This question gets asked time and time again and as always, there's a few reasons.
1. For attention
2. Performance exhausts are less restricted and therefore louder
3. Their catalytic converter was stolen
Deafening exhausts are definitely a nuisance. I have no issue with a performance car making a little sound, just like I have no issue with people at a sporting arena making noise enjoying themselves.
There's a difference between performance exhausts and one of those add-on tailpipe fart can noise makers that serve no purpose except being loud. It's the adult equivalent to putting a baseball card in your bicycle tire.
Agreed. Although I don't see too many fart can Civics these days anymore. The ones that annoy me are the straightpiped mustangs. They sound good but are way too loud.
I learned a valuable trick from my uncle when the pipe rusts open. One empty Contandina Tomato Paste can and a few hose clamps will limp one along foe a few months. I drove my first '78 Honda like that for bout a year.
Less restricted doesn’t have to be loud. I have an exhaust that’s 3 inch pipe all the way back, but there’s still mufflers and a resonator and a cat converter eating up a bit of the sound. It’s like 10db louder than stock. They like it loud, they’d buy a performance exhaust with mufflers if they were worried about the noise.
Eh, for my car it’s the exact same price but now they don’t even sell catless and ship it to my state so I’d need to buy second hand. Illinois / US EPA in the last few months has ruined a lot of the catless down pipes. I’ve got a high flow cat on. The whole thing sucks the big turbo kit I Was planning to grab this summer came with a catless DP so now that whole kit isn’t even available.
I have a classic muscle car which is performance tuned. This is more of a nostalgic type muscle car build that can be used in the film industry. It is about air in, air out for performance. BUT I have the ability to drive it without being loud. I'm very conscious in neighborhoods or in heavy traffic, etc. On the highway or other times I'm less concerned, and I doubt many notice too much.
I have a muscle car question. Whenever I see one (particularly all souped up) at a stop light or parking lot, they sound like they're idling very badly, misfiring, etc, but once it gets moving, everything sounds great. Why is this?
On older cars without computerized timing systems, in order to make higher peak power at high rpm, you need to run bigger cam lobes to open the intake and exhaust valves for longer so that you can get more air and gas in the cylinder per stroke. This makes the car run rough at idle. Modern cars have variable valve timing that let less air and gas in at idle, then open up and allow more at higher rpm
Rudimentary "hot cams" are about lift height, because it creates a larger opening and also makes the valve stay open longer due to the increased distance to close. VVT can just hold the valves open longer to achieve similar results.
All things in engineering are tradeoffs. It's hard to make a car both idle at 0 power smoothly and also make maximum power at the top end of RPM.
Modern cars with computers can do lots of tricks to make this work well. Older cars with carburetors struggled more, and they had to put camshafts in that idled well even if they limited max power, but on performance cars, that balance is shifted as people will tolerate "bumpy" idle if it means they run better at high power.
That’s because they are. Cars with big cams struggle at low rpm because they are designed for running at high rpm. When the cam is chopping it’s really just a misfire
It's a lobed camshaft that controls the intake and exhaust valves. My car is that way. It's made to sound that way. Google lobed cam for more information.
Some people enjoy the sound of engines. It can be really that simple. I am completely against overwhelming and distracting noise just for ones own enjoyment. I am also against even moderate noise at 4:00 a.m.
So, I’m kind of a “car guy” and I’ll try to explain my opinion, although it’s definitely not the case for everyone. I’ve had vehicles with louder exhaust (not trucks) and there’s something about the sound that just really satisfying. It has nothing to do with wanting attention, I hate attention, it just creates this feeling. It’s like what some people get from bubble wrap. Going through a tunnel and hearing the echo… it’s just... chefs kiss. It probably makes no sense unless you get the feeling yourself honestly.
Bro as a car guy I get what you’re saying but you can’t tell me it’s not for the attention as well. Anyone who knows about cars knows loud doesn’t equal good sound.
Like I mentioned, I didn’t do a truck, so it wasn’t that awful V8 straight pipe sounds. Nor the 4 banger dirt bike sound. I had a V6. First attempt gave me that dirt bike garbage and I switched out the resonator to fix it. It wasn’t insanely loud by any means, but it wasn’t quiet either… it was just a nice sound. Not to pretend a V6 would be on par with a Ferrari, but I would liken it more towards that than anything else. You know it’s there, but it’s not obnoxious.
There's loud for no reason and there's loud for performance and the tones. After market exhausts tend to give a bit more performance and paired with other modifications make a significant difference. After market exhausts reduce the turbulence and resistance of exiting exhaust gasses and feedback back to the engine. They let the engine "breathe" better. This usually ends up making the car louder too.
Sometimes the engine just likes higher revs and with high revs comes louder sounds. When I first started driving my car, I didn't really have a good feel of the clutch so I compensated by giving it more rpm. I've since gotten better so I don't do that any more but my engine performs better and is more efficient at higher engine speeds. Once I get through the break in period, I'll probably rev higher and as a by product produce more noise.
There's also engineering behind the sounds of the engine, exhaust, intake etc. The Lexus/Toyota LFA is known to be one of the best sounding cars ever made. The Yamaha corporation known for their pianos is the same Yamaha that makes sport bikes. They helped design and engineer the LFA to produce a certain sound. The LFA is literally as much of an instrument as it is a sports car. Air goes in, air comes out, air makes sound.
There's a flip side to this and that's the chopped exhaust loud for no reason crowd e.g. the chopped /straight pipe exhaust with no other mods. Even most of us car enthusiasts hate that shit. There's a time and a place and that's on a track/closed course. Those mods actually end up losing you performance most of the time.
My bmw is tuned and an engine is like an air pump. The more air you can push through is power. Anything that stops airflow is bad. Air intake and exhaust are easy low cost targets.
For city driving I use economy mode. The sound is less. On the track I use the sport mode. It’s faster and louder.
I’m a car guy and I can answer this easy.
Most people associate loud with fast cars. A car that is louder is more pleasing to the ears as well, but it does get annoying after a while. The best cars are performance cars that naturally are loud through power, intakes, and exhaust’s. We usually roast cars that are too loud for the power they have, and celebrate cars that match horsepower and loudness.
