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First off, I LOVE the startup sound of my Stingray. My neighbors? Not so much. I live in a condo development of duplexes (twins in some regions of the USA). We have "roofmates" that are conjoined at the garages and the living spaces. The developers did a lot of extra work to segregate sounds, but the Stingray is loud on startup. Especially since I back in to the garage. To help calm the HOA from breathing down my neck, I have made a couple versions of a sound tamer that I fondly call the "Muffler Muffler". It is comprised of a bespoke build that replicates the angle and offset of the exhaust tips. I intended on covering it with a foam product as the sound absorber, but in my excitement to test, I simply draped an old towel over the A frame and tried it.
In a startup test using an iPhone with a NIOSH sound level meter utilizing the phone's microphone I measured peak with open pipes at 124.4dB. With the muffler muffler in place it was 116.3dB.
I just start up my Z06 with the garage door closed and then 15 seconds later when the engine RPMS start to drop I open it and back out. Happy neighbors. I couldn't do that with my cam'd C6Z as I'd gag on the fumes.
I back in so that I can stuff the rear end tight to the wall on the passenger side. Then as the front bumper clears the garage door opening, the front end gets swung in for the passenger side to be parallel to the wall. This maneuver gets the passenger side about a foot and a half from the wall, maximizing the driver's door swing space in the center of the garage.
I have swapped to drive in if I am leaving early the next morning. It is still louder than I'd like it to be for the neighborhood.
Starting it with the door closed makes a difference. But the Stingray always starts with the valves wide-open, no matter what drive mode it's in.
exactly… The idea of the loud bark is to warm up the cats, so it’s gonna do what it wants to do in any mode because opening the exhaust warms it up faster.
I understand that GM wants to fire up the cats with a blast.
I don't think they understand that most of us live around other people that usually are sleeping early Saturday AM when I start up at 7 going early to a car show.
It makes us Corvette owners look like we are trying to make noise and looking for attention at the wrong time. Gives totally the wrong impression.
I start up with the garage door closed but quickly open so I don't breathe too much CO2, or fill the garage.
I wish they would give us a totally silent mode for those early mornings.
I understand that GM wants to fire up the cats with a blast.
I don't think they understand that most of us live around other people that usually are sleeping early Saturday AM when I start up at 7 going early to a car show.
It makes us Corvette owners look like we are trying to make noise and looking for attention at the wrong time. Gives totally the wrong impression.
I start up with the garage door closed but quickly open so I don't breathe too much CO2, or fill the garage.
I wish they would give us a totally silent mode for those early mornings.
CO Carbon Monoxide.
CO2 is a harmless gas that makes sodas fizz. Carbon Dioxide.
exactly… The idea of the loud bark is to warm up the cats, so it’s gonna do what it wants to do in any mode because opening the exhaust warms it up faster.
Honestly, I think the loud bark is because the Corvette team liked it. The ECU heats up the cats by running a rich mixture, and they could still do that even with the exhaust set to stealth. In fact, the Z06 has a setting to let you start the car in stealth mode. But (unless it's part of the new 2026 software) GM never chose to give the Stingray that option.
I just start up my Z06 with the garage door closed and then 15 seconds later when the engine RPMS start to drop I open it and back out. Happy neighbors. I couldn't do that with my cam'd C6Z as I'd gag on the fumes.
Wow, 15 seconds is a long time for the Vette to run with your garage door closed.
Since the startup blast is because the center pipe valves default to open, and take a few seconds for the ECU to command them shut....
Can't be all that hard to use some electronics to "manually" (or automatically) shut the valve before startup so the exhaust is forced through the mufflers of the outside pipes.
Not sure if this relatively simple mod would cause a DTC. But that certainly could be tricked with a little more electronics wizardry to not set a code....
Anyone have any hands on experience with playing with the valves?
Startup Muffler Muffler
Carbon Monoxide.
