Asphalt sound-deadening matting.

How should we begin?

This is going to be an incredible article.

We recognise that, despite potential drawbacks, some customers merely want to save money and hunt for a less expensive solution that will function somewhat. There's no need to read on if you think that statement sums you up. We won't give you the inexpensive asphalt-based product you're looking for.

However, if you're looking for a quality butyl rubber sheet and you're someone who values and appreciates their car, someone who wants to take care of what's probably going to be one of the most expensive investments they ever make, you've come to the perfect place!

We hope you choose high quality, butyl based, genuine automotive product from Car Insulation UK!

Why is Asphalt a Bad Choice? 

Asphalt is Always a Poor Choice 

Not convinced by us? 
This article will assist you in understanding the advantages and disadvantages of selecting a low-cost alternative, whether you've already installed asphalt mats and want to switch for the safety of you and your passengers or you're starting from scratch.

1. Asphalt does not damp vibrations very well.
2. Asphalt is not as sticky, and have been known to fall off.
3. Asphalt will outgas harmful chemicals when heated.
4. Asphalt is not actually cheaper! (That's right. Keep reading.)

Any of these is enough to rule out asphalt mats as a viable choice, but individuals continue to use them.
One of the main reasons is that asphalt mats do not promote themselves as "asphalt-based" (why would they?). They also appear to be a lot cheaper - they cost significantly less per square foot of material!
However, as you will soon discover, those "savings" are not as substantial as they appear.

FAILURE #1: PERFORMANCE

Here's the thing about asphalt's vibration dampening properties. Once fitted, it will effectively deaden the metal!! Yes, I understand. Did you expect us to say that? That's why it can receive a great feedback. Your car will actually be quieter. The problem is that it does not effectively deaden the metal. 

Yikes. But how is your everyday shopper supposed to tell the difference?! All they know is that they installed the stuff and their car did get quieter. To compare the two products, they’d have to do multiple cars, but your average DIY customer won’t do that. You know who does multiple cars? Auto body shops. Auto shops who care about quality ALWAYS use butyl for deadening.

FAILURE #2: ADHESION

We frequently hear from consumers who have had their asphalt mats slide off the metal and want to know what to do next to repair what has become an automobile soundproofing nightmare. For those of you considering asphalt, we'll give you some solid advice (apart from DON'T). Be very deliberate with your surface preparation and use a heat gun before adhering it to the metal. If you use extreme caution, you are unlikely to encounter any problems. There are no promises, though. You may wind up with an automobile that looks like this...

At Car Insulation UK, we guarantee PeaceMAT adhesion for the lifetime of the vehicle. Should you clean the surface a bit and make sure there’s no rust? Yes, you should – especially on the rust. But PeaceMAT is going to stick anyways. Once applied to the sheet metal in your car, our butyl rubber compound is not coming off and will go with your car to the scrapyard.

FAILURE #3: HEALTH SAFETY

You probably have heard that asphalt stinks and can make your car smell bad. We’ve found that different people have different levels of sensitivities to smell so that asphalt smell bothers some more than others. Your nose is telling you something though. Listen to it.

But let’s get serious about health – not just the smell. The problem is that asphalt based mats outgas chemicals when heated. Cars generate heat. Cars sit out in the hot sun. What could go wrong?

• The materials we know are in the mat are bad. Asphalt and tar – we don't burn them in our houses and we don't use them in candles. You have warnings from NCBI about increased cancer risks. You even have roofing companies releasing guides about how asphalt is safe to use on a roof despite the Class 2A Carcinogen designation (“probably carcinogenic to humans”). Sure that’s fine for you roof, but why put it inside your car?!

• Who knows what “other fillers” are in those mats? Asphalt based mats are almost always made in countries, where the manufacturing standards are lower than the UK. Our PeaceMAT mats and sheets are tested in the UK and safe to use.

Busting the Myth of Cheap Sound Deadening 

Let’s wrap up by taking a final look at price, but let's do it from a new angle. Let's look at it using a lens of VALUE. What's the true cost of that £20 piece of asphalt you’re about to put in your £60,000 Land Rover?

*Acoustic loss factor is a measure of how much vibrational energy is converted to heat instead of sound. The theoretical maximum is 1, but anything over 0.1 is very good. Tests were conducted at 7 service temperatures between 32 F and 140 F using testing method SAE J1637.

Adjust the price per square foot because you have to cover more of the metal. Adjust it again based on the performance difference. And then finally do your own calculation based on how seriously you take the health concerns. What price per square foot do you get?

A Sound Deadening Mat You Can Be Proud to Install 

I don’t know if you could tell, but we don’t have a very high opinion of asphalt based products. If you’re looking for a butyl alternative, do yourself a favor and don’t sink all the way to the bottom of the barrel with asphalt. Even if you don’t choose Car Insulation UK, we’d sleep better at night knowing there’s one less person choosing a quality sound deadening material over devaluing a perfectly good vehicle with cheap sound deadener.

• PeaceMAT has the highest acoustic loss factor and heat rating in the industry.

• We use no asphalt, tar, or cheap fillers. The result for you: no outgassing chemicals and better performance.

• Peel, stick, and roll them on to metal. Adhesion guaranteed.
  
  
  

Final Thoughts on Quality Deadening 

If you want to see our products yourself, please visit our showroom in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, where we can help you to choose the right product. You can also call us and we'd be happy to talk through your build with you!