I have this thing about car doors closing with a satisfyingly heavy thud, as opposed to a tinny clang, so for this reason (any improvements to the quality of the speakers/ICE were a bonus), I decided to Dynamat them on my XKR.

Despite hefty shipping costs, it was actually cheaper to order the kit from the US. I ordered the Dynamat Xtreme door kit ref. 10435. The XK's doors are actually quite small, so if you're careful, there's enough to do both doors inside and out.

To remove the door card, I referred to Reverend Sam's excellent how-to video here (thanks, Rev!!): YouTube - sam1174's Channel. You can remove and discard the black foam sheet that is lightly stuck on to the door. You will be replacing this with far more effective Dynamat.

As you can see from the picture, the difficult part is getting the Dynamat inside the door, because access is limited.. The trick is to remove the exterior widow seal (just pull it off carefully with the window fully down), wind up the window and do things in small steps. Do not try to do one huge sheet of Dynamat, use small squares, say 10" x 6". The Dynamat does not have to be stuck on neatly, as the idea is that it should be invisible when the job is done. Overlapping can even be a positive thing, as it makes the Dynamat extra thick - I did this on the area immediately behind the speakers.

Measuring with my hands inside the door, I cut the mat roughly to size and then checked by sliding it down from the top of the door in the same way the window comes down. Then remove it, peel off the backing to expose the adhesive and slide the piece down into position again. This is not as difficult as it sounds, as the adhesive is not too strong and you can remove the mat if you get it wrong.

Again, do not worry too much about any gaps between the sections you cut and do not try to cover every last square inch - that's too much work and a bit pointless. However, it is important to press the Dynamat firmly and evenly to the panels with a small craft roller. DO NOT try to do this with your fingers as you WILL cut yourself on the sharp metal edges of the Dynamat.

Phase 1 complete:




Tip: before moving on to Phase 2, lubricate the window mechanism with some silicon spray. DO NOT do this before you have finished phase 1, as you will make the sheet metal greasy and the Dynamat will not stick!!


Phase 2, behind the door card, is much simpler, as there are no access issues. First, remove the speaker (4x8mm bolts) and the foam 'hat' that is lightly glued behind it. By this stage, I realised I had plenty of Dynamat for both doors, so I even made a small cover for the hat. I used staples to hold it in place firmly.



Then it's just a case of cutting squares and sticking & rolling them onto the door. Again, don't attempt to cover every last square inch and avoid covering up screw holes wherever possible (this makes putting back the trim easier at the end).



I joined the squares together with duct tape for neatness, but it's not necessary. I would recommend you puncture the Dynamat with a screwdriver whenever you cover a screw or trimclip hole, as they are very difficult to locate by touch once the Dynamat has been rolled properly with the roller. N.B. the metal bracket in the centre of the door in the photo above has been put back on upside down, but at least I knew where the holes were.

Results:

- the door feels really 'heavy' when you tap it from the outside, as if it's full of sand;
- it closes with a more satisfying thud;
- no distortion at all from the door speakers when volume is cranked up loud (I tested this aspect after I had done just one of the doors and noticed a definite difference between left and right speakers)
- no noticeable difference in the quality of the sound (but I'm no audiofile).

Negatives:

- it took me three hours for the first door and two for the second
- some car nuts point out that Dynamat is heavy and therefore affects handling, etc. Well, yes it is relatively heavy and I probably wouldn't Dynamat my entire Mazda Miata, but two doors on a car the weight of the XKR is inconsequential.

 

That's cool! I've never heard of Dynamat before. I wonder how effective it would be if you didn't go to the trouble to put it inside the door frame and just stuck it to the inside of the door underneath the door card (basically just replacing the thin black layer of plastic stuff with the dynamat).

 

You can do that no problem, but I was looking for an extra-heavy-door feel and realised the holes in the door were large enough to get your hand in. If you only do the door card side, there would be enough Dynamat (readily available on eBay US, BTW) for the boot/trunk lid, as well. My only concern is that I would then want to start Dynamatting everything

 

nice job frog, great writeup!

 

You don't have to use dynamat. "Peal & Seal" from Lowes is the basic same thin and Much cheaper.

 

Great writeup! I did the same thing when I did a speaker upgrade;

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/audio-visual-electronics-23/xkr-speakers-upgrade-under-$500-40495/

The Dynamat didn't add that much weight,plus a friend of mine showed me places in the fenders to put the dynamat strips(4"x12")that made them sound solid when you knock on them. That stuff is like magic! Its a work of art for the car audio guys when they do a complete install.
The only thing that really helps is to have a warm place to do the install.
Thanks for the writeup.

 

I don't know what Peal & Seal is exactly, but from the research I did before going with Dynamat, it was clear that you need to avoid cheap matting that can melt or deform in strong sunlight.

 

You can get it from Jegs or Summit. Great stuff, I covered the entire floor pan, doors, firewall/cowl etc. on my 55 Chevy Hotrod.

Curiously, when I watched the Aston Martin DB9 being made on Speed Makers they used small wavy sections of sound deadener scattered here and there. They didn't try to cover the entire inner surfaces...so maybe small patches are all that is really needed....the stuff is not cheap!

 

Agreed. Peel & Seql is for roofing so it will hold up quite well