Every one of us has experienced blasting music to hear your favorite song over the sound of the road.
Or, if you’re like me, you have experienced turning up a podcast so loud that there’s a hiss coming from your speakers.
The way to solve these problems is to soundproof your car. You can learn how and why to soundproof your car in our article, how to soundproof a car from outside easily.
Otherwise, a quick search for cheap sound deadening materials for your car will result in Dynamat near the top. It’s one of the leading sound deadening materials, but it also comes with a hefty price.
Here are some of the best Dynamat alternative sound deadening materials for cars, vehicles or soundproof box.
Best Dynamat alternatives
- 9 sheet covers 36 sq ft
- 80 mils thickness
- Self-adhesive
Noico makes a high quality sound deadening mat that comes in two colors: grey and black. Packaged in 9 sheets covering 36 sq ft, Noico makes it easy to reduce unwanted noise in your entire vehicle.
The sheets have an adhesive consisting of butyl, which is a type of rubber. Noico sound deadening mat also weights 0.7lbs/1sqft, and now has a thickness of 80mil.
Despite increasing the thickness from 50 to 80 mils, the sheets are still easy to cut and fit into place.
You get up to 5x the effectiveness without losing any ease to the installation process.
Noico 80 mil sound deadening mat indicates whether you’ve installed it correctly. You have to roll the mat out with a roller until it is plain smooth.
The company claims that 50% of the sound deadening comes from correctly installing the mat.
The cost and ease make Noico a cheap sound deadening alternative for your car.
- Eliminates road noise and vibration
- Reduces heat by up to 40%
- Easily wraps around tight places
Out of the best Dynamat alternative sound deadening materials I’ll be discussing, HushMat is the most expensive, though it still ends up a cheaper Dynamat alternative.
HushMat comes in either a pack of 10 or 20 4 sq ft sheets designed to fit OEM (original equipment manufacturer) specifications. Meaning, HushMat works with any automobile made by GM, Ford, Chrysler, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Toyota, and Honda.
HushMat’s black foil butyl sheets are easy to install with no tools required. Just peel and stick.
Manufactured in the USA, HushMat boasts outperforming competitors by 40%.
Their sound deadening mat not only reduces vibrations but also reduces heat. It performs from -20 degrees to 550+ degrees Fahrenheit.
It is also easy to trim with a razor knife or even a pair of household scissors.
- 25 to 200 sq ft rolls
- Reduces outside noise while keeping stereo sound in
- Good for automotive, RV, home, and marine use
FatMat differs from the sound deadening mats on this list. It comes in a variety of sizes. Making it easier to buy the right amount of material you need, anywhere from 25-200 sq ft.
FatMat uses three layers. It has a paper release liner, an aluminum top layer that is 3 mils thick, and an adhesive rubberized compound layer.
The rubberized compound layer is supposed to adhere to any surface better than the butyl rubber used by the other brands.
The FatMat comes with an installation kit, which consists of instructions, a cutting knife, roller, and FatMat decal.
Not only does the FatMat sound deadener lessen the rattling of the car and sound of the road, but it also helps boot bass.
It’s easy to use for your automobile of any kind, boat, house, etc.
FatMat, as a DIY sound deadening material for cars, makes it easy to install.
Simply cut to size. Then peel and place. All the materials you need already come with your purchase.
And you’ll have the peace of mind knowing your sound deadening mat will stay in place. No worrying about it falling off down the road.
- 36 sq ft, 14 sheets
- 80 mil thick
- Peel and Place
The Siless sound deadening mat, like the others, is 80 mils thick.
It comes in either silver or black, though the black costs slightly more.
The dampening material is made of the newly invented Bmastic technology, which is the most advanced and efficient sound deadening material on the market.
It will dampen the road noise, reduce the rattling of your engine, panels, and trim, and boost the sound of your stereo.
And it comes in at $1.39 per sq ft, making it the most cost-effective Dynamat alternative.
The Siless sound dampening mat also comes in 14 sheets. Each sheet is slightly smaller than competing brands, making it even easier to fit in tight places.
If finding a cheap sound deadening mat is what you value most, look no further, the Siless sound deadening mat will check all your boxes.
- 36 sq ft, 34 sheets
- 80 mil thick
- Easy to cut and fit
Kilmat compares on equal footing with all the other brands discussed here.
It’s 80mil with butyl and raised aluminum, and like the others, you will see the textured mat flatten as you roll over it.
Kilmat will dampen noises in your car so you can enjoy your music rather than the sound of the road.
What sets Kilmat apart from the brands is the size of the sheets. Kilmat comes with 34 sheets covering 36 sq ft. Compare that to 9 sheets with Noico, or even the 14 sheets of Siless (the second most sheets).
The smaller sheets make it so there will be less cutting.
Less cutting means you won’t have to lay the sheet down, measure what cuts need to be made, remove the sheet to make the cuts, then finally peel and roll into place.
