Loud exhaust, does the general public care?

[93EB_SXR6]

Hi all,
I often hear complaints from car owners being personally confronted by people about their car's loud exhaust system.
I also hear about people getting defect notices because of excessive noise from their exhaust all the time.
I have never had this issue.
Do loud cars really bother the general public or is this just another way for enthusiasts to brag about their car?

[Dave R]

It would depend on where you live and how tolerant your neighbours are to noise. I have heard a number of stories about people living in townhouse or apartment complexes being confronted by neighbours because of the noise- early morning/late night would annoy people. One story involved the EPA and it was an expensive exercise as the car was cammed.

I personally hate people that brag about their cars. If exhaust volume= bragging rights then the person bragging is a fool.

[93EB_SXR6]

Yeah good point I hadn't even considered townhouses and apartment complexes.

[cowboy]

The only time I've been defected for noise I was dobbed into the EPA by a private citizen. That was an expensive exercise too as I was cammed and running side pipes.

[Crazy Dazz]

I like the sound of a V8, and one of my gripes with my GT, was that it did not sound enough like one. That said, there is a huge gap between a tuned exhaust and some of the ****** boxes that people drive. The problem with these cretins seems to be that they fail to understand that without mufflers even a 2cylinder Suzuki mighty boy is impossibly loud, so removing the mufflers form your commode ute does NOT make it “hot” or “tough,” it just makes you look like a moron.

What’s REALLY funny, is that you can almost pick the nature of the inconsiderate bogan ******** by the sound his commode ute makes.

[KIWI-1]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

The problem with these cretins seems to be that they fail to understand that without mufflers even a 2cylinder Suzuki mighty boy is impossibly loud

That's a bit rich - they are 3 cylinders.

[Cuyper]

If you have a v12 ferrari feel free to drive past my house exhaustless. Just don't annoy me with a stinking six cylinder. Fours and eights sound OK

[BHDOGS]

I think they should limit the exhaust noise on motorcycles some of them are ridiculous and make your ears bleed but hey its all about safety right pfft.

[tex]

Depends on the car, and how the car is operated.

(Potentially) Loud, sharply presented and tastefully done car, operated within sensible / considerate limits I think people generally respond well to. A loud car driven gently sounds great, and most people - even none car people will tolerate such a car / owner.

Loud, ridiculously low, bogan inspired heap of puss operated like a race car blowing peoples ear drums on the road..... people generally want to burn.

Hardly any surprises there.

[pottery beige]

i must be getting old.. I'm over the 4.11s and big diff dumpers thing...

[damo6]

My exhaust I had on my ve ss ute was a twin 3' with headers,outlaw cats etc.. and used to boom when I started it but it settled down to a nice modest note,I live in units and only 1 neighbour used to whinge,everyone else it didn't bother them at all. Try living next to a Harley owner I used to tell the whinger then you'll have something to complain about!

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by damo6

My exhaust I had on my ve ss ute was a twin 3' with headers,outlaw cats etc.. and used to boom when I started it but it settled down to a nice modest note,I live in units and only 1 neighbour used to whinge,everyone else it didn't bother them at all. Try living next to a Harley owner I used to tell the whinger then you'll have something to complain about!

negative.. as i sit the dude next door just pushed his Harley out the front, kicked her in the guts and off he went...

poor old girl fluffing its way off around the corner cold as hell..

theyre not all dhs..

[tex]

My car is about as loud as a modern GT can be, and I have never, not once, had any neighbours say a single thing negative. Not once.

I drive past the front door of the local plod shop almost daily, drive to work, pick my boy up from child care in it (you should see all the kiddies run to the window to check it out when I pull up outside lol)

Attitude. That's a biggy, and if an owner has a bad one, his loud car is going down....

It ain't hard to TRY to be considerate.

Having said all that, I'm actually swapping hardware around to quieten my beast down. Like the beige, I'm getting old, and maybe, just a tincy bit softer than I was.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by tex

Attitude. That's a biggy, and if an owner has a bad one, his loud car is going down....

