The problem: I want my car to be quiet on the freeway. It's not really loud, but it's no double-paned Benz, either. I don't like having to turn the stereo way up, and I don't like my ears to ring after a long freeway trip.
So, there's 4 factors:
1) Wind noise. I'm about to go get a price on new windshield trim, since mine is falling apart. That should reduce some whistling.
2) Road noise. This part is kind of tricky, since I race autox and I want grip from my tires. Falken Azenis would be ideal for racing, but they're too loud. So I am willing to make a compromise. I'm thinking either Kumho Ecsta Supra 712's or Yokohama AVS ES100's.
3) Engine noise. I'll get to that in a minute.
4) Exhaust noise. I have a stock I/H/E. Exhaust noise is actually the least of my concerns though. Sometimes when I'm tearing it sounds nice.
The solution so far: Okay, so I've talked about tires already, and windshield trim. As for engine noise, I could put some sound deadening foam under the hood, but that probably wouldn't be very effective. Most of the engine noise comes in through the firewall. The firewall is riddled with ****, and it would be extremely difficult to get in there and cover it effectively. I wonder if coating the intake hose and airbox in foam would do anything? I could theoretically put sound deadening foam under the body. That covers a lot of area. But the underbody is covered with a very dirty tar substance that will never let the stuff stick.
I don't think there's room for sound deadener in the wheel wells, since I might want to put snow chains on this car sometime.
So... any ideas?
By the way, I have a '93 Prelude S.
Thanks for any insights you might have.
-Dan