Quote:
Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden
It's easier than every to make your car louder, that said, most stock cars are quieter than ever.
I think what the real difference is, is that there are more motorists in Calgary than ever before.
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WRT to bolded: It is actually not any easier. Engine bays are tighter so high-flow manifolds are more intricate and expensive to produce, and less likely to be available for your specific car depending on what you drive, and the manifolds may have additional components integrated such as the catalysts. And there's another thing: catalysts. Since OBD-II introduction in 1996, removing the catalysts requires a dummy post-cat O2 sensor simulator, tuning out the catalyst from the vehicle's ECU to not throw an annoying CEL light on the dash, or you need to replace with a high-flow catalyst ($$$). Options have always been available for the enthusiast cars, but they've gotten far more expensive, and with the packaging in modern cars requiring a bit more finessing by the exhaust shop, again increasing effort, time, and ultimately cost.
As for the underlined: Bingo.
Manufacturers put far more effort now into refining vehicles to cut out NVH. Engine mounts, valvetrains, etc. all designed for quieter operation. Tire manufacturers pump tons into R&D to both improve tire performance and reduce tire noise. Exhaust systems are made quieter than ever (except for performance vehicles where they're designed to comply pretty much precisely with the law and nothing more, because that's what people are paying for). Intake systems are designed to make the induction noise as quiet as possible (and if you wanna hear the really good sh-t, find something with loud induction noise).
Car with a nice exhaust:
Car with loud induction noise: