Craiger

Eh, yeah it sounds good, if you're in your twenties. But these are luxury cars. I like mine as quiet as possible. That's why I bought this car: quiet, comfortable, smooth, quality, prestige. Not NOISE!!!!!!!!

Plus, once I got over about 40-years old, when I hear a modified exhaust I just go, how F-ing rude. It's OUR world, not YOURS. Just saying.

LR3vsLS

I hear ya...at some point in life I may join in your opinion but, until then: it's my car and I will modify it to my hearts desire, and so should everyone else. To each their own. How F-ing rude are you if you think that others should do things to YOUR liking, just saying.

Not trying to start an internet tough guy pissing contest...

Craiger

Yeah, you'll join my opinion.
I used to have your opinion.
It just is what it is. Age related.
Not such a big deal to argue over but practically everyone on the road, when they hear you, is going WTF? It sounds good to a handful of people. The rest of them hope you crash going twenty over the speed limit (no injuries, of course).
That's just the way it is. Has been ever since the invention of the automobile.

I had my share of loud exhausts when I was younger. Everything was more about me back then.

BTW, , don't get me started on Harley Davidsons and aggressive treads on four wheel drive pickups.

LR3vsLS

I share your opinion in that people go through their life's stages and their opinions change...I know, I used to like straight pipes from the header back...now? I don't want the stank, the drone, the obnoxious roar, I want it clean and angry, tidy and balanced. No hard feels, someday I may share your current opinion...just not yet.

Oliver Enterprises

Craiger: I share your opinion, to a degree. I've been around some amount of racecars. More than others, less than some. And LOUD *** so bad that you can't stand to be around it, has never been my thing. Even when I was young. Especially dirt track racecars. To me, they just about always sound like trash. Some of them when out on the track and being spun sound pretty decent. But that's a racecar. If I had a dirttrack car, I would probably be the only racer with mufflers! Although they wouldn't be quiet muffler, they would just knock down the obnoxious trashy sound.

However, here is where you and I *may* differ. I don't think total exhaust silence sounds like quality. It's sounds like 1 area with a lack of attention to detail, so let's just over muffler the hell out it and call it a day.

Have you ever heard any of the "35" Infinitis? FX35, G35 coupe, G35 sedan and so on. Those are luxury cars. Not nearly as luxurious as an LS in my opinion. They are older now too. However, they are NOT silent. They have a very nice purr to them. They are not loud, they are not obnoxious. But can be heard, and sound GREAT. That is what drove me to create my Exhaust Vents. After developing the Exhaust Vents, driving an LS with the stock mufflers only is like going to a Celine Dion concert and stuffing a sock in her mouth. Let that (LS) girl open up just a tad, and oh my Lord, she sounds SWEEEEET. The LS with Exhaust Vents is very close to what an Infiniti --35 sounds like. Except the V8 sound is WAAY more boss, it's the way the car *should* sound from the factory. There are Mercedes & Jags that are more upscale than the LS, and they sound AWESOME, right from the factory. And inside the LS with Exhaust Vents? It makes me drool. It's perfect! You lightly hear it during acceleration / deceleration. Once on the interstate it's damn near OEM quiet, where you don't want to be annoyed with drone. The sound is the best of all worlds. Meaning, when you want it, not when you don't want it. And if you were to NOT to like the Exhaust Vents, pull them RIGHT BACK OUT (and resell them). No cutting, no torching, no sawing, unbolt remove rebolt done. And like 1/5th the cost of the next closest similar sounding option. What's not to love?

I came damn near having cut-outs installed. But then I came to the realization that it was the opposite of what I wanted. Man, I would have regretted that. When the cutouts were closed, it would have been too quiet. When the cut-outs were open, it would have been WAY too loud. That's what I mean by "opposite" of what I wanted. I never thought I would, but I have started putting both LH windows down. The airflow doesn't blow in my ear with both left sides down (very pleasant), and I can hear the exhaust so much better. It makes me giddy just how well it turned out. Really great sound, and a really simple low cost solution. Buy them or not, I'm in love with the sound and astonished about how well it turned out.

Even had my boss-man say, "dagum, that car sounds mean." Did he say it was loud? No. Is it loud? No. But, it just has an LS appropriate bit of attitude now, and I love it.


Jason Oliver

tofuprod

To be honest with you, I've always like a little sound.
To each their own, as that's what this forum is all about - everyone has their own opinion on what the subjective term "little sound means".

I know Jason/Oliver Enterprises constantly references the G35 coupe tone when discussing these vents because it's probably the most accurate statement, sort of like "OEM +".

Not everyone even likes the fact that the G35 coupe comes with that sound from the factory, although many do, it's purely of opinion, right?

The exhaust vents and in no way am I being endorsed for my opinions, fit that bill perfectly. The LS is definitely a luxury car and some may not ever want such noise coming from their cars, whereas others may want some - which is why Oliver Enterprises offers single and double stack. I wanted just a tad more, allowing the natural sound of the V8 come out just a little, but not overbearing like let's say a KenneBell cobra from 03-05 or something, no, just a tad more. It won't wake the neighbors if you're driving around normally and if anything it is not obtrusive when even in the mid-range RPMs, only when you get near red-line, but that's just about any 'exhaust setup', isn't it?

