Seeking opinions on adding sound deadening material.

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DarrenDonovan

Active member
Joined
Feb 17, 2015
Messages
44
I love how quiet my Volt is, and would like to emulate that in the Spark EV. I know it's never gonna be as quiet due to the Spark EV just being thinner and more of an economy car. It's already quieter than my 2011 MDX, but I'd like to improve it, and it's just fun to tinker with the car. Anybody thinking about doing this? I think if the noise is reduced, the audio system will also sound better.
Thanks,
 
my first post and i dont own a spark ev (likely my next one soon), but i have dynamat xtreme door kit on my scion iq which was really noisy and had a lot of rattles. i had a shop dynamat my doors, hatch, and the bottom section of the hatch, and the results are dramatic and so worth it. less noise outside, most rattles gone, tighter bass, and i hear my upgraded sound system better. now the spark ev being quiet already (i did one test drive), im not sure if the improvement will be as much as mine, but i think it is worth trying since the material and labor is not that much. hope this helps.
 
I doubt you did any tests, but do you have any idea how much weight it added to the iQ?

Also, how much did it cost when you had it done?
 
no need to doubt the test drive. i work next to a chevy dealer, and i was tempted since i drove one (the way it drives, torque, and the deals posted here). :)

i dont remember the exact weight, but according to amazon one door kit containing four 12x36 sheets weigh 6.2 pounds. i used 2 kits since the iq door is bigger and end up with a sheet left, so i may have added around 10 pounds. the hatch door did get heavier and requires slight more effort to raise up. cost was about $130 for 2 kits and $70 labor (2 years ago) for a total of $200.
 
sparqi said:
no need to doubt the test drive.

I think he meant that he doubted you tested the weight of the sound dampening kit, but would ask anyway in case you did know how much it weighs. Since you did it on a scion, as a gas car it probably wouldn't change much in terms of range, or efficiency, but the spark is much more sensitive to weight changes and whatnot.
FutureFolly said:
I doubt you did any tests, but do you have any idea how much weight it added to the iQ?

Also,
Pawl said:
How is the Volt hybrid quieter than the Spark EV???

There are plenty gas cars that are much quieter than the spark ev, mostly due to better sound dampening, higher quality interior and body that blocks off the noise of the engine and road. luxury cars can have powerful v8s and still be way quieter than the spark is. While the spark doesn't itself make much noise, the road and wind can be terribly loud sometimes.
 
Oops, sorry for misunderstanding.

There may be lighter options for the material. I think the xtreme is lighter than the original dynamat.
 
Pawl said:
How is the Volt hybrid quieter than the Spark EV???

I drive both my cars daily, it's pretty obvious that the Volt is quieter than Spark EV, especially when the Volt is using only the battery. When that battery is depleted and the gas engine comes on, the Volt is noisier, but still pretty well insulated. Like someone said, it's just the outside noise finding their way into the cabin of the Spark EV, not the powertrain, which is dead quiet.
 
So...has anyone done dynamat or something similar yet? Not sure if I want to add 20 to 30 pounds of dead weight to the car for the muffling of sounds but it would be nice. My Volt does feel more substantial and quiet compared to the Spark EV, but the Spark EV does in some ways remind me of my CRX with the B16A swap: torque steer and all the road NVH that comes with it :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
To kick off the sound deadening project on my Spark EV, first, I did some quick noise measurements inside the cabin with an app on my iPhone. And then compared it to my VW e-Golf. Not very scientific since they were not done at the same stretch of road (I intend to do that) and not similar traffic conditions (heavy vs light).

Average ambient noise during the run/recording:
Spark EV - 88db
e-Golf - 65db

That is a huge difference and very obvious (as my wife testifies).

I noticed that passing cars/trucks would raise the noise in the e-Golf by about 2-3db while in the Spark, it would go up by 8-10db!! :(

I know I can't make my eGolf fast like the Spark and make the Spark handle like the eGolf but hopefully I can make the Spark quiet like the eGolf :D
 
I made my Spark EV about ~20db quieter for a buck and a half.
Ear Plugs.
The kind that are hemispheres of foam with a plastic stick deal and a thin rubber string connecting them. Not the icky kind that go deep and look like a toy...
Keep them in a cup holder. They are adjustable in their attenuation and make the music SO much better. Road noise down and music up!

I started doing this ages ago on my 45 min commute, both ways, in my crappy '89 Geo Metro. Kept that un-airconditioned turd 13 years/240k miles. I was a tough guy in my yoot!

Now I still drive a noisy S-Box. Only it's way more powerful and even less expensive to drive and maintain!
 
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