Xpedition XP5 insulation job.

[JTBarlow]

I’m a little late with this, but as promised, here’s pictures of how I insulate the Xpeditions.

The majority of the work is done from underneath, so I start with removing the entire skidplate. Then, using foil backed 3/8” foam insulation, on the lower firewall. I leave the pieces long enough to reach the skidplate where it can to block off both noise and hot air from the clutch vent.

Then I stuff Polyfil between all the frame crossmembers, up the sides and around all the hoses, pipes and wires.
If you ever get the opportunity to see the area between the skidplate and floor, it’s a huge mostly open area that all the hot air and noise from the engine can gather in and then gets amplified into the cabin from all the plastic reverberation.

Under the console area, it’s wide open, from the top straight down to the skidplate. That store area gets stuffed with polyfil and then a piece of aluminum backed fiberglass insulation fitted underneath so nothing will fall down into the driveline

It also gets polyfil stuffed from the top to make sure all areas are filled and no hot air can get through.
The front portion of the tunnel also gets lined with the foil backed foam. Once the skidplate is back on then the battery area gets packed with polyfil as well.

Hot air also gets in around the door striker loops, mostly on the passenger rear. There is some factory foam insulation those areas but it has gaps so I stuff those areas too.

While 5db see in noise levels doesn’t seem like much, it’s a drastic difference in person.
We initially started doing this on my brother’s and my XP5 Ultimates because it would get way hotter inside the cab than the outside temperature. Noise wasn’t really an issue for us. Since then we’ve done it to 10 Northstars, both ADVs and XPs. For those it was more about the noise, but it helps the A/C work better as a side effect.

It’s a lot of work, but a massive improvement from stock. It’s also something Polaris could easily do without any drastic expense, if they put a little thought into it. Personally, I don’t think neutering the machine is the way to fix it.

 

[shaded2]

Looks awesome. My concern would be how does that stuff hold up to water & mud? I get water coming in all over when were having fun. I wouldn't want a soggy insulation mess

 

[f150harley]

Thanks for posting

 

[JTBarlow]

Looks awesome. My concern would be how does that stuff hold up to water & mud? I get water coming in all over when were having fun. I wouldn't want a soggy insulation mess

Polyfil doesn’t collapse like fiberglass insulation does when it gets wet. I leave the areas directly under the floor drains open so it doesn’t collect all the mud and debris right there. I also scoop or vacuum out as much as I can before washing the interior.
From the bottom, the holes in the skidplate where there isn’t any insulation flow freely both ways and the ones where the insulation is will filter the majority of mud and debris before it gets in. So far I haven’t seen it slowing drainage from washing it out, and it doesn’t take long to stop dripping after a wash job, so I can park it back in the shop.

Eventually, I’ll have to replace it all underneath, but I don’t expect to be very often. And on Northstars, I expect it’ll last even longer.

 

[JTBarlow]

Bumping this thread for Russ.

Also adding some more pics of the sound dampening.




We’ve done 16+ Xpeditions with this and typically get 7 to 9 db drop in noise levels even while tuning the machines for higher rpm and performance.

 

[Keyster]

WOW! That puts my sound dampening at amateur now! I've used poly fill before, but never thought to put it around battery and center console.

 

[JohnnyG]

We’ve done 16+ Xpeditions with this and typically get 7 to 9 db drop in noise levels even while tuning the machines for higher rpm and performance.

Beautiful work, what is the cost if your shop does the work? And if we DIY, how much time does it take?

JG

 

[JTBarlow]

WOW! That puts my sound dampening at amateur now! I've used poly fill before, but never thought to put it around battery and center console.

I use polyfil because it’s relatively inexpensive, isn’t any particular shape, and doesn’t collapse when it gets wet like fiberglass or other insulation material. And it drains water fairly quickly from washing or river crossings, etc.

Also a note:
The center console needs backing underneath to keep the polyfil from falling down into the driveshaft. I use aan adhesive backed, aluminum backed fiberglass mat that’s stiff enough to hold the polyfil up, but a little formable for fitting into place. Beside sound dampening, the purpose is to close up all the air gaps where hot air can get into the cab, or cold air escape.

 

[JTBarlow]

Beautiful work, what is the cost if your shop does the work? And if we DIY, how much time does it take?

JG

We’re at $3500, depending on the condition of the machine (more if it’s extremely dirty) on just the sound dampening and insulation. Some of the machines have had a lot of mud dirt and sand built up in the undercarriage and behind the panels that required a lot of cleaning.
Every Xpedition we’ve done, we’ve also done ride height adjustments and added Schrader valves to the shocks to set the proper nitrogen pressure.
And then all but 3 of the ones we’ve done have also had us do clutch kit and ECU tune.

The time it takes me to do the sound dampening and insulation alone is around 30 hours.


(Edited to reflect current prices and time)

 

[Russ S]

Thanks very much for posting your photos. I'm going to do it! Maybe we'll be able to enjoy our XPEDITION. I was seriously considering taking the financial hit to trade it in on a Ranger XD before I'd even put more than 1 mile on it!

