How loud is open headers?

-
myasylum

myasylum

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2008
Messages
1,740
Reaction score
4
Location
Las Vegas, NV
I'm not going to be able to do the exhaust myself once I install my headers, so I have to take it in to an exhaust shop. I was planning on just having it towed, and my friend says... "Just drive it down there". I told him... "Are you insane!"
According to him it shouldn't be a big deal because I'd just be driving to the exhaust shop anyway, so even If I would get pulled over I could just simply explain that.
To me... I just don't think that's a great idea. I like in a small city, but it is a city, and I don't want to be shattering windows! (Well not literally, but you know what I mean... I do have neighbors!)

What do you think? Just drive it downtown with open headers, or just be safe and have the car towed?

Thanks!
 
just drive it! I drove mine down to the muffler shop and it was from my city to a complete different city and the muffler shop was downtown. I did this twice. The first time with open headers and the second time when I put manifolds back on it. Save some money on the tow. And its kinda fun rollin around with open exhaust
:burnout:

just my .02
 
The local constabulary probably wouldn't dig it too much. You may be able to get away with sticking a couple feet of pipe behind the headers to tame it down (as long as you go easy on the throttle). Even better would be to borrow a set of header glasspacks for the trip.
 
it is only loud while you have your foot in it....ease up on the gas and it gets alot quieter....

or if you see a cop...click the ignition and coast...
 
i drove a big block mercury cougar thru denver for a week and didnt even get pulled over. the neighbors started gettin mad when i got home late lol but one time thru town wont hurt anything and it is fun. my girlfriend was pretty pissed lol. the smell and sound after a hour on the hiway she was done lol. we stoped and waited a while before turning back lol
 
If your worried about the sound get a small elbow pipe and figure out a way to drive it or poke some small pipes out the back bumper by some duck tape lol. I would to open heads. I got a friend with a stroked to 421 small in a chevy. Its a race car and I'm sure he would run out of fuel before even being pulled over.
 
A long time ago I had a z28 camaro (excuse my language lol ).... I drove it open headers for a good year....everyone in my neighborhood hated me lol, I even had neighbors beg me to let them pay for exhaust on my car.....anyways, as said before,it is the loudest when your on the gas.

It all depends on what kind of headers you have too...I had long tubes on the car I am talking about which still gave me back pressure so I did not mind driving it.

However, alot of guys will agree and disagree but with shorty or midlength headers, you are not supposed to drive open headers beacuase of no back pressure and you can cause some problems.

I would so much worry about it if your only makeing a short drive and your not beating it on the way there.

Either way,good luck
 
Just drive it there open headers. I drove mine down, and it was loud as hell, but pretty cool. Even got some thumbs up from people in their vehicles.
 
mormanman said:
If your worried about the sound get a small elbow pipe and figure out a way to drive it or poke some small pipes out the back bumper by some duck tape lol. I would to open heads. I got a friend with a stroked to 421 small in a chevy. Its a race car and I'm sure he would run out of fuel before even being pulled over.
Click to expand...



are you a member of the evbc club? nice to se another early cuda owner out there! jeff 1965 barracuda, 340 with approx 500+ horses, 727 reverse manual valve body trans, 8 3/4 rear with 456 gears.
 
drive it there!!!!!!!! i drove mine a couple times with no exhaust. it is fun but it kind of gets annoying after a while. i like cruising around with exhaust, though it ain't that much quieter.
 
Maybe its just me but I swear every vehicle I ever had that I fired up with open headers got the cops called before I ever even left the driveway. I even walked around the corner of my garage in a unnamed Chi-Town suburb to find a .45 pointed at my head. For a noise violation..... Chi-town cops are cool, Sub-Urban punks wannabees are not and this is from a relative of a Chi town cop. I also got busted multiple times for header glass packs but I had receipts from my buddy at a muffler shop and walked every time. Of course they mucked with me for mulitple tickets for 3, 4or 5 over. I finally moved. :)

It's not worth it. Spend the 50 bucks and get it towed. Like someone said about doing burnouts in front of their house, "Don't Poop Where You Live". You're young yet. Don't screw yourself as they will remember that car. It's yellow right? :)

I don't want to sound like an old fart but I can only hope that someone can learn from my mistakes. An older grayish guy like me might be able to get away with it but you're cannon fodder.

