Does the CSL have this sound deadening?

[Casa de Mesa]

Per bmw it's for noise.

It could be dual function. If it's the stuff I'm thinking it is, it's fairly thick and not super dense on the metal/firewall facing side. It has a mass vinyl/butyl top layer with the standard chopped fabric auto manufacturers tend to use. So my thought is the air space within that softer layer may help to insulate.

Or it could just be for sound, ha 😜

EDIT: Let me correct myself. I think it's actually butyl with a foam backing. I just looked at some pictures from disassembly and I'm pretty sure it's foam underneath, not that chopped up fabric stuff.

[heinzboehmer]

I have a feeling it's not there. This video has a bunch of shots of a CSL with the interior fully removed and that sound deadening is nowhere to be seen: https://youtu.be/R3UjysWV3PA

Of course they could have just removed it when doing all the LHD conversion stuff, but there's a couple shots of the dash and HVAC system that do not include the sound deadening.

Also, I hadn't realized that when people said that CSLs have no sound deadening, that also included the stuff that's stuck to the sheet metal under the carpets. Chrisfix removed the sound deadening out of his E46 sedan and it weighed 25 lbs: https://youtu.be/MCiNGmwopx4?t=980

Hmm, I'm now very tempted to go crazy and remove all of it from my car too. If BMW thought that it was acceptable for the CSLs, then I have a feeling I'll be okay with it as well.

[heinzboehmer]

I gave up on this idea .. that rubber shit is buried way deeper in there than I thought. I’d have to take way more stuff out to have any hope of getting all of it. It’s one huge piece that covers the whole firewall, lot of it is bolted in underneath other things

Is it possible to make a couple cuts that allow you to slip the entire thing out of there? That way the only thing you would need to remove to get to it is the dash.

[Casa de Mesa]

I have a feeling it's not there. This video has a bunch of shots of a CSL with the interior fully removed and that sound deadening is nowhere to be seen: https://youtu.be/R3UjysWV3PA

Of course they could have just removed it when doing all the LHD conversion stuff, but there's a couple shots of the dash and HVAC system that do not include the sound deadening.

Also, I hadn't realized that when people said that CSLs have no sound deadening, that also included the stuff that's stuck to the sheet metal under the carpets. Chrisfix removed the sound deadening out of his E46 sedan and it weighed 25 lbs: https://youtu.be/MCiNGmwopx4?t=980

Hmm, I'm now very tempted to go crazy and remove all of it from my car too. If BMW thought that it was acceptable for the CSLs, then I have a feeling I'll be okay with it as well.

A word of caution here. Cars with none of the sound deadening are LOUD. With nothing to control vibrations on a given panel, you'll hear much more than you've heard before. Also, it's a colossal pain in the backside to get it removed without damaging the painted / e-coat surface underneath.

I've removed it all before on a street car I converted into a racecar and it was pretty loud afterwards. Granted, it didn't have an interior at all, but there was a difference in "gutted car with sound deadening" and "gutted car without sound deadening".

[repoman89]

I have a feeling it's not there. This video has a bunch of shots of a CSL with the interior fully removed and that sound deadening is nowhere to be seen: https://youtu.be/R3UjysWV3PA

Of course they could have just removed it when doing all the LHD conversion stuff, but there's a couple shots of the dash and HVAC system that do not include the sound deadening.

Also, I hadn't realized that when people said that CSLs have no sound deadening, that also included the stuff that's stuck to the sheet metal under the carpets. Chrisfix removed the sound deadening out of his E46 sedan and it weighed 25 lbs: https://youtu.be/MCiNGmwopx4?t=980

Hmm, I'm now very tempted to go crazy and remove all of it from my car too. If BMW thought that it was acceptable for the CSLs, then I have a feeling I'll be okay with it as well.

Interesting video, thanks. Sounds like it’s probably not there. I’m sure it’s possible to get most of it with just the dash out but it looked like a huge pain when I was staring at it yesterday. I was already planning on shredding it to get it out too. Dash is back in so maybe next time 😂

SeanS54 also removed the stuck on stuff in one of his videos and found it to weigh 15 pounds, so the 25 in that video must include a lot of the rubber. I thought about getting rid of that stuff too but it was also more effort than I was willing to spend, and that stuff is kind of nice for a street car. I’m fine with more engine bay noise but road noise is annoying on long drives to and from the track, and on the highway in general. I had a ND2 Miata for a year and sold it partially because it was trash on the highway, and highway driving to get to good roads and the track is a reality for me. Sure part of it was the soft top but a big part of it was no sound deadening and road noise. My E46 is still nice to drive at 90 on the highway and should be very close to 3200 pounds with a full tank after this nav delete project.

[SQ13]

I might be willing to do this if it’s confirmed that the CSL doesn’t have it and if it’s not super difficult to remove. I’ll do anything for that sweet induction noise.