Coming from heavily modified cars, I was pleasantly surprised at how quiet this setup really is, but I can only speak for my single stack setup.

I love it and having it for under six months, I still have no regrets, if you change your mind, the setup is quickly reversible.

Just my two cents.

Spudo769

Double stacked for me. Only been a month or so, love the mean but not overpowering sound.

roadfrog

Most people would consider a Maserati Quattroporte as "Luxurious". It also happens to make the SEXIEST exhaust sounds ever emitted by a car.

Oliver Enterprises

Gonna have to look one of those Maseratis up, and go see it. I have always been drawn to the sounds of machines. Doesn't have to be cars. But I will also add, when watching the 24 hours of LeMans (via TV), I've always thought the Corvette sounded meaner by a French country mile than anything else that races by. Something about the sound of a V8. V12s do sound good, but sound exotic, versus V8's that sound mean. It's also funny how I enjoy the sound of an inline 4 crotch rocket, but the sound of an inline 4 Civic makes me want to barf.

My Cummins inline 6 with an absolutely straight 5" exhaust (no cats, no mufflers, no resonator, nothing but the pipe with a turbo in the way) sounds really nice as well. It's so loud at idle, that if I walk around by the tailpipe, even I keep my distance as it gives even me an intimidating feel to be close to. A couple times when I have picked up a son from school, there was a small gaggle of girls walking near my tailpipe with it idling. And I give them just a quick throttle blip and most of the jump away (it is loud ) and my son(s) get cracked up. Fun, can't help it, I'm immature.


Jason Oliver

roadfrog

Just Google "Maserati Quattroporte exhaust sound". 141,000 results lol. Lots of videos too.

IDALO

wanted to bump this thread, so that more examples of the "easy way" to get some sound are available to the community.
Hey all, new to Club Lexus, and to owning a lexus in general! But figured I'd enter the world of Lexus with a good one, I just picked up a 2012 LS460 SWB, and I love it so far.

But that's not the point of this thread, I had seen ShahG's video of the Muffler delete he had done on his LS, cutting the mufflers off of the Megan Racing Axle back exhaust, and it sounding awesome! So I decided to follow suit, but without buying an aftermarket example first.

Basically what we did was, cut just before the weld on the factory muffler, and utilize the factory axle back system, and as it turns out you can run 2.25" piping literally straight from the angle left over to the outlets on the bumper. My results are a good throaty sound with little to no drone in the cabin (only at very low end acceleration for around 1-3 seconds) and no rasp at all, The car honestly sounds as if I had spent $1,200 plus on an exhaust for $20 worth of piping and some at home work. took me and a buddy about 3 hours start to finish.

I was very worried about drone at highway speeds, but it's non-existent with this setup, and the sound does in fact remind me of the older maserati sedans exhaust note, the only issue that I'm running into with this setup is I constantly want to hear the exhaust note... so my MPG's have suffered greatly!!! Other than that, I couldn't be happier with the results of this cheap and easy mod!

I can and will post Video's of the sound if anyone replies and wants to hear the setup!

fwhomeboy

Take a picture and post it here.

sdudra

Would love to see pics and video!

Oliver Enterprises

If I understand what you're describing, I considered making such a kit. But I thought it would be LOUD. Outside of what I would consider "Lexus Elegant." The sound? I would think would be spectacular. But loud. Such that my family would be pissed if I cranked it in the garage at 6 am on a Saturday morning. I made designs and almost made prototypes. But stopped after considering how loud it was going to be.

But, I look forward to pictures.

IDALO

I'll see what I can do in regards to pics and videos this weekend, work and school have me pinned ATM... but I will for sure post some soon!

In regards to the 6am start up issue... the 1UR has a relatively fast "idle-down" cycle, even on particularly cold starts, it's definitely got an initial volume spike, but mellows very quickly (though I do not currently have a garage to asses the echo) and my idle is very subtle (though still audible). the only thing I will probably catch grief for on this forum is the fact that the 8spd auto in the 07-12 LS' (guessing that the earlier ones are the same, and that the facelifted LS's could vary) stays at low end throughout the gears while getting up to speed in town causes a little drone in the cabin between the 1k - 2k rpm differences while getting up to, say 40mph. but if you don't mind the drone up until you get to speed, it's nothing to write home about after that, at cruising speed (whether it be 40 mph or 80 mph) the drone goes away completely.

I also left everything factory before the deleted mufflers (Cats, and resonators) so the sound is subtle yet elegantly aggressive IMO, granted I'm younger and still enjoy some V8 sound at any volume. I personally don't think that it's too loud, ruining the elegance of the LS. Plus if you were to put any amount of sound deadening (dynamat) above the factory heat-shields where the mufflers used to sit, im sure it would cut down on interior drone significantly.