Cockpit Insulation Preferences

[VAHokie]

Reviewing the many cockpit insulation options out there (Dynamat, Termo-tec, Koolmat) and curious what everyone is using. Since this is going in a roadster, i'm less concerned about the sound deadening features and more focused on keeping the temperatures to a minimum. Especially interested to hear from those folks in the South where temperature and humidity soar. Not interested in any of the spray-on options, looking for the peel and stick variety.

Thanks in advance!
Tony

[Railroad]

I have read that the tar base liners can emit an odor. Not so, for the rubber base material.
I used Dynamat I think, no issues. I did buy some heating and cooling alum tape for the butt joints of the material.

[phileas_fogg]

Two boxes of Dynamat was juuuuusst enough to cover the cockpit & trunk.

I cleaned the aluminum with acetone before applying. I did not notice any odor when I was installing.

Dynamat is REALLY sticky. It's tricky to get the stuff in the right place on a vertical panel; do as much installation before you mount the aluminum panel as you can.

Hopefully, you can remove the brake line that runs down the inside front of your foot box so you don't have to try threading the Dynamat between the line & the panel (or you can use two pieces).

I covered each seam of the cockpit with a 2"-3" strip for added weather protection, & then filled in the uncovered areas. Be sure to leave about 1/2” uncovered at the top of the aluminum panels where the bulb seal goes on. Otherwise, the panel is too thick for the bulb seal to fit.


John

[AC Bill]

A lot of builders used Dynaliner

https://www.dynamatstore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=29

[Railroad]

You can leave the paper on when in narrow gaps. Just leave enough paper peeled back and pull off like a tab.
Do not be afraid to section areas that may have compound angles or difficult to cover. It butts up clean. Do not use your bare fingers or hand to smooth edges. The aluminum can cut.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

NC Summer. Thermo-Tec on all outside surfaces that see heat from the engine, pipes & trans tunnel. Inside ReflectiX on all interior panels under carpet. Also used Thermo-Tec on the inside of the side pipe heat shields. You can just see the silver under the carpet before the body went on. Its a thin plastic bubble sheet with aluminum foil on both sides.

Used 3M "99"

https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=13899&pictureid=55414

[cgundermann]

I really like FatMat, nice price on Amazon and easily cut & fitted. You can adjust and remove and get it into final position very easy. I also like Flex Seal tape and paint for the seams and to seal large gaps. Plus the black tape/paint prevents the shiny sound proofing from being seen at the seems through the carpet.

Chris

[cv2065]

I used Thermo Tec everywhere inside the cabin, with some high temp pieces inside the footboxes. Cool as a cucumber...

[65 Cobra Dude]

Tony,

Make sure you have Second Skin Audio in the decision process. I use Damplifier Pro in every build. It's easy and effective for heat and sound.

Henry

[Murd]

I used hushmat after seeing it suggested on here. Heat insulation is one of its claims. Most of the products on the market seemed more geared to noise.
Never noticed any heat intrusion in my footbox so seems to work.

[GFX2043mtu]

Lizard skin spray in insulation here. Easy to apply, stupid light weight and works.

[VAHokie]

Thanks for weighing in, everyone! This provides me a lot to consider.

[edwardb]

Tony,

Make sure you have Second Skin Audio in the decision process. I use Damplifier Pro in every build. It's easy and effective for heat and sound.

Henry

X2 on this material. Used some on my Coupe build and was very impressed with it. Priced relatively competitively on Amazon.

[GTBradley]

Dampening sound and heat are the main reasons people use this stuff, but I thought it might add a solid feel. And it does. Lining the entire cockpit with Thermo-Tec (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004PILLZG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_LLExEbS7K11T4) (four 60” x 36” rolls) was about $200 and added 40 lbs of weight to the car.