[Tbonem3]

I wonder if the CSL's exhaust plays a role too, in cabin sound. Euro(CSL) headers aren't quite as loud as supersprint or long tube copies. The midpipe, which affects cabin noise quite a lot in my experience, is a set of eurocats, if I'm not mistaken, which are long so they're not nearly as loud as u.s. single res pipes or supersprint sect 1 etc.

For fun, I ran the car recently with no HVAC filter/shelf. Didn't make any perceivable difference to me.

With HJS cats in my sect 1, I can hear the evolve airbox very well, even with a loud sect 3.

I'm well satisfied, but for those who don't think their airbox is loud, try adding cats/resonators and then the stock muffler.

[repoman89]

Okay boys, that shit is out as much as I possibly can get. I had the dash and center console reinstalled and everything and tore it all back out. It is doable to remove this stuff but it is a horrible job and makes a huge fucking mess. Also causes some seriously bloody hands. I would not recommend it without removing more than I removed in this pic.

[WestBankM4]

I have a feeling it's not there. This video has a bunch of shots of a CSL with the interior fully removed and that sound deadening is nowhere to be seen: https://youtu.be/R3UjysWV3PA

Of course they could have just removed it when doing all the LHD conversion stuff, but there's a couple shots of the dash and HVAC system that do not include the sound deadening.

Also, I hadn't realized that when people said that CSLs have no sound deadening, that also included the stuff that's stuck to the sheet metal under the carpets. Chrisfix removed the sound deadening out of his E46 sedan and it weighed 25 lbs: https://youtu.be/MCiNGmwopx4?t=980

Hmm, I'm now very tempted to go crazy and remove all of it from my car too. If BMW thought that it was acceptable for the CSLs, then I have a feeling I'll be okay with it as well.

Heinze, you know I have a full black interior waiting to go into my car, just sourcing the rear carpet and I'm complete. My goal was to remove all the sound deadening as I've done on all my previous cars, maybe you could help me do it when the time comes. Use my car as the guinea pig first because I'd like to remove the firewall stuff too when the dash comes out. . All of this in anticipation of the highly coveted CSL airbox.

[heinzboehmer]

Heinze, you know I have a full black interior waiting to go into my car, just sourcing the rear carpet and I'm complete. My goal was to remove all the sound deadening as I've done on all my previous cars, maybe you could help me do it when the time comes. Use my car as the guinea pig first because I'd like to remove the firewall stuff too when the dash comes out. . All of this in anticipation of the highly coveted CSL airbox.

Totally down man. The stuff that's stuck on the sheet metal will be a bit of a pain, but the dry ice method seems pretty effective. Text me when you want to swap out the interior and we can go crazy with the sound deadening lol

Okay boys, that shit is out as much as I possibly can get. I had the dash and center console reinstalled and everything and tore it all back out. It is doable to remove this stuff but it is a horrible job and makes a huge fucking mess. Also causes some seriously bloody hands. I would not recommend it without removing more than I removed in this pic.

Nice! Please report back on the sound difference. My intake is pretty loud, but why wouldn't I want more induction noise?

Oh also, did you happen to weigh what you removed? Looks like a fairly big piece.

[jet_dogg]

The weight on on that insulation is around five pounds.

I wouldn't be surprised if that was the predominant reason for the sound level disparity.

[repoman89]

Nice! Please report back on the sound difference. My intake is pretty loud, but why wouldn't I want more induction noise?

Oh also, did you happen to weigh what you removed? Looks like a fairly big piece.

I’ll see if I can pull it out of the trash and weigh it all .. might be too scattered around in my bin lol. It’s pretty shredded and in probably 25 pieces.

It’s substantial stuff and a very large piece. Goes all the way from the windshield to just underneath the front carpet. I couldn’t get a small piece of it under the front carpet where the transmission tunnel meets the firewall. Five pounds seems like a pretty good estimate to me. Will report back on the sound difference when I can .. car is probably a week or two from being back on the road. Dash and center console is already back in but I’m waiting on the stupid non-sunroof coat hook bracket that I forgot about before reinstalling my headliner and seats 😡

[NZ_M3]

Paging NZ_M3 😛

I’m pretty tempted to just be the guinea pig, realoem says this crap weighs 2.5 kg and it’s feeling pretty brittle anyway. If the trade off is more engine / induction noise in the cabin I’m good with that. No one here daily drives these anymore. It’s encouraging that it’s labeled sound insulation in realoem and not fire retardant or something lol.

No the CSL doesn't have that dash sound deadening fitted. As I said in the past it basically has nothing bar the one under the pedals.
The one in the engine bay is also different and a lot thinner and lighter - but that piece is NLA

[SQ13]

Okay cool. Thanks for the intel. So I, too, will have bloody hands soon..probably in July. The big question now is do I remove the sound deadening I just installed on the floor and trans tunnel three weeks ago? Added 7 lbs 🤔

[jet_dogg]

Now everyone with an airbox will rush out to remove that insulation.

Luckily I never drive with the windows up 😎