It ain't hard to TRY to be considerate.

And there it is. Even if your car is loud, the old saying is: don't crap in your own nest.

Try explaining this to the pack of muppets several houses down from me who seem to want to drive flat out every time they go to/leave the house. Mostly on motorcycles with obnoxiously loud straight through exhausts (regardless of what you think, a 250 Hyosung with no muffler does not sound 'cool' or anywhere remotely like it). These guys must be extra special drop kicks though because they seem to drive everywhere flat out and feel the need to go to/from the house 50,000 times a day. I've subscribed to the theory that if their riding behavior is like their driving behavior, Darwin will sort them out soon enough.

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

And there it is. Even if your car is loud, the old saying is: don't crap in your own nest.

Try explaining this to the pack of muppets several houses down from me who seem to want to drive flat out every time they go to/leave the house. Mostly on motorcycles with obnoxiously loud straight through exhausts (regardless of what you think, a 250 Hyosung with no muffler does not sound 'cool' or anywhere remotely like it). These guys must be extra special drop kicks though because they seem to drive everywhere flat out and feel the need to go to/from the house 50,000 times a day. I've subscribed to the theory that if their riding behavior is like their driving behavior, Darwin will sort them out soon enough.

late at night..

hide in bushs of neighbours house with an old bridgestone supercat..

lob old bridgestone supercat in front of annoying motorbike person..

leg it back home....

[Spurious]

The worst thing you can do is tell the muppets it annoys you...they'll do it deliberately and even louder. I used to have this nut in a v8 commy ute (of course), repeatedly opening the throttle as he new it ****ed me off. (he would enter the street quiet & blat it at my place, flip me the bird n' all). Til' one day I spoke with one of his mates across the road and simply said "your mate's lucky he left the street without the burnout yesty....I was filming him & I will every time I here his car from now on"! I'm sure it ****ed 'ol commy ute off but he toned it down shortly there after. It helped that the guy I spoke to was a better man, he convinced his friends not to crap in his & our street. After the first few time you witness it just grab a decent sized mate & politely confront the offenders. just keep it real, honest & to the point (don't enter a slanging match from across the street), tell em' it's not on & they know it. Say things like "you wouldn't like me doing that past you mums or gramps house so take it easy". Maybe get on their good side by asking the offenders about their car or bike....they will want to talk to you then! People loooooooove to talk about themselves.

[Spurious]

I have a sweet sounding exhaust tone and it roars when I tell it to. As I get older though the novelty is wearing off & I make an effort not to frighten old ladies as I drive past. Problem is that not every one has been raised with the same excellent moral standards as those who've replied to this thread. (brownie points, thankyou!). Best thing you can do, if your not on your own driveway, is rip out the phone & pretend to film the hooning lout. Nowadays everyone knows the power of "video evidence".

[Madaya]

A few words from Captain Quiet! I don't know where my desire for silent mechanical devices came from, but it's been there since I was a lad. Oh, and I totally love good quality ear popping music, I have Loud Speakers 6ft tall, 3ft across, but great HiFi quality, so no, I have no problem with loud.
But seriously
A Harley is a fine machine. A big V twin, hell, if I was rich, I would buy one just for fun. A good mate rides a Yamaha MT-01, a 1670cc twin, it would flog the Harley in every way. A slightly warmed street MT ran a 1/4 at 11.77. I can hardly hear it coming or going.
This idea that a loud bike is a safety factor is bull. I've been cruising on the highway...Ah ha, a Harley coming up in the rear vision mirror. You don't actually hear it until it's passing you - to late if I made some sudden lane change or avoidance manoeuver. On the road, visibility, rather than noise is the priority.
Loud bikes and cars are very much a 'look at me, look at me, LOOK AT ME' !!! The power gains are pretty much zip, unless you have a car setup for full on racing - i.e. cannot be driven on the public road.
Like I say, if I want to go fast or quick, I either buy another car or go racing and spend thousands of $$$. Or I spend a few hundred, (on sound deadener stuff) go just as fast and quicker than most factory stock cars whilst being able to chat with my passenger, listen to nice music and watch the world open before me and just disappear in my rear vision mirror.
Cheers

[T3rminator]

I think it really depends how you use it. If you let it scream in residential small streets or in car parks, then you are just asking for trouble. Just common sense really.

