What is today's preferred cockpit insulation ??

[Derald Rice]

As part of my rewire project this winter, I will need to lift a section of carpet, and I am thinking about freshening up the carpet at the same time. And as we all know, one thing leads to another, so if I replace the carpet, then the insulation will probably need to be replaced also.

So back to the title of this thread............. What is the preferred insulation to use ??

Thanks, Derald.

[Joecobr]

I used Eastwood’s XMat insulation. Adheres very well, very easy to install and reasonably priced. I used two orders of 35 sq. ft. for the fire wall, cabin and trunk with only a few scraps left over.

[cgundermann]

I’ve had really good experiences with FatMat sound deadner off of Amazon. Very affordable and easy to work with. I was not looking forward to it and ended up enjoying it. You can lift and rework it to get a precise fit and then roll/pressure bond for final position.

There are so many types and perhaps better deadners and/or insulators, but the price is right and it worked well for me.

Chris

[Jdav]

I used "Cool It" by ThermoTec

[edwardb]

Most will respond with what they've used, including me. I doubt very much there's a neutral "preferred" brand. I've used Lizard Skin spray on my builds, and like it a lot for a number of reasons. But don't think it would be a good choice for an already completed build that's being retrofitted. For my Coupe build, I didn't want to try to spray Lizard Skin in the footboxes (for several reasons) so after a lot of research and looking chose to use Second Skin Damplifier Pro. https://store.secondskinaudio.com/damplifier-pro/. I was very impressed with that material and recommend it. I'd use it again without hesitation. It was available on Amazon.

[Murd]

When I researched this I went with one I didn’t hear much about from FFR builders, with the exception of one well respected pro that says it’s what he uses.
Hush mat
When I looked into it it seemed to have better heat insulation then many of the others that are more about sound deadening. I think it was middle of the road price wise and also got it on amazon.
I have nothing else to compare to, I don’t feel any heat in my footboxes from the headers, no idea what it’s like without though.
Worth researching it and make your own call.

[Papa]

I think Paul nailed the "expected response" you will get. I used ThermoTec and can tell you that installing it inside the cabin will help for sound deadening, but would need to be installed outside the cabin to provide real thermal protection as that relies more on the reflective surface than the rubber compound on the adhesive side. Like others have said, do some research and pick what meets your real intent.

Dave

[BEAR-AvHistory]

ThermoTec outside & ReflectiX inside

[Ducky2009]

Thermo Tec. Foil on one side, insulation on the other. Foil to heat side. Sound absorbing to the inside.

[ChasNMe]

do any or all of these products deteriorate when they get wet? just thinking that sooner or later the car will get caught in the rain, carpet gets soaked and whatever is under will too . . .

[edwardb]

do any or all of these products deteriorate when they get wet? just thinking that sooner or later the car will get caught in the rain, carpet gets soaked and whatever is under will too . . .

Lizard Skin and Damplifier Pro I mentioned won't be hurt by getting soaked. Having said that, getting "caught in the rain" has a lot of variations. I've been caught in the rain more times than I can probably remember. A couple of times in downpours so heavy it was hard to see. Even though things got really wet, never so much that the carpet got soaking wet enough to get through to the insulation. If you use the FF supplied carpet, it's a rubber type material that itself wouldn't be easy to penetrate. The secret to getting caught in the rain, in my experience, is to keep moving. Surprising how little water actually gets into the cockpit if you're moving. Now sitting still, that's another story. That's when guys start talking about water accumulating in their footboxes, looking for drains, etc. That hasn't happened to me yet. Probably shouldn't say that.

[Derald Rice]

Thanks for the advise guys, It looks like all of this type of product is of a very similar construction, with a wide range of pricing.

I know that I would like to do the Lizard Skin, but this is a retro fit and I don't think that would be the best option. I also will only be doing the cockpit side of the aluminum. I like the natural aluminum in the engine compartment.

