Does a stock subaru wrx have that "sound" to it while stock?

Question

Do I have to mod my stock subaru wrx to get it to have that semi-loud sound to it, the subaru wrx sti has a certain exhaust sound to it that i like and i dont want to have to buy an expensive exhaust to it, i dont want it to be super loud, just enough for it to be noticed and still have that really cool sound to it. how much would it be? the wrx that i have heard on the road have that really cool exhaust sound to it

Answer 1

The distinctive subaru sound (often described as a growl) is caused by the boxer (or horizontally opposed) engine configuration (as another answer pointed out). It can be heard with the stock setup, but it's not very loud. It's understated and pleasent. If you really want to hear the sound while you are in the car driving, you'll want to upgrade your exhaust system. There are several options each of which make the car a little bit louder. The cheapest and least loud is the axle back exhaust system, this replaced just the muffler and exhaust tip. Next comes the CAT back which replaces more pipe, next is turbo back which replaces everything but the headers, and lastly you can do a turbo back and the headers (and an uppie if you want, but you won't get much sound out of it).

You'll also be able to hear the whooshing of the turbo (and the blow off valve) better if you install a turbo back exhaust. Installing an atmospheric blow off valve will make a cool sound, but it will in fact make LESS power than a recirculating blow off valve. The explination behind this is in another subaru question asked about a month ago. Because of this it's an unpopular mod in the subaru community.

I personally have a cat back exhaust, it dosen't make much more power than stock, but it does sound very nice without being too loud for me. What is too loud for you is personal taste. I suggest you research different exhausts on line and listen to sound clips of them running. Just type in "subaru exhaust sound" into google video, or your favorite video site.

Hope this helps... Have fun modding your subaru!

Answer 2

WRX engines are quiet when they're not modified, compared to when they are. Just like any other car they have their stock sound to it, but the Subaru horizontal engines have their own distinct sound. If you want that "sound" that Subaru usually have and don't want it too loud probably just go for a short ram intake, which will make your engine a little louder if you dont want the exhaust sound. Maybe modify your blow off valve. I'm thinking just throw in everything, down pipe, headers, its much better. If not a short ram would do good which costs around 150-250. I got an 06 STI with only a K&N Short ram.

Answer 3

Most WRX's on the road that you see have modified exhaust systems. Also, some would have after market up-pipes and down-pipes. But a typical stock WRX would only have the sound of the turbo spooling up when it hits boost. You could add an after market blow off valve that blows the air out to the atmosphere, as opposed to the stock blow off that re-circulates it into the exhaust system. This would give you that blowing sound in between shifts. The only other thing that comes to mind that could give you some upgrade in tone is an upgrade in the intake system. This would make the exhaust sound somewhat louder due to an increase in air flow. The number one recommendation would be to get an SPT or STI exhaust system from Subaru. These generally would have the best quality and a nice lower exhaust tone, but would be somewhat pricey.

Answer 4

The unique Subaru "sound" you're referring to is caused by the fact that all Subies have an opposed engine layout instead of an inline or V configuration. This gives them a very even firing sequence and is one of the advantages to the boxer engine. If you listen carefully to them, they sound lust like hopped up VW's or old Porsches.

To get a louder (but not ridiculous) sound, a resonator tip is typically used. Most Subies come with them, but an aftermarket stainless one will flow better and sound nicer.

The factory ones are very quiet and probably won't give you the results you want. You could however try taking your car to a regular muffler shop and have them swap the muffler with a straight pipe temporarily to see if that gives you the desired result. Be careful because you don't want to get tickets for being obnoxious and you also don't want to reduce your backpressure too much which will throw off the volumetric efficiency of your engine. A small amount of backpressure is actually a good thing.

Answer 5

That distinctive growl which only WRXs and STIs can make. I sort of think of it as a low mean stuttering lawn mower.

All you really need to do is modify the cat-back exhaust. The exhaust is meant for a better free flowing system which should give you roughly 7-10 whp increase.

Here's a link to Gruppe-S and the cat-backs they have. HKS is a name you can never go wrong with for imports. Sorry, cat-backs aren't cheap.

http://www.gruppe-s.com/Subaru/subex.htm

For a BOV, you get a loud "swooooosh" sound when shifting gears. And a cold air intake, you get a sucking noise, like when your girlfriend is sucking your..............well, you get the picture.

Answer 6

the reason they have that nice sound is because the motor is a turbo'd engine. To get that sound you would either have to put a turbo on, do an engine swap, or find a really good exhaust & CAI (cold air intake)