 

[Russ S]

Whatever Polaris did to the Ranger XD (steel belt transmission) they need to do to the XPEDITION. It would virtually eliminate the noise issue.

 

[JohnnyG]

Whatever Polaris did to the Ranger XD (steel belt transmission) they need to do to the XPEDITION. It would virtually eliminate the noise issue.

Watch some of the videos on the XD 1500 wheeling. With no low range, it struggles when things get tough. If you plan to do more trials than work, you will love the Xpedition.

JG

 

[Dale's Snake Pit]

I towed my ADV5 out to JT Barlow (High Country Unlimited) from Az. I had him do the insulation and sound dampening he is talking about, and it was the best upgrade I have done on my ADV5. I also had him do the After Market Assassins stage II tune and clutch kit which puts the RPM's back to the machine like it is supposed to be. With all the work JT did it lowered the sound level by 7-8 dbs, which is very noticeable.

 

[Russ S]

We’re typically around $2800-$3000, depending on the condition of the machine, on just the sound dampening and insulation. Some of the machines have had a lot of mud dirt and sand built up in the undercarriage and behind the panels that required a lot of cleaning.
Every Xpedition we’ve done, we’ve also done ride height adjustments and added Schrader valves to the shocks to set the proper nitrogen pressure.
And then all but 3 of the ones we’ve done have also had us do clutch kit and ECU tune.

The time it takes me to do the sound dampening and insulation alone is around 23-28 hours.
We’ve only done one 2 door Xpedition. The price is a little less for using less material, but not much less because they’re still pretty labor intensive.

Thanks very much for the photos!
Could you specify the materials you use? It appears you are using three materials, The metallic reflective back material, the material with the red honeycombed appearance, and the white cotton looking material. I suppose the metal backed material is Dynamat. What is the material with the red and white honeycombed backing and the white fluffy stuff?

I’m a little late with this, but as promised, here’s pictures of how I insulate the Xpeditions.

The majority of the work is done from underneath, so I start with removing the entire skidplate. Then, using foil backed 3/8” foam insulation, on the lower firewall. I leave the pieces long enough to reach the skidplate where it can to block off both noise and hot air from the clutch vent. View attachment 3353View attachment 3354View attachment 3355

Then I stuff Polyfil between all the frame crossmembers, up the sides and around all the hoses, pipes and wires.
If you ever get the opportunity to see the area between the skidplate and floor, it’s a huge mostly open area that all the hot air and noise from the engine can gather in and then gets amplified into the cabin from all the plastic reverberation.

Under the console area, it’s wide open, from the top straight down to the skidplate. That store area gets stuffed with polyfil and then a piece of aluminum backed fiberglass insulation fitted underneath so nothing will fall down into the driveline

View attachment 3356View attachment 3357View attachment 3358View attachment 3359View attachment 3360

It also gets polyfil stuffed from the top to make sure all areas are filled and no hot air can get through.
The front portion of the tunnel also gets lined with the foil backed foam. Once the skidplate is back on then the battery area gets packed with polyfil as well.
View attachment 3361

Hot air also gets in around the door striker loops, mostly on the passenger rear. There is some factory foam insulation those areas but it has gaps so I stuff those areas too.

While 5db see in noise levels doesn’t seem like much, it’s a drastic difference in person.
We initially started doing this on my brother’s and my XP5 Ultimates because it would get way hotter inside the cab than the outside temperature. Noise wasn’t really an issue for us. Since then we’ve done it to 10 Northstars, both ADVs and XPs. For those it was more about the noise, but it helps the A/C work better as a side effect.

It’s a lot of work, but a massive improvement from stock. It’s also something Polaris could easily do without any drastic expense, if they put a little thought into it. Personally, I don’t think neutering the machine is the way to fix it.

Bumping this thread for Russ.

Also adding some more pics of the sound dampening.


View attachment 5973View attachment 5974View attachment 5975View attachment 5976View attachment 5977View attachment 5978View attachment 5979View attachment 5980View attachment 5981

We’ve done 16+ Xpeditions with this and typically get 7 to 9 db drop in noise levels even while tuning the machines for higher rpm and performance.

Thanks very much for the photos!
Could you specify the materials you use? It appears you are using three materials.
The metallic aluminum-backed material I assume is Dynamat (butyl rubber).
The white cotton-looking material is the Polyfill.
What is the material with the red and white honeycombed backing? Could you specify the brand you buy?

A couple of questions, please:
You mentioned using 3/8 in Dynamat. Dynamat material is also available in 1/2 and 1 in thicknesses. (DynaLiner 1/2 in. DynaCore 1 in) What do you think about using these thicker materials for added sound dampening? Is there room for the thicker material in some of the places where you are applying it?

