Is Sound Deadening WORTH It? REAL Results From My Jeep Install!

[@SealMan1]

Just added Kilmat .100” thick and the Armorlite flooring to my Gladiator. To install you must stop the Kilmat flooring 1-2” from all door trim and the console. Also from all drain plugs. I asked Armorlite and this is what they told me

[@JustinBMcBride]

I learned that lesson the hard way because Armorlite wouldn’t respond to emails or calls. Glad you got through to them.

[@SealMan1]

@@JustinBMcBride I hear you. I also had Lizard Skin Sound Deadening and their Ceramic Insulation sprayed to my hardtop. I feel like all of this has made a difference but I’m curious to see what some of my Jeep buddies have to say once we do comparison rides in theirs that doesn’t have any sound proofing.

[@JustinBMcBride]

@@SealMan1 I did spray the Lizard Skin on the hard top, and added Hot Head Headliners to it. It helped, it’s still not perfect, I need to get the doors done next.

[@SealMan1]

@@JustinBMcBride Sorry for the long reply, but this is interesting. Did you spray both the sound deadening and the ceramic insulation? That's interesting...are the hot head liners sticking well to the lizard skin and how long did you wait before installing the head liners after spraying the lizard skin? It is just now reaching the 80 Deg mark here and I am not feeling any heat coming through the top since spraying the lizard skin on. I am curious what will happen once we start hitting 100+ deg F. Adding the Kilmat to the doors definitely took the ping out of the door to a dull thud. I think all in all the Kilmat, Armorlite and Lizard skin have dampened the noise level but the Jeep is not as quiet as my F450 Platinum nor my Acura MDX both which are very quiet compared to the Jeep. The other area I might try is the wheel wells and if that doesn't do enough I might try the firewall. Have you done these areas or anything different not mentioned in this chain.

[@JustinBMcBride]

@@SealMan1 I only waited 24 hours before adding the hot heads. They are sticking fine. Only one gave me grief so I used some Gorilla Glue construction adhesive on it and it’s there for good now. I haven’t hit any other spots either sound deadening. I doubt I will after the doors.

[@denvermatt]

Coverking makes a full size headliner for the gladiators now. This is a true car style healiner not a "little pieces on the ceiling thing". I put one in my jku after I sound deadened the floors and doors. It cut down my decibels from 75db to 60db on the highway AND I have 40's .

[@MrSportsphoto]

Definitely worth it. Did it to my JK and very noticeable difference!

[@offroadexcitement0211]

OMG, this is exactly what I plan on doing to my Gladiator. I'm still working on other things like the lift and skid plates. I'm in Arizona so adding the extra insulation top and bottom is a must. I love your videos and have started my own channel in part thanks to you. Only have 3 videos right now. After watching this, I now know what to expect when doing my install. I will definately be installing this during the winter. My garage will be alot cooler at that time. Right now it's 110°. Keep up the great work! Hopefully we'll meet up one day. Ciao 🤙

[@leemen]

We love the Armorlite floors. We do them a lot in the shop. Your making me feel bad for having my son Seth do 3 installs a day. LOL. After you do a couple they go in smooth. I notice the same difference you experienced with just the flooring. I will try out a set of the Soundskins. Great video. I really enjoyed it.

[@d.williamvitt3869]

I ordered my 2023 Willys Gladiator with the OEM hard top roof's sound deadening insulation panels and my wife and I find the JT to really not be obviously louder interior wise than our Subaru Crosstrek. Also the Willys came with very nice all weather OEM mats that essentially were = to the after market Weather Tech ones we got for the Subaru. I also like how the Willys has a LSD and on the fly 4WD making it technically better in the snow than a Rubicon with an open rear differential. I got a Slumberjack screened tarp that deploys easily over the bed for our sleeping in nice weather with a tailgate cutting board for meals and a Titan 36L Cooler that fits in the niche on the JT's flat wheel well hump such that while driving the navigator can get to cool drinks. And with the included OnX subscription provided by Jeep we've gotten in some great camping trips this summer. And with all the money we saved just having an OEM vehicle when the weather is bad we can now afford to just "call the trip" and get a hotel room. P.S. I totally enjoy your show, but this episode showed that being a "Content Creator" is just as much work as any other job. LOL!

