The current obsession with popping exhausts

Soldato
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A few pops and bangs that catch you by surprise are great fun, but yes, I do agree these maps people have put on to increase the pops and bangs are a bit overkill, especially as these are peoples daily drivers so are driven around built up areas regularly and started up early doors everyday. If it was just on someones 'fun car' that goes out on nice days then I'd say go crazy. but not at 6am weekdays please :p
 
Soldato
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Doesn't forcing cars to do this damage the cat?
My understanding is the noise is caused by unburnt fuel getting ejected through the exhaust port and then igniting in the hot exhaust itself, hence why is happens on high revving gear changes or overrun.
If manufacturers are mapping the engine to do this on purpose, aren't they shortening the life of the cat? Or is the potential for damage just minimal?
 
Soldato
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What is the point in that? I saw a Youtube video of some guy getting his Evo mapped and his words to the mapper were "I want it to pop and bang, like, all the time"

All too common i'm afraid. Mine pops once or twice often on sudden lift/overrun but so many people get "pops and bangs" mapped in. I think someone has attempted it on mine at least in part in the past as the ignition table has a lump of retarded timing at low loads:

upload_2019-4-17_13-15-2.png

From looking at it briefly, despite having a lot of the hardware requirements (secondary air system etc.) it would need other settings changed in the ECU and arguably more ign retard. Would also need to pipe the BOV back to recirc from VTA as well apparently. Needless to say, it's not on the agenda.

For me - each to their own I guess but I think it's a bit cringe. Go full anti-lag (and have a yearly turbocharger budget to suit) or go home.
 
Soldato
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My old scoob did it, full decated and when it was really hot it would on overrun, normally one, possibly 2 pops. This is nearly 20 years ago mind!

A few random pops when the exhaust is hot is perfectly normal and can sound really good, my Nur Spec does it and I love it. Very occasionally it'll let off a pop that sounds like a shotgun, great fun.

The issue is when an exhaust pops and bangs 17 times per gear change or even under normal non-spirited driving. They're mapped in and will pop and bang in the exact same way each time. Sounds fake, boring and repetitive.
 
Caporegime
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The thing is with this is it suffers from the same problems as fake M / RS / AMG badges. Those who know, know it's fake and therefore you look a prat, and those who don't know, don't care, until someone points it out, then you look a prat too.


So in short, you look a prat, unless you're trying to impress the CorsaKids™ at McDonalds on their mopeds.
 
Man of Honour
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I've always found it weird that exhaust noise isn't restricted in the UK like it is in the rest of the EU. I always notice the obnoxious exhausts when I visit the UK.
 
Caporegime
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My C30 T5 don’t pop at all...all I hear is the turbo. Unlike the mk2 ST, it sounds much quieter.

EDIT - I actually thought about this last year when the new Mini came out with the launch control switch thing and how the new Abarth 595 sounds beefier than my car with 1 less cylinder and smaller engine.
 
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Soldato
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Tampa, Florida
My bike shoots a 2 foot blue flame out the back with a loud bang when I let off and then get back on it... my dad's bike has the air intake system still enabled and it flows air into the exhausts and pops like an idiot, non stop popping on overrun... it's silly.
 
Soldato
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The focus st I owned popped. You could make it do it on demand by dipping the clutch and revving or have a tuning map to do it on overun.

It was cool at first but the novelty wore off.
 
Soldato
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Near Northants / MK
It just sounds stupid.
The only times an engine of mine ever popped was when I put custom pipes on the bike and didn't tweak the carbs to compensate, followed by another bike that got a hole in the exhaust. It's the sound of a broken, badly maintained and badly driven vehicle, to my mind.

I could appreciate the VRRROOOOMMMM-TSSHHHHHHH of a dump valve or something, but the popping is just retarded.
Now that Crazy Frog is basically as old-fashioned as black and white movies, I assume it's what the cool kids like these days instead of having their phones just go "RRRRIIIIIIINGGGGG-DI-DI-DI-DI-DI-DIIIINNNNNNGGGGGG-DING-DING".....?


It kind-of is... MoT testers can cite your vehicle if the exhaust is too loud and put it down as a major defect. I believe the UK legal limit on pipes is 82dB, or something?
My car is louder than that stock? Like per the V5?
 
Soldato
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West sussex
I've always found it weird that exhaust noise isn't restricted in the UK like it is in the rest of the EU. I always notice the obnoxious exhausts when I visit the UK.

it is, 82db is the "legal" limit but also "any louder than standard" is also illegal but even factory cars are often louder than that, you gotta be taking the micky to get pulled for it.

I know a civic recently got pulled over and done for by coppers but his measured at 129DB which is crazy loud.

my s2000 is probably around 100-102db on full chat and that is more than loud enough. 129db(and keep in mind db scale is not linear) is as loud as military jet taking off.
 
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