[stea1thviper]

hey all, new to these forums. did a quick search and couldn't find an answer to my question so I thought I'd ask you guys. There arent too many dealers in my area so it'd be hard to find the answer to this question myself, but how is the noise inside the car at highway speeds+? I'm looking to buy a sports car for weekend drives, and the exige is among my top choices currently. I use to work on cars, and on one project car I rebuilt the whole engine + suspension including coilovers, z35 tires, and front and rear sway bars. The result was an incredibly well handling car, but so loud from the harsh ride you'd have to really raise your voice at 65 mph to be heard, oftentimes not worth the effort just to make small talk with your passenger. Not that I had passengers often, I mostly tracked it. Now that I'm older and have a larger budget, I'm looking for something with great handling, but without that interior loudness. It'd be nice to have a conversation with my passenger on the freeway! Not looking for luxury cushiony ride, I still want that sports car feel. Exige the car for me?

 

[ChrisB]

It's a bit like being drug down a gravel road in a 55-gallon drum.

Seriously, it is not a quiet car. Part of it is road noise, part is engine noise and part is exhaust noise which, depending on your choice of muffler, could be just a little loud. or a lot loud, or have a droning that requires earplugs. In non-Touring pack cars, there is no sound deadening. In Touring pack equipped cars there is a minor bit of sound deadening material. In most cases the radio is useless while moving. Having the windows down and the top off makes it much more livable...less like living in a reverberation chamber.

Most of us love (or at least learn to live with) the sounds...we don't call it "noise".

 

[iatros]

I just acquired my 08 exige, and I would say that it is just about as loud as my s2000 (that may not help you much though....) Seriously though, it only gets a bit raucous when you get on it, and then I'm happy that it sounds ferocious!:clap:

 

[kestrel74]

Ahhhh the price you have to pay............ you < COULD > get a nice cushy Boxter.:shrug:

 

[azmurciev12]

just think about this, the radio is useless. it's loud but definitely liveable. and that's exactly the reason i didn't bother to change the exhaust, although there is a little itch to do so.

 

[Green Rat]

If you are really serious about a Lotus Elise/Exige you owe it to yourself to go for a test drive. You will either love the driving dynamics and "deal" with all the other issues-rattles,squeaks,road noise, etc., or find that it is just too much of a compromise. Lots of folks on and off this forum fall in love with the looks/idea of a Lotus, impulsively buy one and then end up selling them shortly thereafter due to the their inability to live with it. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Chris Mackey]

It's not that loud with a stock exhaust. You can hear the radio because the speakers are right behind your head. The passenger seats is 3 inches away. No biggie.

 

[stea1thviper]

thanks for the input guys. And haha no I'm not quite in the market for a boxter . I plan on making this purchase within the next month/month in a half. I have it narrowed down to the exige, viper, and z06 vette. I've only test driven the vette though, I'll definitely look into finding somewhere I could test drive the exige. I was hoping I could find somewhere local since I'd prefer not to have to take time off work just to fly somewhere for a test drive with no strings attached. I love the sound of a nice sports car, I'd just like to be able to hold a conversation with the passager on the highways without yelling is all.

 

[doug_porsche]

Unfortunately, none of those will be good for highway conversation. Based on 1 point on the graff, if conversation is high on your priority list, buy a vette. Not the Z06, with its reduced noise insinuation, but a vette. It will still give you a good, but heavy compared to the Exige, car that will out perform 95% of the traffic around you. The ride is more acceptable, the tork is MUCH better than the Exige, steering is above average.

Now, excluding noise, any of the three cars you are looking at will put a big grin on your face.

 

[SweetDaddyD]

I don't think it's the car for you.

Mine is loud loud (but I've changed exhaust and intake) on the track you can't hear the passenger if she is screaming at the top of her lungs.

 

[Monsi]

tork.

rotfl

 

[...m...]

...have you test driven a miata recently?..seriously, do - great feel and handling, not too much compromise on interior comfort...

 

[BatmobileS240]

It's pretty loud with my Larini exhaust installed. Much louder than stock. But that's what I love about it! I don't crank up the radio much because I'd rather listen to the car roar!

 

[RoadDad]

I still have the stock exhaust and my wife says she can hear me coming up the hill from about 1/2 mile away . I can still hear the radio and conversation well enough while driving but that is due to the musician earplugs that I wear in the car. If I don't have the ear plugs in, I can't hear either.

 

[HKFEVER]

What do you think about over 98db with Stage II exhaust? + Sony noise cancellation head phone :nanner::nanner:

It is not your car if you looking for comfort. :no:
I guess only Boxer S or Cayman S or X4 can catch up with Exige (not mean in top speed). We have couple guys with STI, Cayman, Boxer coming from the Peak down to Central. In the middle of the road Boxer and STI need to stop from the over head on their break. But Exige just keep on going and going. All are in stock set up no mod.

 

[Redback]

You can have your cake...

...and eat it too, - if you're prepared to do a little aftermarket enhancement.

I stripped the interior completely and applied a variety of sound deadening materials to the doors, floor, bulkhead and firewall.

The result is no Lexus, but conversation is now relaxed, the car feels smoother and more refined, and the weight added (12kg) is inconsequential and more than offset by the forged wheels I also added.

It hasn't lost the essential Lotus "involvement", but the noises heard now are quite enjoyable, not harsh and unpleasant.

Given that some of the extra insulation is thermal, the air-conditioning now works better too!

Here's a couple of photos:

This was just the anti-drum sheeting layer. Above that went the thermal insulation, then the closed-cell foam. The interior is so small, you don't need much.

The other (often ignored) benefit is that after a long journey, you feel fresher and more relaxed. Excessive noise can be quite fatiguing.

When I have the interior fully re-trimmed in leather (something like the Europa interior below) it will be a very pleasant place in which to be cocooned for a while!

 

[stea1thviper]

wow redback that's an impressive job you've done there. how many hours have you put into that?

as for the z06 comment, that car felt like a luxury sedan compared to the car i tracked back in the day (rx-7 with full mods and interior stripped). from the comments here, i'm more curious than ever what an exige driving experience is like now.

 

[Chris Mackey]

wow redback that's an impressive job you've done there. how many hours have you put into that?

Good question.

as for the z06 comment, that car felt like a luxury sedan compared to the car i tracked back in the day (rx-7 with full mods and interior stripped). from the comments here, i'm more curious than ever what an exige driving experience is like now.

Clearly, the Exige is the car for you.

 

[Redback]

wow redback that's an impressive job you've done there. how many hours have you put into that?

Thanks.

It took about two days (interrupted) to complete the job. Without interruptions, you could do it in a day.

The stuff I used is from Second Skin as it's more effective for its weight than most other products.

 

[MickOpalak]

I don't even bother to answer the phone in mine. I can't hear what's being said.

I second the idea that you're a good candidate for a nice, cushy Boxster.