RE: Enough exhaust noise already: Tell Me I'm Wrong

[CJP80]

ash73 said:

Agree wholeheartedly with the article.

There's something about a car's performance to noise ratio; cars which are loud and slow are embarrassing, cars which are loud and fast (F-Type, Boxster GTS) are new money tat, whereas Q-cars which are quiet and fast are superb, especially if they have a good quality to the sound.

It's pretty inconsiderate for one person to enjoy a loud exhaust and impose that racket on hundreds of people they drive past. If people want pops and bangs, fine pipe it through the speakers. If they object it's because they want other people to hear it, which tells you everything you need to know.

New money 'tat' which the majority of motoring journalists elevate to 'possibly best sports car on the planet'. I bought a Cayman GTS, because in my view it's one of the best sports cars you can buy. Had I had a bigger budget, I'd have gone GT3 and then the only step up from there would have been 458 Speciale.

I enjoy my exhaust in Sports Plus, mainly on back roads where it's me and some sheep. In towns, I can switch the exhaust off altogether, or change its output by using just 'Sport' or normal mode. I very rarely drive with the exhaust on in towns and villages as it is too loud and 'look at me' brash. On country roads though, I love it and it's on most of the time.

Quiet and fast is not what these cars are about. It's about getting to the top of the rev band with a corresponding increase in the noise - the same sensation as a car that builds speed with revs in a more aggressive fashion.

Fast, quiet Q cars are not as enjoyable as sports cars, in my view, which is why most complain that the 911 turbo is boring and why we constantly belittle the 335d brigade.

Also, I'm trying to think of some fast Q cars that are quiet and have good quality sound...

Edited by CJP80 on Saturday 1st November 10:39

[PunterCam]

Paul O said:

Not a real noise, or not a real Porsche?

Noise of course. I think the current Boxter/Cayman is one of the best cars on sale. Under 100k, I'm not sure what else I'd buy.

[Dr3w]

Wow, you're a girl

[161BMW]

This article is absolute rubbish
A true petrol head loves all the exhaust noise, pops and crackles adds to the enjoyment of driving quite frankly
So what if they have sound engineered it as it sounds great
This is a major reason why I love the New Porsche Boxster besides being absolutely superb to drive
This article was written just to generate comments when IMO there is nothing whatsoever to complain about !!!!

Edited by 161BMW on Saturday 1st November 15:52

[Mellow7]

When my Caterham 7 was tuned I was offered the choice of dialing out the overrun noise. I said no way, that's the whole point of a car like that. Much the point here also.

[phope]

I've just ordered a Golf GTD company car for commuting duties and one of the options was a £255 'Sport and Sound Pack'

Let's face it, a 4 cylinder diesel will never be a pleasing sound and all manufacturers are getting stricter & stricter sound regulations to comply with

This pack comes with an active exhaust which removes the rear silencer completely, adds a slightly larger front silencer then has an anti-phase generator instead to muffle the sound to normal levels or to add deeper tones which can change your typical diesel sound to something more pleasing

Manufacturer reckons there is up to a 40% weight saving over a bulky rear silencer which isn't relevant for a diesel hatchback but for a sports car, then that's surely a potential benefit?

Would I have bought it myself if it were my own car? Unlikely but for a couple of quid extra on the lease cost then I'll give it a whirl

http://articles.sae.org/6737/

[Gary C]

phope said:

I've just ordered a Golf GTD company car for commuting duties and one of the options was a £255 'Sport and Sound Pack'

Let's face it, a 4 cylinder diesel will never be a pleasing sound and all manufacturers are getting stricter & stricter sound regulations to comply with

This pack comes with an active exhaust which removes the rear silencer completely, adds a slightly larger front silencer then has an anti-phase generator instead to muffle the sound to normal levels or to add deeper tones which can change your typical diesel sound to something more pleasing

Manufacturer reckons there is up to a 40% weight saving over a bulky rear silencer which isn't relevant for a diesel hatchback but for a sports car, then that's surely a potential benefit?

