Four Korean models and one domestic model were among the top five cars with the worst sound insulation on the Russian market: Hyundai Solaris, Kia Rio, Kia Cerato, Hyundai Creta and Lada Largus. Russian car owners considered these cars the worst in terms of acoustic comfort, testimony survey of the analytical agency “Avtostat”.
To improve the sound insulation of cars, car owners can use the services of many companies. Depending on the car and the customer’s requirements, the average cost of service is 50-100 thousand rubles.
After completion, the noise level in the car is reduced by 70-80%,
notes in an interview with a socialbites.ca correspondent with a representative of the Shumoff company.
“The car will run like a thermos. “It’s not that hot inside in the summer and the car cools down more slowly in the winter,” says the source.
The most popular service among customers is the soundproofing of wheel hoods, a representative of the Standardplast factory told socialbites.ca.
Most often, owners of Kia, Volkswagen, Skoda and Toyota cars come to improve acoustic comfort. Recently, improvements have become more relevant for drivers of ex-cars who are upgrading their car due to lack of funds to purchase a new one.
“The number of people who want to have sound insulation has decreased due to the increase in the cost of the service. The cost of materials has increased by about a third and the price of our services has increased by 20%. We started earning less but we realize that
Not every owner, for example, Kia Rio is ready to give 100 thousand rubles. for soundproofing,” said the facilities specialist.
The cost of the service depends on the class, model and make of the car. Both the amount of material used and the time spent for assembly and disassembly of the cabinet are taken into account. For example, installing soundproofing for a Mercedes-Benz car will be more expensive than for a lower-class car.
Comprehensive soundproofing can take up to a working day. It involves gluing the floor, hood, door, trunk, roof – the entire interior, from the inside, except the front panel. The salon is disassembled into metal, the material is glued in three or four layers (their number depends on the design of the car). In some cases, it will take more time: for example, it takes two days to process an engine shield.
However, this improvement also has unpleasant nuances:
for example, the Hyundai Creta compact crossover, after installing soundproofing, will take on board two sacks of potatoes (plus 50 kg).
A Kia Rio-level passenger car will weigh about 40 kg, and a Volkswagen Caravelle minibus 70 kg.
After gluing, the stiffness of the suspension increases, the handling of the car changes. On the roof and doors, approximately 15 kg is distributed above the center of mass. Everything else is practically on the ground.
With the increase in weight, the car starts to consume more fuel, its dynamic performance deteriorates, and the brakes work less efficiently.
However, the resulting acoustic comfort makes up for all these shortcomings, according to experts. In the manufacture of sound insulation, mastic, polymeric materials, foamed polyethylene foam, rubber, polypropylene and other components are used. The chemical composition of Shumka differs depending on its location in the car. For example, in doors, the material may be less effective but more resistant to moisture.
Soundproofing does not help all car models in the same way, experts advise car owners to study reviews on club forums before contacting specialists.
Why do car companies save on soundproofing?
Sergey Burgazliev, an independent automotive industry consultant, says EU technical regulations set permissible noise levels inside cars. If the machine complies with these, it is certified.
“It all depends on how much automakers are willing to factor the cost of noise insulation into the cost of the car.
They follow the path of cost reduction while increasing or maintaining the market price. Technically, it is not difficult to isolate the entire car from noise, ”says the interlocutor.
Acoustic comfort in the cabin is affected by the noise from the car itself (the sound of the engine, transmission, including the drives, noise from the body), the contact of the tire with the road and the coefficient of aerodynamic friction, the expert explains. You can improve the sound insulation with your own hands.
“There are a lot of soundproofing boards with a thickness of 0.4-0.7 mm on sale. The interior is disassembled, the panels are removed, the material is heated with a special burner. A person will need four to five working days,” Burgazliev explained.
How does noise damage the driver?
Noise, especially of high intensity, has a negative effect on the nervous system, because it affects the cerebral cortex, there is such a phenomenon as excessive irritation, Angelica Esikova, a neurologist from the Tambov MedLab Medical Center, told socialbites.ca.
“A person who drives for a long time may feel irritation, headache, vasospasm, increased blood pressure and increased heart rate. Then the perception of sounds becomes dull, the brain seems to block disturbing signals, the response to sounds is reduced and overworked, apathy, impaired perception and attention come into play, ”explains the doctor.
At present, the harm of low frequency road noise and its effect on the driver is well understood. In particular, a relatively recent study by the Swedish National Institute of Roads and Transport is devoted to this problem. The scientists concluded that because of this problem, drivers tend to slow down, but often leave the lane at night, which could be the cause of the crashes.
Source: Gazeta
