Exhaust Noise - Sport Tuned Dual Exhaust vs Akropovic

2398 Views 25 Replies 20 Participants Last post by ViscontiVerde164L, 11 d ago

keenmachine

Discussion Starter · 12 mo ago

Hi all, I'm in the market for a new vehicle and the 4c is on my short list.

One question I had was regarding the noise levels of the different exhaust options.

Exactly how bad in terms of noise & drone is the muffler delete option (Sport Tuned Dual Exhaust) vs the Akrapovic.

I'm trying to balance my own enjoyment vs being 'that guy' driving an obnoxiously loud vehicle, waking up neighbors, etc which has me kind of leaning towards the Akrapovic option to be able to control the noise level... but maybe I'm overestimating how loud the car would be with a muffler delete. Hard to say without having seen/heard one in person.

Hoping some owners may be able to chime in. Any issues/complaints for those of you with the muffler delete option? If you could do it again would you prefer to go with the Akrapovic?

1 - 20 of 26 Posts

Arek1123

· #2 · 12 mo ago

Having owned both, the biggest plus of the Akra is being able to go quiet when you need to (IE sneaking back into the driveway at 4am without waking anyone up). Sound wise, definitely prefer the factory race exhaust. It’s also quiet enough to carry on a normal conversation at highway speeds

Reactions: 3

goldmax

· #3 · 12 mo ago

In N mode the race exhaust is bearable at cruising speed 60 or 70mph, go into D mode though and the car tends to keep in 5th gear and it's noisy in the cab.

Reactions: 1

chester

· #4 · 12 mo ago

I have the race muffler (no muffler). I love it- at any speed. On the days I go to the gym at 5:00 AM I take one of my quieter cars. None of my cars are quiet-they are just a bit quieter than the 4C.

Reactions: 2

Mahjik

· #5 · 12 mo ago

The Akropovic exhaust is going to be the more civilized between the two. However, it can be tricking trying to find the right combination of 4C options in a small market (unless you have a sizeable budget). There are several aftermarket exhausts for the car, so that is something that can be changed out if you start out with the dual exhaust.

Reactions: 3

alphaboy1

· #6 · 12 mo ago

Ah the memories watching old man farmer John stand their looking at me when i turned out of his road with the race exhaust trying to be quiet looking back as he was pounding his pitch fork in the ground next to him.

Reactions: 5

RKBerta

· #7 · 12 mo ago

Having heard both Akro and Race Exhaust (which I have).....I like the sound of the Race version over the Akro in open mode but not dramatic difference. If you want quiet the Akro is fine but remember that it is an expensive option and has had issues with sticking valve so you could get stuck in open or closed until it can be freed up. Also as far as I know you can't add the Akro to a car that wasn't equiped with it from the factory without some tweaks and i believe a reflash of the TCU. Personally I like the sound of the Race version and find it a bit higher pitched than the alternative after market brands. That to me is a bit more like what a sports car should sound like but personal preferrence. If you don't find an Akro equiped car and really want a mufler on the car there are good aftermarket options. Avoid the stock muffler version though....they haven't been noted for durability. The Race version is fine. Of the after market versions Magnaflo is probably the most popuiar. Magnaflo has a muffler delete and a muffler version which many Forum members have. I found the Magnaflo muffler delete version a bit louder and lower pitched than the Race exhaust. AlfaWorks has a really nice valved system but not sure if they are still selling them. Some have found the Race and aftermarket version sometimes has a bit of a drone at certain speeds. I never had that issue with mine. It is fine around town and when not pushing it....but when on the highway at speed or pushing the car it definely gets loud....so much so that a radio is pretty much useless. That is fine with me as I prefer the cars symphony over the radio ;-) But it might be bothersome to some people. Ear plugs are a solution on a long high speed ride if that is bothersome.

The actual construction of that rear part of the exhaust and maybe a muffler is pretty simple and some have just gone to a regular muffler shop and had a custom system built up from the mid pipe and out the back.

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Reactions: 1

Alfanut

· #8 · 12 mo ago

alphaboy1 said:
Ah the memories watching old man farmer John stand their looking at me when i turned out of his road with the race exhaust trying to be quiet looking back as he was pounding his pitch fork in the ground next to him.

We’ve seen that, hey @Alf Alpha .😂

Reactions: 2

Philster

· #9 · 12 mo ago

I have an LE, so have the no-mufflers exhaust (aka 'Race). I take early drives. It's my thing. 5 am and 6 am on weekends. 23,000 miles of driving, so here are some real-life issues:

I have lived in smaller communities (townhomes), and also fired it up in garages where the houses sat on 2 or 3+ acres, and one would need to take a decent walk to visit people the next house over or two houses over you might want a bike.

What mattered was the people -- not the development or neighborhood. What is the 'serenity level' where you live? I have lived in places where people wanted to murder the chirping birds, yet the sounds of jet engines and cars racing at 1 am didn't bother them.

Tractors, lawnmowers and trucks? Some areas, no one cared. Other areas, they'd murder you if it was the wrong time of day.

Race at cold start-up will high-idle for a minute. That's the 'oh, I can feel this is annoying someone' moments. It comes down and if you putter away softly, no worse than most clowns in their trucks, whose door slamming and tailgate slamming is definitely not winning any friends.

Read the room, as the saying goes. You know your neighborhood. The Race exhaust is loud by all standards. Edit to add: The rural area with homes acre-plus apart was the worst. Firing up the 4C just broke the calmness, but it also was doing so in pickup and SUV land, where you are making noise, but you're also not one of them. Nuances matter.

