Automobiles
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Updated 2016-05-26
A low-restriction replacement air filter will not only increase horsepower slightly but will also let more of the intake manifold sounds be heard. Unobtrusive at cruising throttle settings, pleasing performance sounds will be heard using the second half of your throttle and rpm range.
(Try http://www.knfilters.com/.)
(Try http://www.knfilters.com/.)
Link to an article in the New York Times on how auto manufacturers design sounds for new car models.
Automobile manufacturers spends great resources in time and money to tune the sounds from every part of a car from the engine to the sound of a door closing. They do not simply make everything as quiet as possible as some people assume (click the sidebar red car for a linked article). Rather they shape the character of a car by "benchmarking" their competition in order to market position a particular model.
For very little money you can customize to your liking the character of the sounds your auto makes.
For very little money you can customize to your liking the character of the sounds your auto makes.
Threaded Bushings made of metal can be used to control the orifice size of a "back-pressure release port" in the bottom of your muffler (as close to the rear of the car as possible). By using a combination of bushings and pipe plugs you can control your ideal of extra exhaust sound.
My wife couldn't tolerate the more aggressive sounds so I finally dialed back to two openings of approximately 1/2 inch (approximately 12 mm) and one opening of approximately 1/4 inch (approximately 6 mm) for a single muffler for a 2 liter engine. This gives a pleasing burble at idle with very moderate exhaust sounds at partial throttle. At the top half off the throttle it gives a pleasing exhaust sound that complements rather than drowns out the intake manifold sounds from the low-restriction intake air filter.
I also found that on my reverse-flow OEM muffler (pretty standard design) placing the vent near the muffler inlet resulted in a deeper tone (exhaust peaks somewhat attenuated as the gas goes through other chambers first?). Vents near the muffler outlet seemed to be sharper (faster attach and decay) and higher pitched.
But of course experiment and please yourself.
My wife couldn't tolerate the more aggressive sounds so I finally dialed back to two openings of approximately 1/2 inch (approximately 12 mm) and one opening of approximately 1/4 inch (approximately 6 mm) for a single muffler for a 2 liter engine. This gives a pleasing burble at idle with very moderate exhaust sounds at partial throttle. At the top half off the throttle it gives a pleasing exhaust sound that complements rather than drowns out the intake manifold sounds from the low-restriction intake air filter.
I also found that on my reverse-flow OEM muffler (pretty standard design) placing the vent near the muffler inlet resulted in a deeper tone (exhaust peaks somewhat attenuated as the gas goes through other chambers first?). Vents near the muffler outlet seemed to be sharper (faster attach and decay) and higher pitched.
But of course experiment and please yourself.
Also:
Modern steering wheel airbags make replacing the steering wheel totally impractical for today's owners.
Silicone Rubber Self-Fusing Tape is an ideal way to customize a steering wheel to give it a "grippy" feel and a little pop of color. Inexpensive and easy-top-use, this tape should be overlapped half a tape width with each turn while stretching up to 300%. Its self-fusing properties are amazing. I suggest the 1 inch or 25 mm width is easiest to use. But thinner tapes, perhaps with alternate or braided colors, open up unlimited possibilities.
Modern steering wheel airbags make replacing the steering wheel totally impractical for today's owners.
Silicone Rubber Self-Fusing Tape is an ideal way to customize a steering wheel to give it a "grippy" feel and a little pop of color. Inexpensive and easy-top-use, this tape should be overlapped half a tape width with each turn while stretching up to 300%. Its self-fusing properties are amazing. I suggest the 1 inch or 25 mm width is easiest to use. But thinner tapes, perhaps with alternate or braided colors, open up unlimited possibilities.
