This Car Accessory Could Be The Solution To Cutting Road Noise On Long TripsSlashGearDaniel TrockFri, September 25, 2026 at 3:45 AM UTCAdd us on GoogleJasonfang/Getty ImagesWhen you're on an exceptionally long road trip, the general boredom of things can combine with the minutiae of the road to create some rather annoying phenomena. For example, when you first set out, you might not think much about the sound of the road rolling beneath the treads of your tires. The longer you're on a trip, however, the more you start to notice that droning, low-frequency sound. Even if they're not necessarily bad warning-sign sounds, innocuous noises can start to become upsetting if you're already bored and tired.If you're having a particular problem with road noise on regular, lengthy drives, there is a potential solution you may want to look into: car carpet underlay. It's exactly what it sounds like and works as an additional layer of padding that goes beneath the carpeting in your car's cabin. Adding padding down there has a few perks, such as making it a little more comfortable to rest your feet on and giving you some support in the case you have to get down on your knees to fish under the seats for a lost item or to clean.According to some automotive enthusiasts, carpet underlay can also be a sound choice for slightly deadening the general thrum of the road. Indeed, some manufacturers engineer underlays for this particular purpose. Whether or not it's an absolute solution, though, is a matter of opinion.AdvertisementAdvertisementRead more: 8 Little-Known Car Gadgets Worth Trying For YourselfSome users recommend underlay for absorbing low-frequency road noiseAleksandr Kondratov/ShutterstockAccording to users on the Jalopy Journal forums and Vintage Mustang forums, automotive carpet underlay can be a nice investment if you want the floor of your vehicle to be a little more plush. It also has the added benefit of insulating the floor of your vehicle from the heat of your engine and exhaust, generally making it a bit cooler to the touch.On the specific matter of cutting road noise, carpet underlay can definitely help in that regard, though the precise efficacy may vary. According to one Jalopy Journal user, adding Dynamat-branded underlay to their car as well as insulation on the walls silenced the noise so much that their spouse could hear the odometer ticking over.However, as another user on that forum explains, carpet underlay, as well as similar products like mats and insulation inserts from brands like Hushmat and Dynamat, is intended more for dampening the noise produced by your own vehicle's panels vibrating during extended, intensive usage. It will certainly absorb some noise from the road, but not all of it. If you're looking to create a truly soundproof environment in your car's cabin, they suggest you add some underlay to your carpets, followed by a layer of mass loaded vinyl (MLV), which is a hardware-grade material used for various sound-dampening purposes.AdvertisementAdvertisementWant the latest in tech and auto trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides, and how-to tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google.Read the original article on SlashGear.
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