Whether you’ve chosen to modify your car or not, installing sound deadeners around the interior can make a big difference to noise pollution, both from the engine and exterior sources. This article looks at two sound deadeners: Boom Mat and Dynamat (check prices on Amazon) to see which one is the best.
Dynamat Vs Boom Mat
If you’re looking for quality sound deadening properties, Dynamat is definitely the superior of the two products. It’s incredibly easy to buy and apply, and comes in several different formats. Boom Mat products are also good, but Dynamat is one of the leading manufacturers in the automobile industry.
Here is a video demonstrating the superiority of Dynamat.
Dynamat and Boom Mat, how do they work?
Both Dynamat and Boom Mat are made from a product called butyl rubber, which is an odourless compound that has excellent sound deadening properties.
The biggest difference is that Dynamat bonds this butyl rubber to an aluminum alloy skin, which gives the material extra durability. However, the aluminum skin is thin enough for the product to still bend, but doesn’t tear anywhere near as easily as other major competitors.
Both products have their own bonding compound, meaning you don’t need to worry about dealing with any harsh and smelly chemicals when fitting the acoustic mats in your car. You can also buy specific rollers to make installation easier, but this process will be explained in more detail later in the article.
One of the other major benefits of butyl rubber is that, unlike asphalt, which is used by many other manufacturers, it doesn’t burn. In fact, it’s actually got fire-retardant properties.
So how do Dynamat and Boom Mat actually work? Butyl rubber is a synthetic rubber compound that is quite dense, and has a wide range of uses related to its major properties.
One of the biggest of these is sound deadening, which it prevents by stopping vibrations that carry through the metal structure of a car. These vibrations may come from the engine, sound systems, or an external source. Whatever the source though, butyl rubber does a great job at deadening the vibrations.
Obviously, metal is by no means an acoustically sound material. It’s incredibly good at carrying vibrations, which is helpful in some circumstances, but in the case of a vehicle cabin, is definitely one of its least helpful properties.
Luckily, both Dynamat and Boom Mat are great sound deadening products, but Dynamat just edges out the competition and proves to be the better of the two. However, Dynamat is definitely more expensive that Boom Mat, but if you’re serious about improving sound deadening in your car, then it’s worth the extra investment.
How much of the interior should you cover with sound deadening material?
When it comes to how much of the sound deadening product you should use, the answer will depend on a range of factors, including budget, source and intensity of noise pollution, and the amount of time you have to complete the project.
Installing either Dynamat or Boom Mat in your car’s interior isn’t a quick project, and unless you’re reasonably technical when it comes to cars, it might be best to get a professional to do the job. After all, it can require removing door panels and interior carpeting, much of which you might not be able to put back on once it’s been removed.
If both money and time aren’t an issue, then install the product in the whole cabin. If you’re using Dynamat, their Dynamat Xtreme Bulk Pack (check prices on Amazon), should cover the interior of most standard size cars.
Boom Mat make their product in two thicknesses, 4mm and 2mm, and which one you choose will depend on how much noise you need to isolate from the cabin. The 2mm sound deadener is obviously cheaper, but won’t isolate as much noise as the 4mm product.
However, if you are constrained by budget or time, then consider between 25% and 50% of the car’s cabin. At the very least you’ll want to do the doors and the floor, as this will isolate noise from the two biggest sources: the road and cabin vibrations.
Installing the product on any areas that have speakers mounted (again doors) will massively improve the sound quality, as it will prevent vibrations travelling through the door from the speaker, or vice versa.
The other main areas that you would look to fit the product on are the trunk and the headliner. These are again areas that would be affected by road and cabin vibrations, but are less important than the areas listed above.
After all, it’s unlikely that you’re going to be travelling in the trunk of your car, and many vehicles have their trunk isolated from the main cabin. These are only areas that you should concentrate on if you’re truly serious about completely deadening the interior of your vehicle.
Both Dynamat and Boom Mat make products that are specifically designed for installing on the floor of the vehicle. As this will be the main source of road vibrations, they’re intended to be thicker in an attempt to deaden a larger quantity of the vibrations.
The Dynamat product is called Dynapad, and is a four-layer composite material, and comes in 3/8” thickness. The Boom Mat product is called Under Carpet Lite, and is a three-layer fiberglass composite material with an extra later of noise decoupling material. However, neither of these are cheap, but both will make a big difference to noise pollution from the road.
How to install Dynamat and Boom Mat
1. Remove interior fittings
Both products require a very similar installation process, because in the grand scheme of things they’re very similar products. The first thing you need to do is almost completely gut the interior of your vehicle. This means removing door panels, carpets, seats, and any other paneling. Some areas are slightly more difficult to remove than others, such as the headliner. If this is something you think you might struggle with, this is the time that you might want to call an engineer.
2. Clean the surfaces
The next thing you need to do is to clean any surfaces to which you plan on fitting the sound deadening product. Even though the panels are fitted in the vehicle, it can get surprisingly dusty underneath, not to mention any grease or dirt that might still be there from manufacture. You need to make the surfaces as clean as possible to ensure a good adhesion from the product.
3. Cut and stick
After that, the process is actually quite simple. All you need to do is cut the Dynamat or Boom Mat to shape, peel off the backing, and stick to the surface. This is when it’s useful to use a roller or heat gun, particularly for contoured areas, as it’ll allow you to get a much better fit on the product. Don’t be scared about using a heat gun, one of the best properties about butyl rubber is that it can withstand quite a bit of heat without losing any of its strength or elasticity.
4. Replace panels and fittings
Then the final step for the process is to reinstall all of the original parts that you removed. It shouldn’t be too hard to refit the door panels and parts over the sound deadening mat because it’s really not that thick, and so should make very little difference. The only thing you should be aware of is that it can add quite a bit of extra weight to your vehicle, particularly if you’re doing the whole cabin. It’s worth fitting the floor of the car with both the original product and the floor-specific product because this will be the primary source of vibrations, and so will require an extra layer of material.
I found this installation video very helpful.
Are sound deadening products worth the investment?
The short answer is yes, definitely. It’s amazing how much sound pollution comes from the road, and from the vehicle itself. Read my article in which I explain this in detail.
As mentioned previously, metal is a very poor sound deadening material, and is amazing at carrying vibrations. If you’ve got a car with a big engine, or with a powerful sound system, then you should do everything possible to reduce the amount of noise pollution inside the car.
Both Dynamat and Boom Mat are great sound deadening products, but Dynamat is definitely the superior of the two.
Dynamat’s a more expensively manufactured product, and the layer of aluminum alloy gives it extra resistance, and so is much easier to install. Dynamat also produce a much greater range of products, including specific sound deadening materials for your hood, headliner, and floor.
Final Thoughts On Dynamat Vs. Boom Mat
Both Dynamat and Boom Mat (check Amazon prices) are good sound deadening products, but Dynamat is one of the best on the market. If you’re not constrained by budget, then invest in as much Dynamat as you can. However, if you’re looking to do a cost-effective job, Boom Mat might be the sound deadening product for you.
Both do very similar jobs, but Dynamat is more expensive because it’s a more technical product. If you’re serious about sound deadening your car interior though, money should be the last thing on your mind.
Read my other sound deadener comparison articles which are listed below:
However, to save you the time, the final say is that DYNAMAT IS DEFINITELY THE BEST SOUND DEADENER available on the market.