[varadha_r]

Folks

Is there any way I can reduce the ambient noise that filters through into the cabin of my Swift ? I just love tomb like interiors especially while cruising on the highway - goes a long way in reducing stress and enjoying the music.

Any DIY options that are inexpensive ?

[swathyd]

Try to damp using some good stuff and thats the only way to get rid of noise. Try materials like dynamat extreme, fonomat, wurth etc.

[navin]

damping will reduce quite a bit. to much is not good as you can tell engine noise nor get a sense of the traffic around you.

[Jeep]

Check this link
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/produc...tml#post635683

[MillionSwords]

I thought we are discussing about DIYourself methods here.
Anyone tell can we dampen using some locally procurable material.
i guess some sponge? will do the job? Rubberised sponge? that kinda material that we use in sofa cusion etc?

WHY only use a dampening material to do the job - any specific reason?
What is the original dampening material made off? why it is used?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Guys, i had used some extra carpetting for the floor of the WagonR for rainy season. After removing it, i am finding that the carpetting did help in removing road noises filtering into the cabin. The noise seems to be on the higher side now.

I dont want the carpetting inside the car, as it hurts the interior looks pretty well. Also, dont have the budget for a proper damping job. Any DIY job to insulate the cabin from underbody and suspension noises over bad roads?

[Sankar]

varadha_r, Swift has a bad case of cabin rattle issues. Pm theMag, he recently got done a vibration damping job in his Swift. It's a lot better in his Swift now.

Dynamat & Wurth are the expensive options. You might get satisfied with a cheaper alternative as well.

[mobike008]

Damping is the only way out. Its your choice if you want branded stuff or procure materials and DIY

[Ram]

Careful handling and top maintenance
Properly run-in/broken-in engines are quieter than those that have been over-revved and abused when new. Bad driving habits -- upshifting gears before reaching the peak torque zone (ostensibly to maximize economy), leads to dramatically increased rattles and vibrations. These vibrations over time, play havoc with your engine and its mounts.

Regular timely maintenance is all-important: air-filter changes, oil and filter changes, gear and differential oil changes... (IMHO, it doesn't hurt to do it ten percent more often, than less often, compared to what the manual recommends -- they don't know how hard you drive your car, over what terrain and in what dusty conditions).

How do you quieten your existing noisy car?
You fix all existing mechanical problems -- slipping belts, dirty injectors, ... .

You coat the inside with 1 cm thick, open-cell dense polyurethane foam weighing at least 4.5 to 5 kg per square metre. Paste it on the rear shelf, dikky insides, roof, flooring, inner wheel-arches, firewall... You get a special adhesive that will bond this material to sheet metal and plastic.

Any plain sponge will not do! You must use anti-rattle padding. This is a semi closed cell acoustic foam designed to absorb the rattles between your car's plastic trim and metal panels.

There is an anti-vibration polymer putty/paste called "Spectrum Sludge" by a company called Second-Skin. You need to brush on a 1 mm to 4 mm thick coat on dikky floor, sparewheel-well, front and rear quarter panel walls, metal inner-surfaces of doors, and dikky lid. It prevents vibration, noise and even rust.

Use gas-charged shock absorbers.

Then there are better cars...
The heavy European cars (Mercedes, Volvo, Saab, Audi, Volkswagen, Jaguar, Lancia) cars and American cars (Cadillac/Buick/Pontiac/Chevrolet, Lincoln/Mercury/Ford, Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth) tend to be plusher and quieter
...than the Japanese cars ( Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Suzuki/Daihatsu/Subaru ) and Korean Cars (Daewoo Nubira/Chevrolet Optra, Daewoo Kalos/Chevrolet Aveo, Isuzu Panther/Chevrolet Tavera)

Traditionally the European and American car emphasized more on comfort. It used higher quality materials (leather, oak veneer, mahogany veneer, deep-pile carpeting). Imagine a large, spacious, smooth, and incredibly quiet sedan or station-wagon built for long drives on an endless expressway.

Oriental cars on the other hand emphasized fuel economy.They used thinner sheet metal, cardboard, cheaper plastics, less sound deadener. Imagine a cramped, noisy 4-cylinder hatchback built for getting the groceries.

Prestige comes from price, and in our nation, pricing and taxation decide which cars command prestige. Large, spacious, smooth, and silent sedans are another thing altogether.

Ram

[navin]

Originally Posted by ram

You coat the inside with 1 cm thick, open-cell dense polyurethane foam weighing at least 4.5 to 5 kg per square metre.

There is an anti-vibration polymer putty/paste called "Spectrum Sludge" by a company called Second-Skin.

Traditionally the European and American car emphasized more on comfort.
Oriental cars on the other hand emphasized fuel economy.

open cell foam will absorb moisture. even closed cell foam deteriorates over time. it is best to use material like butyl rubber which last longer inindian's hot/humid climate.

Wurth makes an under body spray on damper which does a pretty good job on road noise. you will need atleast 2 cans for a mid sized sedan. more for larger cars.

Our NHC and Octy have about the same quietness. So there is not hard and fast rule. Besides the Hyundai Embera is not noisy either.

[theMAG]

Originally Posted by ram

..and in our nation, pricing and taxation decide which cars command prestige.

Ram

Tell me about it. How much would it have costed Maruti to have provided some functional damping on the Swifts door pads? 200 bucks (mass production)?

[condor]

navin : even closed cell foam deteriorates over time.

Navin, would you have any info on the life of the foam - how long would it last, and it's characteristics when it starts to disintegrate beyond usefulness ?

[Ram]

Originally Posted by navin

Wurth makes an under body spray on damper which does a pretty good job on road noise. you will need atleast 2 cans for a mid sized sedan. more for larger cars.

Back in the days when Fiat 1100Ds and Padminis were new and current, companies like "Rubbaseal" did rubberized body undercoating in volumes.

That deadened noise and provided corrosion protection too. At Larsen & Toubro Ltd., hundreds of managers like me, bought new Padminis each year and it was de rigueur to get a epoxy coating plus a rubberized body undercoating done before taking delivery of the new car.

Naturally, those "treated" cars rode more silently and lasted much longer than expected.

Originally Posted by navin

Our NHC and Octy have about the same quietness. So there is no hard and fast rule. Besides the Hyundai Embera is not noisy either.

You're right. There is no hard and fast rule. Then again, parameters like NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) are not measured subjectively any more. Precision instruments exist to measure these.

And companies like Neilsoft, Pune, are in that space. They use finite element analysis software like ANSYS, ABAQUS and NASTRAN, LS-Dyna -- a transient dynamic finite element program for simulating panel noise and other complex real world problems. And LMS SYSNOISE simulation software for vibro-acoustic performance troubleshooting and design optimization.

It is their area of specialization to produce quiet comfortable designs for the Fiat-IVECOs and Lotus Engg's of the world.

Finally precise noise and vibration measurements prove the quality of their analysis and design.

NHC, Baleno and Toyota Corolla measure noisier than Palio and Octavia.
However I don't know enough about the Hyundai Embera's measurements.

[theMAG]

Originally Posted by condor

it's characteristics when it starts to disintegrate beyond usefulness ?

The foremost characteristic would be no sound deadening happening.

[rocksterraghu]

Originally Posted by ram

NHC, Baleno and Toyota Corolla measure noisier than Palio and Octavia.
However I don't know enough about the Hyundai Embera's measurements.

That sounds like 'Japanese cars' are noisier than 'European cars'. Something to do with build quality?