Sound deadening in doors?

My '06 100 Series is 14 yrs older and has 150,000 more miles than my '20 4Runner... and it's still noticeably more solid. But I get it. The 100 was a $65,000 truck in 2006 and weighs 6,000 lbs. It's supposed to be more solid. But...

My '84 was so loud and tinny before the restoration - which included mass-backed carpet and lots (!) of sound deadening - floor, back wall, doors... gauge cluster (seriously). The difference was pretty amazing - mostly because of how loud and tinny it was originally.

So now I'm wondering: Is the juice worth the squeeze on the 5th gens? Will adding sound deadening material to the doors net a noticeably more solid feel/sound? Is there anything to watch out for in removing the door panels?

(pics, because all posts are better with pics)

 

I did sound deadening on all four doors and the rear hatch. I also replaced the speakers and added an amp/subwoofer under the front seat.

The sound deadening is worth all the bloody and scraped knuckles. Taking off the front door panels are easy once you figure it out. After You get the screws out, lift out from the bottom corner of the speaker. The panel should just pop right off. The trick is getting it back on. There is a metal piece at the top you'll want to pull completely off the panel and place back in the window well first. Then the panel will snap back in place easy. Trying to hang it without doing that is difficult.

Just take pictures before you remove the cables for the door handle and locks. Reversing those on reinstallation is a bitch.

 

Thanks @aroyalsfan! That's good to hear and good advice.

 

I'm planning on doing this after this fall/winter... I need to install my amps with the stock speakers for now. Only are I want to deaden until then is the area my woofer will be. Which deadener are you going to use? I'm leaning toward Resonix.

 

I was hesitant to spend the money, but decided while I was putting in speakers, I’d just do it. Well worth it, the doors feel like there is something to them now, and I don’t think I did a great job, so I’m sure if done right, you will notice a difference.

 

I never took a lot of pictures of this project for some reason, but I did the deadening inside and outside the door panel.

 

I will say this, I did the same thing with the rear hatch and it made the door so heavy it wouldn't open all the way, I had to replace the lifters with the ones designed for the ladder.

 

I heard from some source that seemed reputable when I read it... but don't remember now, that it's hard to do a bad job. According to the forgotten source, there's no reason to completely cover a panel. He said the effect is similar to putting a finger on a symbol.

In my '84, I first did a 10" strip that runs most of the length of the door, then shut the door a few times. There was a huge difference. The door sounded heavy. The "ring" was gone. In the other door I added a second 8"-10" strip effectively doubling the amount of the first door, then shut it a few times and compared the two. I couldn't tell the difference. Not scientific, but still.

I've been using FatMat.

 

Damn. I guess ya don't think about that as you're adding small strips and pieces... that they're adding up. I mean, when the box of FatMat that arrived, it was HEAVY.

 

Just think of the people that go all out and pull all the seats, the carpet, the headliner, all the paneling.....they are adding so much weight. What I did was probably overkill for some, but I had enough to do it and still ended up with extra at the end of the project. My hands though, using the roller in all those tight spaces, my knuckles and fingers were all scraped up. You find every edge of metal in those doors whether you want to or not.

 

I haven’t done my rear hatch yet, was wondering about this

 

I must have been driving some real rattle cans, because my stock 5th gen is the most solid and quiet vehicle I have ever owned.

 

Really?
Whats the estimated you think?

gonna look into packaging weights but some insight please n thank you

 

From what I find online, .35 lbs per sq foot.

 

Sound deadening is absolutely worth it. But take advantage of the opportunity and replace all the speakers while you are there and improve your tunes. I have deadened my entire 08 minus the headliner. Ill get to that someday when I'm not feeling too lazy.

 

Huge believer in damplifer here. I did the same, doors and hatch, and will do the roof asap. (music/audio nut here). I am a HUGE believer in deadener, and put it in anything i drive. Door panels came off easy peasy. Nothing weird. Good luck, and get after it.

edit-

 

This thread is well-timed as I was planning to sound deaden my front doors this weekend while replacing the factory door speakers. What should I do with that flap of "vapor barrier" thin sheeting type material that's on the inside of the door panel? Remove it for better access to the inside of the door, add sound deadening on top of it, etc.?

This photo (screen grab from TRD Jon's video) shows the part I'm talking about.

 

While I don't feel there is a need for this on 4Runner, I have sound insulation on a different vehicle. Keep in mind, that inside the doors is exposed to moisture, so you need to use sound insulation designed for that. If it is not water proof, you will create huge disaster as it will start trapping water and will rot your doors from the inside. Also, don't forget to reinstall vapor barrier, it is NECESSARY to keep your inside door panels dry.

 

My daily dose of paranoia…Hmmm
I know of this mod plus the speakers but
haven’t dove to far down it but really want to
Time for 36 search tabs

 

I did my front doors this weekend. Had no problems with removal or reinstall. The key to easy reinstallation is shown in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crEKiz4guFs&list=WL&index=31

I installed sound dampening all over the interior of the door sheet metal and put less on the exterior part, focusing mostly on those areas that were acoustically lively when I tapped on them. I was pleased with the results: the doors seem much more solid, and I think I noticed slightly reduced noise when starting and driving, although I did not make any noise measurements. I'll do the rear doors next time I get a few spare hours.

While I had the door panels off, I also replaced the factory speakers with a set of Infinity Reference 697F's, and these were a huge improvement over stock in terms of bass and clarity. I cannot overstate what a POS those factory 6x9 door speakers are. Check out the photo below showing the absurdly tiny magnet on the back of the factory speaker.

 

I think they might get paid to use them, as I don’t imagine anyone paying for those crap speakers

 

That would make sense, as those factory speakers are an absolute joke!

 

As long as the sound deadening is the butyl and foil-back type, you'll be fine. It's waterproof. But ^that^ is a good point to consider when picking a product.