How to Quiet Road Noise in a Car in 4 Simple Steps

In the car, you may have noticed that the noise coming from the road, the wind and the engine is so loud that you can’t even carry on a conversation or listen to music in the vehicle.

However, in this guide, I’ll give you some advice as to how you can dramatically reduce the amount of road noise you hear, which will make it much more comfortable to be the driver or a passenger in your car.

What Causes Road Noise?

The quality of the road is one of the leading causes of road noise. Generally, the smoother the road is, the quieter the vehicle is, but many modern roads are uneven and bumpy. Therefore, when you drive down them, you’ll likely hear a lot of noise.

The sound of the wind rushing around the exterior of your vehicle can also create unwanted noise inside your car. This noise is sometimes unavoidable, but you can minimize its presence by replacing faulty seals or fixing any misaligned car doors and windows.

Another main contributor to the presence of unwanted noise in your car is the fact that the tires may rub against rough road surfaces. The type and texture of the road you’re driving on will have a significant impact on how much noise you can hear.

We don’t recommend that you change your tires, though, because this can be expensive and there’s a chance that it may not improve the situation at all.

How to Quiet Road Noise in a Car – The Best Method

There are a number of ways you can reduce the noise level in your car without emptying your wallet, although you won’t be able to eliminate all of the unwanted noise.

Fortunately, even if you’re driving an older vehicle, you may be able to get rid of more than 50 percent of the noise you typically hear, if you follow the tips below.

1. Use a Soundproofing Mat

The number one way to reduce the noise level inside your car is by using a soundproofing mat called Dynamat.

This product is made of insulating foam, and one side contains some adhesive that’ll help you attach it to any surface. The foam material is what helps Dynamat soak up the sound that comes from a car’s tires and stop it from entering the vehicle’s cabin.

For my mother’s car, I looked for a cheaper alternative to Dynamat, and I found FatMat. It’s only half the cost of Dynamat, but it has received excellent reviews online. No matter which brand you choose, the installation will only take about an hour, even if you don’t have any special skills when it comes to soundproofing or vehicle maintenance.

Soundproofing mats work best when they’re applied to the bottom of your car’s floor mats, especially the mats that are closest to the front seats. That’s because most of the noise that comes into the car from outside will enter through the front.

You can start this process by taking out the floor mats and then applying the Dynamat (or FatMat) to the floor. One piece of the foam material should go under the driver’s mat, and the other one should be added under the front passenger’s mat. Make sure each one sticks well before returning the floor mats to their position on top.

After you work on the floor mats in the front, we recommend that you add soundproof mats to the bottom of the mats in the backseat, too. This will reduce even more noise that’s coming from the muffler or simply entering the car through the floor.

2. Add Reflective Insulation

If you want almost perfect silence, or you have a problem with heat coming up through the floor panels of the car, then you may want to try adding some reflective insulation.

This will help block out 98 percent of the heat coming from the floorboards of the car, and as much as 80 percent of the noise.

For the best results possible, it’s a good idea to combine reflective insulation with the use of soundproof mats. If you want to save time and avoid complications, you can actually install both at the same time. To do so, just apply the reflective insulation directly underneath the soundproof foam mats.

3. Soundproof the Doors

Some cars have extremely thin doors, so it’s no surprise that road noise can enter the cabin through them. Unfortunately, soundproofing your car doors isn’t an easy task. It can also take a lot of time to complete, because it’s necessary to remove the panels from the doors in order to fit the soundproofing materials in.

If you’re up to the task, the best way to soundproof your car door is to use foam insulation. This insulation is very similar to the type you may have used to soundproof your floor mats, and in my opinion, the best brand is Second Skin.

To get started, the first thing you’ll need to do is remove the panel from one of your doors. After you’ve removed it, it’ll be time to cover the inside of the door with insulation.

For optimum results, we recommend that you cover the entire door, except for the parts that serve a functional purpose. Once you’ve covered it, you can reattach the door panel that you removed.

Once the panel is back in place, you should try to open and close the door and roll the windows up and down. If everything still works well, you’re done, and you can repeat the process on your other doors.

4. Soundproof the Car’s Roof

You should soundproof the roof of your car if you want to minimize the amount of noise that’s coming from wind, as well as the pitter-patter sound of rain that may be hitting the rooftop.

You can use Dynamat or any similar sound-deadener on the roof, and the procedure is similar to the one used to soundproof the car’s floor. For the best results possible, you’ll need to completely remove the padded layer and cover the inside of the roof with the sound-deadener you’ve chosen.

What Else Can I Soundproof to Lower the Noise Level?

There are a couple more components in your car that you can soundproof, including:

The back tires: Of you have a vehicle that has a large, flat trunk, then a lot of noise may be able to enter the car through the area around the back tires. As a result, soundproofing the tires may be helpful.

The cup holder: Your car’s cup holder can act as a giant microphone for outside noise, due to how each one is typically installed within a vehicle.

How Much Will it Cost Me to Soundproof My Car?

Soundproofing a car can be relatively cheap, especially if you’re planning on doing the job yourself.

If you’re on a tight budget and are planning on going the cheapest route possible, then soundproofing your vehicle will cost you approximately $80 to $200 (that is, if you’re doing all the work yourself and using all the methods I’ve recommended).

Conclusion

By following the information in this guide, you can eliminate a great deal—approximately 40 to 50 percent, if not more—of the noise from traffic, the wind and the road below that you can hear within your vehicle.

If your main goal is to do this in a highly economical manner, I advise you to check out my guide to the best sound-deadening for the money.

image: Pixabay