Before you press play, make sure to turn up the volume on the YouTube box first.
I'll tell you what I think of photographer Kurt's removal of the "fun plug" from our 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo GSR: It sucks. I hadn't read the post where he said he removed it because he likes loud cars. So I took it home last night because I like its modded discreetness, and now that it doesn't have a wing it's even stealthier. But then while I was stuck in rush-hour traffic, I couldn't help but think, "Am I crazy or did the GSR get louder?" And then every time I had to start from a stop, surrounded by other annoyed commuters, the GSR revved loudly like it was gunning for a drag race. The other drivers looked at me as if to say "WTF?"
Later, J to the K, the editor responsible for this Project Evo, told me what that mischievous Kurt did. Greaaat. And once again I felt like I was driving a cop magnet. They all looked at the car like it was trouble. But I think that my being behind its wheel is what saved me from getting pulled over.
I hate the sort of attention this loud car attracts: angry neighbors, suspicious cops and F&F wanna-bes who think I'm trying to start something with them. I just want to drive a fun, fast car and have people underestimate it at the stoplights. Heh.
BTW, there's a stationary rev limiter built in from the factory, and that's what you hear in the video.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 22,743 miles
nealibob says:
11:20 AM, 06/24/09
It really does have a wicked sounding idle. I like it, but yes, I would not want to drive something that loud on a regular basis.
jzcarr25 says:
11:24 AM, 06/24/09
That thing sounds terrible! Its like a John Deere tractor at idle
mazdaspeed_jon says:
11:25 AM, 06/24/09
LOVE IT! That idle just sounds so mean. I love the sound of straight-piped turbo cars!
crowb says:
11:38 AM, 06/24/09
God awful racket.
indy_mistert says:
11:41 AM, 06/24/09
"louder *is* better"
- j garcia
(but I definitely wouldnt want to risk it in Ca)
wahsingku says:
11:46 AM, 06/24/09
wow it actually does sound like crap... but all big exhaust 4 bangers sound that way. Now a straight piped inline 6? THAT sounds mean.
waevox says:
11:50 AM, 06/24/09
Yeah, it does sound like crap. But it also sounds fast, which makes it sound amazing.
crowb says:
11:57 AM, 06/24/09
I just realized it sounds like a chain saw...or my weed eater.
Yes, my weed eater is very fast.
nealibob says:
12:05 PM, 06/24/09
Chainsaw, yes! I knew it sounded very familiar, but I couldn't place it. It actually sounds a lot like the Stihl 088 (a nice little saw with a 115cc engine that can handle a 6' bar), but of course this is being distorted by YouTube so who knows?
indy_mistert says:
12:14 PM, 06/24/09
touches on my doubts w/ online video clips...
the recording is about as good as the mic
I need to get into some $$ so I can start recording fine car sounds with an excellent rig ;)
edubya says:
02:17 PM, 06/24/09
The car now sounds embarrassingly awful.
jm1212 says:
02:24 PM, 06/24/09
i think i threw up a little.
tshoe says:
02:24 PM, 06/24/09
That sounds like Ars! My old Celica sounded like that...when my muffler got a big hole in it. A nicely tuned exhaust is what I prefer, with little burble perhaps. No mower sounds for me thanks.
sherief says:
03:10 PM, 06/24/09
OK, now post a video of the M3 revving to make up for this..
uncanny_man says:
03:31 PM, 06/24/09
My gosh, that thing sounds like a weed-whacker! Can no one dissociate sound quality from volume anymore!?
brdmn says:
03:31 PM, 06/24/09
That sounds awesome! I've got the Perrin exhaust on my Apex Silver GSR that doesn't sound nearly as good. Thanks for the post!
carguy622 says:
03:33 PM, 06/24/09
uncanny_man: Good point.
kurtamaxxxguy says:
04:02 PM, 06/24/09
Sounds like a combination of a Model T and someone with mega gas problems.
