I just removed my rear shelf as it was rattling. While it was out I painted it as mentioned in other threads (looks great!). What I am curious is the insulation that is exposed after I take the shelf out. Do I really need all of that? What can I replace it with and how much do I need to use? The stock insulation is pretty thick.
I have JL audio stealth subs in the rear, should I be considered about what I use to retain the sound I am getting now?

You might want to think about putting some Dynamat or simial product on the underside of the metal, especially around the Stealths mounting locations.

I'd keep the insulation. It's probably shielding out a lot of road noise in the trunk. A lot of people would even go beyond that and add some sound deadening or vibration dampening material to the floor of the trunk to help reduce the road noise further.

i ripped all that foamy insulation out.

Here we have - the beginnings of another rip roaring battle in the audio section !

:para: :ripperwho

capone28: What did you use to replace the insulation with, if anything at all?
Did you experience any road noise or change in sound of the rear speakers?

Anybody have pictures of what they might have used instead of the foam?

Thanks for the replies!

Another alternative to your standard Dynamat is closed cell foam rubber. You can buy this in 1/2" or 1" thick sheets at places that sell foam to furniture makers. The stuff I use is very dense and looks like the ensolite pad you used in the Boy Scouts. If you squeeze it hard, it takes several seconds to spring back up.

You can cut it to size and affix it with 3M "tack and trim cement" sold at any auto store. This works well to isolate vibration coming through the rear deck. The only downside is that I don't know if this is any cheaper than Dynamat. A single sheet of 1/2" foam, 3' by 5' can cost around $60. If you're lucky maybe you can pick up a piece of scrap for $20.