Better yet, let me follow you and I'll try to fend off the peckerheads. You helped me by walking the dogs, let me help you by walking your pet to muffler shop, lol. I'll even show up in court for you. Doesn't mean you won't have to pay a fine but at least you'll have back up.

Ah! Better yet, a two wheel rental and I'll tow you to the muffler shop with the RC. :)

****, just realized it wasn't tyler, lol. WI would be a long drive.....
 
Just for fun since I have copper collector gaskets, I'd be happy to give you a movie of a before and after....... :) Plus I'm bored anyway and it'll give me something to do. Let me know if you're interested.
 
well my freind has a 01 z28 befor we put pipes on it we drove it around all day never got pulld over and wen i put my 360 in my duster i drove it around with out a hood for like a weak never got pulled over and another time my frend and i towed a junk car home to my house with a chane and some pipe on the road i would try it man :)
 
inkjunkie said:
i am interested......have at it Joe.....
Click to expand...

Cool! Thanks for the excuse, lol. I'll do it tomorrow and we'll see if we can wake up the hood. :-D

a-bodytom said:
well my freind has a 01 z28 befor we put pipes on it we drove it around all day never got pulld over and wen i put my 360 in my duster i drove it around with out a hood for like a weak never got pulled over and another time my frend and i towed a junk car home to my house with a chane and some pipe on the road i would try it man :)
Click to expand...

I swear I must be the unluckiest guy on the road. I always got busted even with glass packs. It must be the "tune" I put on my motors, lol. :-D
 
Try talking to the local fuzz and see what happens. Here you can go to the local State Police detachment and get what is called a one way trip permit which allows you to drive almost anything that will stop and has brake lights to a repair facility. If your local cops still want to be pricks about it, you would be amazed at how much a couple layers of window screen wire hose clamped over the collectors will knock the noise down.
 
Ya `no.... With all the little zipperheads running around with 8 million watts stereos blasting that Hip-Hop crap I'd think open headers would be a welcome change.

Drive the damn thing.... it's part of Hot-Rod ownership. Get pulled over and it's a badge of honor. 8)

Personally, I'm trying to justify the expense of electric exhaust cut-outs so I can rattle un-suspecting zipperheads at stop lights. :thebirdm:
 
if you are really worried stuff steel wool up the collectors and run wire criss cross across the bolt holes so it doesnt blow out. this will suppress a significant amount of the noise. I do this when moving race cars around the house.just dont hammer on it or you,ll blow it out.
 
DRIVE IT !!! thats what im doing when mt car is ready for exaust i dont care how loud it is i willl explain to a cop if i am pulled over that im goin to have a exaust put on right now but no big deal we have car and trucks that sound like toliet bowls and that are loud and anoyyning so who cares its only one time
 
depends how far the shop is. if pulled over your getting a ticket no matter what you tell the cop. its loud and annoying but if its not too far i would drive it.
 
I perosnally would do it because I would take it easy on the gas and I pretty much know back road routes to get to places where I am from and we do not have as strict of laws as some places.

BUT,depending on where you are from....you could be looking at alot more then a noise violation,you could get in trouble for violation of emissions laws.
 
Invest in a pair of the quietest mufflers you can get and have collector adapters welded/bolted on. (Bolt-on, and you can change collector size.) I have a pair I use for any new engine on a car w/ no exhaust. If there's a noise in the engine on fire-up, you'll hear it, and will be less likely to ruin a new engine. I've had mine for 15 years.
Also, as Ramcharger said, your neighbors will be less likely to remember you for the wrong reason... A neighbor's baby could be sleeping, someone could be ill, etc. It's all about respect.
I know the real reason is that every hot rodder likes to hear his/her car w/o mufflers, you can't fool an old fool!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top