The sound of silence…
After a long day of work, it’s always nice to relax and have some quiet time. Being in the vehicle for many hours a day, it’s helpful to unwind as best as possible, but for some people, their quiet time doesn’t happen while they’re driving. These are the people who purposely take the muffler off their vehicle to make their vehicle sound much louder. Apparently, it sounds cool. Apparently.
Loud vehicles may or may not be a mechanical mishap. Seals dry out and bolts rust and come loose which cause gaps which may cause holes for noise to escape. Mufflers may also rust out which can cause loud noise for some vehicles. That happens, but then there are those who purposely try to make their vehicles sound louder. I admit, when I was much younger growing up in the muscle car era, louder vehicles sounded more powerful. The V6 engine sounded like a V8 engine, which appealed to many people. Now, with the type of engine in most new vehicles sounding different than vehicles from my youth, louder just sounds…louder. And other than traffic violations, there are other problems a lack of muffler can have.
These drivers are using a straight exhaust pipe that only removes the exhaust fumes from the engine but allowing the sound of the engine to be heard. Not all engines sound cool when there is no muffler, trust me.
If you looked inside a muffler, you would see a set of punctured tubes. These tubes are 
designed to reflect engine sounds, which reduce the level of noise that the engine produces. The tubes also assist in removing exhaust gases from the engine and out the rear of the vehicle through the tailpipe, which can help to improve some vehicle’s performance. The quicker the engine can remove exhaust gases, the quicker it can take in oxygen and create more power. The muffler assists the exhaust gases from exiting the engine in a quicker fashion. How does removing the muffler sound to you now?
We should all realize that each jurisdiction has noise by-laws plus traffic act laws prohibiting loud vehicles. Not only would you receive a ticket for driving a noisy vehicle, your neighbours would be constantly giving you a difficult time. Wouldn’t you rather enjoy the time spent at home rather than trying to defend your rationale for the noisy vehicle? And besides, if you really want to make the engine make more of a roaring sound, there are performance mufflers that can do just that, while staying in line with noise bylaws. Always ensure aftermarket mufflers meet government standards before spending time and money on it.
Using one of those approved aftermarket mufflers will allow you to keep within the laws but also allow you to be thrilled with the roar of the engine. Now, doesn’t that sound good?