Cab Noise When Driving Down the Road

I'm the current owner "ragoodsp's" 3100 so I don't know how noisy the PCs are when they come out of the factory. I do know that I enjoy a very quiet ride and feel no heat from the floor or engine compartment. Dynamat could be the answer to your noise issue.

Hi ragoodsp,

I like the concept of the Dynamat product and have a few curious questions.

When you installed the Dynamat to the floor, how did removing the carpet go for you?  Did it separate easily from the floor adhesive?  Does the Dynamat product have a peel-&-stick feature to adhere it to the floor?  Did you re-glue the carpet onto the Dynamat product, or did you finish the floor using another product like a full-covering rubber mat for example?  If reusing the PC carpet, I fear it won't fit nearly as well as it originally did given the product in-between now.

About the engine cover (dog house) portion.  I assume the Dynamat product is adhered to the inside "engine side" of the cover.  Is the product held on with fasteners or adhesive?  If adhesive, how well did the adhesive hold up to the extreme engine heat?  I am a bit concerned of that because I fear the product would come loose and fall onto the engine and exhaust, especially on a used PC where there is some grime on the original Ford insulation preventing ideal adhesion.  Does the Dynamat replace the Ford insulation, or is it adhered over it?

One more question.  You mentioned the Dynamat product included a piece for the hood.  I am confused about that.  Do you mean the main hood outside?  If so, what would be the benefit of insulating that?  I would appreciate your thoughts about that.

If available, I would like the pre-cut product for the two doors and engine cover.  I am not sure about the floor, and question the purpose for the hood outside.

Ron D. and others.....I ripped the carpet up completely ( took out the seats) and ordered new pre cut matching carpet from PC (I think it was $80.00).  There is no way you could salvage the old carpet that was stuck down.   I did not re-glue the new carpet because I saw no reason to do such.  The dog house kit went over the OEM insulation and utilizes super adhesive and I never saw any sagging etc.  The hood I actually cut myself out of Dynamat material and only covered the cut out areas of the hood.  I am sorry but it has been a few years and I have no record of the companies that I used but a Google search should ID such company's.  The floorboard area does have strategic pre determined  areas where the initial pads must be placed before the rest of the Dynamat material is  put down.  You must roll the material down very well, and cover every possible area.  The door panels come of very easily and one must take plenty of time to lay up the Dynamat material.  I am very pleased that LuvShack is enjoying my super 3100 coach, it is a super handling coach with the updates I did to it.  I utilized an app on my phone to determine the great reduction of decibels within the cab area.   best of luck

Thanks ragoodsp for the details.

Ron D. and others....I did a little research and found the sources I used for insulation kits for the E-450.....AcoustiShield.com and Carids truck supply.  A little pricey but worth every cent in my mind.  I have done the same approach in my new Freightliner M2 that did come with the "insulation package" but not enough for  my ears.   best of luck. RAG

RE: "You must roll the material down very well, and cover every possible area. "

I agree on the 'roll well' , the mat I like to use has a pattern that gets mashed in when properly rolled to the surface. Helps locate missed spots.

Cover every possible area... not necessary in my experience.
This link - http://www.caraudiofabrication.com/sound-treatment-trunk  states ""In this video we cover the "25% method". This means that we only need to cover 25% of the surface area of the sheet metal of the vehicle with CLD material to achieve 99% or the performance gain. Anything past this 25% is likely a waste of effort, time, and materials, and is not likely to net as much performance gain.""

While I tend to go much closer to 75% coverage or more, I do agree with their premise. I have installed new doors on cars during repair, and they did not come with the pad of dampening material installed. A few came with it in the box (BMW comes to mind) most do not mention or include it. The addition of a 4x12 inch piece in a door makes a HUUUGE difference. Forgetting/ignoring the pad makes for one door that sounds like a tin can.   

The engine cover piece seems to be a GREAT idea. Thanks!