Opinions on loud exhausts
Discussion
Too many people mistake volume for the quality of sound. Plenty of quieter cars sound good, plenty of loud cars sound terrible. If a loud car sounds good then it's all good with me. If it's a bean can on the back of something like a Hyundai Getz then it should be killed with fire and brimstone.
I bought a V8 Soarer, you couldn't hear the engine / exhaust.
I looked underneath and there wasn't an easy way to remove a pair of boxes with straight pipe however just after the cat - before all 4 boxes there was an easy place to just add a downturn
It sounded like a NASCAR above 5k
I admit if everyone did it, it wouldn't be great
I looked underneath and there wasn't an easy way to remove a pair of boxes with straight pipe however just after the cat - before all 4 boxes there was an easy place to just add a downturn
It sounded like a NASCAR above 5k
I admit if everyone did it, it wouldn't be great
The other half of the equation is intake noise - a nice open intake can sound great under load, while being quiet at other times.
Making a racket in residential areas is annoying, especially a car left idling where the noise continues for minutes.
I think generally my opinion is that an ideal engine should be quiet at idle, quiet in normal around-town use, quiet at a motorway cruise, and then progressively louder the more of the performance you're using.
That way the noise is in proportion to the rate of change of velocity. Since generally hard acceleration is saved for the open road, that's typically an appropriate wide-open space to use it. It also serves notice on other road users that they'll need to update their estimate of your velocity more frequently. And if it annoys anyone, it won't be in earshot for long anyway.
I remember going for walks on Box Hill, always smiling when hearing the superbikes at WOT, racing along the A24 below. Magnificent!
Nickp82 said:
Stick Legs said:
I think they are tragic. Always have done.
I love fast cars, I love a car that makes a great noise. I see no reason why they should be excessively loud and when I do hear a car that has been modified to be louder I just think it's a bit sad IMHO.
Motorbikes are the worst offenders around my way and can be heard for miles. It's antisocial and not even a great sound.
I know that there is a school of thought that says 'Loud pipes save lives' but everyone I know with this badge also has a tinted visor and other cosmetic mods to their bikes which kind of dilutes their argument.
I'd say that on balance of fairness OEM +15% db is probably okay.
Beyond that lies the realm of chavdom.
Saved me a load of typing I love fast cars, I love a car that makes a great noise. I see no reason why they should be excessively loud and when I do hear a car that has been modified to be louder I just think it's a bit sad IMHO.
Motorbikes are the worst offenders around my way and can be heard for miles. It's antisocial and not even a great sound.
I know that there is a school of thought that says 'Loud pipes save lives' but everyone I know with this badge also has a tinted visor and other cosmetic mods to their bikes which kind of dilutes their argument.
I'd say that on balance of fairness OEM +15% db is probably okay.
Beyond that lies the realm of chavdom.
I will add that I think the cylinder count thing is b
ks - a loud annoying v8/v10/v12 is still loud and annoying.A family member had a yaris once and the rear back box fell disconnected just after we brought it. Luckily it was a cheap fix but that 1.0 engine was a bit loud! Personally, even as a young person I wouldn't do it. I am comfortable driving my car for 8 hours a day (have done it) and don't see the reason to change anything about it tbh. Did think of it but it would just be silly
sheepman said:
HazzaT said:
If it's a car such as a TVR or Jag with a cultured and intelligent motoring enthusiast at the helm (not unlike myself) then a loud exhaust is fantastic.
If it's a modified hatchback (particularly one with a Ford or VAG badge) then it is being driven by a hooligan boy racer chav and I hate it, they should all be locked up.
Just about sums this thread and pistonheads in general up If it's a modified hatchback (particularly one with a Ford or VAG badge) then it is being driven by a hooligan boy racer chav and I hate it, they should all be locked up.
Never liked loud exhausts. Tone and character yes, outright loud, no.
Its very hard to achieve tone and character without crossing into the outright loud, boomy, drone sound. Therefore I keep my cars reasonably stock exhaust wise. Middle silencer delete is the most i go for unless I'm gettong a proper system with high quality baffled exhaust parts.
Its very hard to achieve tone and character without crossing into the outright loud, boomy, drone sound. Therefore I keep my cars reasonably stock exhaust wise. Middle silencer delete is the most i go for unless I'm gettong a proper system with high quality baffled exhaust parts.
aka_kerrly said:
It's not the volume that gets me it's the tone of the sound that I am more sensitive to and I find loud 2 stroke bikes far more irritating than any car I have heard.
I have very little issue with a loud exhaust but don't get me started on pointless "pops, bangs and crackles" bullst - this is the most annoying craze of the last few years.