Would I have bought it myself if it were my own car? Unlikely but for a couple of quid extra on the lease cost then I'll give it a whirl

http://articles.sae.org/6737/

Sound is a byproduct ! Bangs and pops only befit cars who's tech was the best available for performance and did it as a byproduct.

For example, flames are the height of naff, however on some 70-80's cars which burped the occasional flame because of the way the fuelling was setup are special. The sound is no different.

[vz-r_dave]

Gary C said:

phope said:

I've just ordered a Golf GTD company car for commuting duties and one of the options was a £255 'Sport and Sound Pack'

Let's face it, a 4 cylinder diesel will never be a pleasing sound and all manufacturers are getting stricter & stricter sound regulations to comply with

This pack comes with an active exhaust which removes the rear silencer completely, adds a slightly larger front silencer then has an anti-phase generator instead to muffle the sound to normal levels or to add deeper tones which can change your typical diesel sound to something more pleasing

Manufacturer reckons there is up to a 40% weight saving over a bulky rear silencer which isn't relevant for a diesel hatchback but for a sports car, then that's surely a potential benefit?

Would I have bought it myself if it were my own car? Unlikely but for a couple of quid extra on the lease cost then I'll give it a whirl

http://articles.sae.org/6737/

Sound is a byproduct ! Bangs and pops only befit cars who's tech was the best available for performance and did it as a byproduct.

For example, flames are the height of naff, however on some 70-80's cars which burped the occasional flame because of the way the fuelling was setup are special. The sound is no different.

Genau...... PH is full of people who have no understanding of how it all works. This is why so many on this topic think it is acceptable to have an exhaust system which is built to pop and bang. I am 31 and I guess I am getting old because I associate that pop and bang with mechanical elements within an engine and fueling system. I don't find it acceptable to PRETEND.... like BMW's fake sound generator for example. Put simply it is pathetic!

[Malachimon]

Depending how the car sounds and what it's coming from (i.e type of car) I don't mind a noisy exhaust.

If it's a car that looks like it should sound fast then I am happy with that however I am sick of mild sports cars and yobs in hatchbacks with noisy pipes as they are not meant to be loud and proud.

My MGB is noisy and deserves to be as it's old, good looking and a blast to drive, all traits a vauxhall corsa or MX5 doesn't have.

[paulg390]

ash73 said:

Agree wholeheartedly with the article.

There's something about a car's performance to noise ratio; cars which are loud and slow are embarrassing, cars which are loud and fast (F-Type, Boxster GTS) are new money tat, whereas Q-cars which are quiet and fast are superb, especially if they have a good quality to the sound.

It's pretty inconsiderate for one person to enjoy a loud exhaust and impose that racket on hundreds of people they drive past. If people want pops and bangs, fine pipe it through the speakers. If they object it's because they want other people to hear it, which tells you everything you need to know.

Prius driver .... ??

[Hungrymc]

I'm assuming the GTS system is a combination of an exhaust flap (bypassing a silencer / opening some resonance chambers) and some engine mapping to dump some fuel through on over-run? I could live with that although it would be on quiet mode while pottering through the city.

PH is a strange place .... Someone would rather hear a tuned A-series instead of a tuned flat six? F1 cars too quiet, Boxster too loud. As long as that car is quite discreet on quiet mode, I'd happily drive it (as long as it isn't a bloody speaker in the exhaust)

A V8 F-type sounds wonderful, don't forget it can be used quietly. On full chat, the sound is in proportion to the motor.

[daytona365]

''A new age of barry boy's have arrived, only this time they have more money''............Barry boy's ? Don't you mean Billy boy's ?

