Does a loud car get respect?
 

When the average joe pulls next to Mustang with exhaust work and the car is louder than normal, do you think people say "Cool! That sounds nice"...

or do you think they get annoyed like if they pulled next to a car with a loud stereo playing BASS all loud and distorded?

I think it really all depends, if it's a Honda that pulls up next to you and it has a loud fart pipe, I give it no respect because it's just annoying. But if another stang pulls up and you hear the car sounds nice, and you can tell it is mean sounding and most likely has power I'll give it respect.
As for the sound system, if you have distortion I give no respect because obviously you gotta a crappy sound system and your attempt to impress me is not working. If the sound system sounds clean and clear he'll get my respect regardless the car.

Personally, I couldnt care less about a sound system... as for exhaust...if it SOUNDS mean.. then it better run like it sounds..
big cam, 1 chamber flows and stock 2.73 gears and I'll laugh you off the road ;-)

I usually get 2 different responses. I get alot of thumbs up and people looking with smiles on thier faces, that is cool! Then I get the other response, kids holding thier ears and people looking with a grimace. It depends on the person and if they like performance. I don't think its like having a loud distorted stereo with lots of bass, those guys are just trying to be offensive.

I think there is a level of appreciation for louder than stock cars. Of course there is a threshold where it just gets nasty, even on a nice sounding V8 car (IMO anyways). A quiet, fast car probably won't get near the respect a fast, loud car will. I like a nice balance, somewhere in the middle.

I was gonna say something, but you took everything I wanted to say (and said it quite well, if I may add) :)

Moreover, if a guy next to me has a louder than stock exhaust system to where it sounds like a lightly (or more) modded car (stang), that person is kinda sorta inviting me to a race-- if circumstances are right, I will oblige.

What if the Mustang ran low 14's but sounded like it ran low 13's, would you think that's dumb or would you still respect it?

Hey thanks Fox Body and I know what ya mean. Those situations are exactly why I modded my car:D

Try Me, I always turn the stereo down when I see another mustang(or camaro/firebird/vette) to see how it sounds and try to tell what he/she has or the level of mods. I'm not gonna disrespect anyone and a good sounding car is always nice. If you're cocky at a light though... you better have 'something' to back it up:D. I absolutely love to run someone who 'thinks' they are bad***, other than that... its all in good fun.:)

GREAT QUESTION!!!! I'm anxious to hear the answer!!!!!:D

I agree too w/ EVERTHING RBATSON said!!!! Before i was into cars I would look at people w/ louder than stock exaust and people that lay tracks at the stop light like they are idiots and a dork...now I look at them differently w/ respect..I guess cuz now i'm one of those dorks too!!! hahahahaha :cool:
The louder exaust definetely gets more attention. I found that since I put in the SVO side exaust, it gets ALOT more attention too than when i had the flows w/ the rear exauhst!!! Good or bad??? I guess it depends on whose looking at it!!

Ya, i hate the loud bassy soundsystem...that to ME is annoying! IMO of corse!:p

Louder isn't always faster
 

Louder doesn't always mean faster, as we all know.

I've always liked a fairly loud exhaust but not something that sounds like an old dump truck with a busted muffler, as some 'muscle cars' tend to when they go too far with exhaust noise.

Like rbatson, when I hear a loud exhaust on the street, especially on another 'Stang, I open the window and try to gauge what kind of power the car has. Often, it sounds like a one-chamber Flowmaster, 3" pipes and an H-pipe on a basically stock 5.0. Pathetic. Sometimes though, it sounds like an 11-second car, which of course I respect.

Either way, it's cool if it runs quick but again, I like an exhaust that isn't just a roar but has some tone to it and of course, the power to back up the sound, otherwise, it's not much better than some ricemobile with a fart can on the back.

Hollow exhaust popcorn machine sound = no respect.
Just plain loud = no respect.
Reserved Rumble = respect.
Loud rumble with a modified engine = respect.
Any exhuast mixed with low melodic howl under the hood = respect. LOL.

this spring i'm putting a mac h pipe(2.5)
and a 2.5" mac catback with 2 chamber mufflers
do you guys think this is 2 much for my stock car..

I think that's just about perfect.

ok thx for the answer fox body
i was just gonna go with dumps (money resons) but after reading this i reconsidered

Rage_5.0, 2.5 off road pipes will sound even better, and don't just jump at the 2 chambers, listen to the MAC'c, they are very inpressive. I have a 2.5 Off Road and Mac pro dumps, hella awsome sound that draws respect, lots of questions, and lots of drool. Light Em Up!!!:)

Any V8 Stang with an exhaust sounds mean, especially with flowmasters!!! The sound of a mustang alone is good enough reason to purchase one!!! I think the way a car sounds earns it respect. Mr.riceboy would sh1t his pants if a stang reved at him, and would be more prone to run a more quiet LS1 thats just as fast or faster in alot of cases. So sound dose earn a car respect, i wish mine sounded LOUDER....

I agree with most people here that say loudness alone doesn't earn respect. If you hear a bigger cam and can tell it's geared and has a high stall converter on an auto, then you have to give it a little respect. I think 5.0 Mustangs sound really good with Flowmasters and 2.5" exhaust, it's just that EVERYONE has that. I have full length headers, 2.5" pipes, and cheap Thrush glasspacks on my car with 3" chrome 45 degree tips. It's loud, but at an idle, it sounds awesome. It's not too loud, the idle is actually fairly quiet, it rumbles, and has a very deep tone. When you step on it and hit about 3500 RsPM then it gets a little louder, but not obnoxiously loud. I'd say it's in the middle third of the loudness scale. At the very top of the middle third though.:D

I have 1 3/4" w3"collector long tube headers, 3" dr gas x pipe, 3" 3 chamber flowmasters with dumps and it sounds great but it is still a little too loud. I want to get something a little more quite and I am thinking about getting the mac 3" pipes and 3" mufflers and run it out the back. It is just too loud for me because I don't want people to know what I have. I have tried the 1 chamber 3" flowmasters and OMG it was loud. I liked the way it sounded but it was way too loud, by the time you get where you are going your head is numb;) .
I love it when I hear a good sounding car and I do give it respect and I get a lot of complements on mine but I guess it depends on whom you are. The little old lady in the next car to me holding her ears and trying to roll up the windows with her elbows probably does not respect it as much as I do.

I have a big cam and a 3400 stall and you can defiantly hear it when I accelerate.

Strictly exhaust? No way. Now, if I can hear a lopey cam, or the hinted whine of a gear drive or a blower, that earns my respect. Any "knows-nothing" kid can screw with his exhaust and get lucky. I did. I cut the pipes off after the mufflers on my '69 SS, and it sounded KILLER, but owning a hacksaw and guessing where to cut should not have earned me any respect. But 5 years later when I built my first daily driver street race engine was when I feel I deserved and earned some respect.

I actually find most cars with a loud exhaust annoying because it is rarely a well tuned engine combo that is creating it. Maybe 25% of the time it's "worthy", the rest of the time, it's noise. I'm actually most impressed with the quiet ones. It's alot harder to build a fast car with a quiet exhaust. Those always earn my highest respect. The ones that really bug me (sorry folks) are the posers. Like the Civic with the NOS stickers, a stocker with a loud exhaust is someone who is just pretending, and pretending doesn't earn my respect.

Take care,
-Chris