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PaperclipPerfector  2mo ago (text post)   3041 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for June 21, 2024

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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I greatly understand interior comfort and somewhat understand the pride of owning an aesthetic car, but paying to make the car sound better is a completely foreign concept to me. Why would I care what the car sounds like, as long as it isn’t an annoying sound?

There's already a response below suggesting what is admittedly the most common reason for a new exhaust - crappy ricer subculture signaling. There's more to it than that:

  • The default exhaust setup on a vehicle, especially in Europe, makes enormous compromises in performance to meet sound and emissions laws. Engines are better than they've ever been, and also more neutered from the factory.
  • It should be reasonable to experience the machine you've purchased through more than one sense. The difference between low and high end dining is often the presentation.

My car's engine is considered one of the best ever made, but the default mufflers make it inaudible. Some people simply cut the mufflers off to overwhelm the generous soundproofing of the car, but I spent some extra money on a dedicated replacement with still-strong mufflers. I can control how much sound it makes by how I drive, because when I'm cruising on the highway or slinking out in the morning there's no need for it.

It’s about signaling to a specific subculture organized around cars in a specific way. Be it the rice burner subculture, the hot rodding subculture, whatever.

Frequently you can tell these guys because they have their Instagram handles on their car windows; having their cars modified in a certain way is high status in that subculture, and so they advertise its association with them, personally.

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