Exhaust noise level/quiet mornings

[Josparkz]

I am starting to get some complaints from the neighbors in an area where I am visiting. They just don't seem to appreciate the sound of my Cummins hummin' every morning at 5 a. m.

As I cannot afford to lose my guest parking privileges, I must try to alleviate the situation. I am wondering if a stock type muffler and cat would help. I am wanting to get a decibel reading meter and check exhaust noise between mine and a stocker, before I reverse bomb my melodious tailpipe.

Has anybody perhaps got any statistics on this ?

Has anybody got any tried and true noise suppression techniques?

Thank you.

Joe (2 noisy 4 the burbs )

 

[Shovelhead]

My neighbors aren't complaining, YET , but I've had a few comments about the "diesel alarm clock" waking them up in the morning, and I'm still running the stock exhaust.



If they're 'gonna b---h, they're 'gonna b---h, and nothing that you do will satisfy them.

Just try to stay out of the throttle until you get out of ear-shot may help some.

 

[klenger]

Also, try to keep the idle time to a minimum. If they hear the truck warming up for a long time, they will consider that inconsiderate (and maybe rightfully so).

 

[WestTN]

noise in the morning

I never let my trucks sit at idle. It wastes fuel and they don't warm up very fast either. I just start it up, put on my seat belt and drive away.

My $. 02

 

[Josparkz]

I've been awfully considerate as to starting it up and driving off as soon as my oil pressure registers. As the weather gets cooler I may have a little transmission slippage as I have to back up a slight grade. I've definetely been trying to be quiet.

 

[klenger]

Josparkz



I appoligize for that apparent flame. It was meant as a general comment, and I did not mean to imply that you were being inconsiderate. Sometimes things don't look the same on these posts as we intened them to be.



I think that as diesel truck owners, we need to be sensitive about how our neighboors react to the noise that our trucks produce, even when stock. Bad feelings towards diesel oweners is not good for the reputation of our trucks or for the industry. Obvioulsy you feel the same way, which is why you made the post in the first place.



Ken Lenger

 

[Josparkz]

no flame

Hey Klenger,

I didn't really feel flamed. I was going to say that if people are sniveling about the noise when I'm trying sooo hard to be quiet, they ought to hear me when I want to make noise.

But I am trying to preserve peace and harmony here, even if the harmonics of my Cummins are not enjoyed by all <LOL>

But seriously, I am looking for noise reduction methods.

Suggestions so far have been a cold front, muffler, underhood insulation.

 

[Lsfarm]

Noisy in the morning

You might try plugging it in to have the block warm in the morning. My truck is a lot quieter when the block heater has been on.



While I haven't heard your exhaust, my neighbors say they hear the clatter, not the exhaust.



They tease me, saying: don't bother calling, we KNOW when you are coming over for a visit.



A stealth Cummins?? I don't think so!!



Good luck!! Greg L

 

[1tuffram]

Are you running a "straight pipe" exhuast? I'm a night owl so I usually go do things at night when most people are asleep. All I have on my truck is the cat and no complaints from folks in my apartment complex. I noticed that with just the cat and no muffler the exhaust noise is not really much louder than stock at idle or when driving easy. If I put my foot in it is a little louder than stock, but not objectable. The overall tone of the exhaust with just the cat is "deeper" than stock, but not much louder.



I always take it easy when driving through residential areas so as not to offend those who don't like the music of a hummin Cummins.

 

[chuck3]

Joe, You could check out the Dynomax mufflers from Summit Racing, they are straight through type, but a little quiter than just pipes. my $ . 002

 

[Ram4Sam]

Joe, good luck with this! It may be the engine clatter they don't care for, not the amount of noise coming out of the tailpipe. Plus, you may be dealing with people who will never be happy no matter what you do.



Maybe a little humor will help as I dealt with this same issue a few years back. I had a nice 92 Cummins that was a reg cab which was fine for my wife and I. (no kids, no dogs) I have a neighbor who used to complain about my truck and the amount of noise it made. After we adopted a six year old boy, between him and the new dog, the reg cab was too small. I then sold the 92 and bought a 99 extra cab PSD and my neighbor told me he liked the Ford much better as it was much quieter. Well, that POSD was a pile of junk and after 2 long years, I unloaded that lemon and got a new HO Cummins.



The day I brought the new Dodge home, my neighbor came over and asked why I bought another noisy truck instead of that nice and quiet Ford. He was aware all the trouble I had with it as he gave me many rides to the dealer to get it. Before I could answer, he smiled and said listening to a noisy Cummins was better than listening to me swear at that Ford POSD.





Sam

 

[JohnE]

My family is renting a townhouse until we find better accomodations. 4 units share a samll driveway and I was worried about complaints until I saw the opposing neighbor drives a 97 Ford PSD. He parks outside due to a short garage. I currently park outside until wife's stuff moved to family farm storage. Luckily, no complaints from the neighbors. All of them, including (including my wife and Ford owner's wife) hear the sweet sound of diesel in the morning but go back to sleep.

