guys-
Just wondering if anyone used reflectex insulation under their rugs
to help control noise&heat.If so, any tips on installation or any observations
would be appricated.
- rhanx wade

 

I installed the stuff under the entire floor of a 73 coupe. Used 3M adhesive, just sprayed it in the floor let it set for a short time and pressed the insulation in place. Easy to trim with a razor blade knife.

As far as what it does - easily reduced road noise and dropped the interior temp 20 degrees on a hot day. Well worth the time to pull the seat and carpet.

 

Check the archives for more details. There are many places to use this stuff. I would skip the adhesive on horizontal surfaces.

This will be one of the best investments you can make in your vette.

 

Where can you buy this insulation?

 

Even Home Depot or Lowes carries reflectex insulation .

The question I have is "What good does the reflective part do in between the carpet and the floor? What does it reflect? Did you put the reflective side down to reflect the heat back to the source? Maybe I should paint the bottom of my car shiny silver and reflect it before it can enter through the floor.

It seems that the insulation R factor would be more important. If the Heat has already entered the compartment through the floor it would seem that containing it to the insulations body would be the idea.

I am going to look at some 3/4 black commercial foam insulation that is used by air conditioner manufactors. It is a really tightly closed cell insulation that is used for noise and temperature retention. It is the higest R rated insulation I know of for it's thickness. It really doesn't even favor foam. It's more like a rubber pad. I know where it can be purchased in sheets, or it can be cut to whatever size we need for general fron or rear floors.

However, it will hold water, Oh what am I thinking Corvettes don't leak anyway!

Thanks JIM

 

Jim, yes aluminized surface relect light, but they also reflect heat. Light is visible radiant energy, heat is invisible radiant energy(infrared.) So the reflective side should be toward the hot surface, to reflect the heat energy. Just like aluminum foil is used in baking to protect the ends of turkey drumsticks and the edges of pie crusts to keep them from burning, the aluminum backing on the insulation keeps radiant heat energy from passing through into the car.

 

PROSOUTH,

Can you by the black foam at an HVAC supplier? WHat is the brand name?

Keep us posted on your findings.

Thanks!

 

OK, I understand that, but it is like one of these things where I see people putting garbage bags over their whirlybird vents in the winter. You ask them why and they tell you it's to hold heat in. It actually holds in moisture and creates other problems instead. The heat that has passed into the attic is history and it can not be regained by attempting to hold it in that area.

It is much better to keep the heat out from the interior of your car than to try to reflect it back through the floorboard, although reflection does have merit in certain applications. Anyway if it has passed through the cockpit floor it should be attempted to be contained by the insulation and kept from entering the interior area affecting it's temperature. If reflection alone could accomplish this then why do we use an R factored insulation to trap heat and not just use the wifes Aluminum foil to reflect it back to the outside?

Yes TQ67, are you familiar with this type of insulation?It is from a manufacters supplier, not a HVAC shop supplier. It can be purchased at a cut size. I would guess that it could be say 24x48 for fronts or 48x36 for the rear (a guess of size) in bulk at a reasonable price. I had planned on using this in my car. There is a company here in my area that supplies Carrier Air Conditionings Commercial plant.

Not trying to be hard headed but I just don't see that the foilbacked insulation is responsive to this type of application. If it is then the foil not only should be faced down, but it should be on the outside of the car keeping the heat reflected away from the floor itself, and not waiting until it has transfered it's thermals through the floor to deal with them.

This is one reason that I am going to not only use Ceramic coated headers but I am going to use a ceramic coated pipe between them and the rear of the seat area. I hope that the containment of this heat inside the pipes will restrict the heat that does try to transfer through the floor by removing it. Having a pipe that is like a heat radiator under the floor is a great contributer to the heat that is transfered inside the car from underneath. A catylist converter is even worse. That's why it has a heat shield over it. Even some older Corvettes had heat shield placed onto the exhaust pipes to reflect the heat away from the floor area.I think the ceramic coating of the pipes and even external heat shields utilizing the "reflection method" may prove more useful. JIM




[Modified by PROSOUTH, 10:48 PM 4/14/2002]