1995 Saturn SL - Better Exhaust Note

So I’m a teenager that wants my wimpy little Saturn to sound loud, but not the cheap ricer kinda loud that most teenagers have. Is there any way to make my car sound louder and deeper and hardier (not buzzy and farty), and at the same time not ruin the performance or well being of my car?

I fully upstanding your desire. But, off hand, I would say no.
Just no way to make a 4 cylinder sound like a V8. You could possibly find an entire exhaust system that would make it sound somewhat better but the cost would greatly exceed the value of your car.
At the age of your car, better save your money for maintenance items.
We don’t know the mileage of your car, but at 24 years old I doubt it has many years left in its life.

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Having raced one, you have outlined a difficult task for yourself! That little 1.9 liter 4 popper can only make so much “deeper.” This will take some experimentation to get right.

I’d suggest you start by removing the muffler. See what it sounds like open-piped. It will be a bit farty, louder and a bit annoying. The boom, can be created with a similar sized oval performance muffler like a Flowmaster 40 series. They are a bit expensive and you may want to try a cheaper brand. It isn’t much of a muffler, but it should add a deeper tone and knock down some of the volume.

An alternative path might be a higher pitched raspy note like any good Italian sports car from the 1960’s into the 1970’s. If you like that note… like this:

To duplicate this sweet sound, you need a long, small glass-packed muffler. A Cherry Bomb or Smitty’s muffler. It will match the exhaust pipe and carry that inside diameter to the end, not flare out to a 4 or 5 inch outlet. That flare-out gives the fart-can sound.

Good Luck!

It could potentially sound THIS good…

This is a 1993 Saturn raced by scR Motorsports in Improved Touring A class with a slightly modified engine and exhaust.

And what are you going to do if a police officer decides your vehicle is too noisy and gives you a 100.00 citation . Your best course of action is to talk to some independent muffler shops , not just guessing what might sound good.

When I was a teenager I installed something called a “glass pack” muffler on my car. It definitely made the exhaust sound more interesting, beefier, and a little louder. I think that type of muffler is still available. And at the time it was legal, so no need to worry about getting a ticket. My figure of merit for car exhaust sounds now is “the less sound the better”, so never felt the need to install a glass pack muffler again. But you are only a teenager once, if you like that sound, as long as it is legal, go for it.

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It’s going to depend on where you live as to if it’s legal or not.
https://www.semasan.com/resources/exhaust-noise-laws-state
And some cities have even stricter laws

Had to laugh at Florida, a lot of older Pacific Rim cars with ‘tin can mufflers’, seems at least half the Harleys are running straight pipes, and a number of ‘good ol’ Boys’ running loud pipes on their pickups.

Half the Harleys? I can’t remember the last time I saw a muffled H-D in Florida! :yum:

I’d guess 95 % are straight piped!

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