u/cnvrtx3

I’ve got a 1.4 NA Alfa Romeo MiTo (90hp) and I’m thinking about doing a very mild exhaust upgrade, but I’m trying really hard not to ruin what I already like about the car.

The engine actually sounds great to me above ~4k rpm — I genuinely wouldn’t want to change that part at all. What I’m missing a bit is more presence at low RPM and idle. Ideally I’d like a slightly deeper, more “bassy” tone and a bit more character on cold start.

I don’t want it to sound like a cheap straight-piped setup. Just a cleaner, slightly sportier version of stock.

So I guess my questions are:

- Is a rear muffler (backbox) swap enough for this kind of result?

- Any specific setups or brands that work well on small NA engines like this?

- Is it easy to accidentally make it sound worse (raspy/droney) with these cars?

Thanks!

Have you got some experiences/opinions about Nissan’s VVEL system? Does it actually make any considerable difference, compared to simply only having a throttle body?

I really don’t get it. 350z gets lots of love, but everyone seems to be hating on 370z. Is there any reason for it?