Tin Cans

Since I was a little kid, I have always liked loud cars. I liked them initially because I though loud was cool, but as I got older loud usually meant power. Anytime you hear a supercar, it always has a loud and unique exhaust note, and that goes for any performance car.

The reason that cars are loud is because of the design of the exhaust system. A tuned performance exhaust will allow the engine to breathe more easily, so that more air can flow in and out of the car and produce more power because the engine is not choked up on itself. To really get your engine to breath, you need a full pipe set up and a muffler. But one of the most popular ways to increase airflow in an average car is to get a new muffler. Some people get them for their car to be better, some people don’t really get why serious people get them in the first place.

I’m talking about tin can mufflers. If you don’t know what I mean, the nest time you hear a Honda Civic sound like an airplane will be your cue.

As far as I can tell tuners are the most susceptible to these devices or ear destruction.

I naturally turn my head in any direction that I hear a loud car on the off and increasingly less chance that I will see a really nice car. But ninety nine percent of the time it will be a tuner just going ten miles an hour. I personally find this obnoxious and really annoying to the general public.

The Difference

As I explained before, mufflers improve airflow of your car. Tin cans do that only to a very small extent. The main reason why they are so useless is because of the design.

You might think that because the foot diameter pipe, it should allow a ton of air to get out of the car. Which is does very well but also produces a main problem, in the form of noise. If you’ve taken a physics class you could realize that this is a problem.

Sound is a form of energy, therefor the more that your car produces the more energy it as losing due to sound. So why do performance made cars sound so loud? Because there is a certain area in which the prime sound to performance ratio lives for each car. Formula one cars have their exhausts so perfected, that they are cut to a specific length and made for a specific diameter to give maximum efficiency for the engine. If your car can support them, a full pipe set can give you easily up to twenty more horses.

Tin cans don’t do that for your car they only add the last part which in this case happens to be a sound machine, not a real power maker.

So why get them in the first place?

Beats me you’re asking the wrong guy. But I can take a swing at it.

Personally I am a fan of the muscle car on which America is known for. I like performance exhaust because I know what it can do and how it helps a car, but I don’t get tin cans.

Basically I think people get them is because it’s the culture of the cars, not the heritage of the cars.

Muscle cars have always and will always be loud. I’m not saying people with muscle cars don’t get cans (which in some cases is very VERY true). But when you do see cans it’s on mostly Japanese and foreign cars like Toyotas, Hondas, and Infiniti’s even. Nissans now to are becoming more can susceptible. Possibly because those cars can’t really be upgraded all that much to begin with, so giving them have a specific exhaust creates a unique aspect of the car. People always love loud things to so they can get noticed by other car people. Il give it to them, some of the tuners I’ve heard can have a really good sound, until I see the car and then I’m disappointed it’s not something more interesting.

Here’s my point: it’s the cars nature to be loud. With a car such a mustang or Camaro, you can really do something with the power because of the engine. Sure you can put a turbo on a Honda, but that really won’t do much.

It’s true I’m very critical of the tuners and their tin cans. But what it really comes down to an understanding of the culture that the car lives in and the people that drive them. Customizing a car is the American way. Have you ever been in a car shop to get something? They have so many products from steering wheel covers to paint decals, the possibilities are endless on what you can do. But tin cans just piss me off and hopefully the general public, but I can’t be that mad. My Mustang is pretty loud. The difference is I have a reason.