Freightliner Hood Sound Deadening
Your Freightliner truck is your livelihood and the foundation of your business. You know that it’s important to take good care of the vehicle. Whether the Freightliner is one of many in your fleet or if it’s the truck you’re driving yourself, it’s also worth investing money to make it comfortable and reliable. Semi trucks have massive engines that can make a lot of noise. So treating specific parts of the vehicle for airborne and structural noise will make a huge difference in the noise level – and overall comfort – when driving. Semi truck sound deadening is an investment and it’ll pay off every day the truck spends on the road!
Here are some of the prominent noise and heat-related issues that may occur in your Freightliner and our recommendations for reducing the sound and temperature.
Types of Noise and Heat Issues in the Freightliner Hood
Structural Noise
Structural noise occurs when an object makes contact with another, creating vibrational energy that is heard as sound. In a Freightliner, structural noise may become an annoyance when the massive truck engine vibrates against the metal parts of the hood and frame of the truck. You also have a ton of structural noise generated at the tires and then transmitted into the metal panels. The result is a loud rattling or humming noise in the cabin.
Airborne Noise
Airborne noise is any sound that travels through the air. People talking, tv noises, and car horns are all examples of airborne noise. Airborne noise is usually the most common type of sound issue in a Freightliner, again due to the engine. The engine is just big and loud, which transmits unwanted noise out of the compartment through the hood and firewall into the cab of your semi truck.
Heat Issues
The engine of a Freightliner can get up to 250 degrees. So, heat is something we run into in these semi trucks too, especially in some of the older models. If left untreated, the heat from the engine compartment can damage components behind the dash or even make driving the truck uncomfortable, with the amount of discomfort depending on the amount of heat you’re feeling. Unwanted heat is the last thing you want if you are spending hours per day on the road.
our Recommendation for a Freightliner hood
Here are our top recommendations for treating your Freightliner hood and firewall.
First Layer: Damplifier Pro on the Metal
Damplifier Pro is the best sound deadening tool on the market. This butyl rubber sound deadening mat is the best at damping the significant vibrational energy in a Freightliner. You want to stop the metal hood and engine firewall from vibrating. By stopping the vibrations, you’ll stop the noise.
Damplifier Pro should be applied directly to the metal in the engine compartment (hood and firewall) to reduce noise and also help stop heat (when applied with 100% coverage). With a 450°F heat rating and guarantee to last the lifetime of your vehicle, Damplifier Pro is the tough material you need for your Freightliner.
Second Layer: Mega Block to Absorb Sound and Stop Heat
Mega Block is our best performing automotive heat shield, which also doubles as a good sound absorber and muffler of engine noise. It’s rated to 1000°F and easy to peel and stick on the hood or firewall as a second layer on top of Damplifier Pro. The open-celled hydrophobic melamine foam absorbs a ton of noise and the layer of reinforced foil on top adds extra heat protection. When we’re talking about a semi truck, you need the biggest and the baddest. Well, Mega Block is both.
other Freightliner hood sound deadening Products
Heat Wave Pro
Heat Wave Pro is a sheet of jute insulation between 2 layers of reinforced foil that insulates and reflects heat. This is another excellent option for a second layer of insulation inside the engine compartment, and can be used on both the hood and the firewall. Heat Wave Pro also doubles as a sound absorption product, which lowers the amount of airborne noise bouncing around the reflective surfaces of your hood and eventually getting in the cab. Use our Contact Spray Adhesive or Super Strong Double-Sided Tape to install Heat Wave Pro overtop of Damplifier Pro.
Spectrum Spray Liquid Sound Deadener
Spectrum Spray Liquid Sound Deadener is another option that helps prevent structural noise, and can be used instead of or on top of Damplifier Pro. The product can easily be applied to your vehicle and will significantly cut down the vibrational noise transferring from the Freightliner’s engine to the metal hood and firewall.
Luxury Liner Pro
While Luxury Liner Pro is a high performing mass loaded vinyl for sound blocking in vehicles, it should never be used under the hood or in the engine compartment, we can’t skip mentioning it here due to the number of semi trucks we’ve installed it in. Luxury Liner Pro goes on the cabin side of the firewall, and combined with Damplifier Pro is the best sound and heat treatment your Freightliner can receive. Treating inside the cabin can be done in combination with a hood treatment or stands incredibly well on its own.
Feel free to take a look at what some other semi trucks have done on our semi truck sound deadening page.