[@dennydobson2754]

Great video! I love that you showed the frustration in doing an install. Usually, every KZbin install is done in an air-conditioned shop with every tool and convenience available. I'm am sure you will be happy with the results when you're done. Probably not the overall sound reduction, but the road heat and vibration should be much more comfortable. Not to mention, feeling less tinny. I wish Jeep would offer the floor and sound mats as a factory option. I would have definitely done it.i look forward to seeing the project all the way through. Stay cool, my friend! Thank you for putting out great videos and content!

[@JustinBMcBride]

Haha! Right? It felt wrong to cut out all of the pain that came with figuring this out. And that's why I ask if it is worth it. It took 3 days of my time to do, which I wouldn't say merits the results. Hopefully finishing the doors and hard top really help to make the difference!

[@Master-Blaster-4x4]

from experience, the top is what will see results

[@daughertypb3663]

I appreciate the effort and honest assessment. Looking forward to the rest of the series. 👍

[@therealbrennanmuir]

Just added sound dampening to my Gladiator a couple weeks ago. Went with a layer of butyl and then PE foam on top of that. Overall, I think it’s a lot quieter. If I had the time and patience to do the doors, I think it would take it to the next level but ripping out the trim (as you’re well aware) was more than enough for me. Maybe some day…nevertheless, loved the video!

[@ThelifeofKingfish]

I did sound deadening with Armorlite in my ‘17 JK Rubicon. Yes it was a challenge, but I would definitely do both again. I was able to get it in without taking out the front seats. I watched several install videos to avoid some of the headaches. For a leaky JK freedom top the Armorlite floor is magical.

[@jt_overland]

The armor lite wasn’t available at the time I did my gladiator. I used Hotheads head liners and bought their sound deadening/heat reduction floor material. The head liners really made the most impact and were the easiest to install. Plus, it gave the interior a finished look. Way more premium than the crummy Mopar headliners. As for the floor sound & heat reduction matting from Hothead Head liners, I did see an improvement in sound reduction but it was minimal. The sound now all comes from the doors. However, the heat was dramatically reduced from coming through the floors and the truck stays much warmer in the winter now. Lots of work but worth it over all. It was fun watching someone else struggle with this install. I can commiserate. 😂

[@torreysmith8646]

Hardtop headliner will make a huge difference. Best of luck!

[@tom_gorman]

I did a sound dampening mat in my JL with a SOT. The sound deadening helped a fair bit for road noise and helped a lot for sound system quality. It knocked down the "tin-y-ness" from tires and wind and insolated the stereo. I felt like it was a worthwhile investment. I then added a liner to the SOT and again, that helped even more. Still not as quite as my friends 4Runner but, that is to be expected. I agree with you about "feeling a change". A note about db readings, frequency range plays a huge role. In my experience with them in auto racing, a big V8 will exceed the allowable db range but doesn't "sound" too loud. But a 4cyl will be just shy of reaching the same db limit and it "sounds" way louder than the V8 that is past the limit. So, there is more to it than just a db reading, IMHO. Oh and one more thing, fatigue. It may not make an immediate difference, but once you do the rest, you'll notice less fatigue on yourself after you've spent a whole day driving in it.

[@RevereOverland]

That's a lot of work! Do you get a lot of transmission heat in your Jeep? I do in ours, and I bet all that would help. I bet if you'd started with insulation up top to tackle the wind noise, then added the floor deadening that you'd have seen a difference, but I'm not convinced it would have been worth several days in that heat!

[@WolfOverland]

❤ man that was a hard install. I did the seat slammer and the drivers seat. Have to cut the frame rail but I can now see way more and more comfy on the long rides.

[@blakersen]

Looking forward to seeing your thoughts, going to watch with my wife. I did it in my LJ in the tub and in spots between the hotheadz in my LJ and it’s made it so we can carry a conversation at Highway speeds on mud terrains. I’ve been pretty happy with it

[@jeremyanderson605]

What did you use in your LJ? Looking to do mine

[@blakersen]

@@jeremyanderson605 I used killmat in the tub and cut strips for the roof to go between the hotheadz. Put a new bedrug carpet in as well and overall I’m really happy.

[@aimlesslydriven]

I find this the truly difficult and frustrating part of overlanding. Making stuff fit and work. I couldn't stop watching. Good job Justin!

[@ipdjbt]

lol, overlanding.

[@joemzd]

I did this very thing with my Mazda, so much work! And yes, also made the mistake of doing it in the middle of July. It’s been my popular vid on KZbin, though. I never did do the doors, I’ll ge Tom that when the weather is cooler.

