Why do rice burners use the mufflers that they do? At first i dismissed it because they are "straight through design" and offer best flow. and then i got the exaust done on the tempo <high flow cat converter and glasspack because the rear screen of the cat was now in the muffler>. glass pack is the least amound of restriction right? i have to get the car wound up before i can hear the exaust over everything else <namely bad motor mounts>. okay, so maybe those honda'* and stuff are really loud, and the stock muffler is just that good. but then, the other day, a buddy of mine was out of town, and actually saw a riced out tempo just like mine <you know, the works: wing, decals, fart can, etc> and said that it was horribly loud, even stupidly loud <he described my open exaust, which was loose at the manifold to downpipe bolts, as kinda loud>. then it hit me, these friggan things make the car louder. so, anybody car to explain, why anybody would want to put an "amplifier" on the exaust?

It sounds cool. Either Flowmaster on a truck, or a ricer muffler on a neon, to each his own taste

but it makes the car louder then it would be with no muffler

It does :?:

I think they sound like overstressed lawnmowers, myself. But, like you said, to each his own

i think that is sounds like a a crotchrocket

The louder a car is and the rougher the ride, the faster it seems when driving.

Kind of a psychological thing for those who want their un-modded 4 cylinder to be tough.

I prefer road noise to exhaust. Let the wind or the tires whining tell me how fast I'm going.

Smooth as our rides are, it barely feels like we are moving at even highway speeds. Quite comfy I think.

I always run with one window at least cracked open (yep. I'm a smoker). So the "road noise" is my guide.

I drove a friends truck one time with straight pipes, and hated it! My personal preference is and always will be a quiet exhaust. Besides, why warn 'em your're coming? It'* more fun to look in the mirror and watch them gaze in amazement at your rapidly dwindling tail lights...

eh, I kinda enjoy the sound of a Honda motor operating in the upper realms of high-lift VTEC. Until then, well, it'* pretty farty. after hitting the cam profile-changing threshhold it'* a snarly sumbitch.