r/AskReddit 22h ago

Guys with extremely loud vehicles, why do you do this to everyone?

[removed] — view removed post

3.2k Upvotes

3.5k

u/Alternative_Sugar155 22h ago

They stole my catalytic converter...

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u/tacobell41 21h ago

That scared the shit out of me when I turned my engine on the first time after that happened.

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u/RichardTheRobust 21h ago

First...time?

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u/LewsTherinTelamon 21h ago

It happens a lot in some areas.

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u/petoria621 19h ago edited 13h ago

My friend had it happen twice to her Prius in less than 6 months here in Denver. People are trash. The auto shop I worked at was attached to an enterprise rental car, and their entire fleet got the converters stolen in one night. It was a war zone right after the pandemic

Edit: spelling cus I'm high

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u/Mr_Belch 18h ago

We have a school bus company not far from us. One night someone went to their lot and took the converters from every bus that was parked in the lot over night.

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u/TimidPocketLlama 18h ago

I drive a Prius. Look up the CatShield. They make them for other vehicles too. It might just deter them enough to make them move to the next unshielded vehicle down the road.

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u/DeadSwaggerStorage 16h ago

Prius guy here; helps when the thieves are doing a quick steal, if they have an extra 2 minutes….you’re….well the cats outta the bag.

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u/LikeaDuck0610 18h ago

Reminds me of the time I went to a garage sale in the country and they had an entire card table of used catalytic converters… legitimately acquired I’m sure

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u/Maktesh 19h ago edited 19h ago

Yep. And people who get caught usually fall under "catch-and-release" laws.

In my area, the cops will typivslly arrest them, give them a court date in 2026, and let them go straight back to it.

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u/ThatsTheMother_Rick 21h ago

In Denver at least, if you have a mid-00s Ford pickup, your cat converter will almost necessarily be stolen at some point

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u/ThermalScrewed 19h ago

Apparently those are the most valuable/easiest. I had no idea they were bringing $500 a piece at one time, or I might have cut my own off first.

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u/Peakomegaflare 20h ago

Hell if they want to steal my cats, go ahead. At least then I can replace them under insurance where I am.

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u/SupportGeek 20h ago

I mean, I can too, but that’s just a huge pain in the ass to deal with that I don’t need

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u/Knofbath 19h ago

It makes your insurance more expensive, it makes everyone else's insurance more expensive. And this comes at a time when insurance is just getting more expensive because nobody drives cheap cars.

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u/AxelHarver 19h ago

Cheap cars disappeared in the pandemic lol.

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u/big_shmegma 19h ago

dont forget cash for clunkers. fuck everyone behind that.

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u/malik753 19h ago

No one had better ever try to steal my cats. Those precious beans are mine and I'll fuck up anyone who tries!

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u/BeardsuptheWazoo 19h ago

First time starting the engine after it happened.

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u/deadpoetic333 19h ago

He got scared the first time he turned his engine on after "that" (his catalytic converter getting stolen) happened. No where in his comment is he suggesting it happened more than once.

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u/Ok-Dish4389 18h ago

It freaked me out, I thought my car was breaking down, I called my buddy freaking the fuck out in the middle of traffic, he was like dude come over. As soon as I got there he told me what it was. People suck.

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u/RareFirefighter6915 21h ago

Someone tried stealing my neighbors by cutting off the muffler

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u/i_forgot_my_sn_again 21h ago

Caught someone trying to steal my neighbors at 3 something in the morning. Heard the loud noise from the Sawzall and just pointed my flashlight (bright as fuck) at them. Got up and left, about an hour later heard neighbor crank truck up and went to tell him. He said it was almost all the way cut out, just a little piece remaining.

He worked at a welding shop so he was glad I saved him a few hundred dollars or more since he didn't need to buy a new one or take it to a shop to weld back in. 

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u/kyh0mpb 20h ago

Someone got murdered for something similar during a catalytic converter theft by where I live. Be careful out there!

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u/AxelHarver 19h ago

Yeah, I always try to remind myself that you never know who you come across that is thinkin "I ain't goin back to jail."

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u/zorinlynx 19h ago

Yeah. If you're in a really dark place and intend to use a flashlight to startle and blind an intruder like this, hold it off to the side. If they have a gun the first instinct will be to shoot at the light. Better to give them a small target.

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u/buzzsawjoe 18h ago

So yet another useful use for the ever-useful Selfie Stick

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u/Switchlord518 19h ago

See where the victim got in the vehicle while the thief was under it, started and drove over him. FAFO I say.

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u/[deleted] 21h ago

[deleted]

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u/hans_stroker 21h ago

Prius are super low to the ground. Either the thieves brought a jack or they were super methskinny

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u/seamus_mc 20h ago

Prius converters are some of the most valuable. My town had a string of thefts and they were almost always Prius’s or SUVs with easy access.

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u/D_Robb 19h ago

To add on to /u/seamus_mc Prius cats are more valuable due to the higher content of rare metals to reduce their emissions even further. Platinum being the big one. Prius is a common car and cheaper than SUVs that ride higher. Bigger bang for your buck for a little more effort.

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u/hans_stroker 19h ago

I, at times have taken scrap metal to tge recycler. Due to ac units being stolen, they started requiring some kind proof of ownership of the coil. I'd like to think that would be the course for cats.

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u/UrgentlyDifficult 20h ago

A jack takes ~4 seconds to lift a Prius and one half second to remove. 