I've recently fitted a catback system on the 3v, and at first it was loud and boomy. I was really worried my neighbours would complain, so have sourced an alternative in case they do. But just the other day one of my neighbours gave the thumbs up as I was driving in, so that is one I don't have to worry about.

If you have a loud exhaust, don't let it idle in your driveway for too long, and don't boot it in areas where it will echo. Common courtesy.

[Spurious]

[QUOTE=Madaya;4797850]
A Harley is a fine machine. A big V twin, hell, if I was rich, I would buy one just for fun.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The harley noise is, as the smell of a 2 stroke is....BEAUTIFUL! Besides, who in their right mind is going to confront a big leather clad bearded guy on a Harley & ask him to "pipe down". (stereo type yes I know) Seriously it 'aint worth the risk. Put the shoe on the other foot for a mo', If I had the doe' I would like to own a Harley for a while. Pure freedom on the open road. The stereo type can get you into hot water though. A cous' of mine bought a Harley davidson 'fat boy' years ago, a work of art (TERMINATOR 2, Arnold style), unfortunately he was forced to sell it after the local bikie gang leader said....."I like your bike"!

[mikeeman_ford]

You do have to be considerate in units and apartment blocks

My friend got a Varex bimodal exhaust for that very reason

My brother in laws mate is a cop, and i was chatting to him about modified cars, he said that when there is a nice car, big rims, exhaust, guages, whatever that screams summernats or auto salon only attract attention when the person is driving faster through corners or having a "spirited" drive

If someone is rumbling down the road in their V8 that is loud, generally they just say "that's a guy who loves his car and respects it not to flog it on public roads"

So if you can afford a Varex, go for it.

We had neighbours with a silvia and an EXA, every morning at 5am they would fire them up just to run them, we cracked it asked them to either drive away or do it later. they apologised and did it later

[superfly]

My old WRX was pretty loud and with straight cut gears you could hear it coming a mile away. But I always drove respectfully and never had any compaints. I did feel a bit sorry for the neighbours when I'd come home at around 1am for a week straight whilst on night shift.

Originally Posted by mikeeman_ford

So if you can afford a Varex, go for it.

I'm not sure about other states but in Qld you'll get defected with a Varex.

[2011G6E]

Simple...own a Harely, put straight through open pipes on it with no mufflers, and you'll never have to worry about noise regulations again, as the laws regarding exhaust noise obviously have a exemption for them...
It's one of the mysteries of life...have a buggered muffler in your car making a bit of a backfire or blat, and you'll get fined heavily. Run a Harley...even a brand new one...with open pipes and literally no muffling at all, and the cops don't bat an eyelid. It's puzzled the rest of us motorcyclists for decades...

It is possible to have a quiet exhaust and still make real power. My son used to subscribe to an import car magazine...Auto Salon I believe...and it had a yearly comp which was called something like "Street car of the year". It was the most real-world, realistic set of tests I've ever seen in any magazine apart from possibly Wheels COTY.
The cars couldn't just be the most wildly modified or most powerful...they had to pass a long series of tests. First, they had to pass a proper roadworthy test to the standards of whatever state the car was from. Then, they had to do a braking test...this was a real world braking test, as if you'd just hopped in the car and drove off down the street, then had to slam on the brakes for an emergency stop. This meant the guys with massive competition brakes and pads that had to be really hot to even work were at a disadvantage. Some of the cars with huge carbon brakes and massive multi-piston calipers and racing compound pads, which were being driven on the streets regularly, actually stopped in far longer distances than a standard car would have...in the real world away from a racetrack, they're brakes never got hot enough.
Then they had to do a traffic test, to see if they overheated or just became pigs in real traffic. There were other tests as well, but the exhaust noise one was amazing.
The overall winner was a highly modified R32 Skyline GTR, which was putting out nearly 750hp...yet the exhaust noise was only 86dB...less than that required for a factory standard car. This as attained through an extremely carefully designed exhaust system.