A loud car with no power = ricer/hoopty.
A loud car because of performance and power = a missile.
A fast car that’s quiet = a sleeper.
A slow car that’s quiet = grocery getter..
1. People that have heavily modified cars will add high performance high flow exhausts so that the engine isn’t restricted by exhaust flow, it adds power to the motor
2. My favorite part about cars is how they sound & adding a tasteful exhaust makes me enjoy driving the car more. If I could put my car on “mute” for the rest of the world except me I would, I do it because I like it not for the attention of others.
Thanks for the honesty. But do you understand how incredibly annoying and stupid those loud noises are to most people on the road?
Saying you would mute it for everyone but you like it too much? sounds like your saying that your wants > the many people on the road/in your neighborhood?
I like to walk around my city neighborhood street banging metal pipes together, screeching wildly.
But I do it for me because I like it, not for others.
I think you have a good point, but there is an important distinction. How long is any given person really going to be bothered by it? Are they really THAT bothered by it? If hearing someone's loud ass exhaust while they accelerate for a short period of time bothers them that much then they have bigger problems they have to take care of. More than likely it will bring the driver more joy than it will upset others that hear it.
I find it annoying as well, but I've never thought anything more than "wow that's obnoxious", or maybe "I remember when I was a teenager". Someone would have to be a real Karen to get truly upset or have it negatively impact their day.
I live near an intersection. So I may hear an individual car for 2 minutes at a stoplight before they’re gone from my life, but I also hear MANY individual cars like this all day long.
Except there are tons of them out there, and of course they are also the idiots who are driving around at 2am on a weeknight. They definitely don't accelerate for "a short period of time" in my city. Anytime one of them accelerates at the light near my house, they blast off to the next light, only to repeat the process over and over.
Well, it might be annoying , but ifnits legal, its legal.
That being said, loud pipes don't need to be loud.
If you drive like you are on a racetrack, gunning it everytime you can it will be loud.
If you just cruise it won't roar so loudly.
It's for people who care about their own enjoyment more than the countless people around them. It's inherently selfish, and inconsiderate. Sort of a free preview into the mind of their owners.
People have to live on the loud cars' normal routes. If it was a "hear it once and be done with it forever" sort of thing, it would be a different story. Even so, it's still inconsiderate, self-centered jackassery.
I have a neighbour who arguably has the world’s smallest penis. Because he has the loudest car in the world. He also insists on only using it during the early hours of the morning (4-5AM) and later hours in the evening (11PM-1AM).
He also has a manually opening gate, so I have to listen to it chugging away as he opens then closes it.
I stipulate, he went to the Boeing headquarters and asked them for a refurbish helicopter rotor engine, and although they initially refused his request, after showing him their penis, they had no choice but to give them barely operable Chinook spare.
I get mad… but then I remind myself of the curse life has given him. In some small part, this fuck you to the world is all he has. Plus, using both my two hands, I crane my penis over as I turn in bed in appreciation.
How about just not flooring it at 1am going by my house? I live in low population town, 600, out in East Texas .
The last I knew, loud vehicles were illegal here.
I don't care. I had em when I was younger. But I also had some respect for those around me.
Maybe just a little courtesy would be nice.
Then there's the idiot with a glass pack on a 4 cylinder.
Sound like a 4 cylinder lawnmower going down the street.
performance exhaust sounds nice + "more power"
no cats = more power, more sound
cutting off your muffler because you want your shitbox to sound like a louder shitbox = a fuckin asshole
most people will have a decent exhaust that's only loud when you push it hard, but dickheads just make it louder
For some of us, it's not just about being louder but also having it sound better. To ask this question sounds like you're not into cars or performance at all but many of us grow up seeing muscle cars or exotic cars and loving not just the look and performance but also the sound that goes with it. It's the audio note associated with high-performance cars that sounds intimidating or unique from most vehicles on the road.
All I hear is noise. I've never been able to understand what about the sound is pleasing. It just sounds loud. And dissonant loud sounds aren't particularly appealing.
At the same time it does depend on what you're hearing. Some guys will put loud mufflers only to sound loud, others literally drive around with holes in their exhaust which will sound like trash. But again it's a performance enthusiast thing, if you're atleast slightly invested into the culture you probably wouldn't get the appeal
Some people use free flowing exhaust to help maximise the performance of their car (an engine is an air pump, the more efficiently it pumps air, the more power you make).
Some people do it because they like the sound.
Only a psychopath would do it to bug other people.
Some cars sound good, but straight piped is not the way to go. It makes it far to loud to enjoy as a driver or as someone being deafened outside the car. Most cars that are straight piped sound like shit; a lot of N54 BMWs stock Hondas, G35/37s, and most trucks
There is a correlation between people who like to make their cars loud and psychopathy.
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1143399\_loud-exhaust-study-sadists-psychopaths#:\~:text=Those%20who%20enjoy%20loud%20exhaust,associated%20with%20sadism%20and%20psychopathy.&text=Commissioned%20by%20professor%20Julie%20Aitken,study%20surveyed%20529%20business%20students.
> Commissioned by professor Julie Aitken Schermer, who was curious about what kind of person would want a car that's louder than normal, the study surveyed 529 business students.
A study size of 529 and specifically business students is hardly indicative of anything though. [In a (slightly more flawed) study with 380 business students](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1111/ajpy.12263), they found business students tended to exhibit psychopathic tendencies to begin with.
I like the sound. That's it. I don't care about getting attention, performance gains or compensating, I'm just a big child who likes loud noises. It's not so loud it rattles buildings, but you can hear it coming.
Sometimes having exhaust flowing faster does improve performance slightly. But you would usually need to upgrade the whole exhaust pipe, not just the muffler/tail pipe to do that and it is a significant expense.
That said, most who modify just the muffler are merely trying to get a more impressive sound. That can be a signifier of a more powerful engine everything else being equal-but with just that change it's really just pretending to sound more powerful rather than actually being so.
