Piston Slap: BANG! The Lost Art of Exhaust Tuning?

Sajeev Mehta
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?Sajeev answers:Somewhere out there an exhaust design engineer for a major OEM just popped a head gasket. One reason is because that VQ in the original G35 was good for, what, 260 horsepower?That’s eight ponies less than a current Camry V6! Here’s the thing: internal combustion engines are just air pumps. And we all love how today’s air pumps make so much horsepower, right?Suck. Squeeze. Bang. Blow.This isn’t a double entendre (for now) because it explains how a four-cycle engine motivates your ride. And that bang part? It’s gonna rumble in vehicles outside of the premium/luxury category making Camry-V6-a-like horsepower per liter numbers, hence why I previously mentioned today’s factory mufflers as the best aftermarket alternative for older vehicles looking for a mild audio and/or performance boost for dirt cheap … or free!That said, I like the rumble of damn near every new hi-po engine I meet: even today’s 74-hp Mitsubishi Mirage sounds waaaaay cooler than yesteryear’s 55-hp Geo Metro.
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.
Sajeev Mehta
Sajeev Mehta

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  • Rpn453 Rpn453 on May 26, 2016

    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.

  • Moparmann Moparmann on May 27, 2016

    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!

  • Corey Lewis Think how dated this 80s design was by 1995!
  • Tassos Jong-iL Communist America Rises!
  • Merc190 A CB7 Accord with the 5 cylinder
  • MRF 95 T-Bird Daihatsu Copen- A fun Kei sized roadster. Equipped with a 660cc three, a five speed manual and a retractable roof it’s all you need. Subaru Levorg wagon-because not everyone needs a lifted Outback.
  • Merc190 I test drive one of these back in the day with an automatic, just to drive an Alfa, with a Busso no less. Didn't care for the dash design, would be a fun adventure to find some scrapped Lancia Themas or Saab 900's and do some swapping to make car even sweeter. But definitely lose the ground effects.
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