Hi Everyone,

I have 2011 Camry V6 SE. I like the looks of the car but I personally find its drive qualities to be anything but exhilarating. I feel as though if I could get more of a growl to the engine sound I would like the car a whole lot better than I do stock. For me the stock sound is like a sewing machine. So after looking at a bunch of Youtube clips and reading some forum posts, I eventually decided to buy myself a set of Borla axle-back mufflers. And while I know that Borla has a decent following and know that everyone has different tastes, they didn't accomplish what I wanted.

What I wanted was the sound of a low-pitched "growl" without actually raising the volume of the sound in the car. Instead, what I got with the Borlas was this: 1. A lower pitched exhaust tone but no "growl" at all. 2. The lower pitched tone is definitely louder than stock and I personally find that it hurts my ears (Yes I do have very sensitive hearing). 3. The lower pitched tone is only present in the 1500 to 2700 RPM range. The sound completely disappears somewhere above 2800-3000 RPM. For normal driving I don't normally go above that range anyway, but the volume at the 1500-2700 is the real deal killer for me. Now I should mention, that I have not done the resonator delete mod that I've seen people talk about on YouTube. But I really don't think that would solve my problems. If anything I would think it would make the Borla's even louder in the 1500-2700 RPM range which I don't want.

So tonight, I'm taking off the Borlas and will be selling them on Ebay soon. My question is, what should I try next? I really like the sound of the BMW M3. But my car has dropped in value so much since purchasing it 3 years ago, that I can't possibly afford to sell it right now and buy anything else (and I wouldn't buy a BMW anyway - I bought one once and it ended up having a bad engine and got rid of the car. Don't wish to repeat that again). If you watch this video on YouTube you can hear exactly the sound I'd like to achieve in my Camry - at low RPMs a faint grown when driving in city traffic. I don't mind if it gets loud when you really step on it like this video (I actually really like that sound): I just want a consistent growl through the entire RPM range like the BMW M3 has and I want it to be such that my ears don't hurt hours later (An hour later mine still hurt from the drive home).

Last night I installed the K&N air filter on my car in hopes that would help give me the "growl" sound. But that doesn't seem to really make any sound until you get into the 2500-3000+ RPM range. I want to find a "growl" at the lower RPM ranges as well like the first YouTube video above has in city traffic.

Can anyone suggest any engine or exhaust mods that would help? Or do I just need to start saving for another car?

Thanks in advance,

Jonathan

 

Hi Jonathan,
It is hard to surmise exactly what you want even with the videos but I will try. I have driven an '01 BMW M3 Dinan tuned and I really loved the sound and power! I got the car up to 154 MPH and that is the fastest I have ever gone in a car. The owner has promised to sell it to me when he is done with it, that was 14 years ago...
Anyway, I think that you will need a full custom exhaust to get the sound that you want. This will include resonator deletes, etc. The only V6 cars that I have heard that have a nice growl have always been straight piped with only cats and the mufflers at the end. The intake is a good start for the engine sound, though power gains will be negligible in my opinion and from what I have heard.
I would look into custom straight pipe exhaust from a local exhaust shop. I do not know of a particular system that you can buy that does this out of the box.

 

Thanks for the reply. Quite honestly straight pipe would be too much for me. I've seen some YouTube videos of that and that's crazy loud with the V6.

My fear with taking it to a muffler shop is if I tell them I want more growl, they will give me way too much growl and make it sound like a V-8 Mustang (which would be way too much). I sometimes take 12 hour trips in this car, so I'd like to be able to hold a conversation in the car and / or not get a headache after getting out of the car. I just want something that puts me in touch with the engine and makes it fun without the engine becoming the only sound in the car. If I knew what kind of aftermarket muffler to ask for that would help a lot. But right now, I'm already out a lot of money for the Borla's and am afraid to try again for fear that I'd have to ask for it to be removed immediately.

 

Try checking out what TRD has to offer. I know they have some nice looking systems for the both the 6 and even the 4 cylinder.
I think you might want a less restrictive resonator (glass pack) and then have performance mufflers on the end. What does the underside of the BMW look like? That might start to lead in the right direction.