# Kill that license plate rattle!



## ryman663 (Nov 28, 2010)

Today it was my mission to get rid of some of the rattles in my trunk. What I did before was add two layers of deadener to the trunk and this helped alot but it also costed quite a bit. So for all of those people wanting to kill the rattles but don't have much money i have discovered a neat trick. All you have to do is get high density foam weather stripping and put it on all of the corners and the middle of your license plate, then just slap her back on and you will hear less rattles. (or at least i did). It didn't help the low rattles but it made all the high rattles go away. I hope this helps


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## TREETOP (Feb 11, 2009)

Or velcro, or doublesided foam tape.


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## ncv6coupe (Oct 25, 2009)

Sponge but its not waterproof and will rot eventually


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## nineball (Jan 17, 2008)

or slap some scrap pieces of deadener on the back. no need to go buy more materials when you have some already.

btw, putting two layers down on your trunk was a colossal waster of time, effort and money. anything more than 25-40% coverage will not help you.


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

Ensolite is the material you want


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## erknjerk (Dec 24, 2010)

Jehovah's Witness pamphlet worked great for my for 2+ years.


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## circa40 (Jan 20, 2008)

A layer of closed cell foam and using all 4 bolts (if possible) usually solves the problem.


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## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

The trim tape works if weather strip does not. Stack the tape up (the foam two sided 3M trim tape) into blocks to the height of your screw mounts if you need to. When its stuck to the car it will not rattle, all the screws tight.


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## marchel (Dec 15, 2008)

erknjerk said:


> Jehovah's Witness pamphlet worked great for my for 2+ years.



LOL..


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## nervewrecker (Oct 5, 2009)

stick the plate on!


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## crx4luke (Aug 9, 2008)

I always use velcro.


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## Sarthos (Oct 29, 2010)

Any of these gonna stick on in the cold? I want something that won't soak up water and rust the tailgate... Probably just a couple spare scraps of Damplifier?


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## nineball (Jan 17, 2008)

yep, all you need is a little damp.


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## [email protected] (Oct 21, 2009)

nineball said:


> btw, putting two layers down on your trunk was a colossal waster of time, effort and money. anything more than 25-40% coverage will not help you.


Is there a clear comparison of this somewhere? I'd like to read it. I've seen it where folks went " overkill" and covered every inch of their interior and I've read manufacturers websites who claim this is unnecessary. I've got probably three whole sheets of deadener in my doors and my trunk has a few bulk packs in it. Nothing is double layered and not every piece of metal is covered either. 
I wonder if the "overkill" is more a purchase some are willing to make to improve the sound of their system. IMO it's kinda like they guys who want high Hp engines but want to run pump gas. 

Got to pay to play


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## nineball (Jan 17, 2008)

Sound Deadener Showdown - Your Source for Sound Deadening Products and Information


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## Sarthos (Oct 29, 2010)

That site is a bit tricky. The test they give us is rather...lacking in good information. Here's what it sounds like when we hit a piece of aluminum. Here's what it sounds like when that aluminum has some CLD on it. Sound better? Good enough. They should also have a test of the same sheet with 100% coverage or double coverage. Or of a larger sheet or even if the sheet is hit harder. Or if it's hit for a longer duration (like something causing a continuous rattle vs the momentary sound)


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## nineball (Jan 17, 2008)

he asked, i gave a link. i personally don't care what anyone believes but unless the car in question is a 1971 ford ltd using "a few bulk packs" is a colossal waste of time, product and energy. same thing goes for multiple layers unless you are in spl competitions, and even then you would be better served with concrete rather than a cld.


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## Rudeboy (Oct 16, 2005)

Sarthos said:


> That site is a bit tricky. The test they give us is rather...lacking in good information. Here's what it sounds like when we hit a piece of aluminum. Here's what it sounds like when that aluminum has some CLD on it. Sound better? Good enough. They should also have a test of the same sheet with 100% coverage or double coverage. Or of a larger sheet or even if the sheet is hit harder. Or if it's hit for a longer duration (like something causing a continuous rattle vs the momentary sound)


It's really not fair to call that a test. It's a demonstration and a loosey goosey one at that. The only point is to demonstrate what 25% coverage accomplishes on a 12"X12" free hanging, unterminated sheet of steel. Most people have been conditioned to believe that multiple layers at 100% coverage are needed to quell resonance. It's pretty clear that isn't the case. It would be a terrible test for automotive applications since vehicle panels are all terminated and most aren't flat. A hanging sheet of steel is pretty much worse case.

If it was intended to be a comparison of 25% vs 100% vs multiple layers, it would have to be much better controlled and the results would be very difficult to interpret because of shifts in the panel's resonant frequency. Sometimes simple really is better.

There is a huge amount of freely available research on vibration damping. Multiple layers has been completely debunked. 100% coverage of a terminated panel makes no sense at all when you realize that vibration damper only works when it is attached to the moving portion of the panel. Aftermarket automotive is the only field in which full coverage and multiple layers is considered a reasonable approach. 

It really is amazing how much this topic has been studied. Googling these topics can be fascinating, if you stay away from the results from commercial sites. It's not that adding multiple layers doesn't accomplish anything - you start to create a barrier, but it is a very inefficient way to do it. Even if using vibration damper to build a barrier didn't cost more and require more effort to accomplish an inferior result, the impact on future body work would be enough to make it a questionable choice.


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