me are the noises through the dash and the exhaust drone from a stock style muffler. Hoping to get the dash/firewall solved with this set, and have a different muffler waiting to be installed. Also want to add a thicker insulation layer under the hood and get rid of the noisy r4 compressor. But that is going to be for later. One major thing to note, is that sound insulation should be installed everywhere to take advantage of it. A gap in insulation will let a lot of noise through.

Another step that I was thinking is 300 micron thick clear film on all of the windows to drop the noises through glass a bit. But that is a major expense if a shop does the installation.

Yea I would take that weight in my Sub any day for a modern quietness to the cab. My first step is going to be weatherstripping and making sure the doors close right. Thats my biggest gripe about road noise. I'd then go to the firewall since I can hear everything. I like what you're doing with the door panels. It should also help a bit with insulation.

Is this film like a balistic film meant to protect the outside or like a thicker tint for the inside?

 

[MikeB]

How much noise do those tires make? If you don't need the off-road tread, you may want to try highway tread next time.

 

[yevgenievich]

It is the basic small bullet/large rock proof film

Yea I would take that weight in my Sub any day for a modern quietness to the cab. My first step is going to be weatherstripping and making sure the doors close right. Thats my biggest gripe about road noise. I'd then go to the firewall since I can hear everything. I like what you're doing with the door panels. It should also help a bit with insulation.

Is this film like a balistic film meant to protect the outside or like a thicker tint for the inside?

 

[yevgenievich]

The Cooper atp are good with noise, pretty much same as highway tire. In fact the tire noise in current configuration was less than a stock 2013 sonic lt. The wranglers I used to have were mud tires and noisy

How much noise do those tires make? If you don't need the off-road tread, you may want to try highway tread next time.

 

[Crispy]

I'll second a quiet ride on the Coopers. I ran a Discoverer AT3 with standard load capacity and they were smooth and quiet. Are you running LT's?

So whats the deal with those upper door seals?

 

[twinturbo427]

I

So whats the deal with those upper door seals?

ditto ??? on the door seals