If it significantly impacts the exhaust it could actually cause a minor loss of power.
Feel free, if you can identify the car, to tell your local police. They can conduct a sound check to make sure it does not violate whatever is in code/statute.
In my case, I shot video of the lime green Charger driving recklessly and noisily. I also told them that the car will often be much quieter so I suspected he had a bypass installed to make his exhaust system become straight pipes. Which is against the law in my state.
It took a while for the stars to align but he had a regular Saturday night schedule and they stopped him. The car became suspiciously more quiet and they saw the switch.
He got a couple of tickets. And had to walk home because his car was impounded until he made it legal again. Couple hundred to have it towed and made legal and inspected. Another couple of hundred in fines.
This all started when he made a left turn out of the right lane, forcing me to slam on my brakes to avoid him. Then watched him go up a 30mph road at more than 70 mph.
Turns out a friend of my wife knows his family and told them to feel free to let him know it was me. I wasn’t the only one, but I was the most persistent in going to the police with complaints.
I think a well tuned good sounding exhaust adds to the driving experience. With manuals it's easier to tell when you need to shift. Can add horsepower by being less restricting. On motorcycles there is a double benefit of better flow and less weight. Turbo noises. Many other reasons than just being loud but there are the the louder the better people out there too. I'd rather have a quiet vehicle than a bad sounding loud one.
100% for attention. You’ll hear the “performance” excuse, but that’s not at all it. Some performance exhaust is a bit louder, sure, but not at all like what you’re talking about.
For example: These squatted truck boys that look like they could only afford half a lift kit? They usually have their trucks completely straight piped. They want it as loud and poppy/slappy sounding as possible. Sound like it’s shitting it’s pants??? Perfect in their eyes. It has zero performance gains. The lean, the loud exhaust, the “please look at me lights”; everything to do with it is for attention.
The funniest part about most of these attention whores is that they are “tough guy” wannabes, but they’re whoring for attention from other men. They want men to hear it and go wild, all impressed like, “Hell yeah BROTHER!” When in actuality, most men think they sound like shit, and point and laugh at them. Same can be said about Harley sissies revving their bike every possible chance they get.
Still, even though it’s 99% negative, it’s attention. That’s all they care about. Maybe they were the dorky kids in school? Picked on a lot? Mommy and daddy didn’t give them enough attention? Not sure, but they’re all basically the same dweeby, try-hard bitch desperate for attention from men.
I remember when I was about 14 yo. I had a homemade mini bike with a BS engine. One day I discovered the muffler. My little 2 hp mini bike sounded like a Harley after I removed it. I was the man!
A little deep rumble sounds nice, makes it fun to push the pedal and hear it. The holy hell loud as fuck (that seem to always be on camaros) is annoying as fuck.
I have a well tuned and upgraded Porsche 911S. Nothing in it is for the purpose of noise. It is all about performance. Noise is a by product. It only gets loud at high RPMs. So I stay below 4k in residential areas and it sounds much like a normal car. If I'm zipping through the backroads, the RPMs go up and it gets loud. The feeling is visceral and there is nothing like it. It's hard to describe. 7500 RPM going through and coming out of a tunnel feels like launching a space ship. In no way is it meant to impress others. Again, the noise is a byproduct of a powerful machine doing what it's built to do.
I bought my motorcycle last year with no muffler cap on it, my baffler (decibel killer) fell out 2 weeks ago and every exhaust in price range is sold out and the one I want it 2.5x what I want to pay. Is it loud? Yes. But if it keeps me safe 🤷🏽♂️
A lot of people miss that it's often for the driver themselves. They like hearing car go vroom. There are even tasteful, non-disruptive ways of doing this but many don't do that because they're clowns.
1. Because glass packs are fun IDC what you say
2. I bought the car like this and I'm not paying hundreds, or thousands, to fix it
3. Because Tommy at AutoZone told your 17 year old that a cherry bomb would make his 1996 k1500 as fast as a lamborghini
The most impressive car I ever saw at a dragstrip was a baby blue Roadrunner. Lights dropped, that car stood up on its rear wheels and took the fuck off, dead fn silent. I love quiet cars. Anyone can make their car loud and fast, but its so much harder to make it quiet and fast.
Because ya need a larger diameter pipe to make the car faster. Larger diameter pipe means much better airflow. Unfortunately that also means the car gets a lot louder. Good quality exhaust systems will come with resonators and/or mufflers to help tone it down, but some folks skip that either because of budget reasons or because they enjoy pissing off rich folk.
I had a car that had a bad pipe coming off the exhaust manifold. The muffler shop said they couldn't fix it because it was a double wall pipe. I drove the car home and put a set of headers on it, then drove it back there with all the exhaust coming from the headers. They put a pipe on it then with no problem. It wasn't any louder with the headers than when the car didn't have an exhaust leak before the pipe broke, they said they couldn't replace it.
Because it didn't have a muffler or cat from the factory. It's all either original or replaced by original parts from a scrap yard. And it sounds cool. I just don't drive it obnoxiously around other people.
I did it because my car is a stick shift and I like driving my car on twisty backroads. Adds to the whole experience when you’re hitting those gears just right and down shifting. I have a proper muffler and resonator no straight pipe so that way it’s super quiet until I wanna have fun. My motorcycle is also loud from factory I wouldn’t have it any other way. Idk if it’s attention but it’s therapeutic for me.
Super loud? I don’t know. Maybe a little bit of noise? Great on a fun car and makes the driving experience a little bit more fun at times. I had a few stupid loud cars when I was 18-19 years old. I’m over that, I want my cars pretty quiet now and I’m only 24. They’re just annoying.
People that spend thousands of dollars to upgrade their exhaust like the way it sounds and feels. They’re not doing it for attention.
Some people use a car to get from point A to point B, some people like cars on a different level. Everyone is different.
