Whether you’re adding a premium sound system to your car or just want a little more insulation, adding some sound deadening material can help quiet things down. However, adding more of this material can add a lot of weight and even get very expensive, depending on the car that you drive. Is adding sound deadening material to your car worth the money and effort?

What is sound deadening?

Simply put, sound deadening is when a noise-quieting material is placed on the sheet metal or plastic panels in a car in order to reduce the transfer of sound energy into the vehicle, according to Best Car Audio. The sound deadening material itself usually either comes in sheets with an adhesive backing or it can be sprayed on. Most cars come from the factory with sound deadening material already applied, however, more sound deadening material is typically applied to various parts of the car with bare sheet metal including the inside of the door panels, the cabin floor, and the cargo/trunk area.

Some benefits to adding sound deadening material to your car

The main benefit of adding more sound deadening to your car is the reduction of background noise. For example, many compact cars and SUVs will have a normal noise range of around 70 to 75 decibels when cruising.

By adding more sound deadening material, you can usually reduce those sound levels by another 4 to 5 decibels. In doing so, you’ll be able to hear your music more and even carry on a normal conversation in the car. Best Car Audio also notes that adding sound deadening material to the firewall, door skins, and floor can result in less wind noise as well.

Another benefit of adding sound deadening material to your car is that you’ll get better sound quality from your speakers. This works especially when you’re installing a complete premium sound system and want to optimize the sound throughout the car. Adding more sound deadening to your car’s trunk and door panels will aid in reducing the buzzing and rattling that you will typically get from having a loud sound system.

MotorBiscuit’s personal experience with adding sound deadening to a car

If you’re researching whether or not you should add sound deadening to your, here is a testimonial from MotorBiscuit’s own Gabrielle DeSantis, who added sound deadening to her 2006 Dodge Viper:

“The additional sound deadening gave the car a much quieter cabin, softening the sound of the engine which was once so loud that it prevented us from having a normal conversation, but it also minimizes road noise. It was easy to install the sound deadening in the empty spaces of the door panels, and the weight that it added to the car was well worth it to make the cabin noise more tolerable.”

Is adding sound deadening to a car worth the cost?

Yes. Speaking of the cost, adding more sound deadening to most cars can cost anywhere from $100 to $500, perhaps even more for specialty applications. But considering the added comfort, insulation, and overall quietness that sound deadening material can add to a car, it’s a worthwhile endeavor.