[Bodo]

vz-r_dave said:

Gary C said:

phope said:

I've just ordered a Golf GTD company car for commuting duties and one of the options was a £255 'Sport and Sound Pack'

Let's face it, a 4 cylinder diesel will never be a pleasing sound and all manufacturers are getting stricter & stricter sound regulations to comply with

This pack comes with an active exhaust which removes the rear silencer completely, adds a slightly larger front silencer then has an anti-phase generator instead to muffle the sound to normal levels or to add deeper tones which can change your typical diesel sound to something more pleasing

Manufacturer reckons there is up to a 40% weight saving over a bulky rear silencer which isn't relevant for a diesel hatchback but for a sports car, then that's surely a potential benefit?

Would I have bought it myself if it were my own car? Unlikely but for a couple of quid extra on the lease cost then I'll give it a whirl

http://articles.sae.org/6737/

Sound is a byproduct ! Bangs and pops only befit cars who's tech was the best available for performance and did it as a byproduct.

For example, flames are the height of naff, however on some 70-80's cars which burped the occasional flame because of the way the fuelling was setup are special. The sound is no different.

Genau...... PH is full of people who have no understanding of how it all works. This is why so many on this topic think it is acceptable to have an exhaust system which is built to pop and bang. I am 31 and I guess I am getting old because I associate that pop and bang with mechanical elements within an engine and fueling system. I don't find it acceptable to PRETEND.... like BMW's fake sound generator for example. Put simply it is pathetic!

Einverstanden. While I like a good sound, I prefer the technical part of a modern car to have mechanical integrity. If it's electric, it makes an electric noise; if it's efficient, it makes an efficient noise; and if it's a pre-war compressor, it makes a pre-war compressor noise. No need for synthetic ste.

[vz-r_dave]

Hungrymc said:

I'm assuming the GTS system is a combination of an exhaust flap (bypassing a silencer / opening some resonance chambers) and some engine mapping to dump some fuel through on over-run? I could live with that although it would be on quiet mode while pottering through the city.

PH is a strange place .... Someone would rather hear a tuned A-series instead of a tuned flat six? F1 cars too quiet, Boxster too loud. As long as that car is quite discreet on quiet mode, I'd happily drive it (as long as it isn't a bloody speaker in the exhaust)

A V8 F-type sounds wonderful, don't forget it can be used quietly. On full chat, the sound is in proportion to the motor.

do you know how to do an oil change?? thought not. there's your problem.

[AW111]

I am okay with exhaust valving, quiet around town, loud and free-flowing at high revs / WOT.
Artificial pops and bangs for a pretend race car sound is just naff.

[AW111]

<flame suit on>
Are boxsters so boring to drive they need playstation noises to keep you awake?
<flame suit off>

[Wadeski]

Is this the new reverse snobbery and misguided engineering pretension that used to be expressed here as "only a chav upgrades the power before sorting the chassis and brakes", before people realised it was no longer the 1970s and that was absurd?

mmm-hmm. carry on.

[Oilchange]

Ah! Here is the exception to the rule, I think.

Due to the car being so quiet when on nuclear power I think it's important to have an external noise generator to warn pedestrians.
This is for safety. It's not to advertise to the public that a sports car is inbound, so look at it. It's to advertise that a car is inbound that would otherwise be silent and for pedestrians to not step out in front of it while Tweeting/Facebooking !!!

paulg390 said:

Prius driver .... ??

[fausTVR]

I just want the real thing or what's the point? Today PH has saddened me.

I'm really not too impressed hearing that puffed up, preening ponce proudly parading along the avenue in his 'turn around damn you, and look at me' mobile. The contrived racket is not an enhancement, if only because of what it says about the owner.

Quite a few on here should just get their kicks the gaming world and leave the rest of us to enjoy the authentic world as it's meant to be.
I love the sound of a mighty engine very much, but this fakery is like giving the late Pavarotti a tambourine and a cheap megaphone to work with.

Rant over.

[InductionRoar]

fausTVR said:

I love the sound of a mighty engine very much, but this fakery is like giving the late Pavarotti a tambourine and a cheap megaphone to work with.

Nail on head.