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u/blacksideblue 20h ago

Thieves are stealing jacks now. I lost a good one years ago to catalytic converter thieves and I'm still pissy about it.

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u/coyoteatemyhomework 20h ago

1 guy picks up the prius and the other grabs the converter... simple

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u/SupportGeek 20h ago

They often bring floor jacks, it’s bullshit.

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u/Naive_Flatworm_6847 22h ago

Same

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u/badchefrazzy 21h ago

You guys get a pass because you didn't do it on purpose. If your car has problems I refuse to blame anyone for it. Stuff's expensive in the wrong direction.

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u/Lulupoolzilla 21h ago

Not to mention that every time we try to order new cats the websites say they won't deliver them to a residential address. We would have to have them sent to a mechanics shop

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u/ComesInAnOldBox 22h ago

I asked a dude in high school who had an obnoxiously loud car and fitted it with an even more obnoxiously loud stereo this question. His answer was, "so everyone will know that I am the man."

Seriously, that was the only answer he ever gave.

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u/AegisToast 21h ago

He seems to have failed to understand the difference between being the man and being that guy.

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u/thatguy425 21h ago

Hey, that’s not fair! My exhaust is stock and I drive like a grandpa. 

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u/Thoughtulism 21h ago

No it's the other that guy

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u/ExpiredPilot 21h ago edited 21h ago

I was checking ID’s once and this dude got kinda indignant about it and said “bro don’t you know I’m him?”

And I look at him and go “what?”

“I am him bro. I am the one. You don’t understand I am him. I don’t even know why you’re checkin”

I just hand him his ID back and let him go in. But I just don’t get this “I’m the most important person ever” mentality. Especially for dudes with nothing.

We were in a college town in the middle of nowhere. It was easy to see he was a dropout turned townie. Ive seen him at my club multiple times just trying to pick up girls under 21 (18+ club in some areas). It’s just clear he was a nobody like the rest of us.

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u/accountnameredacted 20h ago

“If you have to convince someone you’re important, you’re not.”

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u/dauntdothat 21h ago

I once refused to serve a drunk guy at a bar I used to work in and he started ranting about himself in the third person lmao

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u/Stizz83 20h ago

George is gettin’ upset!!

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u/Keiths_skin_tag 20h ago

George likes his kung pow spicy

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u/LordoftheSynth 19h ago

Why would George steal from the Yankees?

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u/otroquatrotipo 18h ago

Was that wrong?

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u/Keiths_skin_tag 20h ago

Was his name Jimmy?

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u/cincocerodos 20h ago

Jimmy’s down!

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u/Keiths_skin_tag 20h ago

DON’T TOUCH JIMMY!!

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u/dauntdothat 20h ago

Hahaha no it wasn’t The Jimmy, but he did have another J name

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u/ExpiredPilot 19h ago

J’cunt

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u/KarmaticArmageddon 19h ago

"Do you know who I am?"

"Is anyone a doctor?! This guy doesn't know who he is!"

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u/sitophilicsquirrel 21h ago

"A man like that has a great, empty hole in the middle of them him. He can never flex enough, or get enough into clubs, or smash enough "thots" to ever fill it.

"What does he need?"

"He needs revenge."

"For what?"

"Being born a basic bitch..."

-Doc Holiday, Tombstone

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u/puledrotauren 19h ago

Paraphrased but salient.

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u/gianttigerrebellion 20h ago edited 20h ago

We’re all just NPCs in the Main Characters lives. 

To a Main Character everyone has eyes on him, everyone is focused on his every move and everything he says. We are merely his audience in awe of his presence. We don’t have complex lives or even lives outside of being his audience-we exist to watch his every move then gasp because he is so fascinating. 

When he drives his loud vehicle, we are all thinking about how anyone could possibly be so cool, we envy him and want to be anywhere in his proximity to get a better glimpse of his glory.  In case you didn’t see his souped up vehicle, he’ll be sure you don’t possibly miss him so he’ll demand your attention by forcing you to at least hear him!

Seriously I had an ex who was a full blown narcissist, rode a motorcycle not necessarily loud but seriously thought everyone had eye on them and giving them nods of approval at red lights, lol! One time my exs motorcycle was in the shop, and they were contemplating how to get around without the motorcycle, I said just ride a rental scooter and their response? “People are going to see me on the scooter and wonder why I’m not riding my motorcycle!” We live in a big city and my ex literally thought everyone was paying that much attention to them…crazy. 

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u/lookyloolookingatyou 17h ago

I just imagine that this guy grew up idolizing the cast of Fast & Furious (they are pretty cool), and therefore assumes everyone else does, too. We're just more limited, either by material or psychological means, in our ability to express ourselves. Some of us are too poor, others have been sadly mislead to hollow pursuits like families and careers. We sit on the bus or start up our sensible sedans and sigh wistfully as we imagine tearing up a parking lot in front of a crowd of anonymous hooting hypebeasts, but unfortunately our boring flaccid spirits are too bland to imagine modifying a car or maybe we're cool but life saddled us with too much responsibility to follow our dreams like him.

And so he goes tearing down the residential highway at 9pm on a Tuesday, his exhaust reverberating off the walls of the apartment buildings, bringing joy and wonder to the dismal drones trapped in their boring lives. "Is he on his way to the night club?" we ask ourselves. He revs off down the road and we're left with visions of shimmering LEDs, expensive liquors, and dancing thots and for one brief moment we can forget about the sink of dishes we're scrubbing or the deadline we've got to meet that Friday.

