greyRX

Yep.. Lamisafe glass in front door windows, no crossbars in the rack.
Wind noise doesn't seem to be much of a problem ..just road surface noise.

corradoMR2

I don't recall the brand, but it's about 1.5 - 2 mm, no adhesion. The one I have is a simple pliable styrofoam material but there are even better thicker ones with acoustic properties. They usually sell floor underlay in 50, 100, 200, etc sq ft rolls.

The surrounding hard trim is part of the felt panel as one piece so don't try to separate them. You need to remove the two screws holding the top plastic trim, one covered by a plastic hook you twist to remove. There are also plastic clips holding the felt onto the floor you simply pry up. When you pull the panel away, you can unplug the light wiring and 12V power receptacle. Hope the pic helps and good luck! If you proceed, keep us posted on your results.

greyRX

Gee, thanks so much for your info. I'll compare your picture(s) to my unit and mentally go through the process before physically committing to the project.

No luck with HD here locally -- I will check out some of our Specialty flooring shops for a better selection.
But then too, I may just opt for a commercially-specific sound deadening product as was suggested earlier. I will only wanna do this once and have the most confidence that this noise abatement issue has been [mostly] taken care of.

Yes, I will keep everyone in the loop as this unwinds for me. In the meantime it will be good for anyone else who is interested in following a similar project to contribute to this thread so future searches can access lots of good info in one place -- with pictures no less

Clutchless

You will obtain much better results placing a commercial deadener down first before the carpet padding. You need to stop the metal from vibrating. Even $60 worth of Raamat will make a big difference.

rxonmymind

Here are a few expeirences I've had installing sound dampening materials
Dynamat is good but you'll pay for it and I didn't find it to be THE stuff. Cost to much for what it is but at least didn't smell to bad.

B-quiet: Just ashphalt based deadner. Not impressed with it so gave both rolls away to one happy kid. Don't get me wrong it worked but the lack of quality and the VOC(stink) it gave off would not be condusive for an interior enviorment.

It's a dual layer process and no single application can fully stop the noise. First one has to mitigate vibration which translates to noise. This is where ashphalt based sticky mats come into play. Couple layers of this while it adds extra weight does minimize vibs. Then, you put in a foam rubber type material to trap the noise even further.
I HIGHLY recommend second skin and get their sampler. As I did. With that you can decide on a plan of action that fits your budget and decide what materials would be better suited to your vehicle.

http://store.secondskinaudio.com/

My previous car was a very noisy two seater RX7. Layed dual layer and the foam and this helped a TON!!
Good luck.

greyRX

Seems by the online description that second skin lineup is quite similar to that of Clutchless's reference to the RaamMat stuff. I guess it's a matter of preference ..and of course price when comparing apples to apples.

B-Quiet also has a direct competitor to Dynamat Extreme with their B-Quiet Ultimate, which are both vinyl butyl substrates. So the smell should be pretty null. Add to that some closed cell high density foam sheet (Ensolite, etc) and I would imagine it would take care of a good part of the sound transfer. Sure wish any of these commercial products were located here locally.

When you did your RX7, how much of the car did you cover?

rxonmymind

The trunk area & "back seat" to the floor. The floor w/o taking out the seats. Did the doors too. All with dynamat. The reason I choose not to use B-quiet was the smell and the fact I had an all black car. This combination & off gasing was less than desireble in the heat of summer. Perhaps since 2001 they've improved their product but back then it was awful. I will say this and end on a good note.I wanted to return them but the cost was to prohibitive so they instead refunded me my monies and not ask for the rolls back. Throwing that in there to give a fair & balanced view of the company.
..

A neat vid giving the difference of before & after. Also it's a great site that explains precisely what you'll need.
http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/

Cascade audio also had some great sound control products. Especially their VB-3 as it is somewhat pliable. Kinda get a two in one product. Although I didn't go with them I was impressed with their samples. Can you believe I still have them after 13 years? lol. Anyway, I'll be giving the full treatmento to the IS350 as It's not as quiet as it could be. Especially by the driver & passenger floor. But I'll do this after I replace my tires as that I believe is the culprit.

greyRX

Nice writeup -- thanks. Yes, the sounddeadenershowdown site is quite informative. Seems after looking over several suggestions on where to get various products it has left me with the thought that the state of the art has pretty well averaged out amongst the players -- they are pretty well all of the same chemistry and mechanics nowadays. Most seem to have now moved on from the previous asphalt substrate, and are also including a dense foam decoupler in their product lines.

Your CAE stuff you have looks interesting. I went to their site and it is definitely full of information and product choices. I wonder what the comparable is now to your older "all in one type" VB-3.5 samples -- perhaps the current VB-4 product? A combination-type product could save in having to pile 2 separate products onto the tin.

CAE may have great products but after doing some online searching for prices, gosh this may be an expensive option by the time their stuff lands here in Canada

Good one to keep in my quiver though

GRPFAN

I still think it's pathetic that a expensive SUV such as a Lexus should have a noise problem.
When I test drove my 2012, I never notice any noise, and now living with it, I really notice the road noise.
My brother-in-law has a Buick Enclave and JP Powers rated it a better ride then the RX350.

greyRX

Pathetic? -- for sure
So, same thing with us... test drove several makes. Only ones that were considered acceptably quiet during the t-drives were Lexus RX350 and Nissan Murano (probably would have bought that car if an acceptable CPO had come up first) ..and possibly the Acura RDX. It's only when we bought the RX and had moved into it that the rough ride and road noise began to rear up. I remember asking the salesman for a longer pre-purchase evaluation (maybe rent the car for a week) but they declined as all of their CPO's sell quickly anyway.