I don't have an issue with volume, loud is fine so long as the sound quality is good. I have very little issue with a loud exhaust but don't get me started on pointless "pops, bangs and crackles" bulls
t - this is the most annoying craze of the last few years. Which is why I love hearing a loud 2-stroke, especially if it has more than 1 cylinder! My 3 cylinder 2-stroke KH500 Kawasaki with Allspeed expansion chambers sounded fantastic - to me anyway!
Unlike the Chinese 125cc four-stroke learner cruiser next door but one likes to rev at silly o'clock that sounds like some sort of stationary engine Henry Cole would have!
And those pointlessly noisy overweight gutless Harley Davidson 2 wheel tractors just sound like they are broken and don't have an exhaust.
Anyway back to cars and I don't think i've ever heard any N/A engine with 5 or more cylinders that didn't sound great, especially when it was getting used properly!
But 4 cylinder engines are very hit or miss. A 60s or 70s twin-cam Fiat or Alfa sounds good, a BDA Escort or even a Cosworth (despite the turbo) sounds fantastic whereas a 1.2 Corsa with a 3" bean can exhaust sounds pathetic.
And all the fake cr*p like recent BMW M cars with turbos and programmed sound-tracks sound about as tragic as the modded Corsas to me.
And being over 60 I'm an oldie but I love the sound of my BMW Z4M Coupe with Powerflow back-boxes, although I only bimble about until I get to a clear road where hopefully how it sounds won't bother anyone.
SidewaysSi said:
I have a loud exhaust on my Lotus, a Larini Clubsport. Don't really care what people think as I love it - pops, bangs etc but is in keeping with the car so all good IMO. Of course, it is a stty 4 cylinder car so obviously some will think of it as the work of the devil...
You do realise that your pops and bangs probably really annoy some people, don't you? You obviously don't care about being a selfish dtty 4 cylinder car so obviously some will think of it as the work of the devil...head.Not only is your car illegal, it almost certainly adds to the ranks of people wanting to ban all modifications.
Way to go, champ.
AW111 said:
You do realise that your pops and bangs probably really annoy some people, don't you? You obviously don't care about being a selfish dhead.
Not only is your car illegal, it almost certainly adds to the ranks of people wanting to ban all modifications.
Way to go, champ.
Wow.head.Not only is your car illegal, it almost certainly adds to the ranks of people wanting to ban all modifications.
Way to go, champ.
Drunk posting in the early hours of the morning, perhaps?
PHUSER1 said:
grumpyscot said:
Loud exhausts - that's what expanding foam was invented for. A 3 second blast up the tailpipe of wonder boy's wee Astra, and we don't get wakened at 3am when he comes home from his mates.
Interesting idea. 
If you can show on a dyno more noise equals more power then fairynuff. But if you can't then more noise is exactly the automotive equivalent of small boys wedging pieces of cardboard in their bicycle spokes so they can pretend they're riding a big Harley instead of a little pushbike.
I'm nearly 50 and love a loud exhaust. However, I am also a big fan of a near silent car if its just for going from a to b.
Some of my old cars were really loud - 964RS was amazing, Ducati 999R too. I use to have a KTM which my wife thought was a helicopter from a couple of miles away, that was probably a bit too loud. My first Caterham superlight R wasn't mapped too well, and use to pop and bang and fire flames out. Childish but fun!
We went to a wedding in Windsor about 10 years ago and stayed in a town centre hotel. It was hot with no air con, and the bloke in the lambo got pretty annoying by about 2am. There is a point where a noisy exhaust gets anti-social.
Some of my old cars were really loud - 964RS was amazing, Ducati 999R too. I use to have a KTM which my wife thought was a helicopter from a couple of miles away, that was probably a bit too loud. My first Caterham superlight R wasn't mapped too well, and use to pop and bang and fire flames out. Childish but fun!
We went to a wedding in Windsor about 10 years ago and stayed in a town centre hotel. It was hot with no air con, and the bloke in the lambo got pretty annoying by about 2am. There is a point where a noisy exhaust gets anti-social.
It is a simple question really - at what point does your enjoyment of a loud exhaust unreasonably interfere with someone else's right to a quiet life? Some take hair trigger exception to any noise, while others feel they are doing their adoring public a favour by announcing their arrival with a chorus of pop and bangs.
I adore engine noise, and I am half deaf by having sent too much time near unsilenced racing cars , as well as driving some fairly vocal cars of my own . But context is all - I really don't need the confected parping , popping and banging of a Jaguar F Type (a serial noise offender) at 2 am but a tasty 911's howl on an empty A road ? Yes please..
I adore engine noise, and I am half deaf by having sent too much time near unsilenced racing cars , as well as driving some fairly vocal cars of my own . But context is all - I really don't need the confected parping , popping and banging of a Jaguar F Type (a serial noise offender) at 2 am but a tasty 911's howl on an empty A road ? Yes please..
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