We'd try and follow him, but he's five miles down the road already, nothing more than an echo lingering in the night air.

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u/Eruionmel 21h ago

Especially for dudes with nothing.

They're exactly the ones doing this. Society says they're supposed to be confident and love themselves, but then hands them nothing but shame, self-loathing, and poverty as gifts in childhood.

There's nothing you can do with that. It produces nothing but cognitive dissonance, and so they lash out in whatever way they can. Desperate for approval, but completely unable to admit it even to themselves, and certainly unable to change of their own accord.

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u/Big_Geologist_7790 20h ago

One of the most beautiful gifts I ever gave was forgiveness, grace and love to the little boy I used to be. He never had a chance. But he's doing alright these days.

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u/MWSin 21h ago

Exactly. The more important someone acts, the less important they are.

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u/Uncommentary 20h ago

That sounds like some self-victimization to me. Society isn't "handing" them shame and poverty and society can't hand them self-loathing. That comes from within.

We each have to manage the hand we're dealt in life and many of these individuals that lash out are angry because they've made questionable life choices, often denying available help from others out of pride. Most people won't/can't hold them to an adequate accounting for their actions so they turn into insufferable adults with childlike temperament, blaming everyone else for their problems instead of making meaningful change.

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u/Larkswing13 19h ago

Society can definitely hand them poverty, but I get what you’re trying to say.

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u/OodalollyOodalolly 19h ago

That’s these people’s belief about themselves though. It just all boils down to entitlement. They are pissed they don’t have the silver spoon and want to punish everyone around them for it.

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u/Uncommentary 18h ago edited 16h ago

True, but even those born with silver spoons act this way. Instead of lashing out about what they don't have, they lash out because they feel hollow. Their fortune did not bring them the happy life they felt they were promised upon being successful.

A nobody doesn't have to be broke.

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u/Salt_Honey8650 21h ago

And yet they voted him in...

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u/BeatitLikeitowesMe 21h ago

Main character syndrome

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u/ninja_finger 21h ago

Wow, you got the meet The One! And you dared to check his ID? I'm surprised they let you keep your job after that.

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u/ExpiredPilot 21h ago

Bro didn’t offer me a blue/red pill or nothin

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u/djd1985 21h ago

When teenagers do this I give them a pass because they are…. teenagers. When it’s an adult I think it’s just sad and annoying.

I have a neighbor who is a great person but his sports car is annoying at 4am and I have a 2 year old and 5 year old and every now and then it wakes them. That pisses me off.

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u/No_Significance9754 21h ago

I had to have a rental car when mine was in the shop and they gave me a loud doge charger because it was the only one available. I've never felt like a bigger asshole in my entire life driving that thing around. I can not believe grown ass men prefer that shit lol. It also smelled like axe body spray inside.

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u/djd1985 21h ago

Haha axe body spray + loud car… you were playing a demo on what being an asshole feels like

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u/RedWire75 21h ago

Chargers come from the factory smelling like Axe.

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u/ia332 20h ago

No, that’s where Axe gets it from!

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u/Adamant_TO 21h ago

I have multiple "adults" in my neighborhood with stupid loud cars/trucks. It's pitiful.

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u/KarmaticArmageddon 19h ago

There's a douche around here with a huge lifted truck (yet never any mud on it, doesn't he realize that lifted trucks are for off-roading?), a snorkel that spews black smoke constantly, no muffler, and 8 Trump flags mounted in the bed (that's also never full of tools or materials).

He drives like an absolute lunatic and is a skinny, white guy with a MAGA hat. Literally couldn't be more of a stereotype if he tried.

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u/djd1985 21h ago

It really is pitiful, they have to know it’s annoying right?

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u/Adamant_TO 21h ago

I once asked one of them to chill as he leaves the area and he said, "There's nothing I can do about it; it's just a mean truck." Meanwhile, he has modified the thing to be that loud, and he accelerates like crazy after every stop and turn. This is a 30-something father living with his parents. I feel sorry for him. Almost.

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u/technobrendo 20h ago

Oil companies love these types.

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u/qrrux 21h ago

If you give teenagers a pass, then they turn into the adults who do this.

There no magical fucking age where you wake up one morning and hand in your “Stupid Kid” card and get your “Mature Adult” card.

Where do you think the adults come from? Your “passes” are part of the problem.

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u/kuroimakina 20h ago

I think it’s more about “I would still tell them it’s obnoxious, but I wouldn’t think they’re a loser/failure, because they’re still just a kid. But an adult I will absolutely judge for not knowing better by then.”

It’s like when you’re teaching a little kid not to scream every time they don’t get their way. Of course you tell them that it’s bad - but you also internally forgive them a bit because they’re still learning. But if a 12 year old did that sort of thing, you’d be like “what the hell”

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u/gianttigerrebellion 20h ago

Precisely! 

The arrogance needs to be shut down before they physically turn into adults because ultimately teenagers are being prepped to become full fledged adults and when teenagers aren’t guided into becoming self aware adults, emotionally they remain self centered teenagers in a fully mature adult body. 

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u/emotionless-robot 20h ago

If someone feels the "need" to announce the are something (i.e. "The Man," "A nice person," "A smart person," etc.) they most definitely are not. Same goes for announcing they aren't something (i.e. racist, sexist, crazy, etc). They are likely compensating for lacking in that area.

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u/mom_with_an_attitude 22h ago

Have you ever been camping? You know the sound the zipper makes when you zip the tent shut?

