If there’s one thing we can all agree on is that making your car louder feels fantastic. So, learning how to make your exhaust loud is quite the experience.
However, there are so many ways to go about making your car louder to the point it’s overwhelming.
To make things easier, we’ve gathered the most common ways to increase your car’s sound.
Some of these methods are expensive, and some are reasonably cheap. If you’re down for that, make sure to check our ways!
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9 Ways to Make Your Exhaust Louder
The options we’ve covered below are some of the most common methods for exhaust modifications. But most importantly, they’ll make your car sound more aggressive.
1. Aftermarket Exhaust
One of the easiest ways to make your car louder is by getting an aftermarket exhaust kit. The point of getting an aftermarket exhaust is to increase the airflow.
This is achieved as performance exhausts make the engine breathe better. As a result, you’ll increase your vehicle’s horsepower.
Generally speaking, the stock ones are pretty restrictive, which is why the aftermarket exhausts are the first upgrades most car owners get.
Now, the only downside to this method is that you’re kind of giving up some quality.
You see, manufacturers spend countless resources on making their exhausts. It’s hard to find that reliability on an aftermarket one.
Sure, your car will sound louder, but you’ll give up some peace of mind.
Apart from that, you’ll also have to do some research on your vehicle before getting an aftermarket one.
Some cars have a really restrictive system while others do not, so you could get an aftermarket one and still not notice that much of a difference.
2. Catback Exhaust
Like we said before, aftermarket exhaust is an easy way to make your car sound louder.
But if you were to choose one, we’d definitely go for a cat-back exhaust. This is the go-to for most drivers.
Not only is it great for making your car sound louder, but it’s also an excellent investment if you want a different appearance.
In most cases, catback exhausts are stainless steel, so you’re not going to have to worry about rust or any other dangerous chemical.
Catback exhausts are also quite attractive in the aftermarket world as they increase horsepower.
However, you’ll most likely not get many gains from this exhaust alone if you have not modified your vehicle.
But if you’ve added a few modifications to the exhaust system, you’ll get better performance.
3. Exhaust Tip
Upon doing research, we’ve noticed that making the exhaust louder is expensive.
But not everybody wants to spend $500 to slightly change the sound of their car. So, a cheap way to make exhaust loud is to get an exhaust tip.
If you’re not quite sure what that is, it’s just a piece of metal that goes on the exhaust.
An exhaust tip will not increase your horsepower, but it will make a fair amount of difference in sound.
And they’re nowhere as expensive as an aftermarket exhaust. You could probably find one on Amazon for roughly $10-$15.
Finally, they come in different sizes and colors, but they all do pretty much the same.
But if you were to get one, get a shiny silver exhaust tip. Those ones look fantastic and will surely enhance your car’s appearance.
4. Headers
One of the cheapest and easiest ways we’ve found to make your car sound more aggressive is a set of headers.
This will make a significant change, especially if you’ve already installed a loud aftermarket exhaust.
At idle, you might not notice that much of a difference. But the moment you step on the pedal, the aggressive noise will change your mind.
Headers are also known for making more horsepower — that is, assuming you’ve replaced your intake and exhaust.
So, why do headers make your car sound louder and increase horsepower? Well, you could think of it as an exhaust.
Aftermarket headers are designed to increase airflow. This is super helpful as you’ll be able to make more horsepower, and your car will significantly sound louder.
5. Muffler Upgrade
If there’s one thing you can upgrade to get that aggressive sound you’re going for is the muffler.
Ever noticed that medium-sized box underneath the car? Well, that is your muffler.
This box is responsible for decreasing the noise that comes from the exhaust.
And as you might guess, that’s not what you want if you’re trying to make your car sound more aggressive.
But not all mufflers cancel out the sound waves. There are hundreds of aftermarket mufflers that are designed to do the opposite.
For example, one of the most well-known mufflers is the straight one.
Unlike the chambered and turbo mufflers, the straight one is just a straight line, making the exhaust sound more aggressive.
Apart from that, you should notice a slight increase in horsepower.
6. Muffler Delete
As we said, there are countless ways on how to make your exhaust loud.
With that in mind, one of the most affordable and easiest DIYs is that you can remove the muffler to make your vehicle louder.
For the muffler delete, you’ll have to remove one of the sound suppression devices on your vehicle — but wait, you could get in trouble.
In most states, it is required to have at least one sound suppression device on your car.
So, check your area to make sure this is legal. Trust me; you don’t want to get a ticket for that. Yes, officer, my car is 100% stock.
7. Turbo Chargers
Ready to make your neighbors hate you and get a bunch of dudes’ attention? Well, get a turbocharger, and all those things shall come your way.
But in all seriousness, getting a turbocharger is an easy but expensive way to make your car sound better.