[@cdnjeepoverland]

That was one of those nightmare projects that creep up occasionally… 10x harder than you expect them to be (so I do feel for ya). I just spent the whole weekend returning a Wrangler to stock so I can trade it in Monday - didn’t expect spinning, unreachable nuts to make bolts impossible to remove, contorting myself and cutting my hands under the dash to remove nearly impossible connectors, etc. Fun times! I was glad I didn’t have to film the ordeal… unsuitable words were muttered.

[@JustinBMcBride]

This made my day. I’m sorry to grin at your expense, but it is purely out of respect for the pain you went through.

[@asaleemeadows]

Man, you put in a lot of effort it seems for little benefit. I appreciate the work, I know that feeling working on something like that that takes forever. I have the ecodiesel in the JL, and I don't think it's too load. and with the JL I think the noise comes more from wind and tire choice.

[@straylineoutdoors5259]

Your videos with Cool Rick inspired me to install hot headliners and sound dampening my JL and it made a difference. Jeep yoga was not fun to add the flooring mats. Looking forward to seeing if the door insulation helps.

[@auduffer]

i think i'll be doing this in november or december; this Texas heat is too much right now...or maybe not at all after seeing those struggles!

[@tonyk1amt806]

Thanks for the install video, I certainly won't be going the armor lite floor route, but the sound skins seems worthwhile and not a big PITA

[@JustinBMcBride]

10,000X agree!

[@jlautomotive6349]

I was expecting more even just from the Armorlite flooring as it’s been talked up soooo much… I will be looking forward to watching the rest of this series! Nice job though on the install even though that sucked… 👍

[@nomadynofficial]

Spray the tub and the hardtop interior panels with Lizard Skin acoustic coating, then add additional sound deadening to the tub. It won't be whisper quiet but its drastically improved from factory. I think the diesel comes with extra sound deadening over the gas models.

[@montechie]

Oof, hopefully that'll be worth the sweat equity. The top with the headliner from the factory is pretty good, it completely wraps the back cap which I don't think the aftermarket ones do. Still not as good as my old F150, but much better than my Tacoma ever was for road/wind noise.

[@GevoA1]

Looks like it made a nice difference, assuming the 5db drop is accurate at 60 mph. Typically, the wind noise pick up after that speed and most of that is from the windshield/header and roof. The other thing is, the floor liner being plastic, will bounce sound instead of absorbing it like carpet.

[@ReallyRyanReally]

Great video! While watching I thought to myself that you could’ve used a hand with the install. Too hot for that. Lol! If I live near I would’ve helped. 😊

[@jimstoneman1732]

Most of the external noise on my JT diesel is wind noise that comes from the Front Runner rack. Mine is mounted to an Alu Cab Contour cap, but it extends over the rear of the cab about 6" or so. Once I hit about 65mph it really becomes noticeable. I installed a Mopar headliner kit, and it did improve it a bit, but I'm pretty sure I'll never eliminate it.

[@Bunnybones87]

Yo Justin that must have hurt, but you did a good job with it!

[@zeppelin6601]

I think one flaw in your measurements is that you have the sound meter measuring in the "A" weighting. That weighting reduces a lot of the lower frequencies, which is probably what you are getting with road noise through the floor. I bet if you did those measurements in the C weighting, which is more flat, you would see a more pronounced drop in DBs. The fact that you noticed the wind noise from the roof more is proof of that.

[@JustinBMcBride]

Solid. Thanks, I’m obviously not a sound engineer.

[@nickdoeslife9531]

I mean, i’m not there, so i can’t really tell, but i feel like you’ll see a noticeable improvement once you get the doors done and if you add in the Hot Head roof panel insulators.

[@ajantics]

Loved the video! I'm surprised you did the sound deadener on the floor first before doing something to the hard top. I would figure the sound deadener on the hard top and add hot head liners or the cover king topliner would make the most difference!

[@JustinBMcBride]

I have a plan for the hard top, but I need to take the camper off to then get the hard top off.

[@dl9955]

Looks like a waste for sound deadening, but it should help to reduce the heat in the floorboards. The hardtop sound deadening is the key point to look at. All our sound in our 4dr JL is from the hardtop roof and front windshield area. Lots of work you put in for very little satisfaction.

[@porkrindrob]

Man I have to say I appreciate the this video. Sound deadening is my next project. I have hot heads headliners on order, and eyeballing the sound skins. I have considered the armorlite flooring but I think for now I will hold off. I want to see what the sound deadening plus some an additional layer of sound deadening foam will do. What did you think of the seat jackers? Been contemplating those as well. Great video!