That was the sound I heard in my head when I read this comment–only it was my labia minora zipping themselves shut.

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u/Huletroll 21h ago

So you DO notice! Ill just keep cranking up the volume then, soon you will be mine. VROOOOM!

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u/mom_with_an_attitude 21h ago

🤣😂

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u/musiccman2020 21h ago

There must be a perfect frequency to open them again.

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u/blacksideblue 20h ago

The Pink note?

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u/musiccman2020 20h ago

Pink noise

The wettest of noise

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u/DryTown 21h ago

omg. Your Labia's sonic boom shattered windows for miles around

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u/ComesInAnOldBox 21h ago

Don't snag a hair, that shit hurts.

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u/TTungsteNN 21h ago

I knew a guy who did this too but his reasoning was “the exhaust is loud because the car is fast, the stereo is loud because I can’t hear it over the fucking exhaust”

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u/OodalollyOodalolly 19h ago

Meanwhile the sound on some of these cars is fake because these guys won’t buy a quiet Camaro

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u/EntroperZero 21h ago

So many guys trying to be the man, not realizing they're just being that guy.

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u/mixreality 20h ago

I had a demented friend who cut off the muffler on an old 80s bronco and put muffler caps on it, like a metal funnel that made it much louder.

He also had an ace of spade card tattooed on his shoulder that said "true player". Girls would make fun of it and he'd think they were into him, he legit couldn't tell when people were making fun of him.

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u/HomeHereNow 17h ago

I’m kinda envious in a way. Seems like a breeze to go through life like that.

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u/Ut_Prosim 21h ago

This guy must get all the ladies. There is nothing sexier or more alluring than deep-seated insecurity!

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u/painstream 21h ago

I bet he gets all the "I can fix him" gals lol

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u/flibbidygibbit 21h ago

I almost bought a second hand Porsche Cayenne. My canned response was going to be "I needed a car to compensate for my incredible lack of personality"

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u/qrrux 21h ago

I mean, as a joke or ice breaker, fine. A little self-effacing humor never hurt anyone.

But if you’re really having to defend having a nice car, that’s equally pathetic.

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u/LordoftheSynth 18h ago edited 18h ago

Sounds like he just tells it as a joke, dude.

When I had my 1-series I would occasionally say about buying it: “well, my Honda finally needed more in repairs than it was worth, and I decided I needed something in my life that screamed ‘I’m a gigantic asshole’ to everyone.” Truth was, it sat on the lot for two months without anyone buying it and they kept dropping the price until it hit the top end of what I was willing to spend on a car. No one buys convertibles in the Pacific Northwest in the fall or winter.

That was a fun car. And I actually tended to drive it pretty conservatively.

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u/Commonpleas 21h ago

Pensive dinosaur meme:

If my granny pulls up in one, does that make her the man?

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u/Or4nges 21h ago

Has Philosoraptor been lost to time?

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u/dravik 20h ago

Is she little? And is she from Pasadena?

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u/Arandombritishpotato 21h ago

There are 3 types of men that do this

  1. Car lovers
  2. "Alpha Males"
  3. People who drive rusty chevrolets*

*oh, rust and smoke, the heaters broke, the door just blew away! I light a match to see the dash and then I start to PRAYYY-YAY! The frame is bent, the muffler went. the radio its ok. oh what fun it is to drive this RUSTY CHEVROLET!!!

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u/ready2xxxperiment 20h ago

Or Commander Cody “With a 4-barrel carb and dual exhaust, With 4:11 gears You can really get lost. It’s got safety tubes, but I ain’t scared. Brakes are good. Tires fair.”

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u/hot-rod-lincoln 20h ago

I love that song.

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u/sailirish7 20h ago

Username checks out

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u/The_Flint_Metal_Man 20h ago

Unexpected Da Yoopers reference

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u/IAMA_Plumber-AMA 19h ago

That song during Christmas and "2nd week of deer camp" during the road trip to the hunting shack are two must plays for me.

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u/SlavicRobot_ 17h ago

Probably the only good answer. I'd further break it down to car enthusiasts tend to have powerful cars, which are loud. Then you have car enthusiasts who don't have a powerful car, but make it loud, for no reason other than broom brooom.

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u/50ShadesOfAcidTrips 22h ago

Because “hehe car/motorcycle go vroom vroom”

That’s literally it.

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u/tatiwtr 19h ago

I was looking for a "because racecar" reply, this one is close enough.

vroom vroom

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u/Blooblod 21h ago

Lmao whenever this question is actually answered by a car/motorcycle person the answer is never good enough for other people. Breaking news: car enthusiasts like cars.

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u/roamingandy 20h ago edited 14h ago

Bike drivers often say 'pipes save lives' since everyone knows where you are.

I remember seeing a study that showed it wasn't true, but it would be tough to check properly since those loud pipes people also tend to ride like dicks.

I'm not sure they are much help since they can freak other drivers out when they hear one somewhere but can't see them, making them less careful of other obstacles while they search around as any crash could also impact the motorcycle. Those things can sound as if they are right up next to you while still a few corners back.

As a dog owner, fuck those people. I hope they know my sweet well behaved buddy is in a corner having a full blown panic attack every time they drive within 5000m of us.

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u/Hyndis 19h ago

Helmets and defensive driving save lives, not loud pipes.

A modern car is sound insulated enough and the pipes are pointed backwards that by the time you hear the motorcycle its already passed you.

