Hi-Res sound in a soft-top
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JK Newbie
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 33
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From: Jersey Shore
Hi-Res sound in a soft-top
I know that soft-top JKs aren’t meant to be luxury sound enclosures. Jeeps are Jeeps, and if it’s above 70 degrees and not raining, chances are my 2011 JK Sahara is top down, doors off. That being said, Hi-resolution audio is still something very important to me, so I installed an awesome sounding, marine grade sound system. One of the biggest improvements, besides high-quality components was all the ways I removed the constant rattling noises and quieted the tin-can sounding tailgate, doors, and body sheet-metal wherever I could. The change was dramatic, so I thought I'd share what was done.
1- Sound Deadening- I used Dynamat Extreme sound deadening material all over. Tub, floors, above soundbar, inside tailgate, behind door panels, on body sheet-metal, and on the firewall. It quiets vibration and road noise tremendously and makes the tin-sounding tailgate sound like a solid bank vault door when it closes.
2- The plastic trim around the tailgate hinges rattled like crazy since the thumping sub is right there. I removed them and reinstalled using black RTV silicone to glue them in place.
3- Interior tailgate- I removed plastic trim pieces, wrapped wire harness with foam tape, and re-attached trim with black RTV silicone. I put Dynamat inside the tailgate while open.
4- The wiring harnesses running along the tub to the rear lights were poorly wrapped and loosely hung with cable clips that sat loosely in the body. The harnesses were wrapped with chaff tape and the clips were replaced along with foam washers which were added between the clips and the body.
5- Rear Seatbelt retractors & belts. I never have my back seat installed, so no need for the noisy seatbelt retractors shaking on each bump. All removed.
6- Body panel clips- there were eight, unused plastic clips around the interior meant to hold unknown things that were doing nothing but vibrating in their holes, so they all got removed.
7- Rubber weatherstripping- I used ¼ x ½ black weatherstripping anywhere something was mounted, like the sub-woofer enclosure to body and the plastic pan that sits by the tailgate.
8- Poly-fill and Dynamat- I put polyfill and Dynamat inside front speaker enclosures, soundbar, and sub-woofer enclosure.
9- Since I have a soft-top, I removed the tubing and wiring meant for the hard-top wipers. This tube was draped from near left taillight all the way up past the driver’s feet and under the dash…all gone now and MUCH cleaner looking.
10- Soft-top header latches- with just the 1st section of soft-top folded back, the latches clattered against each other on every bump. I added Velcro to the latch and a Velcro strap to wrap around them attached to soft-top.
It took a lot of effort and I’m sure MUCH more effort than many people would think worth-while for a Jeep, but the end result is SO-MUCH-QUIETER!...which means better audio quality, and that’s what it’s all about for me.
1- Sound Deadening- I used Dynamat Extreme sound deadening material all over. Tub, floors, above soundbar, inside tailgate, behind door panels, on body sheet-metal, and on the firewall. It quiets vibration and road noise tremendously and makes the tin-sounding tailgate sound like a solid bank vault door when it closes.
2- The plastic trim around the tailgate hinges rattled like crazy since the thumping sub is right there. I removed them and reinstalled using black RTV silicone to glue them in place.
3- Interior tailgate- I removed plastic trim pieces, wrapped wire harness with foam tape, and re-attached trim with black RTV silicone. I put Dynamat inside the tailgate while open.
4- The wiring harnesses running along the tub to the rear lights were poorly wrapped and loosely hung with cable clips that sat loosely in the body. The harnesses were wrapped with chaff tape and the clips were replaced along with foam washers which were added between the clips and the body.
5- Rear Seatbelt retractors & belts. I never have my back seat installed, so no need for the noisy seatbelt retractors shaking on each bump. All removed.
6- Body panel clips- there were eight, unused plastic clips around the interior meant to hold unknown things that were doing nothing but vibrating in their holes, so they all got removed.
7- Rubber weatherstripping- I used ¼ x ½ black weatherstripping anywhere something was mounted, like the sub-woofer enclosure to body and the plastic pan that sits by the tailgate.
8- Poly-fill and Dynamat- I put polyfill and Dynamat inside front speaker enclosures, soundbar, and sub-woofer enclosure.
9- Since I have a soft-top, I removed the tubing and wiring meant for the hard-top wipers. This tube was draped from near left taillight all the way up past the driver’s feet and under the dash…all gone now and MUCH cleaner looking.
10- Soft-top header latches- with just the 1st section of soft-top folded back, the latches clattered against each other on every bump. I added Velcro to the latch and a Velcro strap to wrap around them attached to soft-top.
It took a lot of effort and I’m sure MUCH more effort than many people would think worth-while for a Jeep, but the end result is SO-MUCH-QUIETER!...which means better audio quality, and that’s what it’s all about for me.