My opinion, if you keep it reaonable, they'll get used to it.



-John

 

[SlyBones]

If its the clatter you need to reduce, then you may look into ATP ( at least I think thats it ). So a search. There was some info and a web link not too long ago.



They have two kits. Expensive, but reports are they do work. First is for interior cab noise. Second is for exterior clatter noise. They are wraps and blankets.

 

[shoveljunk]

I to wondered about the noise (clatter). Truth be told, how many naibors wish that cummins were in there driveway. One naibors brother comes by in a V-8 F100 (straight pipes),another guy has a friend with a harley so keep it minimal, sign your own pay check and exercize your right to be a CTD owner.



2001. 5 QC 4x4 H. O. slt plus.

 

[DEZLPWR]

Right on shoveljunk!

Screw the neighbors! This is America, you have a right to own a Dodge Cummins Diesel! If the sweet Cummins sound is that bothersome, tell your neighbors they can find some place else to live. What are they going to do, call the cops because of the noise your truck makes? They need to get a life!



Just venting... .....

 

[DiTrani]

Re: Right on shoveljunk!

Originally posted by SCooke

Screw the neighbors! This is America, you have a right to own a Dodge Cummins Diesel! If the sweet Cummins sound is that bothersome, tell your neighbors they can find some place else to live. What are they going to do, call the cops because of the noise your truck makes? They need to get a life!



Just venting... .....

In this country we have the right to Do As We Please in a lot of circumstances. When we exercise these rights carelessly we endanger these rights.



I know I don't appreciate the **shole down the street revving his straight-pipe Harley early in the morning and late at night (has awakened my kids more than once), so I would try not to subject my neighbors similar things, and to minimize it when unavoidable.

 

[DEZLPWR]

CD-

Correct me if I am wrong, but Joe was not "exercising his rights carelessly"! Don't even tell me that starting up your truck @ 5AM (or 3AM for that matter!) and heading off to work or whatever is "exercising your rights carelessly". Now on the other hand, if Joe was sitting out there @ 5AM revving his Cummins like your neighbor does with his Harleys, that's a different story. Idling a Cummins for a minute or 2 vs. revving a Harley = big difference IMHO.



CD, let's get real... ...

 

[DiTrani]

Originally posted by SCooke

CD-

Correct me if I am wrong, but Joe was not "exercising his rights carelessly"! Don't even tell me that starting up your truck @ 5AM (or 3AM for that matter!) and heading off to work or whatever is "exercising your rights carelessly". Now on the other hand, if Joe was sitting out there @ 5AM revving his Cummins like your neighbor does with his Harleys, that's a different story. Idling a Cummins for a minute or 2 vs. revving a Harley = big difference IMHO.



CD, let's get real... ...

I wasn't directing my comments at the originator of this thread, nor at anyone specifically (though somewhat at the poster I quoted). Certainly you have the right to own the vehicle of your choice[1] and drive it to work at whatever time of day or night. However, rather than saying Fsck The Neighbors and writing it off as their problem if it disturbs them, I would argue you have the responsibility to minimize the disturbance, even if it means altering your behavior.



[1]Actually, technically, you might not with a lot of the mods you guys have!!

 

[jwdeeming]

I live in a rural area and we pretty much let each other alone. My closest neighbor visits me occasionally to see how I like the CTD. Last week - he hadn't been over in awhile - he asked me if I still liked it. I said I liked it more all the time. He replied that he noticed it had gotten "much louder now that it's broken in". I laughed and told him that night he saw me out crawling around under the truck a few weeks ago I was hanging a 4" exhaust system, and that probably changed her pitch some.



And, on a related note: My poor wife was out looking for one of our roaming dogs the other day and talked to a few neighbors. Two of them were CTD owners and they didn't want to talk about dogs at all. They wanted to know "What did your husband do to that truck? It sounds cool!" Couple days later, as I drove by one of them, he and his buddy were crawling under the truck slinging really big pipes around. I guess it's infectious.



So, what noise would your neighbors be referring to?

 

[Josparkz]

SCooke wrote:



Right on shoveljunk!

Screw the neighbors! This is America, you have a right to own a Dodge Cummins Diesel! If the sweet Cummins sound is that bothersome, tell your neighbors they can find some place else to live. What are they going to do, call the cops because of the noise your truck makes? They need to get a life!



Just venting... .....



Josparkz replies:



The problem with that is that I am visiting here , and the neighbors are lending me a parking spot. If they revoke that priviledge , I might as well back my bags and find somewhere else to live that has parking and work. If I can't afford that , I can go home and live in poverty, but at least the neighbors have a Cummins





Those silencer blankets look kind of interesting, although QUITE pricey. I'm debating trying some fiberglass insulation and some duct tape first just to see if it works <LOL>

And I just might have to look for a muffler shop.