Piston Slap: BANG! The Lost Art of Exhaust Tuning?
by
Sajeev Mehta
Dan writes:I was hoping you might do an article on the lost art of exhaust tuning.I feel like the norm these days in anything sporty is to just make it as loud as possible with an obnoxious rumble and perpetual popping/crackling. I really miss the exhaust sounds of 10-15 years ago that were quite distinct and matched the car; the one that comes to mind (and still sounds great) is that of the original Infiniti G35 coupe/Nissan 350Z. It was refined yet had a nice wail to it when you added enough throttle. Nowadays, I hear a Jaguar F-Type driving past and it sounds like an old beater Mustang with a straight-pipe exhaust, not a $100,000 car.Have manufacturers gotten lazy, or has this notion of obnoxious exhausts just become the new norm?
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And while the Mirage is no Mustang, no Jaguar, etc., it proves automakers are allowing mechanical sounds without resorting to the stereotypical 2-chamber muffler sound of many aftermarket alternatives. That said, sound quality and decibel level are a direct reflection of how that snail-looking thing in your skull is tuned, or your mood or level of concentration if this report has any merit.So perhaps it’s best to agree to disagree.[Image: Shutterstock user cla78]Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.
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It is kind of funny that it's typically the weakest engines and slowest vehicles that make the most noise: lawnmowers, snowblowers, old compact imports, low-revving motorcycles, beater trucks. The fast and powerful vehicles are usually almost silent.
One trend I've noticed over the past few years is to add dual exhausts with the mufflers of choice being "Flowmasters". I realize that there may be various models, but for some reason, you don't even have to see the car, but you can tell that it is a GM V-8! They ALL sound the same. I even heard/saw a Dodge Ram pickup truck that had been converted to the same flowmaster sound, which IMO the Ram's always had a great sounding factory exhaust. Several years back, I had my Silverado converted to true duals (two cats/two mufflers), in the next stall over, some young Hispanics were having the mufflers removed from their pickup!