Turbochargers are designed to increase your engine’s efficiency and horsepower. This is done by forcing more air into the combustion chamber.
But as we said, this is kind of expensive, and this might be over your budget.
However, if you want that extra power along with the aggressive noise, a turbocharger is an excellent investment.
8. Performance Cold Air Intake
If you’ve ever done some research on how to make exhaust system louder, you’ve probably come across the cold air intake.
The stock cold air intake might be enough for most folks, but it doesn’t do your car’s any justice.
For instance, it is pretty restrictive, and you won’t get much out of it even if you add a turbocharger.
In fact, you should upgrade your cold air intake if you install a turbocharger. That way, the car will sound even more intimidating.
Here’s the thing, high-performance cold air intakes are designed to increase the amount of air that is sent to the engine.
This means that you’ll make more horsepower, and the vehicle will get the famous whooshing sound.
And if somebody pops the hood of your car, they’ll probably point out how cool it looks.
But keep in mind that not all cold air intakes will increase horsepower or noise.
The pretty loud ones are those that have an open filter element. Get that one, and enjoy the commotion.
9. Cat Delete
The last step to a noisy exhaust is a cat delete, also known as a downpipe.
The catalytic converter has a simple job which is to reduce the toxic pollutants made by your car. However, it significantly reduces your vehicle’s noise.
To get around that, drivers use downpipes. Simply put, they increase the sound of your turbo like crazy.
This is achieved as the downpipe has no insulation, unlike the catalytic converter, which robs you of both performance and torque.
But as you might have guessed, this deletes the catalytic converter. Thus it might be considered for off-road use only in most states.
This is illegal in states like California, meaning if your state does emission testing, you won’t pass.
Before modifying the vehicle, check your local and state laws.
DIY Guide: How to Do a Muffler Delete to Make Your Car Louder
Now that you know how to increase your exhaust’s noise, it’s time to get your hands dirty.
Below, you’ll learn how to make exhaust louder for free — well, almost for free by doing a muffler delete on your own. That said, here’s how to do it:
1. What You Will Need
Before getting started, please bring all these tools:
- A floor jack and jack stands—this is the first thing you’ll need to do before cutting the muffler. Don’t work underneath the vehicle without them.
- An electric oscillating tool—to cut off the muffler, get one of these tools. Alternatively, get a drill and use titanium drill bills.
- Safety glasses—you don’t want any metal shavings getting in your eyes, so make sure to wear safety glasses.
2. Raise The Car
Like we said before, jack up your vehicle before cutting through the muffler. There’s no way you’ll be able to work comfortably without raising it. So, let’s just make things easier.
Also, don’t forget to use jack stands. We’ve read hundreds of horror stories about guys raising their vehicles only utilizing a floor jack.
3. Cut it Off
Now that you’ve raised the vehicle get underneath the car and begin cutting the muffler.
Just find a spot you think would be easy. In many cases, it’s the straight part of the vehicle. You’ll be ok unless you cut off the curvy areas.
4. Remove The Muffler
With that out of the way, you now have to remove the muffler itself. To do this, remove all the exhaust hangers holding it together.
After that, you must get a piece of pipe welded up to the exhaust. That way, the exhaust gasses will pass the bumper. Otherwise, you might risk damaging the vehicle.
You might be able to get away with it, but you’re better off taking it to a muffler shop. It costs about $20-30 to get it welded on. So, it’s not nearly as expensive as other modifications.
That said, if you’d rather watch a video for this job, here’s one we suggest watching:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Getting into tuning is like going down a rabbit hole. There are just so many questions about this topic. That said, here are some informative questions about increasing your car’s noise:
How can I make my exhaust louder legally?
In many cases, you’ll be ok unless you get rid of the muffler. But if you’re concerned about getting a ticket, you might want to check your state’s laws.
Some places might have regulations against straight pipes and other aftermarket parts.
Does cutting your exhaust make it louder?
Yes, cutting the exhaust will make it stupidly louder. But that’s about it. You will not gain any horsepower. But, you might get a ticket for excessive noise.
Does a cold air intake make your car louder?
Yes, upgrading your cold air intake will increase your vehicle’s noise. Once you’ve installed it, you’ll hear the legendary “whooshing” sound.
However, it won’t make that much of a difference in horsepower, except for the excessive noise.
Do muffler deletes add power?
No, removing the muffler will not make more horsepower. It will make your car louder.
Conclusion
We know that modern cars are pretty fast right out of the box. However, learning how to make your exhaust loud is critical as most of these vehicles have restrictive exhausts.
And it makes sense — not everybody appreciates having a loud vehicle. We know your neighbors have probably brought it up before.
Nonetheless, any of the methods we covered will increase your car’s sound.
Just bear in mind that some of them might require extra modifications, but that’s about it.