[SSNK4US]

Most will respond with what they've used, including me. I doubt very much there's a neutral "preferred" brand. I've used Lizard Skin spray on my builds, and like it a lot for a number of reasons. But don't think it would be a good choice for an already completed build that's being retrofitted. For my Coupe build, I didn't want to try to spray Lizard Skin in the footboxes (for several reasons) so after a lot of research and looking chose to use Second Skin Damplifier Pro. https://store.secondskinaudio.com/damplifier-pro/. I was very impressed with that material and recommend it. I'd use it again without hesitation. It was available on Amazon.

So Paul if you were building another roadster would you stick with Lizard Skin again?

Kurt

[BEAR-AvHistory]

do any or all of these products deteriorate when they get wet? just thinking that sooner or later the car will get caught in the rain, carpet gets soaked and whatever is under will too . . .

Got good & wet a few times. Car is a daily driver & have been caught outside. The Thermo-Tec has stayed bonded to the sheet metal. ReflectiX Is a thin plastic bubble sheet sandwiched between two aluminum facings & will not absorb water. It is glued to the sheet metal under the carpets.


This was a first rough fit to measure the material. All the inner surfaces were eventually covered. The engine side of the firewall & footbox has Thermo-Tec installed. Hard to see in the picture.

The outer surfaces including the inside of the tunnel & the black section below the door had Thermo-Tec installed on them. Was mostly interested in heat rejection, Carolina summers over 100*F, as I did not think sound deadening was important.

The major noise with a COYOTE is wind noise at 55MPH+. When you are in cruise the engine & exhaust is pretty quite. The hole in the under door panel is for a speaker, like music when I am in the car.

Regardless of whatever you choose from what the guys have listed you will be so much better off installing one of the products than not doing anything.

[edwardb]

So Paul if you were building another roadster would you stick with Lizard Skin again?

Kurt

Absolutely. I like it a lot. The Coupe is the first time in four builds I didn't use it 100%. And that was only because the footwells are more complex with a lot of frame pieces plus it's really tight around the pedal box, so I used stick-on on those areas. One of the keys of any insulation is to apply it at the right point in the build when you can reach things.

[Avalanche325]

EZ-cool. I liked the fact that is is light weight. Some insulation is pretty heavy if you use a lot of it. One of the main things about a Cobra is that they are light.

Go with a product that is concentrated on HEAT insulation. Insulating for sound on an open car with a sidepipe two feet from your ear is wishful thinking in my opinion.

[Papa]

The sound deadening affects of stuff like Boom Mat and other similar products isn't about making these cars quiet, but rather making them sound more solid; not like a hollow tin can. For a purely street driven car, that's a trade worth the weight in my opinion.

[edwardb]

The sound deadening affects of stuff like Boom Mat and other similar products isn't about making these cars quiet, but rather making them sound more solid; not like a hollow tin can. For a purely street driven car, that's a trade worth the weight in my opinion.

Agree 100%. I've only driven my builds with the full Lizard Skin insulation (heat + sound). Thought the heat and sound (e.g. solidness, just like you describe) was pretty good, but didn't have anything to compare to. A couple weeks ago I test drove a Mk4 with only the factory carpet. No insulation. What a difference. Didn't drive it long enough for heat to be a concern. But the sound is definitely different. For a street driven car where the extra 20-30 lbs (or whatever) isn't a huge concern, the full insulation package is the way to go.

[phileas_fogg]

I used Dynamat Xtreme (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1). Two boxes was just enough to cover the entire cockpit plus trunk including upper and lower drop boxes.

If you go with Dynamat, be advised it's super sticky; there's no getting it close & sliding it around into position. You can peel it off easily enough if you mess up, but once you roll it flat it's not coming off without a gallon or two of mineral spirits. I strongly recommend installing it on the foot box sides BEFORE riveting those sides into position.


John

[SSNK4US]

Thank you Paul. That’s what I was hoping to hear

Kurt