This is particularly bad with lane splitters, and while this is legal in some states it can also be extraordinarily dangerous because cars are not checking for lane splitters before changing lanes.

Sir Isaac Newton's laws of motion trump any local or state driving laws. The object with most mass has the right of way.

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u/Gestrid 18h ago

"Oh, there's either a loud car or a motorcycle somewhere within a mile radius of me."

— me, unable to distinguish where the sound is coming from because of how loud it is

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u/CMMiller89 21h ago

Yeah, basically.

I’ve owned reasonably sporty cars.

But the only obnoxiously loud vehicle I ever had was a straight piped 800cc cruiser my dad let me use/have after he got a larger and quieter bike.

It was… fucking ridiculous.

So much so that I was highly conscious revving the engine or just hammering it off the line.

But I would be lying if there wasn’t a very visceral and enjoyable experience from cranking that throttle on the highway and roaring past traffic, merging, riding defensively, etc.

I plan on getting a gruffer exhaust on my gremlin grabber here at some point because, yeah, my giblets tingle a bit when hearing it respond to the throttle.  And why not have a bit more fun dropping the booger eaters off at soccer?

But there’s a limit.  And even to the person in the vehicle.  Drone is real.  I I just don’t understand wanting to sit in a slammed Corolla with bricks where the coil overs should be and hearing a 4 pot wheeze at 1000 DB for any extended period of time.

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u/50ShadesOfAcidTrips 21h ago

“Gremlin grabber” lmao that’s the best phrase I’ve ever heard to describe a family car

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u/bralma6 21h ago

I'm glad my bike is relatively quiet. I have to leave for work at 3AM and when I got it I was worried about it possibly waking my neighbors when I first got it.

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u/DigNitty 20h ago

My old roommate installed the loudest pipes on his Harley for “safety” so cars will be aware there’s a moto around.

He does not wear a helmet.

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u/-iamjacksusername- 21h ago edited 16h ago

Harleys can be included. Nothing ruins a night on the patio, like some asshole tear assing by with his straight piped Harley.

Edit: Disclaimer for the two doorknobs that took this literally.

No, it does not literally ruin the entire night, but it sure as hells wrecks the peacefulness of a crackling fire.

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u/ancalagonz 20h ago

What I don't get is motorcycles that have super loud exhaust and then install a sound system that they blast even louder to be able to hear it. Seems like a form of insanity to me.

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u/-iamjacksusername- 19h ago

The motorcycle radio is in the running for worst invention in the history of mankind.

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u/ribspreader_ 20h ago

If at the minimum it would be for performance, but nope. Only for noise. And most of them won't adjust their fuel, so the exhaust is popping or backfireing all the time.

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u/FlippehFishes 17h ago

Harley: The easiest way to turn dollars into decibles without the byproduct of horsepower.

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u/_Bad_Bob_ 16h ago

That's literally why they do it. Because it ruins your night. Same mentality as the coal rollers.

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u/SadGruffman 21h ago

I used to have an obnoxiously loud truck and motorcycle.

Tbh I just thought it was cool and I thought the people who didn’t like it were hilariously entitled shits for telling me how loud my vehicle is.

Then I grew up, and I have a quiet truck and motorcycle.

Imho it’s just a maturity thing.

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u/FreeInformation4u 17h ago

Incredible how long hilariously entitled shits will go in their lives thinking everyone else is the hilariously entitled shit for asking them to display common courtesy lmao.

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u/SuperDoubleDecker 18h ago

I thought loud exhausts were cool when I was 16 too. Then I grew up.

Problem is that these dudes peaked in high school and never matured past that level.

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u/atzatzatz 16h ago

I like to call it Perpetual Adolescence. It's a serious and common illness.

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u/Studsmanly 16h ago

Around 13 years ago at my dad's funeral a guy from high school told me he was putting the glass packs back on his mustang for the summer. Out of the blue. No context whatsoever.

I think he peaked at 17 and 30 years later was trying to relive the glory years.

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u/warrant2k 21h ago

I've heard a lot from motorcyclists "Loud pipes save lives".

No. Not when you lane split at 30+ what everyone else is doing, I don't hear you until you're right next to me.

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u/SocraticLawyer 18h ago

This is correct, as science has confirmed. Loud pipes don't save lives, defensive driving does.

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u/ThrowStonesonTV 17h ago

If it was about safety they would be wearing high vis gear. They are full of shit.

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u/swamphockey 17h ago

Indeed. Just another old boomer notion that simply needs to go away.

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u/GrynaiTaip 17h ago

It's just a marketing slogan by Harley Davidson.

Same as "A diamond is forever" by De Beers (owners of most diamond mines), or "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" by Kellogg's.

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u/ocdano714 21h ago edited 21h ago

Guy with loud exhaust here. I have an NA miata as a dedicated track car. I straight piped my exhaust for 1. Power, and 2. Weight savings

If I'm not racing my car, it stays in the garage (save for the occasional startup to make sure all fluids are good and the car is copacetic).

But I loathe these dudes. Please, I'm just trying to enjoy a nice Sunday stroll in the park.

Edit: I race at dedicated race tracks. Closed off from the public.

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u/ekeicudidndjsidh 20h ago

Guys with loud exhausts, listen up: this guy has it 100% right.

Speaking as someone who has dedicated hundreds/thousands of volunteer hours to motorsport, nobody is impressed about your "street mods." Come to a race track first thing Saturday, race against some people who actually know what they are doing and we'll see how elite you and your car are.