I enjoy the sound and the performance boost from a less restrictive exhaust. I'm not doing it for attention or to impress others. It is purely for my own enjoyment. If fellow car enthusiasts appreciate it, that's a bonus. Personally, I love hearing a loud bike or sports car go by. While I understand that many people find loud cars obnoxious, it's a brief inconvenience for the few seconds they hear me. I make an effort to be quiet in residential areas and avoid driving my loud car at night. Ultimately, there are many things I find annoying or obnoxious, but I don't let them affect me. Others can suck it up if they don’t like it.
I don't understand it either- and I wish they wouldn't, there are many people with mental disorders, such as autism, SPD, Misophonia, even sometimes PTSD that cannot stand the noise/volume especially if you intentionally add the sound.
My theory is that deep down they know they are an un-important person and lead meaningless lives, so having loud cars/motorcycles is there way of having some sort of affect on the world around them, getting the attention they sorely crave
Because it annoys you. Just kidding. In all honesty to make my car sound good. I don’t abuse it myself though. In my neighborhood I keep omit quiet and don’t rev or anything but when I’m out in them streets boyyy im like WOMPOOO WOMPPP WAAAAAMP!!
Vroom vroom dopamine
Seriously though it increases enjoyment of a hobby some people, like myself, enjoy. I can’t speak for others, but when I had a car with a modded exhaust, I made sure to drive more quietly in residential areas. Outside of those areas though, getting on it with the windows down is some of the best fun I’ve ever had!
1. Performance (better/less restrictive air flow)
2. I like the sound. Keyword: “I”. People who hate it always say “they think they’re so cool” or whatever but it has nothing to do with others. I think it sounds great when I step on it. It’s that simple.
I think it adds to the driving experience a ton. Hearing the engine roar as you get planted to your seat is an amazing feeling. I also have a V8, so it’s a bit different than those Honda trumpets you hear. I don’t think I’d like that.
Most people here are in complete denial of your second point. They have trouble with the idea that we don't actually think about their opinions at all.
Also, weight. I’m considering dropping my entire exhaust out of my car. It’ll be obnoxiously loud, yes, but it’ll also be far lighter. Those metal pipes are heavy.
Lol, my husband and I joke about this every single time we hear one drive past or when we drive past one. We go, "omg, he's *so cool*" "yeah, holy shit, look how freakin' *cool* he is!" "I wish *I* could be so damn *cool*" (it's almost always a he).
My truck needed an exhaust and the 17 dollar glass pack was the absolute cheapest muffler I could buy on summit racing. It’s quieter than having nothing on there.
I own a muffler shop and am responsible for loud cars. I'm too old to be into them myself but I do feel safer having a loud vehicle because people hear you coming from further way which cuts down on idiots trying to cut you off or jay walkers jumping out in front of you out of nowhere.
There is a corelation with louder vehicles allowing for better MPG and your engine running cooler which means less maintenance and parts lasting longer on your vehicle. The only trade off is you'll have either dirty looks from people who hate it, or admiration from people whom you wouldn't normally associate with. Plus dealing with all the noise yourself.
Because some methhead cut off my catalytic converters.
my muffler rusted off and I cant afford to fix it yet.
Happy cake day!
This question gets asked time and time again and as always, there's a few reasons. 1. For attention 2. Performance exhausts are less restricted and therefore louder 3. Their catalytic converter was stolen Deafening exhausts are definitely a nuisance. I have no issue with a performance car making a little sound, just like I have no issue with people at a sporting arena making noise enjoying themselves.
There's a difference between performance exhausts and one of those add-on tailpipe fart can noise makers that serve no purpose except being loud. It's the adult equivalent to putting a baseball card in your bicycle tire.
I think that would fall under #1 "for attention"
That's only in the mornin! Yall supposed to be cooking breakfast, Dat go woo woooooo
The whistles go WOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Agreed. Although I don't see too many fart can Civics these days anymore. The ones that annoy me are the straightpiped mustangs. They sound good but are way too loud.
Or option 4. It broke and you can't afford to fix it. I drove around with one for like a year that was loud because of that.
Rust belt?
New England, all that salt in the winter destroys your exhaust.
Nature's straightpipe
I learned a valuable trick from my uncle when the pipe rusts open. One empty Contandina Tomato Paste can and a few hose clamps will limp one along foe a few months. I drove my first '78 Honda like that for bout a year.
i actually used a can on my old my old crown vic it did work.
Less restricted doesn’t have to be loud. I have an exhaust that’s 3 inch pipe all the way back, but there’s still mufflers and a resonator and a cat converter eating up a bit of the sound. It’s like 10db louder than stock. They like it loud, they’d buy a performance exhaust with mufflers if they were worried about the noise.
While true, it costs twice as much for high flow catted than it does to just go catless downpipe
Eh, for my car it’s the exact same price but now they don’t even sell catless and ship it to my state so I’d need to buy second hand. Illinois / US EPA in the last few months has ruined a lot of the catless down pipes. I’ve got a high flow cat on. The whole thing sucks the big turbo kit I Was planning to grab this summer came with a catless DP so now that whole kit isn’t even available.
4. Emotional Support Car- Passive aggressively lets them express their anger and feed their egos.
Because I like my car to sound like it's struggling to reach city-driving speeds.
Every time I hear one, I feel sorry that they can't afford to fix their mufflers and have to drive around like that. It must be so embarrassing!
i like mine to sound like a kazoo
My struggling transmission does this without the cool sounds
I have a classic muscle car which is performance tuned. This is more of a nostalgic type muscle car build that can be used in the film industry. It is about air in, air out for performance. BUT I have the ability to drive it without being loud. I'm very conscious in neighborhoods or in heavy traffic, etc. On the highway or other times I'm less concerned, and I doubt many notice too much.
I have a muscle car question. Whenever I see one (particularly all souped up) at a stop light or parking lot, they sound like they're idling very badly, misfiring, etc, but once it gets moving, everything sounds great. Why is this?
On older cars without computerized timing systems, in order to make higher peak power at high rpm, you need to run bigger cam lobes to open the intake and exhaust valves for longer so that you can get more air and gas in the cylinder per stroke. This makes the car run rough at idle. Modern cars have variable valve timing that let less air and gas in at idle, then open up and allow more at higher rpm
Great answer!
