Regardless of the type of vehicle you own, heat and road noise are two of the least desirable sensations that you’re ever likely to want to experience in your passenger compartment. And while your vehicle’s manufacturer would have undoubtedly installed matting to mitigate both, those measures simply may not be enough.
Factory-installed aluminium-backed jute pads and bituminous mats all break down eventually, and both the sound and heat coming into the compartment are going to be significantly higher if you’ve modified your exhaust or installed larger tyres. The increases may only seem minimal at first, but it won’t take long for them to become impossible to ignore.
Fortunately, there’s an excellent range of staged-use aftermarket underlays available for redoing your vehicle’s OE thermal and acoustic insulation. And they’re not just for full-scale restorations. They’re an excellent addition even if you want to stop heat and unwanted noise from radiating through your doors or from your boot without disassembling your entire interior.
Custom Tuned Comfort With Staged Thermal and Acoustic Adhesive Underlays
Let’s be honest: aftermarket underlays may not sound all that impressive, but they make the ideal thermal and acoustic carpet for cars and trucks when you want to keep heat and noise at bay. That’s because unlike standard OE insulation, adhesive-backed, twin-layered underlays do more than just block heat and dampen sound. They can be used either as decoupled underlays or in conjunction with other staged interior products like vibration deadeners, which makes them the perfect choice for creating interiors where comfort has been fully tunable in every respect.
Control Heat and Noise with Faultless Efficiency
12mm twin-layered car acoustic insulation is designed specifically to outperform all of its OE car floor underlay counterparts. Its 6mm closed cell foam upper and 6mm open cell foam lower construction effectively locks out both heat and sound, and boasts a selection of additional features that include:
· Lightweight. Weighing less than 0.55kg / m², these aftermarket underlays add almost no weight to your vehicle and can be compressed down to 4mm to accommodate carpets or other underlays.
· Pressure-sensitive adhesion. Peel and stick backing allow these underlays to be stuck direct onto your vehicle’s floor pan, atop another sound-deadening layer, or directly to the underside of a moulded carpet.
· Tunable applications. Not only are acoustic underlays superior barriers for use under carpets, but they’re also equally effective when stuck against firewalls, inside doors and quarter panels.
What’s just as important as knowing the qualities these staged acoustic lining overlays have, however, is being aware of the characteristics that they don’t have. When compared with contemporary OE car carpet underlay mats, high-quality aftermarket staged overlays:
· Don’t hold moisture or odours like woven jute mats;
· Won’t delaminate, rot, or rip like aluminium overlay mats; and,
· Won’t become brittle, or lose their adhesive properties like bituminous mats.
Staged auto acoustic insulation underlays are also waterproof and thermal conductive to < = 0.034 W/(M.K) at 0°C. That means they won’t mould, break down, or conduct heat like OE underlays or insulation, giving you the chance to enjoy decades of faultless, effective thermal and acoustic protection.
Add an Insulating Barrier to Your Roof to Stop Noise and Heat From Above
Staged acoustic matting for cars is only one of the high-quality, stick-on underlays that you can use to protect your passenger compartment from excessive heat and unwanted noise. 3mm and 6mm Insul-layer underlays are similar to 12mm acoustic matting, but instead of a pressure-sensitive tape-type adhesive, they use a tacky self-adhering face that allows for extra strong adhesion.
Although this single-layer, closed-cell foam underlays possess all the same features and qualities that 12mm acoustic underlays have, their added adhesion makes them especially well-suited for inverted use along interior rooflines. Once a sound deadening layer has been applied, an Insul-layer stuck directly onto it becomes the perfect barrier for blocking the unwanted heat and noise that’s radiating through your vehicle’s roof.
The Waterproof Adhesive Layer That’s Perfect for Open Vehicles
While jeep and open-top 4×4 owners aren’t necessarily the types to lose sleep over noise entering their vehicles, water and heat are still concerns that have to be contended with. This is where staged waterproof carpet underlays can make a big difference in replacing OE insulation barriers.
10mm thick waterproof carpet underlays also utilize closed foam construction and are held in place by the same pressure-sensitive adhesive as acoustic underlays. Their added density, however, helps to ensure added water tightness when exposed to wet environments, along with the ability to reduce radiant heat by as much as 20°C without retaining moisture or deteriorating.
Like other staged underlays, waterproof mats can also be used in a range of open-top applications, including:
· Inside door and quarter panels;
· Inside bed, boot, and tailgate liners; and,
· Affixed directly to floorplans.
These underlays can be used anywhere that moisture might potentially pose a problem. They can also be attached to the undersides of waterproof carpets and flooring to take the fullest possible advantage of their added cushioning without the risk of encouraging mould, mildew, or rot.
The Final Word
At the end of the day, it takes more than OE insulation material to effectively keep heat and unwanted noise out of your passenger compartment. And although it’s not difficult to achieve a luxury car level of environmental comfort in almost any vehicle, starting with the right selection of matting materials is imperative.
High-quality, self-adhering thermal and acoustic carpets for cars and trucks are the ideal underlays to use to control heat and noise. As part of a staged solution of underlays, barrier material, and carpeting, not only is tuning your passenger compartment easier than you think, it’s an improvement that’ll add value to your vehicle.