Perhaps it would be best to give the boy racers that EVO for a week, and let 'em enter some racing events in S.Calif to see if he can win something?
Or christen it a Cruise car and (if still allowed) rev along Sunset on weekends?
Meanwhile, good idea to stay away from Oregon with that thing for they have noise ordinances up here.
rick8365 says:
04:27 PM, 06/24/09
Like the idle.
subytrojan says:
05:09 PM, 06/24/09
The Evo sounds pretty bad (not "bad" as in good either).
My car sounds just like this (EJ205 with Prodrive axleback muffler).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Urpx_kDFpU
kurt_ says:
05:47 PM, 06/24/09
It sounds MUCH better in person. I dig it.
datboijon says:
06:12 PM, 06/24/09
sounds just like many other cam'd up four bangers. has a good sound just not for a daily driver
misterfusion says:
09:48 PM, 06/24/09
What's sad is that it probably won't be Kurt who gets a ticket from an unamused law enforcement officer. Hopefully Boss Edmunds will at least deduct the fine from his paycheck. ;)
I would say that removing the muffler disc was a totally adolescent move on Kurt's part...except that when I was an adolescent I STILL thought that only d-bags liked cars that sounded like this.
church123 says:
11:24 PM, 06/24/09
As I tell my customers, you don't have to be loud to make power. I understand the desire to occasionally make some noise, kinda like cranking the stereo up on your favorite song and pissing off the neighbors, but you're not gaining any power and you're not doing the rest of the car enthusiast population any favors.
Tell you what, why not purchase an electrically operated cut out? Have it welded in place where the cutout disc normally goes (any good welder/fabricator can do it for less than $200, probably a lot less). Then you can put a switch on the dash so the d-bags in the office can act like 16 year olds and the rest of the people can enjoy the car.
indy_mistert says:
06:09 AM, 06/25/09
people take sh!t so damn seriously - I wouldnt want a daily driver that sounded like that, but I also wouldnt want to live in a police state like Ca or Or (j/k a bit on that, take it with a grain of salt).
church123, would you explain what sort of (power) differences might be experiences with this exhaust in its two variations (unplugged vs plugged)?
on a purely visual level, it would drive me nuts to have an obviously dummy exhaust tip. I'd probably carry around a little metal polish and would constantly be cleaning the active/dirty side.
cheers!
t
fuhteng says:
07:43 AM, 06/25/09
Thank you church. That is what I would like to do to my G8 GT... except that it has that AFM so I can't make it make noise without it being awful.
autoboy16 says:
07:50 AM, 06/25/09
NOW the "burb blurb blurb" post makes sense! Wow, that thing is loud! Too loud for me. Its almost coffee can exhaust sounding...
argosreality says:
08:49 AM, 06/25/09
Sounds like my weed wacker. Horrible
church123 says:
08:32 PM, 06/25/09
Indy, check the Evo X GSR long term posts. JK did a dyno comparison. Uncorked vs. corked netted about 5 more hp IIRC. Unnoticeable to the butt dyno. It was instrumental in helping me choose an exhaust for my X. I chose the Ultimate Racing dual setup which is available with an extra center muffler. It is louder than stock, but when cruising it is not objectionable and in daily driving you don't attract unwanted attention. Plus, it picked up plenty of power too. Yeah, it didn't save the extra 10-15 lbs you do with a single, but on a 3500 lbs car.....
Fuhteng, you can disable the AFM if you want. GM ECUs are very easy to program and tune using tools like EFILive or HP Tuners.
sherief says:
10:56 AM, 06/26/09
That is the worst sounding car I've ever heard...
Yet that's Okay, and the tasteful deck spoiler is obnoxious...
WTF
stingray454 says:
12:50 PM, 06/26/09
This is what I love about the Corsa Indy's on my Z06: at idle, and on the highway in 6th gear (.e. low revs) the exhaust sounds almost stock, and relatively quiet even. But rev it, and it gets LOUD. It scares the crap out of people sometimes because they're not expecting it to be that loud with such a tame idle.