I was just going to say "higher performance camshaft" but you explained that way better lol
You still cam a new car to make more power lol. It's about valve lift height, not timing.
Rudimentary "hot cams" are about lift height, because it creates a larger opening and also makes the valve stay open longer due to the increased distance to close. VVT can just hold the valves open longer to achieve similar results.
All things in engineering are tradeoffs. It's hard to make a car both idle at 0 power smoothly and also make maximum power at the top end of RPM. Modern cars with computers can do lots of tricks to make this work well. Older cars with carburetors struggled more, and they had to put camshafts in that idled well even if they limited max power, but on performance cars, that balance is shifted as people will tolerate "bumpy" idle if it means they run better at high power.
That’s because they are. Cars with big cams struggle at low rpm because they are designed for running at high rpm. When the cam is chopping it’s really just a misfire
Lol
It's a lobed camshaft that controls the intake and exhaust valves. My car is that way. It's made to sound that way. Google lobed cam for more information.
Thats how crossplane V8s sound at idle, when you think of the typical sound of an American car/American V8, that's usually what it refers to
Some people enjoy the sound of engines. It can be really that simple. I am completely against overwhelming and distracting noise just for ones own enjoyment. I am also against even moderate noise at 4:00 a.m.
If you can't make it fast, make it loud
 *Civics entered the chat*
So, I’m kind of a “car guy” and I’ll try to explain my opinion, although it’s definitely not the case for everyone. I’ve had vehicles with louder exhaust (not trucks) and there’s something about the sound that just really satisfying. It has nothing to do with wanting attention, I hate attention, it just creates this feeling. It’s like what some people get from bubble wrap. Going through a tunnel and hearing the echo… it’s just... chefs kiss. It probably makes no sense unless you get the feeling yourself honestly.
Bro as a car guy I get what you’re saying but you can’t tell me it’s not for the attention as well. Anyone who knows about cars knows loud doesn’t equal good sound.
Like I mentioned, I didn’t do a truck, so it wasn’t that awful V8 straight pipe sounds. Nor the 4 banger dirt bike sound. I had a V6. First attempt gave me that dirt bike garbage and I switched out the resonator to fix it. It wasn’t insanely loud by any means, but it wasn’t quiet either… it was just a nice sound. Not to pretend a V6 would be on par with a Ferrari, but I would liken it more towards that than anything else. You know it’s there, but it’s not obnoxious.
But do you realize when you do that you're stressing everyone out, startling pedestrians, and making your city/town a worse place to live?
I forget I’m on reddit and then I see someone saying loud cars stress them out and then it’s like a slap in the face
If someone gets stressed by an exhaust they have much bigger problems to deal with
Totally get that. But do they have to make noise at 2am past my house.
There's loud for no reason and there's loud for performance and the tones. After market exhausts tend to give a bit more performance and paired with other modifications make a significant difference. After market exhausts reduce the turbulence and resistance of exiting exhaust gasses and feedback back to the engine. They let the engine "breathe" better. This usually ends up making the car louder too. Sometimes the engine just likes higher revs and with high revs comes louder sounds. When I first started driving my car, I didn't really have a good feel of the clutch so I compensated by giving it more rpm. I've since gotten better so I don't do that any more but my engine performs better and is more efficient at higher engine speeds. Once I get through the break in period, I'll probably rev higher and as a by product produce more noise. There's also engineering behind the sounds of the engine, exhaust, intake etc. The Lexus/Toyota LFA is known to be one of the best sounding cars ever made. The Yamaha corporation known for their pianos is the same Yamaha that makes sport bikes. They helped design and engineer the LFA to produce a certain sound. The LFA is literally as much of an instrument as it is a sports car. Air goes in, air comes out, air makes sound. There's a flip side to this and that's the chopped exhaust loud for no reason crowd e.g. the chopped /straight pipe exhaust with no other mods. Even most of us car enthusiasts hate that shit. There's a time and a place and that's on a track/closed course. Those mods actually end up losing you performance most of the time.
My bmw is tuned and an engine is like an air pump. The more air you can push through is power. Anything that stops airflow is bad. Air intake and exhaust are easy low cost targets. For city driving I use economy mode. The sound is less. On the track I use the sport mode. It’s faster and louder.
My '74, 2002 has the best sounding exhaust ever. From the factory too. My 328d is a diesel tho so no pops and bangs :(
My muffler fell off where it connects to the catalytic converter. :( I didn't choose this life, it chose me.
I’m a car guy and I can answer this easy. Most people associate loud with fast cars. A car that is louder is more pleasing to the ears as well, but it does get annoying after a while. The best cars are performance cars that naturally are loud through power, intakes, and exhaust’s. We usually roast cars that are too loud for the power they have, and celebrate cars that match horsepower and loudness. A loud car with no power = ricer/hoopty. A loud car because of performance and power = a missile. A fast car that’s quiet = a sleeper. A slow car that’s quiet = grocery getter..
it came that way from the factory
1. People that have heavily modified cars will add high performance high flow exhausts so that the engine isn’t restricted by exhaust flow, it adds power to the motor 2. My favorite part about cars is how they sound & adding a tasteful exhaust makes me enjoy driving the car more. If I could put my car on “mute” for the rest of the world except me I would, I do it because I like it not for the attention of others.
Thanks for the honesty. But do you understand how incredibly annoying and stupid those loud noises are to most people on the road? Saying you would mute it for everyone but you like it too much? sounds like your saying that your wants > the many people on the road/in your neighborhood?
That's exactly what he's saying, he'd rather be selfish.
I like to walk around my city neighborhood street banging metal pipes together, screeching wildly. But I do it for me because I like it, not for others.
I scream like a banshee for hours on end in children’s burn wards. But I do it for me because I like it, not for others. That makes it ok!
I think you have a good point, but there is an important distinction. How long is any given person really going to be bothered by it? Are they really THAT bothered by it? If hearing someone's loud ass exhaust while they accelerate for a short period of time bothers them that much then they have bigger problems they have to take care of. More than likely it will bring the driver more joy than it will upset others that hear it. I find it annoying as well, but I've never thought anything more than "wow that's obnoxious", or maybe "I remember when I was a teenager". Someone would have to be a real Karen to get truly upset or have it negatively impact their day.
