People who tinker with the noise their car makes... Why?

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And_Justice@reddit

It sounds nicer. Why do people enjoy loud guitar amps and why do people strive for particular amps and sound? Same logic.

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Worldly_Wafer_6635@reddit (OP)

Not the same thing.

'It sounds nicer' is subjective.

And Amps and Sound aren't being well around the street, outside people's windows at night or early in the morning.

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IDKBear25@reddit

Because it sounds good and sound is tied to emotion and emotion is being taken out of cars because electric cars are being shoved down our throats.

A fartcan Corsa accelerating will ALWAYS be more memorable than a Tesla accelerating.

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split-tennisball@reddit

It's funny that this answer, one that actually answers the question, gets downvoted but all the ones joking about penises don't.

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And_Justice@reddit

Because these questions are generally asked in bad faith - they're not asked for an answer, they're asked so people can argue against said people

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split-tennisball@reddit

It's just another basement dwellers circlejerk

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Worldly_Wafer_6635@reddit (OP)

LOL can't tell if you are being for real or satire here.

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Scared-Room-9962@reddit

Why even ask for an answer when one of the only genuine ones, you denigrate it like this?

It's a stupid question anyway.

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Worldly_Wafer_6635@reddit (OP)

Because I genuinely don't know.

When you make a positive statement, but also use 'fart can' its hard to tell.

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tuppenycrane@reddit

What makes you think it's satire? Would a car that makes a loud explosion-like sound on accelerating sound more or less exciting than one that is completely silent?

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BuckfastAndHairballs@reddit

Saying that it sounds good. Like it doesn't, it's a horrible sound?

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tuppenycrane@reddit

Are you making a statement? That's your opinion I guess. But a lot of people think it sounds cool and exciting. That's why they get their cars to make the sound.

To answer OP, it's not satire.

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BuckfastAndHairballs@reddit

I guess it is an opinion and i guess some people like awful sounds

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People that fit a full exhaust system get the performance benefits. You can buy just the rear part that has little performance benefit but makes it louder. People who like performance cars but dont have the funds tend to do this as a starting point as it gives the feeling they are moving in the direction of gaining performance.

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richyfreeway@reddit

Memorable in a terrible way though.

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L-0-T-H-0-S@reddit

It isn't the fact that they do it - its the fact the arses that do don'y know enough to use witchable systems. You can rig a cars exhaust in such a way you get that high octane pop and rumble without permanently changing the way petrol enters and exits your engine.

Genuine petrol heads use things like valvetronic exhausts or dual-mode cutouts - that way you can save the noise for when your out on the open road, but shit heads want the fantasy their car is just built this way because it's so powerful.

It's a thing, even within a community of serious petrol heads, people who dick their exhausts like this aren't highly regarded unless driving a genuine muscle car.

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And_Justice@reddit

"Genuine petrolheads"

Feels a bit disingenuous to imply lower budget fanatics are not "genuine petrolheads"

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Mechyhead99@reddit

What are your interests? There might be something others don’t understand about it.

For petrol heads we often have performance versions of normal cars, as we can’t afford supercars these might look normal to people not interested in cars but often they naturally have a freer flowing exhaust for performance paired with a potentially exciting engine or nice sounding engine note, we enjoy hearing this sound it adds to the experience of owning a performance car. Sometimes the note isn’t audible enough so we remove certain parts in the exhaust system to make it more audible, other times we remove certain parts of the exhaust because there is a performance gain from it.

We very rarely do this to get the reactions of average joes walking down the street, or to see what birds think. It’s almost always for our own enjoyment/gain.

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spike_2112@reddit

Bloody hell we have one of these a week at least. My car isn’t loud, I’m into the car scene but my car isn’t fast enough to be loud imo. People do it because they want to. If you don’t like it well it’s not for you. If it’s what makes them happy leave them to it they ain’t hurting you.

Except if it’s a stock Corsa/ fiesta with a Hornet exhaust. Execution for all of them.

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R1ceKai@reddit

That's fair enough. It's the ones that do it and wake up the whole neighbourhood.

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spike_2112@reddit

Aye that’s what I’m talking about. I’ve got a quite loud motorbike. But when I’m riding late (not very often) I’ll always be in the highest gear possible to not be a cunt and wake everyone up.

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Worldly_Wafer_6635@reddit (OP)

On most things, I would agree with what you are saying, except for when, like this, it is a public nuisance.

So the whole 'it doesn't effect you' attitude doesn't work, because it literally does.

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spike_2112@reddit

It really doesn’t. Public nuisance? What you hear a loud car for all of 5 minutes. Poor you. What happens when a baby goes past screaming. Do you go on Reddit and complain then? The parents decided to have a child and bring them so why should I have to suffer?

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BusAdditional6518@reddit

Thought it was cool when I was 18. Most people grow out of it. Some don’t.

