What does drone exactly sound like?

[Clarkson]

Is it an unpleasant vibration or its like a bumming sound? I got a chance to drive my friend's GT with a flowmaster exhaust. He claims that there is drone at about 2k-3k rpm but according to my experience I did not notice anything dramatic at the moment.

Sponsored

 

[DeepImpactS550]

Imo, drone is any kind of interior resonance that is offensive to the point of annoyance. An rpm range where you can't have a casual conversation with a passenger, for example.

The tsp tumbler system on my ls1 camaro had a drone around the same range that would cause my ears to vibrate, so I think that qualifies

 

[SheStang]

Kind of like a deep humming or vibrating sound inside the car. You can hear it and feel it which makes it annoying, but depends on the person imo.

 

[Clarkson]

Kind of like a deep humming or vibrating sound inside the car. You can hear it and feel it which makes it annoying, but depends on the person imo.

When I drove that vehicle, I actually found the V8 rumble annoying and recognized it as a drone when I just started driving:shrug:

 

[DANA44]

I have a Tiguan also, its a car thar is a great example of exhaust drone when in high gear and low rpm. Just annoying from Wolfsburg.

 

[Clarkson]

I have a Tiguan also, its a car thar is a great example of exhaust drone when in high gear and low rpm. Just annoying from Wolfsburg.

Wait. Is the drone the behavior the tiguan has when I press the throttle at about 1kish rpm and the rattle/vibration it has?

 

[superblur]

Ever sit in traffic and have someone with a loud stereo system blast bass through your car? Its pretty much like that but constant at a given RPM and gets more intense the harder you press the gas.

 

[Tems]

When I first got my Xpipe with Flowmasters, I had drone, but then they broke in and I got used to it. Doesn't annoy me at all anymore.

 

[TheDivaDanielle]

it's that sound your husband or wife makes when you don't care about what they're babbling about. :-)

 

[Ugly John]

Have you ever been near an airplane propeller when it was running? At high power? For 10 hours?

When I put my flowmasters on, that's what is was like. A resonant sound that you feel like your head is vibrating. I couldn't hear anything else - even passing semi trucks I couldn't hear them at all.

But, the helmholz resonators I put on helped a gazillion percent.

 

[fordguys550]

none of you know about drone till you have a WRX/STI with a full catless, 3" exhaust no resonator, and a straight through muffler....that my fellows is real drone lolololol..mine was stg3 with a bigger turbo/intercooler, around 350hp....hella fun car, but damn, it resonated so bad on the frwy, your ears would hurt after a long drive lol. though my 95 5.0 wasn't any better with no cats, tiny borla muffs and side exhaust.honestly I don't mind some drone, my 6'er has a little below 2K, and a little around 3k but its almost silent at frwy speeds, you get a little volume under load going up hills, but that's it. (bbk shorties, lethal catless mid pipes, x pipe, 18" resonators, 4x9x14 magnaflows, quad tips)

 

[Gooner86]

Have you ever been near an airplane propeller when it was running? At high power? For 10 hours?

When I put my flowmasters on, that's what is was like. A resonant sound that you feel like your head is vibrating. I couldn't hear anything else - even passing semi trucks I couldn't hear them at all.

But, the helmholz resonators I put on helped a gazillion percent.

Did it effect overall sound at all or just lower drone?

 

[Ugly John]

Did it effect overall sound at all or just lower drone?

Just eliminated the drone above 72. Completely!

I still have a bit between 65 and 72 mph, but not bad. I think maybe if I'd gone an inch longer...

Still sounds great!

 

[fordguys550]

yeah, I have 18" resonators, and even though im catless, there is 0 drone between about 72-82mph, which Is where most of my driving is. I also run a X pipe, and that changes when the drone happens too

 

[MagnaFlow]

Imo, drone is any kind of interior resonance that is offensive to the point of annoyance. An rpm range where you can't have a casual conversation with a passenger, for example.

That's a pretty accurate laymans summary of it. People compare it to the sound you get when you blow over the top of a glass bottle. Certain chassis are more prone to it that others, like corvettes, for example.

One thing we can say is when you hear X exhaust has drone from someone on the internet, remember that this is something that no two people experience the same way, and often times any unwanted sound or tone is misinterpreted as drone.

Sponsored