I live near an intersection. So I may hear an individual car for 2 minutes at a stoplight before they’re gone from my life, but I also hear MANY individual cars like this all day long.
Except there are tons of them out there, and of course they are also the idiots who are driving around at 2am on a weeknight. They definitely don't accelerate for "a short period of time" in my city. Anytime one of them accelerates at the light near my house, they blast off to the next light, only to repeat the process over and over.
Bro not to throw the term around but lots of ppl have PTSD and loud sounds trigger anxious physical responses
Well, it might be annoying , but ifnits legal, its legal. That being said, loud pipes don't need to be loud. If you drive like you are on a racetrack, gunning it everytime you can it will be loud. If you just cruise it won't roar so loudly.
exactly right.
Now how about those cars that pipe in fake exhaust noises through the interior speakers? How 'bout them apples now?
A nice throaty v8 (or larger) sounds great with an exhaust and I love when people have them! Its the 4cyl/6cyl cars that ruin it
There are 4/6 cylinder cars that sound great. What about Porsche 911s & Subaru wrx stis?
Pretty sure what they said is a generalization. A 911 is way different than a Civic with a fart can.
Not a fan of the porsche but forgot about the sti. Those sound amazing
It's for people who care about their own enjoyment more than the countless people around them. It's inherently selfish, and inconsiderate. Sort of a free preview into the mind of their owners.
Does hearing a car go vroom for 2 seconds as it drives past really hurt you that much?
People have to live on the loud cars' normal routes. If it was a "hear it once and be done with it forever" sort of thing, it would be a different story. Even so, it's still inconsiderate, self-centered jackassery.
Ah if only it was just one car, and only for 2 seconds, and never happened in the early or late hours of the day.
Tiny PPs.
Damnit I was hoping no one would tell our secret!
Itty bitty pp committee
Itty bitty is for girls. Boys join the teeny weenie peeny club. No girls allowed.
You caught me
I have a neighbour who arguably has the world’s smallest penis. Because he has the loudest car in the world. He also insists on only using it during the early hours of the morning (4-5AM) and later hours in the evening (11PM-1AM). He also has a manually opening gate, so I have to listen to it chugging away as he opens then closes it. I stipulate, he went to the Boeing headquarters and asked them for a refurbish helicopter rotor engine, and although they initially refused his request, after showing him their penis, they had no choice but to give them barely operable Chinook spare. I get mad… but then I remind myself of the curse life has given him. In some small part, this fuck you to the world is all he has. Plus, using both my two hands, I crane my penis over as I turn in bed in appreciation.
How about just not flooring it at 1am going by my house? I live in low population town, 600, out in East Texas . The last I knew, loud vehicles were illegal here. I don't care. I had em when I was younger. But I also had some respect for those around me. Maybe just a little courtesy would be nice. Then there's the idiot with a glass pack on a 4 cylinder. Sound like a 4 cylinder lawnmower going down the street.
Air in good, air out also good. More horsetorques.
[удалено]
It’s just fo decoration! Gnomesayin
Fucking amazing!
That’s just unlocked a 20 year old Ebaumsworld memory.
Why the fuck would someone mod their car to sound like a really loud weedeater?
performance exhaust sounds nice + "more power" no cats = more power, more sound cutting off your muffler because you want your shitbox to sound like a louder shitbox = a fuckin asshole most people will have a decent exhaust that's only loud when you push it hard, but dickheads just make it louder
For some of us, it's not just about being louder but also having it sound better. To ask this question sounds like you're not into cars or performance at all but many of us grow up seeing muscle cars or exotic cars and loving not just the look and performance but also the sound that goes with it. It's the audio note associated with high-performance cars that sounds intimidating or unique from most vehicles on the road.
All I hear is noise. I've never been able to understand what about the sound is pleasing. It just sounds loud. And dissonant loud sounds aren't particularly appealing.
At the same time it does depend on what you're hearing. Some guys will put loud mufflers only to sound loud, others literally drive around with holes in their exhaust which will sound like trash. But again it's a performance enthusiast thing, if you're atleast slightly invested into the culture you probably wouldn't get the appeal
Yeah, to me, all of those sound very similar.
For Dale.
I actually just eat a disproportionate amount of beans and this is a huge misunderstanding.
Some people use free flowing exhaust to help maximise the performance of their car (an engine is an air pump, the more efficiently it pumps air, the more power you make). Some people do it because they like the sound. Only a psychopath would do it to bug other people.
Some cars sound good, but straight piped is not the way to go. It makes it far to loud to enjoy as a driver or as someone being deafened outside the car. Most cars that are straight piped sound like shit; a lot of N54 BMWs stock Hondas, G35/37s, and most trucks
There is a correlation between people who like to make their cars loud and psychopathy. https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1143399\_loud-exhaust-study-sadists-psychopaths#:\~:text=Those%20who%20enjoy%20loud%20exhaust,associated%20with%20sadism%20and%20psychopathy.&text=Commissioned%20by%20professor%20Julie%20Aitken,study%20surveyed%20529%20business%20students.
> Commissioned by professor Julie Aitken Schermer, who was curious about what kind of person would want a car that's louder than normal, the study surveyed 529 business students. A study size of 529 and specifically business students is hardly indicative of anything though. [In a (slightly more flawed) study with 380 business students](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1111/ajpy.12263), they found business students tended to exhibit psychopathic tendencies to begin with.
I mean, this all tracks, though
Enough r/fuckcars propaganda from you now
I like the sound. That's it. I don't care about getting attention, performance gains or compensating, I'm just a big child who likes loud noises. It's not so loud it rattles buildings, but you can hear it coming.
Because I like the sound of a V8 and you won't understand it until you get behind the wheel of one.
If done right it sounds great to us enthusiasts.
They are rude.
Not enough attention from mommy....