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Icy-Cartoonist8603@reddit

The ones who don't grow out of it are the ones who developed skitzophrenia.

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hazbaz1984@reddit

I think narcissistic personality disorder is more probable.

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Icy-Cartoonist8603@reddit

Narcissistic and behaving anti socially is Schizophrenia!

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hazbaz1984@reddit

Nope.

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Icy-Cartoonist8603@reddit

Yep. It's no use trying to defend schizophrenics when they got that way through drug use.

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hazbaz1984@reddit

Nope.

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Leg-Pretend@reddit

FFS 🤦🏻‍♀️

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Worldly_Wafer_6635@reddit (OP)

Can you talk me through your mindset back then?

Like, why was it cool?

What did you think people thought about you as you drove past?

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WhalingSmithers00@reddit

The reason that louder sound means better is because louder exhausts tend to be less restrictive. For a car to make power they have to take in more air but unless the exhaust fumes can get out then cold airflow is restricted.

So having a bigger less restrictive exhaust can make a car faster. Those restrictions though are usually in place to reduce noise. You can also take out the catyltic converter but that's naughty.

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Worldly_Wafer_6635@reddit (OP)

Oh, okay, this is interesting information, I didn't realise it actually had a benefit.

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deathmetalbestmetal@reddit

Is worth noting however that the benefit is generally marginal or often essentially nonexistent.

Pops and bangs are also slightly different, though again for a performance reason. The noise is the result of unburned fuel being pushed into the hot exhaust and igniting when lifting off the throttle. The idea is that this reduces lag when the throttle is applied because the turbo is kept spinning under pressure even without the throttle bing applied.

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r1Rqc1vPeF@reddit

I’m pretty sure 90% of the cars the ‘pop bang scrotes’ drive don’t have turbos.

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deathmetalbestmetal@reddit

Well I suspect that they do given the ubiquity of turbos these days, but yes they're certainly not for a performance benefit!

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phatboi23@reddit

Oh, okay, this is interesting information, I didn't realise it actually had a benefit.

you ever heard a race car?

they're loud as fuck.

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Worldly_Wafer_6635@reddit (OP)

No, I don't care about cars haha.

Which is why i'm asking.

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CommonSpecialist4269@reddit

It’s also why you won’t ever understand why people who do like cars do it. Some just like the noise, others do it for performance reasons.

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binaryhextechdude@reddit

I understand cars and I still don't get it. All that money, all that noise so your car can go faster..... down the road that is jammed up, full of pot holes and has a 40 speed limit.

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And_Justice@reddit

But not all roads are like this

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binaryhextechdude@reddit

Who cares? Even on a motorway you reach the speed limit it 20-30 seconds then what? Thousands of quid for what? Ever ask yourself how many hours you spent at work to pay for it?

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split-tennisball@reddit

There's plenty of roads that aren't a 40

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binaryhextechdude@reddit

No shit. So you drive like a twit for 15 seconds. Reach the limit then what? Well worth all those thousands you spent on it. Not

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split-tennisball@reddit

It's not all about top speed. It's ok for people to like different things to you.

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Ok-Bag3000@reddit

I tend to use the ‘exercise’ analogy……..imagine running a marathon but only being able to breathe through a straw, now imagine how much your performance would improve by not having your breathing so restricted…………

For the record I’m absolutely not a petrolhead by any means…..I drive a Skoda Kodiaq

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Worldly_Wafer_6635@reddit (OP)

I get it but I still don't see the point on UK streets.

In the immortal words of Meatloaf 'All revved up with no place to go'

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stargasm420@reddit

Track days

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JobAnxious2005@reddit

Because BWAAAAAAAAAAARP

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hazbaz1984@reddit

A lot of people of these chaps have their engine management system modified to put more fuel in than the engine actually needs.

This excess fuel ignites in the exhaust creating the pops and bangs which would usually be confined to the inside of the engine.

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Worldly_Wafer_6635@reddit (OP)

A lot of people have said it's about performance, but what you just said sounds like inefficiency to me?

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hazbaz1984@reddit

I think most of the people you are hearing are not driving performance cars with modified high flow exhaust systems.

It’s called a ‘pop n bang’ tune. Loud crackling and popping sounds from a vehicle's exhaust caused by unburned fuel igniting in the hot exhaust system rather than the engine cylinder.

This is typically achieved through an aftermarket ECU tune that delays ignition timing and adds extra fuel when you lift off the throttle.

So yeah, just wasting fuel to sound ‘cool’. And at £1.70 a litre, I can’t even begin to understand the stupidity.

But I’m not them. So.

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CptCave1@reddit

For some it is Artificial pop bangs on a eco boost ford. I get the excitement from the noise of pretending to have a decent car.

For actual modified cars for some it's essential for the car to be able to "breathe more" increasing the power when you are running around on the track. I suspect a large majority won't be in this category though.

