Is your little convertible a bit loud for ya Princess??![]()
Sound deadening in a Miata just seems silly! YMMV![]()
I'm getting ready to order some Fatmat eXtreme sound deadening material and thought I would see if anyone was interested in ordering with me to save a little coin with the bulk discounts. Fatmat isn't the best stuff out there, but it gets OK reviews, is one of the cheapest and it is the lightest. 50 sq ft has an installed weight of 12 lbs. This makes it a nice compromise in my mind.
36 Sq Ft Fatmat FatPak- $67.98 shipped.
50 Sq Ft Fatmat FatPak- $79.98 shipped.
100 Sq Ft Mega FatPak- $119.98 shipped.
If ordering on my own, I will likely get the 50 sq ft package. Let me know if you are interested in splitting a 100 sq ft pack.
Each kit includes the following which we would need to share:
FatMat Roller For Easy Installation
FatMat Handy Cutting Knife
FatMat Degreasing Agent-Helps prepare greasy surfaces
Installation Instructions
Is your little convertible a bit loud for ya Princess??![]()
Sound deadening in a Miata just seems silly! YMMV![]()
Will it deafen the noise of a loud wife?
I live where even the coyotes won't go...
Actually, I won't be putting any on the firewall. I wouldn't mind muffling a little of the exhaust note to allow more whine from the front of the car to be heard. I am planning on the doors (for improved stereo sound), transmission tunnel (to reduce heat), and behind the seats and onto the parcel shelf (to reduce some of the exhaust resonance).
I'm curious to know why you settled on FatMat. There are some negative reviews out there for it as I believe it is an asphalt based SD. I used Second Skin Audio's Damplifier which is a Butyl Rubber. Lighter and supposedly more effective and durable.* I have some extra that I'll sell you for a reasonable price. I should have enough for all that you want to do.
Not the cheapest but also not as expensive as Dynamat.
You also might want to read Sound Deadeer Showdown. This made a big influence on my decision.
*I know it's heavier per ft2 but check this out from that article.
andIf you are considering an asphalt sound deadener based on price, please reconsider. Remember, you are not just buying square feet, you are buying mass. Most of the asphalt mats are thinner and the lighter than the butyl products. This means you will need more layers to accomplish the same result.
If you search the Web for sound deadener falling off, you will see lots of cases of asphalt mats failing and no failures that I have been able to find involving butyl based mats.
I read that review and was disappointed by the testing procedures he used. It really comes down to 3 things for me...
Price- If it is going to cost me more than $100, I loose interest quickly.
Weight- I don't want to add any more weight than I have to. Yes, I would need multiple layers to equal the deadening of some of the better stuff, but I have read from multiple sources that you can get 90% of the deadening from one layer of fatmat as you would get from one of the better products. That is good enough for me.
Recommendation- I know 2 sound guys that have had good results with it, Including Catman on Miata.net who I believe you are familiar with.
As for falling, it seems most cases can be traced to 2 things... placing it upside-down (on the roof of the car/ underside of the trunk), and poor prep. None of mine will be going upside down and I will use the prepping product.
I'm very interested in splitting the 100 with ya, but...
Riddle me this: is the asphalt going to put out a "roofing tar" stank over time and Texas summers? The weight doesn't concern me as this would be for an OTM, but in a fixed-top vehicle the smell could be an issue. (Insert Taco Bell joke here.)
You can do a search and see what you can find... In my searches on fatmat + smell, I heard a lot of people say "I hear it smells", but I couldn't find one person who has it and is complaining about long term smell. Everyone seems to agree that it smells when installed but that the smell quickly goes away. Here are a couple quotes my search turned up:
I've been using Fatmat, and after I installed it, my truck baked in the sun for a few days. The smell took about a week to go away, and I had to leave my windows cracked. It wasn't unbearable... and the week of the slight smell really didn't effect me either way.Fat Mat gets my vote, my hatch does not rattle, but my old jetta did, and Fat Mat took care of it, and the smell was not super strong and did not last more than a week.I have fatmat. I like it. Dynamat is just too expensive. I don't remember having too bad of a smell. It's been over a year now.