Tips To Make Your ATV Quieter | Hunt or Shred

Few things compare to the joy of going out and riding. However, sometimes ATV’s can be excessively loud. How can we make one quieter?

To make your ATV quieter you are going to have to make some customizations to your muffler or exhaust such as adding a silencer to your muffler, packing your muffler with a noise-canceling material, or adding a tip to your exhaust.

If you have had a long day out riding, then you probably know all too well the annoyance of coming home with your ears ringing and your brain buzzing from the extremely loud noise that your ATV produces. Unfortunately, All-terrain vehicles were designed to deliver on performance more than anything else - with manufacturers often overlooking some aspects of comfort such as not going deaf. With that being said, there are a lot of great approaches that you can take to silence your ATV or at the very least make it considerably quieter. Let’s dive into some great tips for making your ATV less noisy.

After years of working as an ATV mechanic, I have helped so many of my customers with installations to make their quads quieter. My experience has taught me that by making some basic customizations to the muffler of the All-terrain vehicle you can greatly reduce the amount of noise that it makes

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Tips for a Quieter ATV

Whether you have been riding for years or are just starting out, one of the first things that you notice when you fire up the engine of your quad is the sheer amount of noise that comes out of this thing. That roaring sound may sound cool at first but after a while, it can become a real pain to deal with.

Riders that have faced the music will tell you that enough is enough. That constant ringing in your ears takes a huge toll after a while, which is why many riders decide to make some customizations to their quad to dampen or even greatly eliminate the amount of noise that their quad makes.

The good news is that there are some great options for making these changes to your ATV and they can be as technical or as simple as you like - depending on how much time or money you want to invest in the project.

Muffler Silencer

The noise that you hear roaring out of your ATV primarily comes out of your muffler, which is the first place that you really want to target to get the most results. The best approach for quieting down your muffler is to get a muffler silencer.

A lot of manufacturers have capitalized on noisy ATVs by creating silencers that were specifically designed to quiet down quads - and they have done so with great results. This is definitely the go-to option, as you can eliminate a substantial amount of noise that your quad makes with this one installment. Many riders have reported that they were able to reduce the amount of noise that their quad makes by 3 or 4 times what it was pre-installation.

The key thing that you want to focus on when picking out a silencer is to find one that fits your quad. Some manufacturers online cater their products to specific ATV makes and models. Whereas others have specs that are vague. To ensure that you are getting a silencer that fits and will get the job done, you may want to consult an ATV mechanic before committing to a product.

Once you have found an ideal match for your ATV, you can try to install the silencer yourself - provided that you have got the right tools and handy skills. Alternatively, this is a relatively basic installation for most ATV mechanics and they would be more than happy to assist you with getting your muffler silencer in place, but this would involve some additional costs.

Pack Your Muffler

Another great approach for making your ATV quieter is to pack your muffler with a material that will dampen the amount of noise that it makes.

If you are on a budget and want to take care of this issue at home without professional help, this is going to be the best option for you. To pack your muffler, what you essentially want to do is stuff it with a material that will fit inside of the tube and catch a lot of the sound waves that come out of your exhaust. This will significantly lower the amount of noise that your ATV makes.

The key thing is to pick the right material, which can be quite flexible if you are doing this at home. Woven fiberglass is great for packing your muffler, as this material is safe to use and will absorb a lot of noise.

You should be able to find this in most hardware shops or online for dirt cheap, but alternatively, you can always opt for a fiberglass muffler packing material product that was designed specifically for quieting down ATVs.

To install the material, simply remove your muffler from your quad and disassemble the nuts and bolts. Next, line the material evenly within the muffler and pack it inside. If you decided to get a muffler packing product, then there will always be instructions that are specific to your product on the packaging.

Exhaust Tip

One of the aspects of your ATV’s muffler that adds to a lot of the noise that it makes is the length of the pipe itself. Most quads have a relatively standardized length for their exhaust/muffler, but some models may be a bit shorter than others.

If your ATV has a short muffler, then you can expect it to make a considerable amount of noise when you rev your engine. A great solution to mitigate the amount of noise that your quad produces is to add an exhaust tip.

You can find exhaust tips at a lot of ATV dealerships, mechanics, or simply online. They are cheap, easy to install, and if you have some DIY knowledge with tools, you may even be able to get the job done yourself.

If you are not as confident in your tool skills, a mechanic should be able to install an exhaust tip onto your quad in no time, which will greatly reduce the noise that your ATV makes.

Benefits Of Having Quieter ATV

The amount of noise pollution that a quad creates can be a huge annoyance and can hinder a lot of your favorite activities when you go out riding. The constant roar of your muffler will make your ears ring and can even cause headaches for some riders when you drive around long enough.

If you have taken the time to invest in a quieter system for your ATV, you (and everyone around you) can rejoice in the luxury of driving around without blowing your ears out. Here are some of the benefits of having a quieter ATV.

  • Hearing Damage - Believe it or not, the noise that comes from most standard ATVs is actually loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage. Riders that drove with loud exhausts for years have expressed having worse hearing from when they started driving, which can easily be remedied and avoided if you simply customize your quad to quiet it down.
  • Neighbors - By customizing your ATV to make less noise, you will be doing more than just yourself a favor. Your neighbors probably have to deal with the amount of noise that your quad produces as much as you do and they would greatly appreciate you taking it down a couple of decibels.
  • Hunting - Hunting is a sport that is all about accuracy and stealth, which can be pretty challenging to achieve if you are scaring away the wildlife you are tracking before they even get within range. Making your quad less noisy can greatly improve your performance as a hunter.
  • Birdwatching & Wildlife Encounters - A lot of people love to go out quad riding just to catch a glimpse of animals in the wild. You can rest assured that without a customized quad, these critters will hear you from miles away and will be long gone by the time you arrive.

Pretty much everyone that comes within earshot of your ATV will benefit from you making your quad quieter, which is more than enough reason to make some basic customizations to reduce the amount of noise that your All-terrain vehicle makes.

About THE AUTHOR

Shawn

Shawn

I'm 30 years old. I am a software developer and I am a freelance writer on the side. I've been riding ATV's since I was 15. I personally own a Polaris Sportsman and a Can-Am Defender.

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