how to make a quiet interior

[deathegg]

So, i was thinking (always a dangerous thing)...
how would you go about making the interior of a Festiva as quiet as an average modern car, such as a Cobalt, Civic, etc?
new cars have thicker laminated glass, double or even triple door seals, etc.
Also i'm sure newer cars have some sort of high-tech sound insulation.

so, how could you duplicate and/or adapt this technology to a Festiva?

Specific thoughts and suggestions please. :?:

[deathegg]

btw, i know people have asked this before, and the consensus seems to be that a festiva cannot be made very quiet, due to the lack of mass in the chassis, being a small car, etc
I don't buy it. Drive a 3-door Yaris and tell me it can't be done.

[Aaronbrook37]

It can be made quiet. Easily. You will be adding a bit of weight though. Using expanding foam for large regions and roofing shingle underlay for flat areas.

[monkeyracing]

You can quiet down pretty much anything using commonly available materials. Dynamat, b-Quiet, foam, roll on sound deadeners, all work just fine, and would work for a Festiva. One problem I can see with a Festiva has to do with A) door and window seals and B) glass area.

I've found the door and window seals rather lacking on these cars, and with the amount of glass area we have, a little more sound than normal will be transmitted.

However, dumbing down the body panels would go a long way to making for a more civilized ride.

Jim

[poisonousbeef]

Even just putting sound deadening material on the floor/doors/hatch makes a big difference on its own. The more sheet metal you cover with the material, the more insulated you are from noises. After the floor/doors/hatch, roof/hood are fairly easy but getting it to a truly modern sound level is probably unattainable, mostly due to the seals and glass on these cars. Get some dynamat (or whatever you want) and apply it properly, you'll be able to tell immediately that it makes a difference.

[deathegg]

Hey Poisonousbeef, where you at in the 'Burgh? I am a Pittsburgher; been in SoCal for 2 years...(can't stand it here).

so, what can be done about door seals? Can newer seals be retrofitted onto a Festy?

[TRUCKtiva]

I don't buy it. Drive a 3-door Yaris and tell me it can't be done.

I drive a 3door yaris, and it's almost as loud as my festiva.... I'm not kidding. I started to notice how loud it was after about a month. I guess it doesn't help that spokane's streets are crap, but still.

[poisonousbeef]

Hey Poisonousbeef, where you at in the 'Burgh? I am a Pittsburgher; been in SoCal for 2 years...(can't stand it here).

so, what can be done about door seals? Can newer seals be retrofitted onto a Festy?

I'm right near University of Pittsburgh. I've lived in Oakland, Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, and now live out near Wilkinsburg. Been living in city limits for the past 8 years so I'm ready to look outside for some land and build a serious garage, but the Festy has made city parking a breeze.

I've never known anyone to look into alternative seals, but generally speaking car seals are very specific to their model and I think it would be difficult to modify them for reliable function, given the nature of rubber seals in general. Noise-wise you would be further ahead, IMO, to do a careful and extensive application of sound material on the rest of the car.

[deathegg]

my door seals do not seal the best; i may try and CAREFULLY bend the window frame a bit, as seen here in the forums. Also i may try to install some sort of 2nd door seal, somewhere. before the trip home to Pittsburgh in June or July, I want to install more dyna-mat or something similar.

Lived in the east-suburbs for many years; want to find something out in Monroeville. a starter home here in SoCal is $250k, so i won't be buying here!!

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

Regarding the original subject of this post ... noise.

For what it's worth, my only 88LX is MUCH quieter than any of my other Festies, comparable to modern midsize cars. Maybe it's the LX's cloth seats, the cloth inserts in the door panels, or some hidden sound insulation.

You might also try dense yellow foam "E-A-R" brand ear plugs that you roll up and stuff in your ears where they expand. They cost a buck or two per pair individually, but the last box of 200 pairs I bought from an industrial safety supply house ran about 20 cents per pair and they came in little individual cardboard containers to stuff in your shirt pocket and keep them clean between uses. I even use them on commercial airline flights while laughing at those people who paid big $ for fancy Bose electronic noise-cancelling headgear. They're designed to filter out low-frequency engine and wind noise, while allowing voice frequencies (car radio or airplane communication radios) to come through loud and clear. I've tried other brands, but E-A-R seems to work best.

[F3BZ]

here is something that just came out from eastwood that might work in conjuntion the original seals. might add a little extra crush and sealing if applied over the existing rubber.

[Levitan]

That weatherstripping is the same stuff you can buy at any local McLumberyard for way less money! The good thing is they have many different shaped weatherstripping that may help you. I've used both of those in the Eastwoods picture and I got the stripping at Maynards. The tape won't last very long but you can try. Make sure you clean the surface of your car with rubbing alcohol or something to help the tape stick better. I just don't think it will last long. The seal side will gradually begin to stick against the opposite surface and pull the taped side away from its metal, like on your door. Personally, I wouldn't waste my money, but if you do try it, at least, save yourself money by going to McLumberyards.

[scitzz]

Seems I saw that FMS sells door seals. When I bought my festy, it wasn't very loud, times have changed, though. I can barely hear myself think in it. In 98, I ripped up the carpets, and sprayed undercoating on the floors, replaced the carpets. I was shooting to block rust, but it also quieted it down a weeeeee bit.

[Dave G]

Wire in a headphone jack :-)