Again, speaking to guys with loud exhausts who drive them on the road: absolutely everyone hates you and would drop a grand piano on your car from 100 feet if they could get away with it. Not exaggerating.

Just info: having been to countless actual motorsport events the length and breadth of my country, guys who actually know performance cars and how to drive them generally drive something sensible and fairly anonymous on the road.

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u/Therapy-Jackass 19h ago

I put loud motorbikes into this same category of people that everyone hates.

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u/dravas 19h ago edited 16h ago

They are getting better with exhaust with a sport mode and a muffled mode. It keeps a car a daily driver, so you can track it later. Yes more things to go wrong but I like the option.

Edit: wording

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u/Glamourouss_Sweetie 21h ago

The real answer is that there are three possibilities. I’ll give you why real car guys do it first and then the other two.

Why real car guys do it: A quiet exhaust is a restrictive exhaust. Car guys are on a never ending quest for more power and a cheap way to make power is with a less restrictive exhaust. Especially on turbocharged vehicles like I own. Actually, the loudness of the exhaust is just a byproduct of decreasing restriction and not always the intention.

Why other car people do it: Because they like the sound and it’s their vehicle and they get enjoyment out of listening to the engine roar.

Why the last group does it: Because they can’t afford to (or don’t care to) fix their old-broken exhaust.

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u/rodrigomorr 21h ago

There’s also 1 other kind, the kind that are desperately looking to make people think they’re cool, and they consider loud cars to be cool cus they watched all the fast n furious movies so they went on to get a loud car and just go around making it do loud sounds just to see who turns to see them.

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u/MWSin 21h ago

There are also some who just want to be obnoxious and make everyone else suffer.

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u/np20412 20h ago

the venn diagram of the group you described and the 4th group described in the comment you replied to is a single circle

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u/TwiceInEveryMoment 21h ago

I was sort of in the last group, the car I bought had an aftermarket exhaust and it was gonna cost more than I paid for the car to get it reverted to stock

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u/LingonberryLunch 22h ago

I was this guy for a month. Some piece of shit chopped off my catalytic converter, and I couldn't afford to replace it right away.

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u/Dctootall 22h ago

So I’d say there are 2 types…. It really depends on the car, type of noise, and also kinda how they drive it.

There are a lot of people who stick those coffee can mufflers on, or other “make my car loud” exhaust enhancements… and a majority of them are just being loud for the sake of being loud. (Ie… I got a small penis, so gotta compensate for a lack of BDE)

Then there are the cars which are loud(er), but it’s more of a direct result of actual power being produced by the engine. There is a sweet spot where mufflers that quiet the engine start to restrict flow to the point that it hurts the power generated. Classic cars, race cars, General performance vehicles… or even trucks and the like. They are loud, but the noise is generally in direct correlation to the power that engine is generating and not loud for the sake of loud.

But of course…. There are cars with legit power, where people drive stupid or in such a way to have it running as loud as possible when it really isn’t appropriate. These people are falling closer to the first category showcasing a lack of BDE.

(Personally, I’m a fan of sleepers, which have the power, but you can’t normally tell at first glance/listen).

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u/agro94 22h ago

I love actuated exhaust cut-outs for that reason.

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u/Elianor_tijo 21h ago

(Personally, I’m a fan of sleepers, which have the power, but you can’t normally tell at first glance/listen).

Rest in peace Holden Commodore/Chevy SS. That was one heck of a nice sleeper type of car that came that way from the factory.

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u/KS2Problema 21h ago

I'm a former motorcyclist. Like many young men before me, I was captivated by speed and acceleration. But there's one thing I learned, a motorcycle does not have to be loud to be fast. Those big, noisy, house shaking 'hogs' are pretty well nick-named.

 (Now, the wisdom of riding motorcycles fast is probably a highly questionable one. I've spent the last 45 years with greatly limited mobility and considerable pain after a motorcycle wreck that wasn't my fault. But, given my penchant for speed, it could have easily been. I wasn't going particularly fast and I wasn't at fault in the accident that crippled me, but that doesn't seem to make any difference at this point. I loved my motorcycle. I'm far less enthusiastic about having a couple inches missing out of one leg.)

During the pandemic I moved in with an elderly beloved family member to help out. Home where we live is adjacent to a three-way freeway intersection and usually about 1:30 a.m., just around bar closing time, I frequently here packs of motorcyclists racing through the freeway interchanges, they seem to have some sort of route that they like to race on. Sometimes the wind out is insane. (I have to hold myself in check to keep myself from thinking negative thoughts; several years ago I heard a motorcyclist near my old house winding out - and then, just like that, there was silence. A few days later I read about the accident in the news. He had hit a parked car at full speed. He did not survive. So, annoyed at being awakened in the middle of the night or not, agnostic or not, I will often say a little prayer for those dudes winding out their bikes toward an unknown fate.)

I'm seriously considering deleting this, because it's just too damn personal. But if you read it, well, you read it.

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u/thethreadkiller 20h ago

A couple days ago I'm driving down the road and I got to get gas. The car in front of me all the sudden cranks up his sound system as he also pulls into the gas station.

His sound system did sound amazing, and he obviously put a lot of money into this thing.

But it was so freaking loud every single person at this gas station was obviously looking over and giving him looks, definitely what he intended.

I was not even at the pump next to him and I could not talk to my girlfriend on the phone because it was so freaking loud.

After we were both done filling up he moved his car from the pump but kept the music going as he went into the store. Inside the store the entire place was almost shaking because of this dude sound system.

