Any Empirical Data out there on Exhaust Sound Levels?

[iamnotgroot]

Does anyone have any empirical data that show sound pressure levels in dB (i.e., loudness) inside the cabin for various exhaust systems available for STs? There are lots of very good and useful posts comparing the various manufacturers' systems and anecdotal commentary about how loud they are once installed, but I'm curious if anyone has measured with an SPL meter or smartphone app like Decibel X. I'm interested in an exhaust system upgrade, but I do a lot of driving for work and am on phone calls often while driving and occasionally have colleagues or clients ride with me, so "too loud" is a low bar. What is or isn't "too loud" isn't something anyone else can determine for me, but measurements in dB would go a long way.

TIA.

 

[Cdubya]

If you use handsfree calling a lot, and especially for work, I'd nix the whole idea of an aftermarket exhaust. It would be good to have SPL numbers but even without one, just about all aftermarket systems make considerably more noise than stock...otherwise they probably wouldn't sell.

 

[F=MA]

I have had four different exhaust systems installed on my 2020 ST. These include OEM, Borla S Type, Magnaflow #19515 and currently the Thermal R&D exhaust. My wife commented she does not hear me coming home and pulling into the garage with the current Thermal R&D. So if you plan to surprise your cheating ass wife park down the block with the Borla and Magnaflow. The OEM and Borla are 2.25 inch systems. The Magnaflow and Thermal are 2.5 inch systems. No drone with the OEM, Borla or Thermal. Drone on the highwat near 2000 rpm with the Magnaflow. You have to shift to 8th gear to increase the rpm's to kill the drone. Borla and Thermal are constructed out of 304 stainless steel which will resist rust better. Magnaflow is mainly 409 stainless steel that can get some minor surface rust around the welds mainly. To me the quad 4.5 black chrome tail pipe ends of the Magnaflow look the best and I loved the Borla tips when I had them. The OEM exhaust is pretty cheezy looking with the downturned discharge so it came off quick and sits in the basement. The ideal exhaust would be Thermal R&D with Magnaflow tips. Others say screw all that and spend $3000 to $4000 having a custom 3 inch exhaust constructed from scratch. If you add SPD or Fenfab downpipes to the mix you may end up with a louder exhaust system than you want. So for me the Thermal R&D is the overall winner being quiet, 2.5 inches and constructed of 304 stainless steel. I believe there is a new in the box Thermal exhaust for sale on this forum right now otherwise you will have to order it from Whoosh Motorsports and wait a while as they are built in batches and I believe the new prices are going to increase.

 

[iamnotgroot]

If you use handsfree calling a lot, and especially for work, I'd nix the whole idea of an aftermarket exhaust. It would be good to have SPL numbers but even without one, just about all aftermarket systems make considerably more noise than stock...otherwise they probably wouldn't sell.

Yeah, this is in line with my current thinking. Finding something that makes it sound better but increases loudness by no more than say 10% is probably a pipe dream (pun intended).

 

[iamnotgroot]

I have had four different exhaust systems installed on my 2020 ST. These include OEM, Borla S Type, Magnaflow #19515 and currently the Thermal R&D exhaust. My wife commented she does not hear me coming home and pulling into the garage with the current Thermal R&D. So if you plan to surprise your cheating ass wife park down the block with the Borla and Magnaflow. The OEM and Borla are 2.25 inch systems. The Magnaflow and Thermal are 2.5 inch systems. No drone with the OEM, Borla or Thermal. Drone on the highwat near 2000 rpm with the Magnaflow. You have to shift to 8th gear to increase the rpm's to kill the drone. Borla and Thermal are constructed out of 304 stainless steel which will resist rust better. Magnaflow is mainly 409 stainless steel that can get some minor surface rust around the welds mainly. To me the quad 4.5 black chrome tail pipe ends of the Magnaflow look the best and I loved the Borla tips when I had them. The OEM exhaust is pretty cheezy looking with the downturned discharge so it came off quick and sits in the basement. The ideal exhaust would be Thermal R&D with Magnaflow tips. Others say screw all that and spend $3000 to $4000 having a custom 3 inch exhaust constructed from scratch. If you add SPD or Fenfab downpipes to the mix you may end up with a louder exhaust system than you want. So for me the Thermal R&D is the overall winner being quiet, 2.5 inches and constructed of 304 stainless steel. I believe there is a new in the box Thermal exhaust for sale on this forum right now otherwise you will have to order it from Whoosh Motorsports and wait a while as they are built in batches and I believe the new prices are going to increase.

Veddy interesting about the Thermal R&D and your wife's comments related thereto. I'm going to give that some thought. I love the way the Borla tips look and everything else being equal I'd probably go that route. I read somewhere else that someone added some resonators to the Borla system to make it quieter. When you took the Borla off, was it because it was too loud or just to see if you liked the tone of the others better? Or some other reason I'm not thinking of?

 

[F=MA]

The Borla is a partial (excludes mid pipes) 2.25 inch system. The Magnaflow is a full length 2.5 inch system with a deeper tone. Less back pressure in a full length 2.5 inch system. Good if you thinking of performance improvements down the road.