How to apply asphalt based sound deadening material to your car

This guide covers the basic method for applying this peel-and stick material and then tell you how, where and why to apply it.

The application of sound deadening material to your car is a very effective way to make your driving experience more comfortable. It will serve to keep out road and engine noise, and keep the sound from your stereo inside the car. Asphalt based sound deadening generally comes in peel-and stick panels. This guide covers the basic method for applying this peel-and stick material and then tell you how, where and why to apply it.

Applying asphalt-based sound deadener is actually quite simple. Begin by removing any interior trim panels so that you have unobstructed access to the bare metal panels that you will be applying the material to. Before you do anything else, clean the surface well using an alcohol based cleaning product that will not leave a residue. Then, start by forming the material to the contours of the surface before you remove the adhesive backing. Using a heat gun or a high-powered hair dryer, heat the material and press it into the grooves of the metal until you are satisfied that it is in full contact with the floor. This is also a good time to trim the piece to fit and cut holes for any bolts or hardware that you may need access to. Allow the piece to cool, then pick it up and remove the adhesive backing. Line it up with the contours, then place it down gently. At this point do not try to adhere the whole piece at once. Instead, use a narrow roller to work from one side to the other, pressing the piece down into every contour. It may help to use the heat gun during this process. Any air bubbles after the piece is fully adhered should be poked through with a sharp blade, and then rolled out for maximum contact. If you need extra deadening, you can layer the material as many times as space will allow.

Trunk: If you have a subwoofer in your car, it is especially important to apply sound-deadening in the trunk. If you do it right, it will prevent annoying rattles and keep the sound pressure level from the sub from escaping through the trunk. Many manufacturers sell kits that contain a good amount of material for covering your trunk.

You should begin the application in the spare tire well and on the metal floor of the trunk. Work from one side to the other to avoid overlapping, and be sure not to cover up any hardware that will be necessary to secure the spare tire or the cargo floor. When you have finished the floor, peel back the carpet on the sides of the trunk and apply material there. If there are holes cut in the metal, you should cover these up if you do not think you will need access to them in the future. For the trunk lid or hatchback door, remove the panels to gain access to the metal inside. Apply liberally here, as sound tends to rise, but be sure that the extra weight of the material will not counteract the shocks that hold the trunk lid open.

Doors: Sound deadening the doors of almost any car will result in a noticeable improvement in sound levels, especially if your front speakers are located in the door. Not only does most of the road noise come in through the door, but the flimsy sheet metal of the door also acts as a poor acoustic surface, creating distortion in the sound of your stereo.

To counteract this, apply sound deadening to the metal inner skin of the door. You don’t necessarily have to cover everything, but be sure to get the holes and the thinnest parts of the sheet metal. The most important part of the door panels is the area surrounding the speaker. If you have enough clearance from the interior panel, apply a few layers here.

Floor: Applying a sound deadening material to the floor of your car will probably not help make your music any louder; however it will significantly reduce road noise and allow you to hear music and people in your car more clearly.

If you are going to deaden the floor, buy enough material to cover the entire metal. This is an involved process, since you probably should take out your seats and carpet in order to gain access to the whole area. The areas to focus on here are the fenders and the surrounding metal since most of the noise comes from the tires. While you’re doing the floor, it is a good idea to apply material to the engine firewall as well. This will reduce engine noise in the cabin.

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Installing a subwoofer in a pre-fabricated enclosure

This guide will cover the installation of one or more subwoofers in a pre-fabricated enclosure. It will also cover the process of hooking up an amp to power the sub.

The easiest way to add low-end punch to your car’s stereo is to install a subwoofer. This guide will cover the installation of one or more subwoofers in a pre-fabricated enclosure. It will also cover the process of hooking up an amp to power the sub.

The first thing to do is to put the woofer into the box. This should be easy as long as you got the right size enclosure. Before actually screwing down the speaker, be sure to connect the included leads to the terminal in the back of the box. Next, screw the woofer down tight into the front of the box and mount the protective grille directly over the speaker.

Put the box in the trunk. For the best sound, the woofer should be facing the back of the car. To keep it from sliding around, consider using high-strength Velcro strips to secure it to the trunk floor. If this is not possible, L-brackets may be mounted to the cargo floor, but be sure not to put any screws through the side of the box. However you decide to secure it, make sure that it is out of the way of anything you put in the trunk.

Now it is time to install the amplifier. Begin by mounting the unit in the desired location. This should be a flat area with a lot of open space so that the amplifier can cool properly. Do not mount the amplifier on the subwoofer enclosure, as the vibrations from the speaker can damage the internal parts.

The next step is to hook the amp up to power. Before doing this, disconnect the negative terminal from the battery. Hook the long positive power cable for the amp to the positive terminal of the battery. If the cable does not have a fuse, you should install one inline within three feet of the battery connection. Consult the amplifier owner’s manual for the size of the fuse. Run the fused positive cable through the firewall and back into the cabin. Remove any trim panels necessary and pull back the carpet so you can run the cable underneath. Once the cable can reach the amp, trim off any excess, strip the end, and connect it to the positive power terminal of the amplifier. For the negative cable, connect it first to the amplifier, then run it beneath the cargo floor of the trunk and connect it to a ground point on the chassis or floor pan.

Next, you need to connect the amplifier to the head unit. You should do this using the subwoofer pre-amp hookup on your stereo. This can be either a stereo (paired RCA plugs) or mono (single RCA plug) connection. Unless you have a mono subwoofer amp, you will need to use a paired RCA cable to plug into the amp. If your head unit has a mono RCA out, this means you will need to use an RCA mono-to-stereo adapter to plug the stereo cable into the mono jack. Run the RCA cable underneath the carpet on the opposite side of the car from the power lines to avoid interference. When you get the cables back to the amplifier, plug them in at the RCA in terminals. Before putting the carpet and trim back, run a small 16-18 gauge wire from the head unit amp remote connection to the remote control terminal on the amplifier. At this point you can replace the carpet and trim panels to make the installation look clean.

The last step is to plug the subwoofer into the amplifier. To do this, use 12-14 gauge speaker wire. If you have a bridgeable stereo amp, you should bridge the amp by plugging the positive wire into the positive terminal for the left output and the negative wire into the negative terminal of the right output. The actual configuration of the bridge will vary from amp to amp, so read the owners manual for specific instructions. If you have a mono amp, simply connect the positive and negative wires. Finally, plug the wires into the back of the sub. If you have more than one sub, you can run a length of stereo from one sub terminal to the other.

Finally, put the negative terminal back on the battery and fire up your system. You will need to adjust the gain and filters on your amp, if it has them. First, turn on the low pass filter (LPF) option. Then, turn the gain all the way down. Turn up your stereo until the speakers begin to distort, then turn it down just a hair until it no longer distorts. With the stereo playing at this volume, turn up the gain on the amp just until the subwoofer begins to distort. At this point, turn the gain down a bit. That’s it; you’re done, and good luck with your new subwoofer.

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