"Ultimate sound pad" significantly quieter?

[jaustinmd]

My '82 911SC seems a little loud inside ... not so much exhaust noise as mid and high frequency noises from the engine compartment. It does have an engine compartment sound pad installed that appears to be in very good condition - I suspect it has been replaced at some point. It's about 1/2" thick with soft foam facing the firewall and a dense hard black plastic sheet on the engine side. Perhaps from this description one of you can tell me which sound pad I have?
My question is this - since this pad seems to be in good condition, would I see much difference/improvement from installing the App/Biz "Ultimate Sound Pad" that Pelican sells with the foil lining on the firewall side and the black on the engine side? Again, the present pad really doesn't need a change-out from deterioration - I'd only do it if I could expect a noticeable interior noise reduction. (I've already installed Ballistic sound mat on the interior side.)
Thanks,
John

[Jerome74911S]

I doubt that you would notice any difference. My car had the same original equipment pad as yours, and I changed it out for the aluminum faced one you describe. The end result looked nicer, but I noticed no difference. Sorry about that, but killing the noise you mention isn't easy.

[kuehl]

I replaced the pad in my cabriolet with the aluminized or foil covered version from Pelican.
I was not looking for sound deadening but rather heat deflection, its nearly impossible to reduce the noise in a convertible.

[midnight911]

may be, may be not...is my impression. not necessarily the "ultimate" but i installed PEL-APBZ-ESPU into my 84 chassis with 3.6 where I had no pad before then.

[Tremelune]

Discussed here: Ultimate sound pad vs regular engine sound pad?

I expect the solution is more complicated than just throwing something heavy between the engine and your ears. I'll probably go sniffing around car audio forums when I'm ready to begin quieting my cabin down, but I shared some research on sound deadening here:

Interior sound deadening, noise reduction, and thermal insulation

[grizzfan]

When I got around to this step last summer my '73 coupe didn't have a pad in there. I bought the "ultimate" pad from our sponsor and noticed an improvement over no pad at all. I couldn't tell you whether one pad is better than another; a pad is better than no pad however.

Tom

[KNS]

One thing that will help a bit (I noticed an improvement) is a layer of 1/8" thick Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV) behind the seats. There is already sound insulation there from the factory. If you remove the upholstered piece behind the back seats - a few screws and then pull up and out - you'll see it in place already.

You can cut out a piece of MLV to closely fit in the same spot and lay it over the existing sound insulation. Carefully cut out two holes for the rear speakers. What I also did is added a one inch thick piece of Closed Cell Foam, shaped to fit, right on top of the rear deck and then the MLV over that and draping down the back fire wall and then the upholstered piece. Many seem to rip out the big huge piece over the rear deck but I left it in place and added to it. I did notice a small, welcome improvement. Of course I have the engine compartment insulation in place as well.

I addition to the above I also added sound insulation on the floors (under the floor mats) and a new factory windshield gasket. On the floors was 1/4" CC foam backed to 1/8" MLV. All three of these things together made my '84 quieter.

Edit: Forgot to add - New Porsche engine mounts (don't use anything but genuine Porsche, found out the hard way), will also help cut down on noise from the engine compartment into the cabin.
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[Gordo2]

Originally Posted by jaustinmd

...would I see much difference/improvement from installing the App/Biz "Ultimate Sound Pad" that Pelican sells with the foil lining on the firewall side and the black on the engine side? ...
Thanks,
John

The smart A$$ in me says yes - you would see that the engine compartment now has a foil lined sound pad/heat shield as opposed to the original, all-black pad.

But seriously - I have the Ultimate Sound Pad which looks great and seems to be a very durable, lightweight heat shield for the engine compartment. I don't doubt that it reduces transfer of heat from the engine to the cabin

Engine compartment noise on the other hand... - I don't think sound pads have much if any impact on noise levels in the cabin (my opinion is based on searches I've done on this BB).

In my case - I have a Targa and a B&B exhaust; a loud combination can only be reduced with ear plugs.

Bottom line - if your current sound pad is in good shape, I would look at other options to reduce noise in your cabin.

Good luck, Gordo

[jaustinmd]

Thanks for all the good input. I already have replaced the floor sound deadening material (it was hard and cracked up) with Ballistic, similar to Dynamat. I carried this all the way up over the bulges for the rear wheel tubs and over the original insulation in the rear shelf area that Kurt described. This definitely helped somewhat. Sounds like (pun intended!) if my present sound pad is in good shape it wouldn't be worth the trouble to replace it with the "Ultimate" pad!
By the way, I've seen more than one comment about the "Ultimate" looking better with the foil and all, but from what I've read, the picture of it in the Pelican listing shows it installed backwards ... the foil faces the firewall and can't be seen on the engine compartment side - that side is black, just like mine!
John

[midnight911]

the pad I installed had foils on both sides and the pads have cut outs for shocks and hinges so it will install one way. the foil does make the engine compartment look better IMO compared to what I had before - glue residue and dirt...

[DaveMcKenz]

I had a appbz foil covered pad, and it looked too distracting in the engine compartment. I glued their heavy black foam pad over it. I think this result is pretty close to the ultimate pad that they offer. I noticed a difference from no pad, but not from foil to double layer. The black looks better IMHO.
Good luck,
Dave

[DaveMcKenz]

Good luck,
Dave

[911nut]

I opted for the black, stock-looking pad.
I thought it mad a noticeable difference in my Turbo over the factory pad. Installation was complex; took a lot of careful fitting and cutting but I am happy with the result.

[500404]

I saw a pad some where and it had two additional pieces for the sides of the engine compartment. It was called "delux" and it got me thinking. The OEM pad as mentioned helps with heat transfer but not sound. Using three pieces with seam seal tape would do better. My mass loaded vinyl supplier said his product only goes to 180* so that material is out. The sound guys write that you need to seal all seams to create a encompassing barrier. It will not look OEM but the three piece seam sealed would be the best way to create a barrier in the compartment. BUT the sound will resonate through the tins and through the rr seat bucket steel. That will led you to Tremelune's link and sound proof the cabin with the 3 step process.

[GG Allin]

Anyone ever use Dynamat or Boom Mat behind the sound pad in an effort to cut out some cabin noise?

[sean m]

The pad on my 77S disintegrated about 6 years ago. Simply cleaned the engine bay and LET HER GO!

At this point see no need to have a sound pad........love the sound of the engine as is.