I have an RS-R cat-back exhaust and it is really loud (like the invidia). I dont want to put the silincers in because it feels slower to me and too quiet. I have been trying to get get a hardtop for a few months now and should be getting one by the end of next month. I am curious if it will reduce my in cabin exhaust sound. Thanks

 

I cant tell much of a difference in mine. Obviously when my soft top is up you hear all kinds of other noises so I cant hear the exaust as much. The hard top filters out other noises so I hear my exaust a bit more. The hard top does rattle a bit if you hit railroad tracks or something. You get used to it after a while. Then if you go soft top and then hard top you remember the noises when you hit a bump.

 

Some spray-on sound dampener in the trunk will help.

 

No it won't if anything it'll make it vibrate louder within the cabin. At least that's always been my experience/perception with the OEM and Mugen tops.

 

I have an apexi n1 and it drones like crazy with the soft top . It still drones with my hardtop on, but not as much. So in the case with the apexi n1, yes, it does reduce cabin noise/drone (in my personal experience).

 

Droning is the major problem. I can see how it would increast the noise but I still feel like common sence would say it would make it quiter.

 

This is what I think happens the sound gets captured inside the cabin because of the hardtop and it reverbrates, which makes it seem louder and more defined to me. If you have a loud exhaust that drones it gets amplfied.

 

I'm not trying to argue with you Dan, but the difference between riding with the top down, soft top up, and with the hardtop on is huge!

I've had two exhausts since I put my hardtop on: Spugen Dual Oval and JIC with a Test Pipe.

Spugen:

Top Down - sounds great
Soft Top Up - got louder.....just a little drone
Hardtop - heard the intake over the exhaust until VTEC

JIC + Test Pipe:
Top Down - haven't done it yet, but looking forward to it
Soft Top Up - louder inside the car than outside......more drone than the Spugen, but not a hurtful drone
Hardtop - quieter.....drone isn't noticeable and I'm not wincing everytime I'm accelerating with a cop next to me (the JIC sounds louder in the car than it really is).


I too would have thought the fact that the hardtop is.....well.....hard would increase the harmonics in the car making the exhaust note much louder - but I think it helps to deflect more noise than it allows inside.

 

deflcting sound, hopefully my hardtop will do that. I will be getting a hard top and installing a test pipe this friday and if my droning problems are not fixed or somewhat quiter I guess I will have to put the silincers back in .