A study conducted by the University of Western Ontario found that owners of cars with modified exhausts systems are prone to sadism and definitely have mental issues.
It turns out that the desire to install a noisy exhaust arises from people who like to cause problems for others. The study received the provocative title “The desire to install a noisy exhaust is inherent in people with high scores for psychopathy and sadism“.
The analysis was commissioned by Professor Julie Aitken Shermer of London, who wonders why some people like loud cars. The research group included 529 college students who were asked whether they thought loud cars were cool, whether they viewed their cars as an extension of themselves, and whether they would modify their cars to make the exhaust noisier.
Each participant was then given a short personality survey to assess tendencies towards aggression, psychopathy, narcissism and manipulativeness. It turns out that these traits often appear in positive responses to the question of whether they are inclined to install a noisy exhaust on their car.