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Worldly_Wafer_6635@reddit (OP)

Beyond the science, though, I don't understand what kick people get from that noise driving 30 around their local Vue cinema?

Do they think we think, or look at the cool racer?

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And_Justice@reddit

The thing I'll never understand about people who don't like car exhaust: why do you always think it's for the benefit of others? They are not thinking about whether you like it or not, they're the ones that will hear it the most because they're the ones literally strapped to it

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Boinkyclog@reddit

Are there things that you enjoy that others might not? Things that you do that other people don't understand? Not everything is to show off, people have hobbies and likes 🤷‍♀️

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split-tennisball@reddit

Maybe they're doing because they like it and not to impress you.

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Think_Money_6919@reddit

Is someone who tinkers with their exhaust worse than someone whose car is already louder from the factory? Whats about motorbikes which are much louder than almost all cars?

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StunningAd3892@reddit

Yes because one's a choice and the other isn't

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Think_Money_6919@reddit

Both are choices. No one is forced to buy a motorbike or an already loud performance car.

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Rubostars@reddit

It gives me a lot of "look at meeeee" and small D vibes.

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Scared-Room-9962@reddit

Why are you thinking about other guys dicks?

Do you have an issue with people that have small dicks? The bigger the better?

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taskkill-IM@reddit

The louder your car, the bigger your cock..... obviously.

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Scared-Room-9962@reddit

Why are people obsessed with other guys dicks

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wintonian1@reddit

And I thought it was small pienis syndrome.

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Worldly_Wafer_6635@reddit (OP)

Well yes, obviously, but besides that.

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Flavourifshrrp@reddit

My car’s electric so quiet so that must mean…..

Don’t ask my wife.

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Kinreal@reddit

A bigger exhaust, naturally means more noise.

Although for performance cars there are benefits; bigger means freer-flowing, mostly it increases exhaust effeciency, which boost horespower from anywhere between 5-15bhp on street vehicles. A 3-5% increase.
Typically aftermarket systems are made from high-grade stainless steel too, and usually cheaper than standard systems, meaning if your old exhaust is guffed, it costs less and will last longer. A lot of the time they are also lighter.

If we talk about my car speicfically, it increases turbo effeciency, which sees a 10-15bhp increase. The engine/exhaust on my car naturally burbles and crackles, a bigger bore exhaust makes the note deeper and sportier, which is a great sound (imo) when driving with some oomf down the country roads.
My car still retains the factory valve, so when I don't want to be asbo, like when I set off for work in the morning, the car is no louder than standard mostly.

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Worldly_Wafer_6635@reddit (OP)

This I can understand and respect.

I just can't get my head around why people think it's cool to do the weekly shop at ASDA when the exhaust sounds like a thousand cats getting run over at the same time.

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Glass_Minute4753@reddit

I always think this about motorbikes. Why are some so loud?

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CommonSpecialist4269@reddit

Because the exhaust length you can fit onto a bike is tiny. Pair that with some having engines with as much displacement as a Corsa and it’s obviously going to be very loud.

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Glass_Minute4753@reddit

So the motorbikes that sound like a jet engine have to be that loud? I always assumed it was some sort of modification to make them so insanely loud.

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hazbaz1984@reddit

Yeah. Very small length between air intake and exhaust tip. With a 1000cc engine Inbetween, generating up to 20k rpm.

Bound to make a bit of noise.

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hazbaz1984@reddit

Short exhaust systems and very loud V configuration engines.

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hazbaz1984@reddit

Short exhaust systems and very loud V configuration engines.

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nightfire_83@reddit

So fucking loud!!

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rockandrollmark@reddit

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Pretend-Commercial68@reddit

So their 13 yr old girlfriends know to go and meet them in the local McDonalds car park

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Former_Intern_8271@reddit

Fun

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Worldly_Wafer_6635@reddit (OP)

Okay, please elaborate?

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MountainMuffin1980@reddit

Because theyre cunts.

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Total_Rules@reddit

They need to make sure everyone knows they’re driving around now that they got their license and can’t play TikTok at full volume on public transport.

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Worldly_Wafer_6635@reddit (OP)

What about the middle-aged men who have it, though?

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Boring_Storm4633@reddit

We try to keep it quiet.

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Mental_Body_5496@reddit

This stuff existed way before the interest was born !

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CCPisCancer@reddit

The best part is those driving a shitbox doing 20 but their exhaust is loud like a freaking F1.

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Lost-in-Limbo@reddit

LOOK AT MEEEEEEEEEEE!

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vijjer@reddit

Do you acknowledge it's a nuisance but don't care?

It's misinformed peacocking really. Some people find it impressive, but the vast majority don't. Also I think pops and bangs had their peak a short while ago, so I think (hope) that they're on their way out.

---

A good induction noise on the other hand - I don't think I'd be old enough to think its not cool.

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