Exhaust clips make me wonder...hmmmmm

[conanrules1]

After buying a Lime Rock M3, I spent weeks listening to every exhaust clip I could find on YouTube. The vast majority of those clips are filmed from outside the car with only a handful of POV style videos -- especially POV of just cruising around town and/or highway speeds. Does the act of filming the exhaust from the outside of the car signify that the owner is more concerned with what the car sounds like to bystanders and less about how it sounds inside the cabin?

I'll be honest -- I couldn't care less what the car sounds like to anyone but me...and I will ALWAYS be in the driver's seat! Frankly, the driver's seat is the ONLY location that actually matters when it comes to exhaust clips. I will never be listening to my car from any other vantage point. The way I see it, every sound clip should include highway cruising speeds, downshifts, upshifts, hard acceleration, and stop/start traffic. The only variable should be windows up or windows down. And for god's sake -- turn the effing radio off!!

Thoughts?

[BOOF-M3]

Are you planning on changing out your exhaust? I agree on the sound from inside the car and windows up is best or there is too much wind. My favorite is the passenger with the phone out the window as all you can hear is hurricane like winds. I like the sound of this...

[thkfast]

Excellent point - I never thought about it like that. For me, it is also about the sound everyone else hears as I drive by. Hell, I'm the kind of guy who'll hang around and wait for a great sounding car to leave a parking lot so I can hear it roar away. But I agree exhaust mods should include sound clips from the drivers POV - which was fairly subtle in my case.

[spazzyfry123]

Depends on windows, too. My car just has a slight rumble with the windows up, a decent noise with the front windows down, and absolutely screams with all four windows down.

[Nickthedude]

I agree that it is more important as to what it sounds like inside the car with windows closed than what it sounds like outside the car. For me the reason is I can't stand droning or even blaring loud exhaust while cruising around since I do use mine as a daily driver.

Two caveats in which I wouldn't mind a loud exhaust, if I could press a button that made it quiet (seems all the newest sports cars do this now) or if I had a dedicated daily driver that was also fun like an M2 with stock exhaust and I could just save my roaring V8 for the weekends.

I will say however I often run out to my car on cold days and start it up then run back inside and hearing a nice cold start would be "cool" sometimes, but I already get the occasional neighbor asking whats wrong with my car (The warm up cycle can be pretty noisy compared to their honda corollas I suppose) while its totally stock so adding volume might stir complaints.

[monterey]

Well you should be some what considerate of your surroundings. For it to sound nice in the cabin, would take a whole lot of decibels that might offend your community or building. Factors that might come into play is where you live, what time you start the car, etc. I would love a loud exhaust but there is a happy medium. I set off car alarms at work when I leave already and I have the most mild Corsa exhaust lol.

[spazzyfry123]

Originally Posted by monterey

Well you should be some what considerate of your surroundings. For it to sound nice in the cabin, would take a whole lot of decibels that might offend your community or building. Factors that might come into play is where you live, what time you start the car, etc. I would love a loud exhaust but there is a happy medium. I set off car alarms at work when I leave already and I have the most mild Corsa exhaust lol.

Because of this, I pretty much drive the E90 exclusively when I'm going in to work late (and the weather complies). The Borla Atak is pretty brutal on a cold start and will wake up the whole neighborhood. The manual says to start your journey immediately and to not let it sit for warm up...So I follow directions and get the hell out of the neighborhood before grandma comes chasing me in her slippers at 6:00am!

[NoHedge]

Anyone else think that the sound deadening in our cars is very good?

I was blown away when I heard my exhaust from the outside. Although this could be due to the OEM exhaust mod which is on the tame side.

[spazzyfry123]

Originally Posted by NoHedge

Anyone else think that the sound deadening in our cars is very good?

I was blown away when I heard my exhaust from the outside. Although this could be due to the OEM exhaust mod which is on the tame side.

I am definitely impressed. Like I said in my post above, with the windows up my car just sounds like it has a bit of a rumble. That is definitely not the case on the outside.

I wonder if the notoriously proud M exhaust tip position has anything to do with that..?

[NoHedge]

Originally Posted by spazzyfry123

I am definitely impressed. Like I said in my post above, with the windows up my car just sounds like it has a bit of a rumble. That is definitely not the case on the outside.

I wonder if the notoriously proud M exhaust tip position has anything to do with that..?

Interesting idea... I'm no sound engineer but I reckon that the exhaust note would be more pronounced to the driver for cars with exhaust tips located near the sides like the S models. Might not be much but maybe slightly.

[OwnAge]

Im on a tough boat as i plan to get the M next spring or so and i keep watching these exhaust vids on youtube and saving as favorites the ones i like. Problem is even the exhaust that i know sounds bad, is sounding awesome in some videos. Due to dif mic quality.

[cmo_93]

YouTube exhaust videos are a crap shoot for this car honestly.

Pick one. You'll love it.

[GRUESOM3]

Yeah the reviews are iffy. Everyone says the miesterchaft gt2 is loud but I don't find it to be that crazy loud

[BayE30]

Originally Posted by spazzyfry123

Because of this, I pretty much drive the E90 exclusively when I'm going in to work late (and the weather complies). The Borla Atak is pretty brutal on a cold start and will wake up the whole neighborhood. The manual says to start your journey immediately and to not let it sit for warm up...So I follow directions and get the hell out of the neighborhood before grandma comes chasing me in her slippers at 6:00am!

This is why I removed cold start as part of the tune for Xpipe, super quiet on startup now aside from the initial boom rite at startup.