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".

 

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:

 

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

tork.

rotfl

 

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.

 

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

 

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!

 

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.

 

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.

 

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!

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

You can hear it ring? I usually don't even know I've had a call until I get to my destination and see the voicemail icon.

xtn

 

Same here... I don't even pay attention to it unless I'm where I'm going.

 

I know that for many, the sheer rawness of the Elise/Exige is a fundamental part of the experience (and I can understand that) but seriously, the difference in the car once the sound deadening is applied is remarkable.

The guys at the Lotus Service centre have said to me a couple of times now that they don't know what it is, but my car feels really good to drive compared with most others they service.

Since the only mods (thus far) are a shift reinforcer, Manly Engine Mount inserts and forged wheels, I figure it must be the insulation that makes the difference.

Incidentally, with the hardtop on, conversation is comfortable and easy on the bluetooth hands-free at 70mph...

 

at 140 with the top off, I can't hear anything !

 

damn i really need the sound deadening...i drive closed windows and ac on....

how long did it take the sheets to come in after order?

did you DIY on the strip/install???

 

I'm in Australia and ordered from SS in the US, but it still only took a week. Send them an email and they'll be happy to guide you on the products to use.

I did the strip and install myself. Basic tools are all that's required, but the passenger's seat can be a b!tch because of the bolt locations. (Make sure you use blue loctite when reinstalling the seats and seat-belt bolts.)

 

Hello??? Hello????

What????? What????? WHHHHAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTT??????

I will have to ring you back when I turn the car off, I can't hear ANYTHING while I am driving this beast!!!!!!


Hellooo??????????

Click...

(Phone call in a Lotus Exige S at anything above 900 rpm's...)



(we have a radio?????) I though it was just a clock....

 

not what you're looking for...think porsche

 

I have no issues with talking to others while driving or on my cell etc and I have a fairly loud exhaust... I do hate it when I drop some thing under the seat and it vibrates on the floor pan, but other than that no real issues with normal noises the car makes...