Installing an active exhaust system

In car tuning, there are many directions that allow you to significantly change the vehicle, so that even an ordinary production model effectively stands out from the gray mass of cars. If we conditionally divide all directions, then one variety is aimed at aesthetic changes, and the other at technical modernization.

In the first case, in technical terms, it remains an ordinary production model, but visually it is already a completely unusual car. Examples of such tuning: stens auto и lowrider. In a separate article describes how to change the design of the exterior and interior of your car.

As for technical tuning, the very first modernization that some motorists decide on is chip tuning (what it is and what its advantages and disadvantages are described in another review).

In the category of visual tuning, you can also include the installation of a sound active system, or an active exhaust system. Of course, this system does not affect either the exterior or the interior of the car, but it is difficult to call the system technical tuning either, since it does not change the dynamic characteristics of the vehicle.

Let us consider in more detail what the essence of this system is, and what modifications to your car need to be carried out in order to install it.

What is an active car exhaust system?

Simply put, this is a system that changes the sound of a car's exhaust. Moreover, it can have several modes that allow you to give the exhaust system a sports acoustic effect without installing a direct-flow or other modification of the muffler (for more details about what function the muffler performs in the car, read here).

It is worth noting that active exhaust with variable acoustics is installed on some car models from the factory. Examples of such vehicles are:

• Audi A6 (diesel engine);
• BMW M-Series (Active Sound) - diesel;
• Jaguar F-Type SVR (Active Sports Exhaus);
• Volkswagen Golf GTD (diesel engine).

Basically, such devices are installed on diesel engines, because manufacturers isolate the engine as much as possible, and such elements are installed in the exhaust system that minimize the acoustic effect during the operation of the internal combustion engine. Some car owners are not satisfied with a quiet car.

The automakers BMW, VW and Audi all use the same system design. It consists of an active resonator that is installed in the exhaust system near the muffler or mounted in the bumper. Its operation is controlled by a control unit connected to the engine ECU. The acoustic resonator is designed with a speaker that reproduces the corresponding sound of an exotic engine running.

To create the powerful sound characteristic of an exhaust system and protect the speaker from external influences, the device is housed in a sealed metal case. Electronics fixes the engine speed and with the help of this speaker allows you to improve the sound of the exhaust system without affecting the characteristics of the power unit.

Jaguar uses a slightly different active exhaust system. It has no electric speaker. Active Sports Exhaus creates a sporty exhaust sound thanks to several active exhaust valves (their number depends on the number of sections in the muffler). Each of these elements has a vacuum drive.

This system has an EM valve that reacts to signals from the control unit and moves the valves to the appropriate position. These dampers act on up / down revs and move in accordance with the mode that the driver selects.

How many modes does the exhaust system have?

In addition to the factory equipment that allows you to change the standard sound of the car, there are non-standard analogs from different manufacturers. They are also integrated near the exhaust system, and are controlled by signals from the control unit.

To put on a small show near his car, the driver can use different modes of the system. Basically there are three of them (standard, sports or bass). They can be switched using the remote control, buttons on the console, or via a smartphone. These options depend on the model and manufacturer of the device.

Depending on the modification of the system, it can have different modes. Since the exhaust tract does not change, and only the column works, there are a lot of acoustic options, ranging from the accelerating bass of the Dodge Charger to the unnaturally high sound of the turbocharged V12 from Ferrari.

If the system supports a mobile application, then from a smartphone you can not only turn on the sound of the engine of a particular car, but also adjust the sound of idle speed, operation at high speeds, the overall volume of the speaker and certain parameters, for example, typical for a rally sports car.

Active exhaust system cost

The cost of installing an active exhaust depends on many factors. Firstly, there is a wide variety of options for such equipment in the car accessories market. For example, one of the well-known iXSound systems with a single speaker will cost about a thousand dollars. The presence of a second speaker in the kit will require an additional $ 300.

Another popular unique electronic sound system for cars is Thor. It supports control from a smartphone (even through a smart watch if it is synchronized with a phone). Its cost is also within 1000 dollars (modification with one emitter).

There are also budget analogs, but before installing them, it is worth listening to them in operation, because some of them, due to their quiet operation, do not drown out the sound of a standard exhaust, and the mixed sound spoils the whole effect.

Secondly, although the installation of the system is not difficult, you still need to correctly lay the wiring and fix the sound emitters. The work must be done so that the car sounds correctly and the natural exhaust does not interrupt the sound of the acoustic element. To do this, you should resort to the services of a master who has experience in the installation of such systems. For his work, he will take about $ 130.

Advantages and disadvantages of an active exhaust system

Before installing an electronic exhaust that works synchronously with the car engine, you must take into account all the advantages and disadvantages of such devices. First of all, let's consider the advantages of an active exhaust system:

1. The device is compatible with any car. The main condition is that the car must have a CAN service connector. The system control unit is connected to it, and is synchronized with the operation of the on-board electronics of the car.
2. You can install the system yourself.
3. Electronics allows you to select the sound from your favorite car brand.
4. There is no need to make technical changes to the machine. If the vehicle is new, the installation of the car audio will not affect the manufacturer's warranty.
5. Depending on the system chosen, the sound is as close as possible to the operation of an elite motor.
6. Some modifications of systems have fine settings, for example, frequency and volume of shots, bass at high or low revs.
7. If the car is sold, the system can be easily dismantled and reinstalled on another car.
8. So that the sound of the system does not bother you, you can change modes or just turn off the device.
9. It is convenient to change modes. You do not need to program the device for this.

Since the system under consideration creates artificial sound, it also has those who oppose the use of such devices and consider it a waste of money. In principle, this applies to any auto-tuning.

The disadvantages of an active exhaust system include the following:

1. The components are expensive;
2. The main elements (sound emitters) are of high quality, support loud reproduction of low frequencies, so the speakers are heavy. To prevent them from falling off when driving on poorly paved roads, they must be firmly fixed. Some, for greater reliability, install them in the trunk niches or in the bumper.
3. So that vibrations are not so strongly transmitted to the body and to the interior, good sound insulation must be done during installation.
4. In the car, only the sound changes - the sports exhaust of this modification does not affect the dynamic characteristics in any way.
5. In order for the device to create maximum effect, the main exhaust system of the car should make as few sounds as possible. Otherwise, the acoustics of both systems will mix, and you get a sound mess.

Installation of an active exhaust system in the Lyokha Exhaust service

Today there are many tuning studios that modernize cars, including installing active exhaust systems. One of these workshops provides a wide range of services for the installation and configuration of such equipment.

Details about the workshop "Lyokha Exhaust" are described on a separate page.

In conclusion, we suggest watching a short video on how such a system works and how to install it on your car:

Active exhaust sound from Winde: working principle and advantages

Questions and answers:

What is an active exhaust system? This is a speaker system that is installed near the exhaust pipe. Its electronic control unit is integrated into the motor ECU. The active exhaust system generates sound depending on the engine speed.

How to make a pleasant exhaust sound? You can purchase a ready-made system that connects to the car's service connector. You can make an analogue yourself, but in this case, the system is unlikely to adapt to the operating mode of the internal combustion engine.