As mentioned earlier, we've compromised with the rougher ride (being a 'sport' option and all), but we have yet to become accustomed to the annoying tiring road noise.

Clutchless

I installed all my remaining Raamat in the rear of my 2010 RX350. I still think most of the noise comes from the front due to the engine. However the rear is quieter.
To take the back trim apart follow these steps:
Fold seats down, remove carpet overlay, flip tire cover back, remove tire., remove carpeted covers on each side.
Get a little flat screwdriver and a trim remover helps too. Remove the plastic buttons/clips that hold the parts trays down next to the tire and on either side of the rear hatch floor.
Remove trim piece on floor at rear where tailgate latches, just pry it up with your hands.
Do the same with the side trim pieces around the door opening.
Remove more of the plastic buttons/clips that are under the side pieces and on the other sections.
Remove the two 10mm socket size bolts pictured in the post above, you can also use a Philips screwdriver.
Remove the bolts under the floor anchors on the lower sides. At the base of the hinged hook you can slip a tiny screwdriver in to flip up the hinged cover, under it is a 10mm bolt. remove it and the then you can pull the trim away from the vehicle. Start at the top. Once loose, you will see the wires to the lights holding it to the side. Use your tiny screwdriver to press the tabs down while pulling on it to separate.
Now you should vacuum the area under the tire before applying deadener. You should cut it into small pieces to fit around the stuff in the car. Do not block any holes needed to replace the trim!
I covered the floor, sides and rear below the tailgate. I reached into the holes where possible to add more on the fender. I removed the woofer and found a giant piece of foam behind it that had fallen down, so I stuck some glue on it to hold it up and replaced it. It was plastic behind the woofer, so I did not use deadener, I did not think it would stick.
There are different types of plastic buttons/clips for the different parts of trim. Note which goes where. Some are larger than others. You do not want to have only small ones remaining and only large holes left to stick them in. Wear gloves using deadener as the black adhesive side marks up and sticks to everything. I cut it into mostly 4x6 or so pieces to fit around all the wires etc back there. I used 2 layers over the wheel wells, then covered them with the ensolite foam.

ngerstman

There is a recent thread about the hard crappy ride of a members rx. I have a 2011 CPO that I purchased last December that I also felt was stiffer than a Lexus should be, especially in the rear suspension which can have a hard thud over rough roads. I took my car in for service today and they are replacing my rear shocks under warranty with shocks that are a different part number, possibly implying that it is an upgrade. Hopefully the ride will be better. Regards. Ned.

greyRX

I expected this model to be somewhat stiff as it was an RX Touring Sport that came up for immediate CPO.
Along with the stiffer shocks, springs and being the newer rear wishbone suspension ..and 19" low profile wheels.. it wasn't a total surprise. But it did start out more annoying ..until we noticed after driving it a week that the dealer pumped in 36 lbs. into the two DS tires and 34 lbs. into the two PS tires! I dropped everything to 31.5 lbs. and the ride settled down a lot, albeit still stiffer than the non-Sport we test drove some weeks before buying this one. About a month after owning the car we (inadvertantly) drove it (slow) for 40 kms on a pot-holed-riddled logging back road, but it came out the other end really well -- no squeaks, no rattles, no thumping of shocks. Hopefully that little trek didn't take 2 years off its life though, huh

Got just 6 days left on the original full warranty -- and then the P/T warranty continues for another 2 years. I suppose shocks aren't covered under P/T warranty?

Please let us know how the ride is now after the change of shocks...

greyRX

You did all the rear area with the remainder of package #1 !?
I was thinking on buying #1, but perhaps it is too much for just the cargo area

Gee, maybe after quietening the rear road noise you've become more sensitized to what's now going on in the front (engine noise)

I think as part of our Sport package, Lexus beefed up the exhaust system as well (as the suspension). It definitely has a more throaty note to it. I would have liked that sound more when I was a kid (into hotrod'ing), but not so much nowadays, especially with a Lexus. But most of that sound is either at idle or just starting out onto the road so we can live with it as long as it doesn't get louder ..ie, cruising on the highway. We also have a '55 Chevy pickup ..and that is n-o-i-s-y.

It's good to know that you had some success with lessening the road noise in the rear section. That's what I wanted to know

That seems to be where most of our own current annoyance is coming from: over the shoulders towards the rear and in the passenger seats. It seems logical that with the cargo area being open and not having an enclosed sedan-type trunk, it contributes to the overall road noise problem.

Methinks I am on track to having some RaamMat and Ensolite shipped here and then following this thread's great suggestions on installing it to the rear section.

Clutchless

I bought the Raamat and Ensolite foam way back in 2007 to insulate a G35 coupe. They sold different packages back then, so I am not sure how much I bought compared to package 1. I think it was a lot more. It never hurts to buy too much. Just use it on the next car! It lasts a long time in storage as my story below confirms.

It was a big roll of the Raamat and a big sheet of the ensolite foam. Now they sell it in pre-cut squares and the Ensolite has a sticky back. I have to use spray adhesive on the ensolite I have. I never used it on the G35 before selling it. I then got a 2008 MINI Cooper S and used it extensively on the rear section. I also used a gallon of liquid paint on deadener product similar to Second Skin Spectrum or Spraydead to line the fenders. I removed the felt material fender liners on the outside of the fenders and painted 4 coats. That made a big difference on tire, road and engine noise. I sold the MINI and got a Lexus CT200h in 2012. I used a bunch of the Raamat & ensolite on the rear of it and the last of my liquid deadener (I had half left) on the fenders of the CT. That car has a noisy engine! The fender coating helped a lot with engine & road noise reduction. I still had enough Raamat left to do the rear of the RX350. Thinking of getting another gallon of liquid stuff, probably Spectrum, to do the RX350 fenders.