It can get annoying when you are driving and the road or engine noise doesn’t let you enjoy your ride. It’s also really frustrating when you have to crank up the volume of your stereo just to listen to music amidst the noise around you. Soundproofing your car with mass loaded vinyl a.k.a. MLV will effectively make your drive quieter but how do you go about it? Does it even work?
Wondering what the best mass loaded vinyl product for your vehicle is? We recommend the highly rated Second Skin Luxury Liner MLV. It’s odorless and provides you with both noise and heat insulation. This dense MLV acoustic barrier is 1.25 lb per sq foot and specially designed for cars, trucks, Jeeps, and SUVs.
How to Soundproof Car Doors with Mass Loaded Vinyl
1. Prepare Your Tools
Note that you won’t be needing all of the tools depending on if you want to install mass loaded vinyl for your car door, trunk, floor, or all of the above. You probably also have most of the items already.
2. Remove Door Panel
In soundproofing the door of your car with MLV, the objective is to seal the cavities in your door and you would need to take out the door panel first.
Be careful not to damage the wires or other forms of connection behind by disconnecting them before completely pulling then panel away.
After taking out the panel, you would be faced with the door insulation and vapor barrier.
At this point, take off the speakers, then the screws and clips that are holding the vapor barrier in place. Take pictures before you take them down for reference.
3. Prepare MLV and Cut It Out
With the barrier out of the way, you would be at the inner door frame where the installation would take place.
The cables would be unclipped so you also need to take pictures for reference just in case.
By unclipping the cables, the door frame would be clear and ready for the installation. Take note that when installing MLV, you would need to make provisions for all the holes and slits on the door for the screws, clips, and cables.
Place a clear bag over the door frame and hold it in place with the clips you removed earlier. Then with a marker, outline the shape of the door so you can know what shape to cut on your MLV sheet.
Once done, transfer the clear bag to cardboard and cut out the cardboard according to the markings you made. This will make it easier to cut out your mass loaded vinyl.
Then roll out your sheet of MLV and cut according to the cardboard. Replicate the cardboard markings on the MLV too and try it on the door to ensure it fits.
4. Prepare Surface for Mass Loaded Vinyl Installation
Before installation, clean the surface thoroughly using alcohol and a piece of soft cloth. It’s necessary for maximum adhesion.
The inner part of the frame also needs to be soundproofed, so cut out a large piece of MLV for that purpose.
5. Install MLV to your Automotive and Finish
After this, install MLV over the inner and outer door frame. Ensure you pass the cables through the required holes and slits. Cover the area around the speaker properly too. Once you are ready to make it permanent, use green glue as an adhesive to hold the MLV in place and use the roller to smoothen it out.
How to Soundproof Your Car Trunk and Floor with MLV
1. Prepare The Area
For the trunk and floor of your car, you would also need to take everything out. Remove the car seats and then the carpet by unscrewing.
To ensure maximum adhesion, clean the metal surface with a soft piece of cloth dipped in alcohol.
2. Measure and Cut
Measure the surface you need to cover, so you can have a rough idea of how much MLV you would need.
You won’t cover the whole interior with a large piece of MLV, but rather you would do it piece by piece.
So measure out the flat surfaces that you would cover, and then cut out the dimensions on your MLV sheet.
The surfaces won’t be in straight lines all the time, so after cutting out the material, place it on the surface you want to cover and then mark out the required shape on the cut mass loaded vinyl piece.
Cut out the required shape with your utility knife and mark out areas where there are bolts so you can make room for them using the punch tool.
Note that the most important parts to soundproof are the flat surfaces rather than curved surfaces.
3. Install the MLV to Car Trunk And Floor
Once you have gotten the shape for a particular surface, apply green glue and then stick it. Tape the seams with aluminum tape to seal any gaps through which noise could travel and then with a roller, apply pressure on the MLV to stick it better and flatten it for a great finish.
Best Mass Loaded Vinyl for Your Car in 2024
Second Skin Luxury Liner has been around for a long time, providing audio and thermal insulation for your trucks and jeeps.
It’s a very highly rated mass loaded vinyl automotive sound deadener.
It has a thickness and density that makes it effective in shutting out the road noise, traffic noise, exhaust, and engine noises of your car.
The mixture of MLV and closed-cell foam creates a noise dampening effect that is noticeable.
Apart from its noise dampening, it also provides thermal insulation so your car doesn’t get overly hot.
Note though that this is not an MLV for car roof or hood.
Pros
- Great auto soundproof product
- Easy to use
- Provides thermal insulation
- Affordable
Cons
- Isn’t suitable for roof and hood insulation
Why Use MLV in Your Automotive
Soundproof Your Vehicle from Road and Traffic Noise
The last thing you’d want after a hard long day at work is to have all the road noise and traffic noise so loud in your car.
It puts you under stress and is even more annoying when you are having a conversation with someone inside your car.
Mass Loaded Vinyl and Car Audio
Mass loaded vinyl automotive installation is great as your speakers won’t have to work so hard to be heard.
By making the interior of your car to be quieter, you will enjoy better audio for a more enjoyable drive.
Eliminate Exhaust and Engine Noise in Your Car
Exhaust and engine noise are very common in your car’s interior because of the vibrations and sound they produce.
So the mass loaded vinyl car installation doesn’t only reduce road and traffic noise by noise dampening, but it also helps to reduce loud exhaust and engine noise.
If your car speakers are making weird buzzing, whining static or crackling sound then read how to fix Speakers Making Noise When Car Is Off
Why Mass Loaded Vinyl Car Installation
1. MLV in Car Doors
Installing MLV in car doors significantly reduces the noise that comes from closing and opening your doors and windows.
It also reduces the noise that results from driving along a bumpy road.
2. Car Trunk and Car Floor
Other sources of noise in your car are your car floor and car trunk. These noises are usually structure-borne when you are driving, and by noise-dampening your car’s interior, the noise level would drop significantly.
3. Engine Noise
It’s very common to hear the humming of your car’s engine from inside. Even though it tells you the state of the engine, it can be a nuisance as its noise nonetheless.
By applying soundproof material to the hood of your car and dashboard area, you would have reduced this noise to a minimum.
Read also: installing mass loaded vinyl on existing walls, soundproofing a fence with mass loaded vinyl, and does MLV soundproofing work
Conclusion
Mass loaded vinyl car installation is effective in noise dampening and reducing the road noise, traffic noise, exhaust, and engine noises that make your ride less enjoyable.
Using the best MLV automotive product would guarantee the best results and the best mass loaded vinyl for your car in 2024 is Second Skin Luxury Liner.
It’s easy to install, provides more interior quietness and improves your car’s acoustics. So you can have a more pleasurable ride each time.
Dave Pearson is a Canadian musician, sound editor, and audiophile. He is also the founder and owner of the website SoundProofGeek. On SoundProofGeek, Pearson offers advice and resources on audio equipment, including how to assess and improve audio quality, how to troubleshoot and repair audio equipment, and how to improve the music listening experience.
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