I have a 99 chevy tahoe and I am going to install a fairly large stereo in it, 3 JL 12's. I don't know if sound deadner would benifit me in this setup. My reasoning is because the cab is so large I might not need to do the damping. There is no immediate body panels to soak up the vibrations and spl. What do you guys think?
Sound deadning will help in any setup, especially in the SUVs of today. They have so much plastic in the interior. Your thinking though is wrong, by having a larger cabin area you also have a larger area of opprotunity to loose sound through vibrations and such. Ask anyone that seriously competes in SQ or SPL how important sound deadning is. Sound deadning will increase your sound output and give your vehicle a quieter ride. I have built monster SPL vehicles using concrete and world class SQ systems using thousands of dollars of Dynamat stripping the entire interior out and sound deadning the entire cabin. Now I am not saying to go to these extremes, but make sure you do it right and not half @ssed. Sound deadning is only beneficial and can't hurt.
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My mechanic told me, "I couldn't fix your brakes, so I made your horn louder"
An SUV is like a large concet hall. Unless the speaker setup is correct (which in an automobile it's never correct), you're gonna have to do things to trick the speakers into to playing back the sound how you wanna hear it. Sound deadening will greatly improve your system and help it last much much longer-especially in an suv. Go with the sound deadening. You'll be much happier with the results.
You might want to read this article
https://www.eurotuner.com/techarticles/25062/index.html but I would defiantly suggest that you strip the interior and do the whole entire thing. It’s not an easy job and is usually a weekend project, but once you take it around the block and hear the difference you will have a big smile on your face. I would also suggest that you use Brown Bread
https://b-quiet.com/brownbread.html I use it on all my installs and have found it to be one of the best as well as one of the most affordable.
Thanks for the help. I used brown bread in my camaro I just sold and it made a great difference. It is a hell of a product for the price. I have 2 70 sq. ft. rolls on the way. Would that be enough to cover an entire tahoe?
I made the decision to use Dynamat Extreme on my Durango---it has helped keep road noise out and music in. My truck doesnt seem to rattle at all. I planned my system well in advance, this was the first step in my install. Since the truck is already stripped down, it makes it really easy to route your wiring as well. Here are some pics of my truck-before and after a very LONG weekend. I would suggest using a dampening material that doesnt require a heat gun to apply---it is already alot of work to cover the inside of an SUV, I used dynamat extreme, all you have to do is peal, stick, and roll----but trust me, for one person---it is ALOT of work---but worth every minute I spent.
BEFORE: https://home.wideopenwest.com/~bholbrooks/gutted.jpg
AFTER: https://home.wideopenwest.com/~bholbrooks/Finish.jpg
AFTER2: https://home.wideopenwest.com/~bholbrooks/headliner.jpg
AFTER3: https://home.wideopenwest.com/~bholbrooks/pass.jpg
Good luck!
-Cy