[CraigS]

On another car I have used Kilmat. It's a typical heavy black w/ foil on one side. I have also used Noico red. Unfortunately I can't vouch for it's effectiveness but I wanted to point out the most obvious difference is the weight. W/o making any measurements I'd guess it is half the weight of the black products, and maybe even a little less than that. So, since heat insulation is your goal, I'd look at this and similar products.

[Logan]

Is Lizard Skin (spray on product) really that lightweight? And it offers comparable performance to the stick-on stuff?

Currently planning to do Dynamat + Second Skin Damplifier Pro in my Coupe, combo courtesy of EdwardB’s research and experience.

Side note: it’s amazing how many products Paul ends up selling inadvertently... that’s the power of a serious (not to mention top-notch) build thread.

[toadster]

Breeze has an engine bay mat as well - contemplating this for my build in the engine bay side, probably won't ever be seen since the Coyote will cover most of the visible areas

https://www.breezeautomotive.com/shop/zero-clearance-aluminum-fiberglass-psa-insulation/

[edwardb]

I've used Lizard Skin on all four builds I've done. In all cases, both the sound and heat products. Sprayed to the recommended thickness, I'm not sure it's any lighter. Don't have any data, e.g. panels weighed compared to others. But "feel" says it adds some weight. Just like any of the more robust products like Dynamat, Damplifier Pro, etc. that use butyl rubber. If there's any difference, not sure how significant it is one way or the other. I like it because it seals everything up. In my opinion it's a little stiffer than the stick-on products, so adds a little rigidity or stiffness to the panels. It's cost effective compared to the higher end name brand materials. I've done the full cockpit and trunk in the three Roadsters I've done for roughly $300. It definitely takes some time to mask everything. But the spray and de-mask goes fast. In the end, I think the time required is about the same as fitting a bunch of peel and stick product. As far as effective, I've never had heat issues through the footboxes or whatever with the Roadsters. Note in all cases I've only insulated the inside (another topic...) and always also had carpet. Bottom line, I like it and would use it again.

Having said that, I did end up using a combination of Dynamat and Second Skin Damplifier Pro in the Couple. Used it in the footboxes where the frame just had so many cross members and obstacles that I decided that would be easier and provide maximum heat and sound protection since the Coupe is enclosed. Also stuck some pieces or Damplifier Pro on the inside of the exterior door panels to add some insulation and solidness to the doors. Seemed to be effective for that too. I was especially impressed with the Damplifier Pro as I mentioned in an earlier post.

As for me selling product, happy to describe what I've tried and found successful. Now just waiting for my first commission check... :rolleyes:

[Bill_VA]

I used FatMat (https://www.fatmat.com) in the cockpit. It makes no sense to use it in the trunk area, you can't hear anything over the exhaust anyway. For the area around the engine where heat is a concern, I used the Thermo-Tech stuff and FatMat on top of that. 15 years and all is well.

[Avalanche325]

I used EZ-Cool which is a foil lined bubble product. Light weight. Some products are heavier than others. Very few people have used more than one product. So really hard to get a comparison.

That should narrow it down to every product ever made. Glad we could help!

[jlfernan]

I used EZ-Cool which is a foil lined bubble product. Light weight. Some products are heavier than others. Very few people have used more than one product. So really hard to get a comparison.

That should narrow it down to every product ever made. Glad we could help!

Same stuff I used and it works juussst fine. Everything else on here is very pricey and if it's just for heat there really is no need to go any further.
123586

[GFX2043mtu]

For the weight I was referring to the thermal insulation lizard skin. The sound stuff has some weight to it. The thermal stuff is very light weight how ever. As Paul stated it seal gaps up great and is easy to work with as it’s a waterborn product so tap water cleans it up when not cured.

[Boydster]

I doubt anyone, short of the very most experienced professional racing driver, is going to notice the difference in weight of a tar based sound and heat deadener to one made of bubble wrap to one that sprayed on. And that pro driver is going to be feeling a lot more going on in our hand made cars then worried about 15 lbs of weight. Or even 50 lbs of weight. I dont see anyone saying they dont like passengers because it slows em down. ;)

Buy what appeals to you. Tar based, bubble based, spray on, whatever. Just make sure its got a good rep so it does what it's supposed to do.