We both pretty much pulled out of the parking lot at the same time and as soon as we got back on the road he turned his music down... The shit was literally a show for everybody else.

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u/Mr_Kill_Joy 21h ago

As someone that drives a BMW M2… I’ve learned today it’s not the N55 engine noise that I adore. But my small penis and insecurity/need to be noticed that influenced by tastes. Thank you Reddit!

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u/Windows_XP2 18h ago

But my small penis and insecurity/need to be noticed that influenced by tastes.

I'm insecure, so I guess that means it's time to straight pipe my Outback

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u/reyvh 20h ago

So you’re telling me that my enjoyment of my coyote howling isn’t because i enjoy the sound, but because by penis is tiny..?

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u/amexicanbear 19h ago

Yeah man every time we hit the throttles on our loud 5.0s we lose a millimeter in length. I have a leveled F150 so I already wasn't starting with much to lose.

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u/bdup678 17h ago

It’s crazy. The next day after selling my GT-R my penis grew 2 inches!

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u/AtillaThePundit 18h ago

Factory asbo m140i checking in . My car makes so many pops and bangs in dsc off mode that my penis inverts itself and I undergo spontaneous transgenderification.

Interesting to know if the ha ha loud car small penis brigade think it’s ok to body shame everyone, or just people with a hobby.

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u/NecessaryAd4587 21h ago

It’s just an old piece of shit I promise. It’s not on purpose.

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u/KeepMN 19h ago

Lots of them enjoy antagonizing people. Same guys will sit and chat right in the middle of my street making it impossible for 2 cars to go by simultaneous. Why ? Because fuck you , what are you going to do about it ? They enjoy this game.

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u/ogbundleofsticks 19h ago

Its my emotional support loud car

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u/MrGabogab0 19h ago

Loud exhaust make sad head voice go away

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u/Cheerfull_Peaches 21h ago

As someone who had a loud vehicle, it wasn’t for you or women or anyone. I just loved the way my car sounded. And it came like that from the factory so not like I made it louder after the fact.

Not compensating for anything, just a huge car guy and it’s music to me!

It had valves to quiet it down too, so I would shut them in neighborhoods or passing by people/dogs walking so I don’t scare/wake anyone.

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u/jembutbrodol 20h ago

See

Almost every “car enthusiasts” friend i know always do this

They either modify their exhaust to be able to do “silent mode”, some putting a DB killer as well.

My friend owns a M4 comp with modified exhaust, but he never revs up in the city. Only in the actual race circuit he will rip it off, and sounds like fucks

People who obnoxiously ignore the surrounding with their shitty exhaust are the worst

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u/Interesting_Run_4465 22h ago

Someone stole my catalytic converter from my 22 yo car that I can’t afford to replace right now as I’m in school. So all i have is a straight pipe installed there. It fucking sucks.

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u/LibrarianFuture3849 20h ago

This gets asked a lot. It’s mostly because we like it.

There are plenty of tertiary reasons, though. They are usually related to power / power delivery / power curve, and they do matter. However, if me and my mates were brutally honest, it’s primarily due to the sound.

Like anything else, there are considerate ways of doing it - from electronic valve control (essentially an on/off switch for vroom vroom sounds) through to full custom systems where you can ‘design’ your sound. This can be quite subtle.

I think these complaints could be reserved for cheap slip on cans (the stereotype of a knackered 1.2 making farting sounds). But even then, this is often just young fanatics looking to approximate something they love about their interest, but can’t yet afford a decent system.

What we all dislike is any anti social behaviour related to it. If you’re starting your car at 6am on a built up estate, or thrashing around at 2am, that’s absolutely infuriating.

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u/Lightt_Fleur 21h ago

I used to own an insanely loud vehicle. A Pontiac G8, it had a 6 liter V8 and essentially straight pipes.

Ripping it through a tunnel truly is a fun experience. That said..

I never truly understood how loud it was for everyone else until I sold it. They drove down the road in a normal fashion, I realized it was obnoxiously loud, and I thought to myself:

“Jesus I’m such an asshat.”

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u/Th3D3m0n 21h ago edited 19h ago

There a lot of people answering that don't have a loud car and dont have an actual answer.

My Camaro is louder than stock. The reason is long tube headers, high flow catalytic converters, and better mufflers. All for an improvement of performance on over all exhaust tone.

Many are like me...exhaust volume is a by-product of performance. Less flow restriction almost always equals more volume. It's not done specifically to make it loud.

Other want the extreme volume to show off...both to Other car people and cuz they know people will stop and look.

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u/heyitsvonage 22h ago

For some guys:

Machine = cool

Big loud machine = more cool

It’s really that simple. It’s not some overcompensation or sign of insecurity just because you find it annoying lol

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u/MagicDragon212 21h ago

Yeah I'm not into cars at all, but my fiance and his friends are. The same car I think is annoyingly loud, they will be trying to give thumbs ups and cheering for (none of them have loud cars).

On the other hand, they will clown on a car that's loud just to be loud. Usually this is if they don't have a muffler or some shit. That's comparable to putting cards in your bike wheel to go brrrrr. They want the loudness to represent a powerful engine.

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u/TheFlyingBogey 22h ago edited 21h ago

Literally this, I don't see why people can't fathom that There *are** different groups of people with varying levels of 'loud' car which get lumped together which I understand.

I have a car which is somewhat louder, but growls a little when I put my foot down. It's quiet enough when I need it to be (parking up, driving through residential areas etc) but if I'm on the motorway, I can get a loud sound when I accelerate.

