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Road noise... a $5 life hack

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#21 ·
Today I used nearly two rolls (150 feet) of this: 12" wide bubble wrap (with the big bubbles) from Home Depot. Who knew there was that much free space to wedge it into the rear tail light areas. Haven't done a test drive yet but I'm expecting significant difference as there's so much airy bubble wrap back there that it's lifting up the rear end of the RAV. Maybe I should stuff a few rolls in the front and save myself a couple thousand on a lift kit ;)

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#22 ·
I placed a 16'x1' strip of laminate flooring foam (cut into 4 pieces) and a couple of small sheets of bubble packing insulation on top of the rear wheel wells. It worked like a charm and made a noticeable difference in the road noise.

Thanks to OP for the concept.:smile
 
#23 ·
Although the bubble wrap seems to kill a little the sound, I must confess it was pretty quietly to begin with as I already have two side to side rugs both with thick rubber backing in the back, and they are same size so that when the seats fold down, I can move one up and the whole back of the RAV is carpeted. So normally, they're doubled up. Also the under compartment well is fully lined with carpeting and filled with fluffy, sound dampening microsoft towels and detailing supplies, so I already had some significant sound reduction to begin with. But then again, with RAV shocks being what they are, you hit a crack in the road or pothole, you'd need a pair of mattresses strapped to the side of your head to block that thud out. LOL.

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#24 ·
j92184 said:
what about expanding foam spray can.. you could just stick the straw in the cavity and fill it up.. then cut out any extra.. nice tight fit..
Click to expand...
Manhattan said:
Couple reasons not to use expanding foam, i.e. Great Stuff.
- It is VERY difficult to gauge how much to use - it's like the Terminator: It will NOT stop. It will find a way to expand - either coming out where you don't want it, or bulging panels. And, once it touches something... it's not coming off
- It would make any repairs, electrical diagnosing (chasing wires), removing interior panels, etc. impossible in that area.

Don't get me wrong - I love the stuff for the right application. I used it on this old Grand Wagoneer. I cut 1.25" of sheet metal from the rear wheel opening to make room for larger tires. that eliminated the pinch weld. So, I filed the void with Great Stuff, let it expand out, cut the remainder with a razor saw and then painted it black. The mod' was almost invisible.

The way the quarter panels were welded, the 'stuff didn't go up/into the rest of the body.

Click to expand...




love that wagoneer.. always wanted one.. you are right about the great stuff.. its a little hard to control.. and would make access tough.
 
#25 ·
Just be careful that you're not trapping rain water, or more importantly in that area, condensation.
Closed-cell foam won't hold moisture internally so it won't mold, but in more humid climates there could be condensation issues in the wheel wells.
I'd check them every now and then to make sure everything is dry in there.
 
#28 ·
pics of exactly where this goes?
 
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#30 ·
Rav450 said:
Results may vary.
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They certainly do. Results are somewhat noticeable but certainly not worth any more work than what is required to achieve them with this quick fix. The fact remains though that even with padded up wells you're still going to get road noise, and that sense of decreased road noise lasts maybe a week before your ears adjust to the new level and start calling it road noise again. LOL. In short, this fix is to road noise what turning a volume knob from 10 down to 8.. 7 at best, is. Next week.... that 7 is still going sound like 10 once your ears adjust. THis is only true if you're one who was especially bothered by the road noise in the rear to begin with. I did the fix cuz I could and wanted to see if it worked. But I've never been significantly bothered by the RAV noise anyway. Keeps me awake on long hauls. :wink
 
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#31 ·
I haven't noticed much road noise aside from what I would expect/consider normal from this car... but the other cars I drive make a LOT more noise
 
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#32 ·
Look on eBay or Amazon for Micro Vortex generators. They make them in every size and color and most have 3m stick on.
 
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#33 ·
Hi. It might just be me having difficulty of imagining how you did it. but can you also post pictures of how your simple solution was applied to your rav? this will help a lot of people here like me. thank you.
 
#35 ·
Kevin40g said:
Look on eBay or Amazon for Micro Vortex generators. They make them in every size and color and most have 3m stick on.
Click to expand...
Have you tried them; if you have, where did you put them on a RAV4?

Can they be placed backwards to focus air flow? I have a sports car with a ram scoop on the rear deck, above the carbs. It might be interesting if I could be assured it is getting all the air it could.
.
 
#36 ·
I used aircraft sealed-cell foam to soundproof my sports car. The only virtue of it beyond the OP's awesome suggestion that it was less expensive by the square foot. I'm off to get some of his suggested stuff for the RAV4.
.
 
#37 ·
pdxrav said:
OP, thabks for the tip. Do you know if those foam is fire resistant?
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I bought the Owens Corning FoamSealR Sill Plate Gasket from Home Depot. It is pink color instead of the blue one shown by OP. I think the blue one is sold by Lowe's.

I cut out a small piece and checked its fire resistance ability. Unfortunately, it is not fire resistant. It actually caught on fire itself. I really don't feel safe having a bunch of them in the car, especially next to the fuel line.

Good idea, but I think the Owens Corning one, or the blue one, is not safe. I will look for fire resistance foam from the internet instead.
 
#38 ·
pico said:
Kevin40g said:
Look on eBay or Amazon for Micro Vortex generators. They make them in every size and color and most have 3m stick on.
Click to expand...
Have you tried them; if you have, where did you put them on a RAV4?

Can they be placed backwards to focus air flow? I have a sports car with a ram scoop on the rear deck, above the carbs. It might be interesting if I could be assured it is getting all the air it could.
.
Click to expand...
I put some on my Honda Ridgeline to stop buffeting over the sunroof when it was partly open, worked like a charm. Thinking of putting a few on my rear view side mirrors for the same reason.
 
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#39 ·
Instead of filling the cavities with foam I filled them with things I might need in many small nylon fabric zippered bags. Tool bags, first aid kits, travel blankets, rain jackets, sleeping pads, jumper cable bag, siphon pump bag, survival kit, tire inflator bag, etc. I then put a big rubber mat in the back and all those things did help the road noise a bit.
 
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