Sound insulation suggestions?

You use to be able to get sound deadening pads for use in home made loudspeakers. I'm not sure where you'd get them from Wilmslow audio used to sell speaker kits but I dunno if they still exist.

Here you are

You can get a pack of automotive ones from any decent paint / autofactors. £20 for 10. Not pretty though. The only vaguely aesthetically pleasing idea I can some up with is boxing in the inner arches with MDF and carpeting them.

In article , Malc writes

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snip Maplin electronics sell 'Brown Bread' self adhesive pads for this purpose.

The definitive would be stick on bitumen panels - as used inside doors etc. But not very pretty - and difficult to fit to multi-curved surfaces.

To insulate noise you need to add mass. Especially road noise which is likely quite low frequency. Several layers of bitumen paint might be the easiest way. But not pretty. ;-)

You would notice a distinct lack of noise if you spray underbody seal underneath the rear wheel arches, also instead you could try sticking a large sound deadening patch to the underside of the wheelarch, just make sure you don't trap dirt and moisture.

Andy

That's what Honda have done with the latest Civic rear wheel arches... sealer and then a layer of what looks like a rubberised felt inside the wheel arch, It is multistranded and looks quite open structure but I can't help but think how long till it gets filled with road dirt and allows the wheel arch to corrode from a weak spot in the sealer.

Chris

One could say, "does it matter", the body is galvanised, so it would still not rust until way outside the warranty period anyway (12 years). Done properly I cant foresee any issues, just powerwash the crud out, let it dry properly on a good hot day, they stick & Spray...

Andy

Road noise, which nobody ever noticed in old cars is now the most noticeable sound in the modern vehicle. Michelin have invented a new wheel- the 'tweel', which is wheel and tyre combined. Apparently it works fine but it's noisier than standard kit. DaveK.

Thanks for the suggestions all. Decided a 'partial' carpeting of the wheel arch can be done fairly easily and neatly, so I'll try that. Best carpet? Rubber backed type stuff? Any suggestions on glue that will stick rubber to metal and hopefully clean off the metal ok if I make a mess of it? Something water based maybe?

Spray carpet adhesive will stick well, but is potentially very messy. EvoStik impact? Personally I'd use Tiger Seal or similar, but that ain't gonna come off!