People love their Akros though.

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Reactions: 3

4Corsa

· #10 · 12 mo ago

I have the Akra and I keep it quiet when in my development, and then open it up once I get out.

The sound of the Akra I think is deeper than the race exhaust and it has the semi-exotic sound that comes from titanium.

Having driven both, I prefer the Akra.

Reactions: 5

ghosttrooper

· #11 · 12 mo ago

RKBerta said:
Personally I like the sound of the Race version and find it a bit higher pitched than the alternative after market brands. That to me is a bit more like what a sports car should sound like but personal preferrence.

I too prefer the high-pitched scream. I'll forever chase the ridiculous ripping noise of the Murcielago and Aventador.

Reactions: 3

tiger740

· #12 · 12 mo ago (Edited)

I have a '17 with the Akra exhaust and an LE with the race exhaust. I personally prefer the sound of the Akra. It sounds more refined and exotic from 3K rpm and up. The turbocharged 4-cylinder engine of the 4C does not rev high and will not produce the high-pitched sound of the flat-plane engine of Ferraris with 9K rpm. Coming from naturally aspirated engines with much higher rpm, it took me some time to get used to the bass-y tone / pops / whistles sound of the 4C. But it's unique and full of character.

Reactions: 2

Alfanut

· #13 · 12 mo ago

tiger740 said:
I have a '07 with the Akra exhaust and an LE with the race exhaust. I personally prefer the sound of the Akra. It sounds more refined and exotic from 3K rpm and up. The turbocharged 4-cylinder engine of the 4C does not rev high and will not produce the high-pitched sound of the flat-plane engine of Ferraris with 9K rpm. Coming from naturally aspirated engines with much higher rpm, it took me some time to get used to the bass-y tone / pops / whistles sound of the 4C. But it's unique and full of character.

Typo? ‘07 or ‘17? If a ‘07, a ‘07 what? 😉

Reactions: 2

tiger740

· #14 · 11 mo ago

Alfanut said:
Typo? ‘07 or ‘17? If a ‘07, a ‘07 what? 😉

LOL - great catch! I want to stop aging...

Reactions: 1

FLORO

· #15 · 11 mo ago

Philster said:
I have an LE, so have the no-mufflers exhaust (aka 'Race). I take early drives. It's my thing. 5 am and 6 am on weekends. 23,000 miles of driving, so here are some real-life issues:

I have lived in smaller communities (townhomes), and also fired it up in garages where the houses sat on 2 or 3+ acres, and one would need to take a decent walk to visit people the next house over or two houses over you might want a bike.

What mattered was the people -- not the development or neighborhood. What is the 'serenity level' where you live? I have lived in places where people wanted to murder the chirping birds, yet the sounds of jet engines and cars racing at 1 am didn't bother them.

Tractors, lawnmowers and trucks? Some areas, no one cared. Other areas, they'd murder you if it was the wrong time of day.

Race at cold start-up will high-idle for a minute. That's the 'oh, I can feel this is annoying someone' moments. It comes down and if you putter away softly, no worse than most clowns in their trucks, whose door slamming and tailgate slamming is definitely not winning any friends.

Read the room, as the saying goes. You know your neighborhood. The Race exhaust is loud by all standards. Edit to add: The rural area with homes acre-plus apart was the worst. Firing up the 4C just broke the calmness, but it also was doing so in pickup and SUV land, where you are making noise, but you're also not one of them. Nuances matter.

People love their Akros though.

I was expecting trouble with my cars noise when we moved here but I then found out a lot of people in this community have a sports car (even the postman has a Lotus) and many of those who don’t have been deaf for years so aren’t unduly disturbed.

The new all Ti system is great. The CAT passed the emissions test and the noise is only slightly louder.
The sound is brighter with a few more details I never heard before. Harmonics maybe.
More noticeable is the response and power. Definitely feels more free revving and snappy.

Reactions: 1

4c spider

· #16 · 26 d ago

I think the stock exhaust is pretty quiet on my 2018
spider

Alfanut

· #17 · 26 d ago

4c spider said:
I think the stock exhaust is pretty quiet on my 2018
spider

He was last seen on the forum six months ago. (His last post was the opening post on this thread.) I wonder how keen @keenmachine was to get a 4C? It’d be nice if he called back to tell us the outcome of his search. Then again, maybe the absence is telling enough.

Matthew

· #18 · 26 d ago

4c spider said:
I think the stock exhaust is pretty quiet on my 2018
spider

Stock meaning race or standard?

4c spider

· #19 · 26 d ago

Standard (Edited by Alfanut: with muffler)

ninefourteener

· #20 · 18 d ago

I don't have any basis of comparison.... but I bought a car with the Akra because:
1) I liked the way it looked
2) I "believe" it will be a highly sought-after (and valuable) option in the future

Since owning..... I do enjoy the ability to put it in "N" mode on long trips with the wife, quiet the cabin down, and actually hold a normal conversation.... and even listen to the radio.... which I imagine is very difficult with the race (muffler-less) exhaust.

The downside.... in order to "open" the exhaust, it has to be in "D" mode. Sometimes.... I want the attention. When I drive through small towns, Yea... I want people to hear me. Duhh... that's why I bought a 4C.

The problem, is that at low speeds in town in "D" mode.... you look like an idiot, because the car is "bucking" because it holds gears longer, so you end up looking like a pimply-faced 16 year old learning to drive stick for the first time.

I wish I could keep it in "N" mode sometime, but ALSO open up the exhaust at the same time... unfortunately, that isn't possible.

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