[@a1racer441]

Probably the biggest reduction would come from doing a lizard skin type coating on the roof panels and an insulation kit like the hot heads that way you have 2 layers on the roof panels would also reduce a lot of the driving noise.

[@JustinBMcBride]

Literally have both of those in the garage. I need to get the camper off to get the Lizard Skin installed.

[@a1racer441]

@@JustinBMcBride sounds like work I've been putting off doing mine because it's still super hot at the moment.

[@georgecarousos6735]

Noise volume and sound tone are two different things. A bass drum and cymbal my have the same dB volume measurement but the cymbal may "sound" much louder to a human. To make a car have lower dB measurements you have to seal up the car to keep any air from seeping in. Anywhere air can seep in is a pathway for sound. Luxury cars that want a more quiet interior use better door seals, window seals, etc. Putting high density pads against a perfectly good solid piece of metal will not lower the volume but can change the tone if that metal is reverberating and or causing a resonance due to huge bass speakers, etc.

[@lukegrachek]

Man, it is hot out here milk was a bad choice. lol great video man! Keep it up.

[@rockyweaver7899]

Justin: "Don't step on this stuff." *proceeds to throw cutoffs on floor. Love you, Justin. Great content.

[@JustinBMcBride]

Do as I say, not as I do. lol

[@choicemojave6655]

Thank you for the video… answered my question “does sound deadening mats work under armor lite?”

[@TJY2K]

Maybe some sound detening inside the cabin at the firewall will help.

[@PathwayOfPower]

Im looking for your final conclusions on the best sound deadening for the gladiator and if you have found a good tonneau cover/bed rack combo?

[@Casey250]

Do you have those sound level readings in metrics?

[@RevereOverland]

15 beavers gnawing

[@JusSleepTV]

Seems like not rolling the adhesive would've helped with adding the rubber to cut places needed, right?

[@clifblake]

Thank you

[@ZUUL4X4]

Been eyeballing Armorlite for awhile, but I would probably set my Gladiator on fire out of anger during the installation process based on feedback of folks who've volunteered as tribute.

[@MaxSadler]

I feel like I'm missing something...how on earth did you mount your RinseKit to the T-Channels on the side of your GFC? I cannot for the life of me figure out how to do it with my Super Pacific.

[@djp1234]

Did you ever figure out what was killing your MPG? Was it just the air filter?

[@JustinBMcBride]

Seems like it was just the air filter. I haven't had the issue since replacing it.

[@timreynolds2935]

I would love to have this in my jeep but it looks like a ton of work

[@JustinBMcBride]

SO. MUCH. WORK.

[@chrisridebike8]

I know you used to run the Wildpeak AT3Ws. Do the RT 01s seem much louder? Can you do a short vid or a post comparing the 2 tires? Thanks.

[@frankconsidine5989]

Justin how you liking the diesel wrangler? Have you had any problems?

[@trevormanger4085]

How much did doing the floors cost to pay a shop to do it?

[@craigdoesstuff5270]

Armorlite has heat and sound deadening the soundskins is not necessary

[@pablodelarosa4201]

What's your plan on sound deadening the hard top? I've had hotheadz with the strips of sound deadening that you can get on my jku before but it was more for heat than anything else. Not sure if adding an extra layer after the sound deadening strips would make a difference but I'll probably be trying that for my hotheadz on my jlu. all the sound really comes from the top corners of my windshield it seems.

[@koko4kosh960]

Did you ever do the other parts of the installation?

[@JustinBMcBride]

I have done the roof, no time yet to do the doors. I think the roof has helped the most.

[@koko4kosh960]

@@JustinBMcBride Thanks for the update.

[@vertstang123]

How do you get it to show range in the upper right corner of the speedo?

[@GevoA1]

How do you like these tires? Are they noisy at all? Thanks

[@JustinBMcBride]

Well. You saw the decibel test. I like them. I don’t think they are noisy, but it’s also a Jeep, so everything is noisy. They’ve been great off-road, but just ok in the snow.

[@GevoA1]

@@JustinBMcBride Appreciate the reply. I'm in need of tires and these are on my radar in 38" vs the 39" K02. Everything else is either pretty heavy and/or doesn't have a size I want. Just not sure of the noise and the snow and rain (which I'm glad you mentioned the snow). A little noise is ok, just can't stand it when it overwhelms the wind noise

[@NoNamesAvailable81]

I'd guess the carpet would have been quieter than the rubber.

[@albertmerkel5624]

Gvwr test time...

[@richardhill3122]

Sell!