Stage 3 - full cabin soundskins install DIY - huge improvements

[BMW DIY Guy]

Ok yall, time to get super serious about cabin noise reduction and speaker quality improvement!

Here is the 'stage 3' setup with SoundSkins Global into my BMW M2 Competition, but would be the same with an F82.

Stage 1 made a noticeable improvement in sound quality from the doors.

Stage 2 further improved door sound quality, and a measurable improvement in road noise reduction.

Stage 3 finishes the job with full matting through the cabin basin and under the back seat and man does it work! Not only does it further reduce road noise, but with underseat subwoofers, it dramatically improves low bass response as well. Man was THAT a surprise when I first turned my music back on! The bass now is just KICKING.

This may seem like a lot of work, but it really isn't that hard and can be done easily in a day. Also this is something that you can do yourself and really make a difference in your car.

Check it out, and see the difference this can make for you too!

[ck_M3]

Originally Posted by BMW DIY Guy

Ok yall, time to get super serious about cabin noise reduction and speaker quality improvement!

Here is the 'stage 3' setup with SoundSkins Global into my BMW M2 Competition, but would be the same with an F82.

Stage 1 made a noticeable improvement in sound quality from the doors.

Stage 2 further improved door sound quality, and a measurable improvement in road noise reduction.

Stage 3 finishes the job with full matting through the cabin basin and under the back seat and man does it work! Not only does it further reduce road noise, but with underseat subwoofers, it dramatically improves low bass response as well. Man was THAT a surprise when I first turned my music back on! The bass now is just KICKING.

This may seem like a lot of work, but it really isn't that hard and can be done easily in a day. Also this is something that you can do yourself and really make a difference in your car.

Check it out, and see the difference this can make for you too!

I did this with all of my cars, back in the day using Dynamat. Glad to see there's a better version.

The sound dampening even then, was a night and day difference. Kudos! I may have to do this too

[BMW DIY Guy]

Originally Posted by ck_M3

I did this with all of my cars, back in the day using Dynamat. Glad to see there's a better version.

The sound dampening even then, was a night and day difference. Kudos! I may have to do this too

Doing all three stages, the difference is amazing. I will actually have a 'stage 4' follow up using my X5 for even more reduction soon.

[jmciver]

I have been thinking about doing this to my F80 M3 as of late. After it was all said and done, taking into account the material you have remaining (including when you did the doors), how much weight do you think you added to the car? I am not really concerned about any performance penalty due to the added weight, but I am curious nonetheless.

And along the same lines, how much of the "big roll" did you use? I would think the big roll (the one you used for the floor pan and back seat) would also be enough to do the doors as well.

[BMW DIY Guy]

Originally Posted by jmciver

I have been thinking about doing this to my F80 M3 as of late. After it was all said and done, taking into account the material you have remaining (including when you did the doors), how much weight do you think you added to the car? I am not really concerned about any performance penalty due to the added weight, but I am curious nonetheless.

And along the same lines, how much of the "big roll" did you use? I would think the big roll (the one you used for the floor pan and back seat) would also be enough to do the doors as well.

I would think I added about 40lbs total. one smaller roll for two doors, with minimal waste. I used probably half the big roll on the cabin basin.

I am really happy with this work, the difference is dramatic. The improvement is totally worth it.

[jmciver]

So I just did this a few weeks ago, specifically on the doors. While I did't specifically measure the sound level difference, before and after, my ears definitely heard a difference. The car is noticeably quieter which in turn helps to enhance the sound (I also have BimmerTech Alpha One speakers - all except for the underseat woofers). For each door, I replaced the factory vapor barrier, including adding some material around the speaker. I also added material to the outer skin of the door, from the inside, for approx 75%+ coverage (at least 25% coverage is recommended in order for it to be effective).

As an added noise barrier, I added some 3M Thinsulate (SM200L, 1/2" thickness). This type of fabric noise quieting material is pretty common in cars (my X7 has it on all of the door panels). But it is surprisingly missing from the F80 door panels, and it weighs next to nothing. I took the remaining usable pieces of the SoundSkins material and put them on the inside of the door card.

I probably could have gotten away without using the speaker rings. Upon close inspection of the old speakers coming out of the car, you could see where the thin foam on the speaker made contact with the speaker grill "cup" on the door card. However, the material was not that expensive and definitely contributes to a very tight seal between the speaker and door card now.

I used two rolls (i.e. two door kits), with only some non-usable scraps left over when I was done. For the 3M Thinsulate, I purchased 5 linear feet (1 linear foot is 60" x 1 ft) which was just enough for all four door cards. Based on the improved noise reduction performance, which was my primary goal, I am not sure I would do the floor of the car. However, as I am considering a trunk sub upgrade, I may do the main areas of the trunk and under the rear seat, to help reduce some of the exhaust noise (and any potential vibration/rattles from a trunk sub). But overall, I am pleased with the current results.

And while I have not taken my car back to the track yet, after some "minor" spirited driving on the street, I have absolutely zero concern for any performance penalty hit due to the approx 20lbs of weight I added to the car with this material ….

[BMW DIY Guy]

Originally Posted by jmciver

So I just did this a few weeks ago, specifically on the doors. While I did't specifically measure the sound level difference, before and after, my ears definitely heard a difference. The car is noticeably quieter which in turn helps to enhance the sound (I also have BimmerTech Alpha One speakers - all except for the underseat woofers). For each door, I replaced the factory vapor barrier, including adding some material around the speaker. I also added material to the outer skin of the door, from the inside, for approx 75%+ coverage (at least 25% coverage is recommended in order for it to be effective).

