Vent: Exhausts

ilikewatch

As a boring middle aged civil servant who drives a diesel Volvo I sometimes have a moan about bloody kids with modified cars, forgetting that 20 years ago I was driving everywhere in a clapped out mk2 escort with a 2.1 litre engine and an unsilenced exhaust with a 3" tailpipe...

aileth

Let's be honest, there's a sea of difference in the world of loud exhausts.

If there's a mustang outside my house revving, I'll get weak at the knees.

If there's a Barry in his rotbox Clio with something he picked up at Halfords and had to stick on with gaffer tape that he's revving trying to show off to the local wildlife, it's laughable!

ice_babe

I think it depends on the car. Husband has one on his Celica. Its a custom built one and not over the top. It has a nice deep sound/rumble to it rather than that high pitch annoying sound you often hear, :rotfl:.
Also have one on my megane sport cabriolet, but tbh you can't really notice its on there as its not loud at all!

I was driving OHs celica the other week and had these 2 lady shout abuse at me to slow down, I was doing around 20mph, way under the speed limit of 30 as there where speed bumps coming up . I think they heard me coming and though I was speeding due to the loud exhaust!

Retrogamer

ice_babe wrote: »

I was driving OHs celica the other week and had these 2 lady shout abuse at me to slow down, I was doing around 20mph, way under the speed limit of 30 as there where speed bumps coming up . I think they heard me coming and though I was speeding due to the loud exhaust!

That's a problem i often get as well.
Society seems to think "loud exhaust, must be driving fast / drives fast" even when it's untrue.

greektony

Retrogamer wrote: »

Why are loud exhausts ok on that note then on larger cars, but not smaller ones?
Surely if there are noise limits they should be across the board?

Just because someone has a smaller car, with a performance exhaust doesn't automatically mean they drive dangerous / or inconsiderately...it's just more obvious when they do.

Because on a sports car they actually sound good. I would know.... I have one

Norma_Desmond

greektony wrote: »

Because on a sports car they actually sound good. I would know.... I have one

How can an obnoxious mechanical roar sound good at any time?

Ironically, because we live in such a quiet place we do wince at the stupid-antisocial-chavvy-boy-racer-!!!!! who speed through the nearby village and lanes - they can be heard for miles.

I would love to be brave enough to put a stinger down; or shove a large baking potato up an exhaust pipe.

Does no-one appreciate the sound of silence anymore?

greektony

because they don't sound anything like a chav'd up clio, saxo etc

Norma_Desmond

greektony wrote: »

because they don't sound anything like a chav'd up clio, saxo etc

That's like saying a grenade going off sounds better than an exploding landmine..........a horrible noise is a horrible noise..

Retrogamer

Norma_Desmond wrote: »

That's like saying a grenade going off sounds better than an exploding landmine..........a horrible noise is a horrible noise..

And how noises are defined by horribleness depends on the individual.

Norma_Desmond

Retrogamer wrote: »

And how noises are defined by horribleness depends on the individual.

Perhaps an example of a 'good' noise would be helpful, seeing as the OED defines noise as 'clamour or din'?