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How can you not like these sounds? Even if it's not on my car, I love hearing a V8 with free-flowing exhaust go by.
Ditto that!
This is one of my favorites, a street driven, twin turbo mustang with Right at about 1,000 HP. As others have mentioned, an engine is nothing but a big air pump, pumping air and fuel through it. The more power it makes, the greater air flow it will have. Conventional mufflers create too much back pressure so more free flowing exhausts are required to realize full power.
Big tractor trailers making obnoxious noises are probably using something called a Jake Brake.
The 6 cylinder on the Camaro (also Challenger and Mustang) is over 300 hp, still more than the typical V8 of the early 70s. The latest (2018) Mustang with a 2.3 turbo 4 banger will put out over 300 HP.
The louder exhaust is not just for the purpose of that sound that many of us love. On a performance car, larger, dual exhaust with less resistance to the flow increases horsepower. Simply changing the mufflers to get better flow can add 10 HP, and is needed to maintain balance when adding more air intake at the engine, or bigger carburetor on a classic. When I leave for work at 5am, I am on a hill and will just idle around the neighborhood to avoid disturbing the neighbors, though my Challenger is not nearly as loud as the 1972 El Camino SS I used to drive.
I was going to come in a say basically this. Working on cars is a hobby of mine. Air flow is a major factor in performance. But what is that performance for? If you're taking your car to the track to race, well, it's understandable to port your engines and run straight pipes from the headers. But if it's a daily driver, there's no need to make it so loud that it disturbs those around you. So yes, in many cases it is simply immature thinking. Because mature people consider how their action affect others.
Sounds like a mate attracting strategy. It's certainly not the most refined or sophisticated strategy but its a strategy nonetheless. The driver is drawing attention to himself and attempting to advertise some level of prowess, strength, and bold audacity in having the loudest vehicle. He's advertising resources for being able to afford the modified exhaust pipes as well. He shows he's not scared to make his presence known or push the boundaries and the rules a little bit while making his way in the world. Once the driver has passed on his genes in a few years, he would likely have no need for these loud pipes. In fact, it would work against him as a family man as the mufflers could make him seem frightening and threatening to have around one's young or like he's untrustworthy still in mate attracting mode. So right now, he's being an alpha male to attract but in time it would behoove him to tone his vehicle down to something more beta!
Sounds like a mate attracting strategy. It's certainly not the most refined or sophisticated strategy but its a strategy nonetheless. The driver is drawing attention to himself and attempting to advertise some level of prowess, strength, and bold audacity in having the loudest vehicle. He's advertising resources for being able to afford the modified exhaust pipes as well. He shows he's not scared to make his presence known or push the boundaries and the rules a little bit while making his way in the world. Once the driver has passed on his genes in a few years, he would likely have no need for these loud pipes. In fact, it would work against him as a family man as the mufflers could make him seem frightening and threatening to have around one's young or like he's untrustworthy still in mate attracting mode. So right now, he's being an alpha male to attract but in time he'll need to tone his vehicle down to something more beta!
This is good. I really like your analysis, and I agree with it. My neighbor has a classic car collection. He's a very wealthy man who is retired from a successful business that he turned over to his children. He has series of $100k classic corvettes and old trucks, all fully restored. But none of them are particularly loud. They most certainly do attract a lot of attention and admiration though. He has a 1955 corvette convertible that I really want. But I don't have the $150,000 i'd need to buy it from him.
This is good. I really like your analysis, and I agree with it. My neighbor has a classic car collection. He's a very wealthy man who is retired from a successful business that he turned over to his children. He has series of $100k classic corvettes and old trucks, all fully restored. But none of them are particularly loud. They most certainly do attract a lot of attention and admiration though. He has a 1955 corvette convertible that I really want. But I don't have the $150,000 i'd need to buy it from him.
At his age, he's not really actively in mate attracting mode so you'd never expect him to be galavanting all over town making a spectacle of himself with loud vehicles. He's successfully passed on his genes and then passed some of his wealth onto his offspring so his cars are likely more just for pure enjoyment.
I'm up all night, work the night shift, and at around 3am, some new Camaro, with loud exhaust pipes added, comes through the neighborhood, and if I go outside, you can follow his path just by ear, some 6 blocks away.
Yourself, would you do that? Add some loud exhaust pipes to your car or truck, and for what reason?
.. because it sounds awesome! I don't even turn the radio on in my truck. I enjoy the V8 straight pipe 6.2l deep growling as much as you would enjoy a concert of your favorite band.
Now if there is a motorcycle (usually harley or wanna be harley) overly loud with exploding noises so it hurts your ears and you cannot understand your own word anymore ... different story.
.. because it sounds awesome! I don't even turn the radio on in my truck. I enjoy the V8 straight pipe 6.2l deep growling as much as you would enjoy a concert of your favorite band.
I'm up all night, work the night shift, and at around 3am, some new Camaro, with loud exhaust pipes added, comes through the neighborhood, and if I go outside, you can follow his path just by ear, some 6 blocks away.
Yourself, would you do that? Add some loud exhaust pipes to your car or truck, and for what reason? What would you expect to gain?
I've been scratching my head trying to figure exactly why car/truck owners do this, and all I can come up with is perhaps these people feel powerless in their lives (as so many of us) and it gives them the delusion of power. Or, they feel frustrated, angry, and it's a way of venting their frustrations? Don't really know.
How about you? What do you think is behind it?
Since I'm looking for deeper meaning, some psychological analysis, I avoided putting this on the Automotive Forum.
Some of us like the sound of a Chevy small block, amplified. Simple as that.
I hardly ever use the radio since I modded the exhaust on my Yukon. It sounds amazing.
I'm not a redneck, either. Upper middle class, college educated, etc.
Some of us like the sound of a Chevy small block, amplified. Simple as that.
I hardly ever use the radio since I modded the exhaust on my Yukon. It sounds amazing.
I'm not a redneck, either. Upper middle class, college educated, etc.
Not when it becomes "annoying"...as in when your neighbor with the loud exhaust comes home or leaves everyday but insists on sitting in his car for up to 5 minutes reving the engine early in the morning or late at night...smh
Not when it becomes "annoying"...as in when your neighbor with the loud exhaust comes home or leaves everyday but insists on sitting in his car for up to 5 minutes reving the engine early in the morning or late at night...smh
Well, yeah, that's very tasteless and inconsiderate. I drive my other car if I have to leave in the middle of the night, and I'd never rev my engine at an inappropriate time. That's just common courtesy.
That said, I do love the way my truck sounds. Now that we have 2 liter 4 cylinder luxury cars for 70 grand where displacement and cylinder count are being downsized, I like holding onto a healthy V8. The sound is the icing on the cake.
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