As an added noise barrier, I added some 3M Thinsulate (SM200L, 1/2" thickness). This type of fabric noise quieting material is pretty common in cars (my X7 has it on all of the door panels). But it is surprisingly missing from the F80 door panels, and it weighs next to nothing. I took the remaining usable pieces of the SoundSkins material and put them on the inside of the door card.

I probably could have gotten away without using the speaker rings. Upon close inspection of the old speakers coming out of the car, you could see where the thin foam on the speaker made contact with the speaker grill "cup" on the door card. However, the material was not that expensive and definitely contributes to a very tight seal between the speaker and door card now.

I used two rolls (i.e. two door kits), with only some non-usable scraps left over when I was done. For the 3M Thinsulate, I purchased 5 linear feet (1 linear foot is 60" x 1 ft) which was just enough for all four door cards. Based on the improved noise reduction performance, which was my primary goal, I am not sure I would do the floor of the car. However, as I am considering a trunk sub upgrade, I may do the main areas of the trunk and under the rear seat, to help reduce some of the exhaust noise (and any potential vibration/rattles from a trunk sub). But overall, I am pleased with the current results.

Well done!! Great work!

[TonyKanz]

Very clean - well done!

[BMW DIY Guy]

Originally Posted by TonyKanz

Very clean - well done!

Thank you and the project is absolutely with it.

[RhinoComp]

Reviving this thread a little! I'm looking into getting this done on my F80, but I'm curious about how many square feet of material you actually used? Or which SoundSkins kit did you purchase to complete this? Trying to make sure the Pro Plus Workshop kit isn't way too much (or too little!), and I assume the F80 will use a bit more material than the F87 but maybe not a whole lot more.

[BMW DIY Guy]

Originally Posted by RhinoComp

Reviving this thread a little! I'm looking into getting this done on my F80, but I'm curious about how many square feet of material you actually used? Or which SoundSkins kit did you purchase to complete this? Trying to make sure the Pro Plus Workshop kit isn't way too much (or too little!), and I assume the F80 will use a bit more material than the F87 but maybe not a whole lot more.

Howdy and I see near by to me as well! I am nearby in Maple Valley, shoot me a PM if you want direct info.

So the Pro big roll is going to be too much in general for one car, but it also depends on how far you want to go with this. As an interesting comparison, I recently got loaned a new M4 for a few days, and it was SO loud by comparison to my car. Low harmonics road noise, and higher frequency hiss was very noticeable, and then stereo had to be turned up higher but still sounded muddy. Granted, I have the full Alpha One speaker setup too, which makes a massive difference.

So as far as what you want to do, it really depends. Just speaker rings? Door vapor barrier plus rings? Doors plus soundskins classic on the inside of the doors? The FULL monty of soundskins plus classic plus cabin bowl like I did in the X5.

Now saying the full job, its NOT a small amount of work, but absolutely worth it. Make sure to use the link in the video description as it will direct link to the products you need.

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by RhinoComp

Reviving this thread a little! I'm looking into getting this done on my F80, but I'm curious about how many square feet of material you actually used? Or which SoundSkins kit did you purchase to complete this? Trying to make sure the Pro Plus Workshop kit isn't way too much (or too little!), and I assume the F80 will use a bit more material than the F87 but maybe not a whole lot more.

Well, for my F80 (which I mentioned in my post above), I used four door kits, each 11 sq ft. Two kits were for all four doors, both the vapor barrier and the outer door skin. The other two kits did the trunk area. For the trunk area, that covered the central floor area up to where the fuse box is (I did not cover under the fuse box area), and the corner opposite the battery (as I intend to put a 10" sub there). While every inch of the trunk was not covered, there was still a huge difference in sound level inside the car as the engine sound from the rear is substantially reduced. So much so that I am not sure I will bother with any more on the interior floor of the car.

[RhinoComp]

Thanks for the responses, both of you!

I do plan to do the full interior floor and doors/rings, but also planning to do the trunk area as well. So this is a super helpful thread!

Definitely looks like a lot of work, but I certainly plan to make it worth my time with a speaker upgrade at the same time. Now if only I could make a decision between the AlphaOne and Focal Integration Series… or Focal K2… so many decisions!

[BMW DIY Guy]

I found in my case at least the cabin bowl made a huge difference. The new M4 I recently drove was SO much louder by comparison in road noise. The M2C and X5 are so massively improved in that way.

I would stress though I would use soundskins classic for door interior, against the metal.

[BMW DIY Guy]

I found in my case at least the cabin bowl made a huge difference. The new M4 I recently drove was SO much louder by comparison in road noise. The M2C and X5 are so massively improved in that way.

I would stress though I would use soundskins classic for door interior, against the metal.




https://youtu.be/Sigwcv0yo2o

[BMW DIY Guy]

Originally Posted by RhinoComp

Thanks for the responses, both of you!

I do plan to do the full interior floor and doors/rings, but also planning to do the trunk area as well. So this is a super helpful thread!

Definitely looks like a lot of work, but I certainly plan to make it worth my time with a speaker upgrade at the same time. Now if only I could make a decision between the AlphaOne and Focal Integration Series… or Focal K2… so many decisions!

side note though I haven't worked with the Focal speakers: I am thoroughly impressed with the Alpha Ones. I have them in my F87 and installed like 4 more sets now. I also recently drove a G82 with HK speakers and good gravy those are muddy and not very good. The combination of the A1s plus subs plus Soundskins is unreal honestly. Its like 1+1+1=5 kinda setup.