That loud noise for whatever reason releases some happy chems in my brain.

I am fully aware that not everyone (spoiler: most people) aren't fazed or even dislike it, but it isn't for them.

All of that said though, I do my best to be considerate because I am aware that my car can be obnoxious.

Edit to tack on: I'm not disputing that there are a lot of idiots who straight pipe the bottom of their old Corsa and think that they're the shit for driving what sounds like a tractor having a seizure. Folks like me and people like that however are not the same. I get the confusion though.

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u/Alternative-Sock-444 21h ago

Same here. Car guys like to hear their cars. Assholes just like to be loud. My shit is loud if I get on it, so if I'm in a residential area, I just accelerate gently so as not to annoy people. But there are always assholes in any enthusiast group.

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u/SaintGloopyNoops 21h ago

What kind of car? My neighbor has a honda Sedan. He put a fart attachment to make it loud. It's stupid, and i hate it. Now, if it was 1970 Chevelle, I wouldn't be annoyed by the noise bc, at the very least, I get to look at a sweet ride.

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u/Pyrodor80 21h ago

Because vroom vroom haha. Then again, there’s always a point where it gets too much. Like last night at 2 am, it had to be the loudest car I’ve ever heard raced through my neighborhood, and I could still hear it miles away. I thought there was a NASA launch happening across the street. That’s fucked

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u/ethancknight 19h ago

I enjoy it. I don’t rev past peoples houses, I am respectful. I don’t sit in my driveway and rev. I like the sound. That is it. I do not care if you like or dislike it.

Car and motorcycle people just like how exhausts sound. Whenever a loud exhaust flies by me I always try and figure out what engine / vehicle it was. It’s just fun. They’re fun to listen to. That’s it.

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u/krazul88 18h ago

i used to be one of those guys. i liked the sound of the internal combustion engine. i still do, but i used to too.

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u/GrynaiTaip 17h ago

I played Need For Speed: Underground, and ever since I wanted a car that rumbles.

It goes blublublublub when idle, but then goes braaaap bap bap when I step on it.

That's all there is to it, I am a simple man. It's an old V8 so it rumbles, not farts. Actually a really nice sound that would fit any modern sports car.

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u/Snaiil_Glow 16h ago

There are only two possibilities: they want attention and even negative attention works for them, or they don’t care about anyone that isn’t themselves.

Both are childish mindsets.

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u/traviss8 22h ago

The little boy inside me is giggling and absolutely ecstatic as I drive around in my racecar

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u/Murdoc427 20h ago

The only real answer

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u/Twinkly_Sunsets 19h ago

I don’t even have a car, I’m not a car guy at all, but it’s completely obvious to anyone that actually thinks about it for one second that those people are doing it because they like it. They are car guys because they like cars not because they think that having the loudest car will make people look at them. They aren’t doing it to try to impress you. They aren’t doing it to annoy you. They don’t give a FUCK about you. Why on earth would you think what they do is about you? It shits me that people say shit like this without even thinking for a single second and realising that people do things they like because they like it and not for other people, strangers they’ve never met. It’s fucking ridiculous.

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u/TheDeadMurder 17h ago

Some people are just so narcissistic that the thought someone might do something because they actually like it and not for their attention simply doesn't exist to them

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u/rafssimmons 21h ago

Comment section full of grown men talking about the pp size of other grown men

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u/purplesprings 22h ago

Entitlement, selfishness and lack of regard for fellow human beings.

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u/notevenapro 21h ago

Because the 2002 formula had bigger headers, high flow catalytic converters. Also had to have a larger exhaust. It was a street legal race car.

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u/jakep623 21h ago

I live in king county and am an avid car enthusiast. I fucking hate people who speed through traffic with 2" chop shop straight pipe exhausts

Many-a-car enthusiast may say they do it for power, but, in your 2006 infinity, you don't need an extra seven horse to the flywheel. Most of the time that argument is absolute trash

I empathize with young enthusiasts who are respectful. In highschool I had some loud cars, but nothing ignorant, and I NEVER would speed around areas in city or traffic. Common respect and above all safety is the most important thing when driving. My cheap .02

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u/CalebKrawdad 21h ago

Bought a muscle car as a kid and the previous owner had removed the mufflers and second set of catalytic converters. Thought it sounded badass, so I drove it for years before I had straight pipes run out the back and the pre cats cut off. Lucky I lived in a place with no emissions testing at the time.

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u/Ok-Term6418 20h ago

When you drive a manual car its a lot easier to hear the car rather than stare at the odometer.

Some people also like loud music, so you need a louder engine to compensate so you can still hear everything.

Also... People like loud things and people like getting other peoples attention.

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u/tanman729 20h ago

Its kinda ridiculous how many people think it's overcompensation. Literally no one has ever thought "gee i wonder what will distract from my small peen? I KNOW!! A big/loud car!! That'll fool em!!"

Some people like big cars. Some people like loud machines. They have them because they want and like them. End of story. They dont give a fuck what other people think about them. Some people think They're expecting us to be orgasming at the sound of them driving by or some shit. They. Dont. Care

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u/BraschTaunter 19h ago

As someone who used to have a loud vehicle on purpose I thought at the time it was garnering me positive attention from people. I thought that people thought I was cool. Then as I got older It dawned on me that that attention I was getting from everyone was actually negative. I think I “grew up”. At this point I just assume others haven’t had that realization yet.