Adding more sound insulation/deading to Fiesta S

[aspitaletto]

the OP is being irrational, the Fiesta is quieter than any car in this price range. I got a fix for your 'noisy' car...

[Launcelot]

Originally Posted by FordFan

Just curious- what noise do you find objectionable? Simply- the three (primary) noise sources in a vehicle are powertrain, road, and wind. Different treatments would reduce different noises.

I enjoy the sound of the engine, I don't like the wind/road noise. I regularly use the speakerphone on my cell and I always have to raise my voice when I enter the highway. Like I said, I just want to bridge the gap between Ford Fiesta quiet (which is relatively quiet, and far nicer than others in its class, I get it) and Mercedes/Lexus quality quietness.

Why does everyone think I'm insane for wanting this?

[justafiesta]

Have you ever messed with sound deadening material before.

I spent 2 days gutting my cube, installing 100 sqft of fatmat and putting it back together. It made a huge difference but was a lot of work.
I literally removed everything down to the headliner and carpet in it.

IMO the fiesta is already that quiet. Would it make it more quiet? In sure it would and would be worth the time and effort.

Just be careful not to damage the plastics and get a good seal on the sound deadening material.

Sound Deadener Products FatMat Dynamat Xtreme Alternative is where you can find more info on it. eBay and amazon is the best prices I've found to buy it. $125 for 100 sqft of their base product, which is plenty to do the fiesta.

In the doors double insulate it. Meaning a layer inside the door up against the outer shell of te door and then replace the plastic vapor barrier, covering the holes with another layer (will make the door close with a thud instead of a tink sound.

Take lots pics!

[aspitaletto]

I went Bizzzzerk on my ford Escape, did every thing, doors, trunk, roof, floors, plastic panels, and used different materials... Did it Help, oh yea it did. BUT, was it worth 400$ worth of materials and about 18 hours or labor... no

honestly, i think your wasting your time, the Fiesta has been very well engineered, with a lot of bracing that stops body resonances.

i would attack this problem differently. I would change wheels and tires on this car. Go with a 14" wheel, and get a high sidewall, touring tire.

pics for views:

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[justafiesta]

agreed to the above...

The issue with doing sound deadening is your remove a well fitted interior and hopefully don't break any mounting tabs, damage anything, etc... Every car I have worked on the plstic push tabs will break or bend upon removal or reinstallation (so your replacing those in many cases)... it you don't know how something comes off, you pretty much are left to explore and YANK the part off (or some gental similar method)...

Then adding the sound deadening is very labor intensive to do it right so it actually stay and performs correctly (yes you CAN install it wrong).

Ear plugs are a bad idea as they are illegal if not in all state, pretty dang close... but changing the tires to a touring (specifically designed for quiet) tire would help... there are window tints that can help with noise coming from the windows...

I guess if I were to recommend anything sound deadening wise... try only doing the doors... Double layered like mentioned above in my last post and see if that makes you happy... I'd say what noise your getting is from the door area or your hearing engine noise and besides sound deadening I think your stuck with that...

[Launcelot]

Originally Posted by justafiesta

agreed to the above...

The issue with doing sound deadening is your remove a well fitted interior and hopefully don't break any mounting tabs, damage anything, etc... Every car I have worked on the plstic push tabs will break or bend upon removal or reinstallation (so your replacing those in many cases)... it you don't know how something comes off, you pretty much are left to explore and YANK the part off (or some gental similar method)...

Then adding the sound deadening is very labor intensive to do it right so it actually stay and performs correctly (yes you CAN install it wrong).

Ear plugs are a bad idea as they are illegal if not in all state, pretty dang close... but changing the tires to a touring (specifically designed for quiet) tire would help... there are window tints that can help with noise coming from the windows...

I guess if I were to recommend anything sound deadening wise... try only doing the doors... Double layered like mentioned above in my last post and see if that makes you happy... I'd say what noise your getting is from the door area or your hearing engine noise and besides sound deadening I think your stuck with that...

Thanks, I value all of your inputs, I guess I'll try just the doors and see how that goes, I suppose that's about 25 sq ft of material? If anything, it would just be nice to see how the door is assembled, I will post pics when I do it.

[chazwr]

I wouldn't necessarily go to a taller sidewall/smaller wheel , but the suggestion for quieter tires is good. I have found a world of difference in noise between different tires at the same size and profile.

[FordFan]

If you're trying to reduce wind and road noise, it's going to be a fairly big effort, with some substantial trade offs.

First- just a quick comment on that material that is pictured above- it works for some noises, but it's HEAVY, expect a noticable decline in fuel economy. Also, you don't need that much- you only need to treat the flexible parts of the structures, really, that are getting excited by some source. There is a science to it- throwing that crap everywhere will work, but it's a waste of time, money, and weight. Applying it strategically will yield the same effects and result in much less waste.

Having said that- to reduce road noise, start with the tires- taller softer sidewalls and or different tread patterns. Most of the road noise comes through the suspension bushings- to reduce it, you need softer bushings (sacrifice handling) or stiffer body structure (increase weight). The Fiesta already has acoustic wheel house liners, and excellent body sealing- so you're not going to gain much just reducing airborne, you really need to modify the structure, and that will have significant trade offs.

For wind noise- it's all about body sealing (done), body shape (not much you can do), and glass- you could, in theory, replace your side glass with thicker or laminated glass (expensive and heavy)- the windshield is already laminated. The doors are double sealed, and the acoustic package is excellent. Any improvement for wind noise is going to be a major modification, and I wouldn't expect to gain much.

Just as a side note- I'm an NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) engineer- so I do this for a living, and I've driven just about everything there is to drive. Not only is the Fiesta a leader in it's class- it's quieter than some $60k+ luxury vehicles. Sure- there are quieter cars out there, but for it's price range, and balancing noise treatments with weight, handling, and cost- it is surprisingly nice. Ford really did a nice job on this car.