But don’t think this means you should skip measuring and making sure where you want to place the sheet. Once you peel and place the Kilmat sound deadening mat, it will not come off intact.
What are DIY sound deadening materials for cars?
DIY sound deadening materials do not, as many might have you believe, materials that block sound.
Rather, sound deadening materials absorb sound.
Imagine having a crystal glass on the table. Flick the glass. And you will hear it ring.
Now, place your hand around that same crystal glass, and with your other hand, give it a flick.
What happens? The glass no longer rings out. All you hear is tink.
DIY sound deadening materials for your car do the same thing as your hand does with the crystal glass.
Not only do sound deadening materials reduce vibrations which cause noise in your vehicle, but they also help boost the sound of your audio.
Here’s a video showing the difference between a speaker with and without sound deadening:
You can reduce vibrations and absorb the rattle and road noise by placing the sound deadening materials in places such as the trunk, door panels, wheel wells, and under the hood.
The only DIY sound deadening materials discussed in this article are sound deadening mats. But there are other materials out there designed to handle different aspects of the car.
For an overview of the different kinds of DIY sound deadening materials for cars, check our article, Best Sound Deadening for Cars Reviewed.
Things to look for when choosing a cheap sound deadening Dynamat alternative
When choosing a sound deadening Dynamat alternative, you will want to keep a few things in mind.
Type of material
As mentioned above, you can read our overview of different types of sound deadening in our review article, Best Sound Deadening for Cars.
When it comes to sound deadening mats, you will notice that companies use one of two types of material for their sound absorption, butyl rubber or asphalt.
FatMat’s rubberized compound is mixed with asphalt to create adhesion. It is the only product listed here that has asphalt in it.
Butyl rubber mats withstand and perform under higher temperatures better than asphalt mat. If you live in a hot environment, you will want to consider going with a butyl mat.
Thickness
Another feature you will wish to consider is the thickness of the mat.
Sound deadening mats will usually come between 50mils and 80mils thick, with 80mils becoming the standard.
It will cost a little bit more, but it will also absorb more sound.
Total Coverage
Most of the brands will cover 36 sq ft, but some can come with less or even more.
You don’t want to purchase more than you will need. So you’ll need to decide which areas of your car you want to cover.
If you are someone who is thinking to themself, I have no idea which areas I want to cover. Then lucky for you, Kilmat has a helpful article, Complex Sound Deadening, breaking down the different areas of your car you might consider sound deadening.
Once you’ve decided which areas you want to cover, you can check out a calculation table.
Most of the brands will have their own table on their website.
Here’s a link to Noico’s. It will give you an idea of how much you need based on the style of car, by area, and total.
Stickiness
It might be too obvious to state, but stickiness matters.
When checking out the different brands of sound deadening mats, you will want to check out customer reviews concerning stickiness.
Since these mats use an adhesive to stick in place, you want to make sure it will hold against the car for a long while.
Noico claims that 50% of the mat’s effectiveness comes by being installed properly. If the sound deadening mat doesn’t sit flat against the metal, then it will lessen its ability to absorb sound.
All the ones listed here claim to stick better than its competitors, but FatMat and Kilmat are known for their extreme stickiness.
Heat Resistance
Vehicles get extremely hot.
Whether from sitting in the sun or from running the engine.
You want to make sure the sound deadening mat is approved for high temperatures, especially if you are placing it under the hood.
Sound deadening mats made from asphalt have a lower melting temperature and can release off unpleasant odors, the one drawback people have complained about FatMat.
In case you’re worried about encountering extreme heat conditions, some of the brands even sell car insulation to help absorb extra heat.
Like stickiness, all the ones listed in this post can handle and perform under high temperatures.
Cost
Lastly, you will want to consider the cost.
Once you’ve narrowed down and decided on a thickness and the total amount of coverage, you can consider the price.
These DIY car sound deadening materials for cars will put you under Dyanamat’s equivalent product. But the price range can still vary greatly.
You can read our review comparing Noico, HushMat, Dynamat, and FatMat to get a better idea of the differences between these brands and their price differences.
How you want to spend comes down to the budget you set. Don’t feel like you have to spend extra money to get the result you want.
Why Kilmat is the best Dynamat sound deadening alternative?
While all these Dynamat sound deadening alternatives will meet any of your needs and perform well, Kilmat is my favorite. Here’s why.
Kilmat is the only brand that comes in a pack of 34 sheets.
While you will have to purchase a roller separately and are limited to only buying on size covering 36 sq ft, having the 34 smaller sheets will make it easier to fit in smaller sections.
And the best part of smaller sheets means you will have less cutting to do.
Maybe cutting more doesn’t matter much to you, but to me, having to do less cutting makes my job easier.
Whether you go with Kilmat or choose one of these other best Dynamat sound deadening alternatives, you are not going to regret the money saved while ridding your car of unwanted road noise.