Might not have been the loudest, look-at-me-look-at-me car around, but 750hp...


Get a proper shop to do a well designed system, and you can have a nice exhaust note (as opposed to "noise"...theres a difference) and an efficient system . The whole neighbourhood mightn't know when you're coming home from work, but the boys in blue won't glare sharply in your direction even time you drive past...

[Ben73]

It all about the attitude of the driver. A house diagonally across from me had 2 regular visitors with load exhuasts.
One was fine because he cruised around at a reasonable pace and didn't rev it hard. The other idiot owned a POS late 90s magna which was in **** condition. He would get into late at night and take off up the street under WOT. Great for a cold engine. Haven't seen this idiot for 6 monts so I hope he lost his licence or something.

I'd love a slight upgrade of the exhuasts in my car. But I often drive in the middle of the night. My car is very quiet but sound really loud at 3am. Plus my driveway passes my neighbors bedroom so I can't do that to them.

[Streets]

Originally Posted by mikeeman_ford

So if you can afford a Varex, go for it.

Aren't these illegal full stop?

I used to have a similar setup on my 351. It was lots of fun, never got pulled over, but I got rid of it eventually because I was afraid of the possible legal ramifications.

[GQ_Smooth]

I does annoy people, it annoys me, it annoyed my neighbors when I was a d/head and had to have twin 3" exhausts going to 2 x 4" tips. 120BD at 5000rpm. Felt like a hero, christ I was a d1ck. Couldn't make it quiet if I tried. Over then next 2 years of ownership the car got quieter every 6 month, (4 mufflers and 6 resonators later, but it was still to load).

Can't stand load cars now, joys of getting old.

[kenz]

Ive lived in an apartment complex for a couple years, leaving for work at 5.30am and never had one complaint. Tried to be as quiet as possible and crawled out the drive and up the street everywhere I've lived, cruised around like a normal person really. Only ever had one neighbor have a problem when I lived in a quieter street but found out she had a problem with everything anyway. Consideration and respect goes a long way, theres always a time and place

[Kable72]

I've only ever been hassled twice, once when my neighbours and my family were butting heads over something trivial and they were just picking at whatever they could and once when I was sitting at the lights, had some soccer mum have a go at me that my car is to loud and that I'm a hoon and that me sitting at the lights just idling is dangerous to everyones hearing blah blah blah blah, stop doing your makeup while you're yelling at me and I might have listened.

I don't give it any when I'm around where I live for obvious reasons, only time I give it some is when I have room on a main road and even then it's 3000rpm in second gear..

[Alan D Segal]

Originally Posted by 93EB_SXR6

Do loud cars really bother the general public or is this just another way for enthusiasts to brag about their car?

My view is that absolutely everything will bother someone out there, but if you're not doing anything too outlandish then you won't have any problems on a regular basis. Most people probably don't care about loud cars, but there is always the vocal minority that you might live next door to, drive past regularly, or who might be driving the police car behind you. Don't have a ridiculously loud exhaust and drive reasonably and you won't upset the 'general public', but you'll upset wowsers no matter what you do IMHO.

[mik]

i have a 3 inch zorst on my xr6 , at low revs its hard to pick from an 8 and has a deep bassy note, when you get into the power band it could wake the devil down there in hades, but in the burbs driven appropriately no ever hears it and its not offensive, .......... unlike the halfwit in the vs v6 commodore across the road that beeps his horn on leaving the premises and tears off down the 50 kph street at 2 am in the morning....... every week day .
The answer is yes.