DynaSpray From Dynamat
By Rick Reimundez
Most of us have heard of Dynamat – the name-brand sound deadening and thermal insulator that many customizers apply to their rides to reduce rattles, quell road noise, or to improve the frequency response of their custom audio systems. (Hey, if Chip Foose uses and endorses it, it can’t be bad.) But now they offer an easier way to apply the same material, especially in those hard to reach areas: it’s called DynaSpray, and it’s a complete system consisting of a spray gun and a water-based ceramic coating that you spray right onto the surface you want to dampen.
DynaSpray can act as an interior treatment for body panels, as an undercoating, or even as an engine compartment dampener. You can leave it the natural flat black color it is when it comes out of the jug, or you can finish paint it the same color as your body or underbody. The finish is durable and includes rust inhibitors to ensure that it protects your sheet metal, too.
It comes in 2-1/2 gallon jugs that will run you about $300, that cover anywhere from 54 to 70 square feet depending on how thick you’re laying it on. Although you can apply it with a brush or roller, for the best results they recommend you use their spray gun — which will run you about another $50. The gun is a siphon-fed, air-powered spray gun with a hose included. You can buy both the jug and a spray gun for a cool $330.
DynaSpray [Dynamat]
Street Prices [Google Products]
September 24th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
I’m a bit skeptical that their recommended 0.070″ thick ceramic based coating is really going to do much. There are 2 main ways to dampen sound across a body panel.
The 1st is to absorb it. I just don’t see it absorbing much vibration being so thin and ceramic based (probably an alumina oxide with binder). There’s just nowhere for the sound energy to be dampened into.
The 2nd method would be to change the natural resonant frequency and harmonics of the body panel itself. This is done by adding mass. Unless that 0.07″ layer has a greater density than the steel it’s sticking to, it’s probably not going to do much in adding mass.
I’m going to “stick” with the adhesive mat version. If it’s a big enough panel that’s contributing to unwanted noise and vibration, you’re gonna be able to reach it. If you can’t reach it, it’s probably because it’s not a panel but rather a crevice or channel which is already less prone to vibration by geometry alone. For that, I have had good luck with spray foam insulation used for homes (just remember it expands like 10X so use sparingly).
September 25th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Even if it doesn’t dampen noise as well as the adhesive tpe mat, the spray ability for rust prevention seems like a great selling point. Interested in seeing how well it works.