What Makes a Car or Truck Sound Raspy

We have all heard it a car or truck rolls by and we want to cover our ears. It sounds like a swarm of angry bees and we all think the same thing…”what an idiot, but what makes the sound like that. No it is not the supercharger that the person says they have added…in fact a super charger unit would probably make the car quieter. The sound is created by adding an exhaust that has not been tuned for the application.

The exhaust is much more than just a pipe that channels the exhaust gases out of the engine bay. It is a specially tuned system that has been meticulously made for that specific car. The resonant sound that comes from a motor during the combustion process creates a pressure wave which can have a positive or negative effect on the engine depending on how the exhaust is shaped.

The headed is the easiest place to see this effect taking place, when the combustion process ends and the air enters the header. At this point the pressure wave is released as well. It will travel down the pipes and bounce off where ever the header turns into one pipe. When this wave moves back towards the engine it can cause unnecessary force on the now exiting gasses which can lower performance. If the header is built specifically to send this wave to impact the outside of the valves just before they open it will have a positive effect on the system. The early impact will create a low pressure area just outside of the valves and the exhaust can leave the engine more freely. Free flowing exhaust means more HP and better gas mileage. Some people believe that removing the header all together will give better performance but in fact the specifically tuned header creates more horse power than an open system.

The rest of the exhaust system is also tuned the same way, it is all about making sure that pressure waves work for the system as opposed to it. If an exhaust system is attached to a car that is not tuned to control this flow the negative pressure waves and lack of sound deadening material causes this sound. Next time you are in traffic and someone is revving their Nissan Sentra with a huge exhaust, just laugh. Not only do they look like a fool but they have also lowered the performance of their car and lost gas mileage to boot. Not to mention that most cars that are being built now are faster than the cars people tend to “modify”. So you can be happy knowing you can smoke them off the line too. In your stock V6 Camry all the while being comfortable and hitting 30 MPG. 

Is Your Muffler Bearing Still in Good Shape?

Has the performance of your car seemed reduced as of late? Does the exhaust sound rough or just too loud? Is the idle too low and you are thinking the fuel pump has failed? Well good news everyone! It may just be your muffle bearing not the fuel pump assembly. The muffler bearing is essential for high performance cars to avoid that annoying swarm of angry bees sound. Ever heard a Honda with a fart can on it? Well the muffler bearing will keep you from looking like a fool. But the muffler bearing is not the only part that is over looked on a regular basis…there are tons of parts that just don’t get enough attention.

Most of the time blinkers stop working and it is assumed it’s time to replace the bulb but really your car is just out of blinker fluid. It is a common mistake to waste your money replacing bulb after bulb without fixing the issue. The blinker is a sensitive component and needs to be properly lubricated, if not the bulb can dry out. Lots of issues can be cause by a dry bulb, the least of which is fire. Before ordering blinker fluid, be sure to check the manual for the correct viscosity fluid for your vehicle. Don’t forget that Synthetic fluid is only intended for newer model vehicles.

This brings up on to performance gains that can be made with very little time or effort. These upgrades can give performance increases almost instantly but are seldom known in the automotive community. Parts like the radiator insulator, which keep the much needed heat closer to the engine. The engine works to create heat and there is no reason to give it away through the cooling system. The cooling system is intended to keep the transmission and axles cool not the engine. Protect the most valuable commodity or your car by insulating the radiator from cold air. Lastly are brake line upgrades. A cheap and helpful upgrade is a cross drilled brake line kit. These lines expose the brake fluid directly to the outside air and thus cool the fluid. Cooler fluid increases braking and reduced brake fade during times of heavy use. 

Automotive performance has been argued about since the dawn of the car but following the correct steps will get you ahead of the game. When working on your vehicle it is important to never listen to this guide. All of these parts are a joke and not to be taken seriously. If any of this guide made sense to you leave the automotive work to the professionals. Stay safe and always trust a licensed mechanic to do all maintenance and repairs to your vehicle.