Noise - how much does it matter to you?

I see a lot of people are commenting more about exhaust noise. I agree with Housey in that you can make an exhaust sound good. In my car, for example, it's the unequal exhaust manifold that makes it sound so good. The flat four otherwise would sound like any other 4 cylinder engine really. However, due to the exhaust it sounds great to me.

But when I used to run my 306 GTi-6, it was just the top end engine noise that made it sound good. If it had an exhaust it would have just sounded so bland, especially if the exhaust drowned out the engine. I see too many Hondas which are ruined by stupidly loud exhausts which sound pants because you can't hear the engine/induction noises.

I do really appreciate good sounding engines ! The ST220 as mentioned earlier, makes a great engine noise. So do the R32 Golfs. They get your head turning because you hear something purposeful coming your way, whereas if you hear some fart can coming your way, you don't look.
 
Adam_D200 said:
There was a F355 with a capristo exhaust at a local pistonheads meet, flippin loud that it made my ear drum tingle when it was revved - but in a mental grinning kind of way :D Best exhaust noise on a car - period.
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There's a guy local to where I live with a 355 and capristo exhaust, see him quite regularly when the weather is good during the summer. Often going the same way when I do see him, so I get a good earful especially with the top down :D

I wouldn't go as far as to say it's the best exhaust noise on a car though :p
 
ScoobyDoo69 said:
I see a lot of people are commenting more about exhaust noise. I agree with Housey in that you can make an exhaust sound good. In my car, for example, it's the unequal exhaust manifold that makes it sound so good. The flat four otherwise would sound like any other 4 cylinder engine really. However, due to the exhaust it sounds great to me.

But when I used to run my 306 GTi-6, it was just the top end engine noise that made it sound good. If it had an exhaust it would have just sounded so bland, especially if the exhaust drowned out the engine. I see too many Hondas which are ruined by stupidly loud exhausts which sound pants because you can't hear the engine/induction noises.

I do really appreciate good sounding engines ! The ST220 as mentioned earlier, makes a great engine noise. So do the R32 Golfs. They get your head turning because you hear something purposeful coming your way, whereas if you hear some fart can coming your way, you don't look.
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Exactly, way too many corsa's or micra's farting by it really annoys me...
 
If you do a lot of long distance driving, noise is really draining. I feel noticeably more tired in a noisy car after a long journey. Also where there's noise there's usually vibration and harshness.
 
MarkDavis said:
If you do a lot of long distance driving, noise is really draining. I feel noticeably more tired in a noisy car after a long journey. Also where there's noise there's usually vibration and harshness.
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Damn right! Solid engine mounts on an old french car, mmm rattles! :p
 
On the bike (Aprilia RSV-R) I just have a straight through race can, VERY loud, but that's how I want it. Sounds like thunder, I love letting off the throttle from high revs and just letting the engine braking take effect.. lurvely! :D .

On the car (Focus ST170) I have a powerflow exhaust and some non-descript cone filter (both put on by the previous owner), no decat or anything like that so it just sounds a little better when you boot it, not mega loud. It does have a bit of a drone on long journeys but I rarely do them and it isn't excessive anyway. Sounds good when the VVT takes effect at 4k+ revs :) .

Work van is just rubbish, sounds like a bag of spanners all the time and has crap noise insulation from tyre/road noise. I just turn the radio up loud. When I'm on hands-free I have to nearly shout sometimes for the other person to hear me, mainly if I was on the motorway or dual carriageway.
 
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Much as I appreciate the sound of a nice V8, what I don't appreciate is the sound produced by all the idiots who congregate in a carpark near to my place with their Subarus/Novas etc, who delight in making as much noise as possible at 2am when they race up and down the road.

Seriously, it's one thing having a nice sounding motor, but be a bit considerate will you - hooning around with a decently silenced motor the chances are people won't take much notice, but fit some exhaust system with next to no silencing and everyone for miles will know what you're up to, and some of em will get fed up with being woken up at all hours and you'll find yourself getting some unwelcome attention from the plod.
 
St0rmer66 said:
On the bike (Aprilia RSV-R) Sounds like thunder, I love letting off the throttle from high revs and just letting the engine braking take effect.. lurvely! :D .
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Agreed. Great fun, especially when going through tunnels.

It's also enough to roll off on the over run to wake up lazy drivers who you have already identified as being possibly "dodgy" manouverwise ahead of you. :p

My Renegades also pop, bang and spit unburnt fuel in the form of flames on the over run, which definately wakes up inattentive drivers. :D
 
Mine is 106dB at full RPM and sounds awesome. Burble, crackle and pop. Mmmm. I want to drive it just thinking about it.
 
My car is pretty much silent from the outside when I'm below 5,800rpm. This makes for great fun when some unsuspecting victi--err, troublesome types are walking down the pavement a few metres ahead - hit the VTEC (y0) just before I pass them and they think this car has come out of nowhere. Much prefer having control over how much noise I make than having some droning tone in my head.

System is totally OEM. The only induction/exhaust modifications I would consider are a Mugen CAI & Mugen Twinloop exhaust - with the current state of the pound against the yen, it's simply not a reasonable option to source a nice fresh example of both at the moment. :/

The recession is affecting me that badly. :p

(forgot to mention that the lack of any sound deadening in my car means I pretty much only hear the engine and some tyre squeal occasonally, regardless of what passers-by hear...and I love it that way ;))
 
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If it's a nice noise I like to have noise from the car. If it's just a dull humm from the engine or tyre roar then it annoys the hell out of me, and is very important.
 
Mines just right, loud growl when I want it and the popcharger intake give me an added roar when I am gunning it, but when I want refined...it's just right.

I would love a Nismo exhaust, but not sure I could live with the noise all the time.
 
If I had any sort of performance car, then I'd like the nice noise to go with it. But day to day, I like car that does it's job quietly and with no fuss. If I'm cruising on the motorway, I don't want to hear engine, wind and road noise. My 1.6 litre 4-cylinder engine doesn't make a nice noise, just a wheezy drone. I'd rather not hear it at all.
 
I think my car is too loud on the motorway, but that's more to do with 5th gear being quite a low ratio, over 3500RPM @ 70mph.

But I like the noise on a B road. Also I've started using heal n' toe and rav matching a lot when changing down, gives a quick bark and occasionally a pop.
 
My car sounds like its farting while gently accelerating for the first few thousand revs due to the previous owners ebay special cat back, though once in vtec its not to bad and manageable on long journeys.
It just really annoys me that i cant afford to change it at the moment.
 
I love the sound of my 328i above 4000 rpm, it sounds as a BMW should. below that speed its a bit too quiet imo.

Ironically, my truck sounds much better at low revs than at high - it'll produce a resonating rumble that sets off car alarms as I pass.... :D
 
Noise is a massive thing for me. BMW 6 pots are generally quiet and refined. Which I hated. However, some brilliant guy at BMW decided to fit the 3.0i Z4 with a sound generator, basically a pipe running from the engine in through the firewall. There are a couple of pieces of foam in there which can be taken out dependant on how loud you want it :)

I will make a video with and without fairly soon.
 
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