How loud are these things really?

[jjtarnow]

I am about to take delivery of my new Cobra with a 460. First of all, am I going to be waking up the entire neighborhood at idle and/or at slow speed? I fully realize that it all depends on the side pipe baffles, engine set-up, etc. but it general is this going to be brutally loud?

Thanks,
Josh

[sierramadre45]

With true headers and glass packed sidepipes, it's going to be loud. Even creeping out of my neighborhood at 20 mph, I set off car alarms and send dogs into a panic attack. Enjoy it. It's all part of the experience.

[392cobra]

Everyone within a couple of blocks gets to enjoy the sound almost as much as you will.

Think of it as just sharing.

[rob frink]

..........

[klayfish]

Josh,
Yeah, it's pretty loud. But that's half the fun of it!! You're not going to be shattering windows as you idle down the street, but people will certainly hear you coming. Best way to sort of describe it...think of 4 unmuffled Harleys sitting side by side...

Glad to see another tri-state Cobra. I sent you an e-mail about some local events coming up. Hope to see you there.

Steve

[bigmike]

WHAT??? WHAT DID HE SAY?? I CAN SEE HIS LIPS MOVING, BUT I CAN'T HEAR A WORD!!!

[Dan Stryffeler]

When I first got the car together, I borrowed the decible meter from work... at five ft from the sidepipes I registered 72 decibles at idle (1000rpm) and 80 decibles at 4500rpm.

This is roughly equivalent to a new factory Harley. (Don't yell at me, it's on their website).

It's not just the sound level, but the frequency; when I have the car idling in the garage to warm-up, it usually sets most of the stuff in the kitchen off vibrating, even though the noise isn't that noticible inside the house.

Have occasionally setoff car alarms while driving by, which is pretty humorous.

- Dan

[jjtarnow]

Guys, thanks very much for all the responses so far. If one were to want to quiet the car down a little ( I fully realize this is taboo in some if not all circles ) are there quieter muffled pipes available?

Thanks,
Josh

[petek]

Quieter pipes? Sure, they are called "Honda Civic".

Actually there are some from "Car Chemistry" (if I remember correctly). Do a search on "chemistry" and you should find the thread.

But really, a Cobra should be able to knock birds out of the air with the sound from the exhaust!

[Bannon]

Also have to be carefull when you get on it. Unlike a stock Mustang or a Corvette or even a Viper where when you get on it it is relatively quiet, these cars make anyone near by spin around to see what the hell is going on. You can not get away with quick bursts of WOT.
When I had my car there was a stretch of open road approximately 2 miles from my house has the crow files. When I had it wide open through first and second gear, people standing in my front yard could hear it!!!!!

Good stuff!!!!!

JB

[klayfish]

Josh,
Just wait until you live with the car for a little bit. At first, it's going to sound really loud, because you aren't used to it and it is a novelty. But once you live with it and learn how to drive it well, I think you'll be fine. I've never heard one that is SO loud, it couldn't be idled down the block without really pissing off the neighbors. It's a matter of how much you like them...

Steve

[BigEasy]

I think that's "sound" advise, Klayfish. When I first got my car, I thought it was loud, but after learning how to drive it, and in what gear to idle through neighborhoods, it has not been a problem.

I have this car and a Harley, and am surrounded by neighbors with small children, so, when I fire one up, they just look to see which it is.

It brings grins to the faces of all the guys! Most women (including my wife), do not understand WHY either vehicle has to be that loud, but I think that is just the genetic difference between most women and men

Charlie
BigEasy

[Dan Stryffeler]

just for grins, I found this site

http://www.lhh.org/noise/decibel.htm

It compares different sound levels...

[jrussell]

Josh,
What brand of car are you getting? Almost all have a different header/sidepipe/muffler setup, and they differ quite a bit in noise level. I can tell you that the quietest youf car will be is when it is new, and it will gradually increase as you drive it, however you most likely will not notice it yourself, and it truly does depend on you and your own self control of your right foot! Your car won't be earth shakingly loud like a AA Fuel Funny car ever, but it will most likely be louder than almost anything else around other than certain motorcycles, but the tonal quality will be much lower.
My feeling is that you will be immediately in love with it the first time you hear it fire and settle down into its own low rumbling idle.
Enjoy the moment because there is NOTHING like it.
John Russell- with over 13,000 miles on my 460 and loving every minute of it!

[MidOHasp]

A 460? Well, certainly a pretty stock 460 is going to be pretty quiet next to a somewhat "warm" smallblock such as mine.

Just kidding...sort of. The sounds are all different based on the motor. I'm running a fairly stout cam (about the biggest "Street/Strip" cam from CompCams in the hydraulic cam dept.) and at idle, it's just got a really cool lope. You can't so much hear it in the house as you can feel it.

At WOT, you can hear it well over a mile away. Probably several. Especially in 3rd gear at 6K+ RPM. And it sounds good.

But that same car, I can idle through the neighborhood in 2nd gear at night and it doesn't get noticed too much. You eventually learn to drive them nicely.

Harleys have that "pop" to them and as they wind up, the "popping" gets faster. The sound never really comes together as a pitch to the human ear. The cobras do. When you open one of them up on the road, you can match the pitch with a loud, lung bursting "WWWHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH".

A BB or SB that is built up a fair amount (big carb, big heads, big cam) will sound like a race car through the sidepipes at WOT. A crate 351 is going to sound like a really wild Mustang 5.0. A crate 460 will sound like a Ford School Bus. Just kidding!!

Your car will make you smile, make your wife wrinkle her nose, and have similar effects across the gender lines in your neighborhood. Enjoy it!!!

[anchor2]

Everyone in the neighborhood is going to know you and that car real fast. The car creats a lot of attention, everyone is looking at you.....not a good car to pick you nose in!

[bigdog]

you will love it..the deep rumble of horsepower will overwelm you when you put the foot down...and you will really love it when you drive youe car though a tunnel...that loud echo is music to your heart... the neighbors don't mind as much as you think...most of them will amire your beast of a car..the only ones the will complain is the ones that are jealous....i have a cobra, and 3 harleys in my shop and the neighbors come out on a sunday morring to see what i take out first.. if you want to win over your neighbor, take their kids for a hoy lap around the block....that always works...beast of luck.....dave

[RallySnake]

My car is relatively quiet for a Cobra. However, it sets off car alarms all the time. We love that part.

We cannot sneak up on anything. When we come into a Rally Checkpoint, they have been hearing us for a mile or more. If we're coming from the wrong way, we're busted before the checkpoint is in sight. We hate that part.

When I come home late from a rally, I try to time it so I shut off the engine a hundred yards up the street, hit the garage door opener and coast into the garage quietly. This not only prevents waking everyone up, it also keeps the fumes out of the garage. Except for all the unburnt hydrocarbons in my clothing, of course!

Paul

[rob frink]

and actually....Cobras are very queit in the cockpit. It's just outside that's loud.

[viking]

the neighbors being pissed is cause they have'nt got to ride in it after ya give em a ride it's thumbs up when you pass