 

[JTBarlow]

So the white fluffy stuff is polyfil. The least expensive way to get it is the cheap Walmart pillows. It takes about 24-26 pillows on a 4 door Xpedition.
The aluminum backed fiberglass, for under the shifter in the center console is Floor & Tunnel shield from DEIS
The pink honeycomb sound mat is Membrane from Restomod Air. It’s a multilayer sound and thermal damping mat.
The 3/8” foam doesn’t particularly have a brand. It’s an adhesive backed thermal pad for engine bays, etc. We typically get it from Amazon.
Amazon.com

The 3/8” foam mat is just for the outside, lower portion of the firewall. It goes down to the skidplate to help block off air from the engine area.
Then Membrane is used inside and outside on the upper portion of the firewall, and the upper rear wall on XPs. As well as on the intake tubes running up the rear pillars, both inside and out. The mats on the firewall (and XP upper wall) get painted over with Flexseal for aesthetics, an additional layer of protection, and to help stiffen the 3/8” foam on the lower section.
Then Polyfil gets packed into most the open areas between the floor and skidplate, up the lower section of the front pillars, upper section of the rear pillars and through the center console area. Flexseal is used to stiffen the polyfil along the driveshaft corridor, so it can’t get into the driveshaft.
Then I use silicone to fill in the smaller air gaps, like around the seatbelt mounts, rear seat crossbar mounts, and gaps where the plastic panels don’t fit particularly well. It takes 3-6 tubes of silicone, depending how bad the panels are.

It’s a painstaking process, but the results are remarkable. On the several Xpeditions we’ve installed Rugged Radios in, none of them have headsets (except mine, because it’s an Ultimate, not a Northstar) They all just have the remote speaker, mounted above the headliner, in front of the mirror.

 

[Russ S]

So you're not using Dynamat. Do you have an opinion about Dynamat?

 

[JTBarlow]

I haven’t used dynamat in ages. Back when I did, it was great, but there’s dozens of options now, and I can’t really say one is particularly better than the others. I like the thickness and composition of the Membrane mats.
We have picked up some Siless and Killmat to test out, but the thickness is considerably less than the Membrane. They’re a different composition, so they may or may not work as well. Either way, I don’t expect there to be any major difference in the noise reduction, since sound mat is only a portion of the entire job. All the polyfil insulation is also sound dampening, for filling areas where the noise reverberates.

 

[JohnnyG]

So the white fluffy stuff is polyfil. The least expensive way to get it is the cheap Walmart pillows. It takes about 24-26 pillows on a 4 door Xpedition.

So, take your wife (or friend) to Walmart with you. Pick up a cheap pillow and scream into it. The one that lets the least amount of scream out is the one to get.

JG

 

[Russ S]

I haven’t used dynamat in ages. Back when I did, it was great, but there’s dozens of options now, and I can’t really say one is particularly better than the others. I like the thickness and composition of the Membrane mats.
We have picked up some Siless and Killmat to test out, but the thickness is considerably less than the Membrane. They’re a different composition, so they may or may not work as well. Either way, I don’t expect there to be any major difference in the noise reduction, since sound mat is only a portion of the entire job. All the polyfil insulation is also sound dampening, for filling areas where the noise reverberates.

Thanks very much!

 

[Russ S]

Hey, just an update on my effort to reduce sound in my 2025 single seat Xpedition ADV. I did many of the things that you (J T Barlow) showed in your posted photos. Thanks very much for them. I found that dropping/removing the skid plates required removing the side panels as well, which I did on one side. I decided to try working on just areas I could more easily reach without removing the skid plates. I used Boom Mat XL Damping Material made by Design Engineering, and I used polyfil. I put the Boom Mat in the spaces on the battery cover (cut pieces to fit in each contour depression), surfaces behind the seats, in each of the depressions of the plastic engine cover in the cargo bed (removed the metal shield and replaced it afterward), on top of the metal shields on either side of the engine access portal in the cargo area and the underside of the plastic housing above the front engine heat shield (wasn't sure how it would react to heat on the shield itself.
Stuffed polyfil around the battery, through seatbelt cable openings, under the accessory tray in the console, behind the plastic panel in front of the passenger side wheel well and between the exposed gray colored foam pieces in the recess in front of the driver side wheel well, around the connections under the passenger side seat. I sprayed Boom Mat Damping Spray over the polyfil exposed in the wheel wells to reduce water and dirt penetration.

These steps did help a lot to reduce cabin noise. I just ran it up the street and measured a 9 to 10 dB reduction compared to pre-treatment level. Pre-treatment sound ran up to 96 dB, after treatment ambient cabin noise increased gradually up to 86 dB at 30 mph and 89 dB when accelerating up to 40 mph.

Thanks very much to JT Barlow for your prior information and posted photos. They helped me a LOT and gave me confidence that the noise problem could be improved. Hopefully, Polaris will find a way to incorporate the new steel belt transmission in the Xpedition that will reduce the noise dramatically. If they do, I'll seriously consider trading in my 2025!