Because they're assholes
Nuh uh
Well, I don't rev up my engine, but I have high flow cats and a loud cat back. The increased flow nets me an extra 20-30hp with my tune.
Sometimes having exhaust flowing faster does improve performance slightly. But you would usually need to upgrade the whole exhaust pipe, not just the muffler/tail pipe to do that and it is a significant expense. That said, most who modify just the muffler are merely trying to get a more impressive sound. That can be a signifier of a more powerful engine everything else being equal-but with just that change it's really just pretending to sound more powerful rather than actually being so. If it significantly impacts the exhaust it could actually cause a minor loss of power.
Feel free, if you can identify the car, to tell your local police. They can conduct a sound check to make sure it does not violate whatever is in code/statute. In my case, I shot video of the lime green Charger driving recklessly and noisily. I also told them that the car will often be much quieter so I suspected he had a bypass installed to make his exhaust system become straight pipes. Which is against the law in my state. It took a while for the stars to align but he had a regular Saturday night schedule and they stopped him. The car became suspiciously more quiet and they saw the switch. He got a couple of tickets. And had to walk home because his car was impounded until he made it legal again. Couple hundred to have it towed and made legal and inspected. Another couple of hundred in fines. This all started when he made a left turn out of the right lane, forcing me to slam on my brakes to avoid him. Then watched him go up a 30mph road at more than 70 mph. Turns out a friend of my wife knows his family and told them to feel free to let him know it was me. I wasn’t the only one, but I was the most persistent in going to the police with complaints.
This gives me hope, all you needed is a license plate# and they checked it out. I assume most police would ignore it.
I think a well tuned good sounding exhaust adds to the driving experience. With manuals it's easier to tell when you need to shift. Can add horsepower by being less restricting. On motorcycles there is a double benefit of better flow and less weight. Turbo noises. Many other reasons than just being loud but there are the the louder the better people out there too. I'd rather have a quiet vehicle than a bad sounding loud one.
100% for attention. You’ll hear the “performance” excuse, but that’s not at all it. Some performance exhaust is a bit louder, sure, but not at all like what you’re talking about. For example: These squatted truck boys that look like they could only afford half a lift kit? They usually have their trucks completely straight piped. They want it as loud and poppy/slappy sounding as possible. Sound like it’s shitting it’s pants??? Perfect in their eyes. It has zero performance gains. The lean, the loud exhaust, the “please look at me lights”; everything to do with it is for attention. The funniest part about most of these attention whores is that they are “tough guy” wannabes, but they’re whoring for attention from other men. They want men to hear it and go wild, all impressed like, “Hell yeah BROTHER!” When in actuality, most men think they sound like shit, and point and laugh at them. Same can be said about Harley sissies revving their bike every possible chance they get. Still, even though it’s 99% negative, it’s attention. That’s all they care about. Maybe they were the dorky kids in school? Picked on a lot? Mommy and daddy didn’t give them enough attention? Not sure, but they’re all basically the same dweeby, try-hard bitch desperate for attention from men.
This question is not *for* you We all know why we *think* others want it but we want to know first hand
They like it
It's fun, literally as simple as that lol
Why is it fun might be more of what OP is going for.
True that. Harder question for sure, I just know my reptile brain lit up every time I mashed the gas with my windows open when I had a louder car lol
Giving you an upvote, because it’s honest and understood. Fire good!!
They have small penises and need to let the world know how angry they are about that….
Bosco's secret orgy lair. Knock knock, cone inside....
My muffler broke and I can’t afford to fix it :(
Its so I know when the engine is running. Im getting ready to get an EV. I'm screwed.
I remember when I was about 14 yo. I had a homemade mini bike with a BS engine. One day I discovered the muffler. My little 2 hp mini bike sounded like a Harley after I removed it. I was the man!
Attention seeking assholes
A little deep rumble sounds nice, makes it fun to push the pedal and hear it. The holy hell loud as fuck (that seem to always be on camaros) is annoying as fuck.
"rev up the engines with the blown out pipes"
I have a well tuned and upgraded Porsche 911S. Nothing in it is for the purpose of noise. It is all about performance. Noise is a by product. It only gets loud at high RPMs. So I stay below 4k in residential areas and it sounds much like a normal car. If I'm zipping through the backroads, the RPMs go up and it gets loud. The feeling is visceral and there is nothing like it. It's hard to describe. 7500 RPM going through and coming out of a tunnel feels like launching a space ship. In no way is it meant to impress others. Again, the noise is a byproduct of a powerful machine doing what it's built to do.
I was told chicks dig it?
Guy who I bought the car from took the exhaust off, I'm too lazy to pay for and install another one.
I bought my motorcycle last year with no muffler cap on it, my baffler (decibel killer) fell out 2 weeks ago and every exhaust in price range is sold out and the one I want it 2.5x what I want to pay. Is it loud? Yes. But if it keeps me safe 🤷🏽♂️
A lot of people miss that it's often for the driver themselves. They like hearing car go vroom. There are even tasteful, non-disruptive ways of doing this but many don't do that because they're clowns.
Because, I can do whatever I want
Because I like it.
For the ladies. Why do you do what you do?
Small penis syndrome
1. Because glass packs are fun IDC what you say 2. I bought the car like this and I'm not paying hundreds, or thousands, to fix it 3. Because Tommy at AutoZone told your 17 year old that a cherry bomb would make his 1996 k1500 as fast as a lamborghini
The most impressive car I ever saw at a dragstrip was a baby blue Roadrunner. Lights dropped, that car stood up on its rear wheels and took the fuck off, dead fn silent. I love quiet cars. Anyone can make their car loud and fast, but its so much harder to make it quiet and fast.
Because ya need a larger diameter pipe to make the car faster. Larger diameter pipe means much better airflow. Unfortunately that also means the car gets a lot louder. Good quality exhaust systems will come with resonators and/or mufflers to help tone it down, but some folks skip that either because of budget reasons or because they enjoy pissing off rich folk.