[nelsond003]

I bought MAT66, but I only plan on using it in the foot boxes and trans tunnel for heat deflection. In my opinion, it dosent make sense to but anywhere else, since it is an open air car.

[edwardb]

I bought MAT66, but I only plan on using it in the foot boxes and trans tunnel for heat deflection. In my opinion, it dosent make sense to but anywhere else, since it is an open air car.

Interesting product which I haven't seen before. Seems reasonably priced compared to some others. But (1) It's specifically listed as a sound insulation, but you're planning for it to deal with heat? (2) I know it seems counter-intuitive, but many builds have reported that insulation over the entire cockpit gives the car an overall solid feel with reduced noise reflection from the underside, cockpit back wall, etc. Perhaps less so in the trunk, but with Lizard Skin it's easy to spray there while I'm at it. Since I'm only using mine as a street cruiser, I'm not counting every ounce of weight and doesn't add much anyway. Everyone that rides in my builds is surprised at the solidness and noise control. Just depends on what you want and how far you're willing to go.

[Avalanche325]

I dont see anyone saying they dont like passengers because it slows em down. ;)



For someone cruising around and going to car shows, no. However, it happens all the time at autocross. Many people won't take passengers on their last run or two. Our very serious (Past IMSA GTO champion) will never ever take a passenger. I absolutely can tell a difference with a passenger. But, I personally never turn anyone down. Giving rides is part of the fun for me.

50lbs is over a 2% increase on an FFR. Racers pay thousands of dollars to take 50lbs off their car. I remember someone a while back saying that they put over 100 lbs of sound/heat insulation in their car.

It is just a consideration that the OP should be aware of to make an informed decision.

[scottamann]

I used the Noico Red from Amazon.
Seems to work really well.

[nelsond003]

Interesting product which I haven't seen before. Seems reasonably priced compared to some others. But (1) It's specifically listed as a sound insulation, but you're planning for it to deal with heat? (2) I know it seems counter-intuitive, but many builds have reported that insulation over the entire cockpit gives the car an overall solid feel with reduced noise reflection from the underside, cockpit back wall, etc. Perhaps less so in the trunk, but with Lizard Skin it's easy to spray there while I'm at it. Since I'm only using mine as a street cruiser, I'm not counting every ounce of weight and doesn't add much anyway. Everyone that rides in my builds is surprised at the solidness and noise control. Just depends on what you want and how far you're willing to go.

I have read all of your builds in depth and have been thinking seriously of using lizard skin for my build. It will be worth it, if it makes the car feel more solid. I retract my previous observations :)

[Boydster]

For someone cruising around and going to car shows, no. However, it happens all the time at autocross. Many people won't take passengers on their last run or two. Our very serious (Past IMSA GTO champion) will never ever take a passenger. I absolutely can tell a difference with a passenger. But, I personally never turn anyone down. Giving rides is part of the fun for me.

50lbs is over a 2% increase on an FFR. Racers pay thousands of dollars to take 50lbs off their car. I remember someone a while back saying that they put over 100 lbs of sound/heat insulation in their car.

It is just a consideration that the OP should be aware of to make an informed decision.

I'll give ya that... If driving at 8 or 9/10ths, or a very serious driver, yeah, no passengers cuz you're looking for 10ths of a second. And if you built your car for that, you'd prob use no sound or heat insulation at all. But on the street, with these 2200 lb cars starting at 350 hp, and many of them having the power to weight ratio approaching that of a superbike, I just dont think the weight of your insulation will make much difference. My point is to go for what makes sense to you, like everything else in these cars. Even with 100 lbs of deadener, nobody is gonna call the car a slug. :)