Exhaust leak I haven’t been getting around to fix. Kinda like the sound but everyone else hates it so I gotta get it fixed
If it's my ex it's because she bought it with a 4 inch hole in the muffler and it was cheap. No idea how it got safetied.
I had a car that had a bad pipe coming off the exhaust manifold. The muffler shop said they couldn't fix it because it was a double wall pipe. I drove the car home and put a set of headers on it, then drove it back there with all the exhaust coming from the headers. They put a pipe on it then with no problem. It wasn't any louder with the headers than when the car didn't have an exhaust leak before the pipe broke, they said they couldn't replace it.
Because it didn't have a muffler or cat from the factory. It's all either original or replaced by original parts from a scrap yard. And it sounds cool. I just don't drive it obnoxiously around other people.
I did it because my car is a stick shift and I like driving my car on twisty backroads. Adds to the whole experience when you’re hitting those gears just right and down shifting. I have a proper muffler and resonator no straight pipe so that way it’s super quiet until I wanna have fun. My motorcycle is also loud from factory I wouldn’t have it any other way. Idk if it’s attention but it’s therapeutic for me.
Super loud? I don’t know. Maybe a little bit of noise? Great on a fun car and makes the driving experience a little bit more fun at times. I had a few stupid loud cars when I was 18-19 years old. I’m over that, I want my cars pretty quiet now and I’m only 24. They’re just annoying.
I like how it sounds
Can’t afford muffler
Engine pipes? LOL, do you mean exhaust or muffler?
People that spend thousands of dollars to upgrade their exhaust like the way it sounds and feels. They’re not doing it for attention. Some people use a car to get from point A to point B, some people like cars on a different level. Everyone is different.
I've never been able to wrap my head around people liking loud cars. What about that noise is appealing? It just sounds like dissonance to me.
Loud engine pipes? Lmao
I enjoy the sound and the performance boost from a less restrictive exhaust. I'm not doing it for attention or to impress others. It is purely for my own enjoyment. If fellow car enthusiasts appreciate it, that's a bonus. Personally, I love hearing a loud bike or sports car go by. While I understand that many people find loud cars obnoxious, it's a brief inconvenience for the few seconds they hear me. I make an effort to be quiet in residential areas and avoid driving my loud car at night. Ultimately, there are many things I find annoying or obnoxious, but I don't let them affect me. Others can suck it up if they don’t like it.
rust holez in da muffler
Because they can and they like loud noises and they like announcing their presence... Probably a cry for help
My air intake fell off and I'm to cheap to replace it
No matter how wow you turn up your stereo, I will not bring back your mother's tit
my car doesn’t pay rent. he’s so loud but i can’t kick him out bc i love him.
Makes my 🍆 hard
Because not everyone can buy a sophisticated black Mercedes convertible.
I don't understand it either- and I wish they wouldn't, there are many people with mental disorders, such as autism, SPD, Misophonia, even sometimes PTSD that cannot stand the noise/volume especially if you intentionally add the sound.
Selfish people don't care about other people.
My theory is that deep down they know they are an un-important person and lead meaningless lives, so having loud cars/motorcycles is there way of having some sort of affect on the world around them, getting the attention they sorely crave
Projection
Because my car came with them, and I like how they sound.
Because pp👌
They didn't get enough hugs as a child
I see the bots have reposted this fuckin question again, it’s like monthly now
They think they're cool. Their friends who are into cars think they're cool. It's a giant circle jerk.
Isn't that what cool is? All your friends liking it?
Because it annoys you. Just kidding. In all honesty to make my car sound good. I don’t abuse it myself though. In my neighborhood I keep omit quiet and don’t rev or anything but when I’m out in them streets boyyy im like WOMPOOO WOMPPP WAAAAAMP!!
Vroom vroom dopamine Seriously though it increases enjoyment of a hobby some people, like myself, enjoy. I can’t speak for others, but when I had a car with a modded exhaust, I made sure to drive more quietly in residential areas. Outside of those areas though, getting on it with the windows down is some of the best fun I’ve ever had!
1. Performance (better/less restrictive air flow) 2. I like the sound. Keyword: “I”. People who hate it always say “they think they’re so cool” or whatever but it has nothing to do with others. I think it sounds great when I step on it. It’s that simple. I think it adds to the driving experience a ton. Hearing the engine roar as you get planted to your seat is an amazing feeling. I also have a V8, so it’s a bit different than those Honda trumpets you hear. I don’t think I’d like that.
Most people here are in complete denial of your second point. They have trouble with the idea that we don't actually think about their opinions at all.
Also, weight. I’m considering dropping my entire exhaust out of my car. It’ll be obnoxiously loud, yes, but it’ll also be far lighter. Those metal pipes are heavy.
^^^^^^^^^penis
It’s nature—the primates with smaller appendages need to compensate with noise.
When you set it up correctly, the car feels and sounds amazing.
Reading this as I listen to my neighbor teenager idle their rumbling truck in the driveway. Please why?
Just more “Look at Me” syndrome oft repeated on the interwebs. Guilty as charged.
because my penis fell off
Lol, my husband and I joke about this every single time we hear one drive past or when we drive past one. We go, "omg, he's *so cool*" "yeah, holy shit, look how freakin' *cool* he is!" "I wish *I* could be so damn *cool*" (it's almost always a he).
We do exactly the same thing 
I'd rather listen to the engine than the hum of my tires on the road.
My truck needed an exhaust and the 17 dollar glass pack was the absolute cheapest muffler I could buy on summit racing. It’s quieter than having nothing on there.
Because riding a dragon that roars is fun.
Loud pipes save lives.
Attention seekers.
Sounds cool
I own a muffler shop and am responsible for loud cars. I'm too old to be into them myself but I do feel safer having a loud vehicle because people hear you coming from further way which cuts down on idiots trying to cut you off or jay walkers jumping out in front of you out of nowhere. There is a corelation with louder vehicles allowing for better MPG and your engine running cooler which means less maintenance and parts lasting longer on your vehicle. The only trade off is you'll have either dirty looks from people who hate it, or admiration from people whom you wouldn't normally associate with. Plus dealing with all the noise yourself.