You might love BRAAAP with your morning coffee, but your neighbors and your missing dog don’t. It’s time to tame the beast, save your hearing, and make your UTV quiet.
Or maybe you don’t and you’re just as tired of the noise as your dog. Either way,e we’re looking at what makes UTVs so dang loud and what you can do to make them a little less rowdy. Check it out.
The 4-cylinder, 2.5-liter engine in your grandma’s SUV doesn’t rattle windows the way your 2-cyliner 1000 cc UTV does.
What’s the deal with that? Why are they so loud?
Simply put, UTVs aren’t put together with sound in mind. A consumer car is packed with insulation and vibration-reducing upholstery. It’s a selling point for a compact, but “quiet” isn’t a feature on a UTV.
As a result, the engine is right out in the open, the plastic panels are thin, and the noise is loud for everyone.
As vehicles age, they tend to get even louder. Loose or worn parts will vibrate and rattle louder. And an old exhaust system with corrosion can really amplify the sound you’re already making.
And noise isn’t just annoying—it can cause some real issues too.
There are a lot of reasons why quiet UTVs just makes sense, and why it’s not always good to blast your engine out for the whole world to hear.
This is one situation we can all agree on. Hunting with a UTV is convenient and fun, but it demands a quiet UTV. The louder the UTV, the longer you’re going to have to sit and wait for the game to return or the farther you’ll have to hike to find any.
There’s a time and a place for a brain-rattling roar from your engine. It’s great at the starting line for a race or when you want to catch your buddy unawares with a quick pants-messing rev. It’s not so great when you can’t get away from it on your scenic mountain ride or when all your neighbors scorn you for test driving it around the block. Not to mention, you lose your voice just by holding a conversation while you ride.
You might not think your UTV is that loud, but long exposure to moderately loud sounds can damage your hearing anyway. Riding for 6 hours with an uninsulated engine blaring just a few feet away can ruin your hearing. Maybe not right away, but eventually you’ll be shouting, “WHAT!?” more than you would otherwise.
The word of the day is “noise pollution.” When local, noise-sensitive residents live near a ride spot or in a town where UTVs are street legal, it causes problems.
Ten years ago, side-by-sides weren’t nearly as popular as they are today. And right now we’re on the cusp of our favorite hobby becoming a mainstream pastime.
That means people outside of the hobby that happen to live around popular ORV areas have to listen to more machines ripping through their neighborhoods than ever before.
You can’t ignore them—in America, everybody gets a vote. And places like Moab, Utah and the Oceano Dunes in California are already restricting UTV use citing noise pollution among other reasons.
Perhaps the best reason to consider a quiet UTV is to avoid unwanted restrictions at your favorite riding spot.
It’s not all doom and gloom for your ears and neighbors’ sanity—we know how to make your UTV quieter. Here are a few tried-and-true methods you can use to make any UTV quieter.
Installing an exhaust silencer is a great start to quieting down your UTV. These muffler replacements are relatively inexpensive and very easy to install. They generally give you a beefier muffler and redirect the noise down instead of up and out. It’s not a magic bullet, but you will notice the difference.
Insulating your UTV is a little more of a DIY project than just buying an exhaust silencer. You’ll need to purchase vehicle insulating material like Dynamat and apply it under plastic panels to help dampen vibration. With a little ingenuity and elbow grease, you can quiet down your UTV a lot.
Finally, giving your machine an all-around tune-up can get rid of any extra rattles and vibrations that aren’t supposed to be there. Got old bushings? Replace them. Wheel bearings wearing out? Get new ones. Belts slipping? Time to upgrade.
Go through and tighten your bolts too. Making sure everything is tight and in good working condition will keep the sound down.
If you’re looking for the quietest UTV on the market, nothing beats an electric UTV. The Ranger EV, Hisun Sector E1, and Tracker Off-Road EV are all class-leading electric UTVs that balance power and performance. And they do it all with just the sound of turning gears and a low electric hum.
We understand that a lot of people are nervous about getting an electric UTV. The options are slim and the range is limited. But with commitments from companies like Nikola, Segway, and BRP to make the high performance electric vehicles of the future, the future of electric side-by-sides is looking up.
The electric market’s about to blow up—soon you won’t have to think twice about getting one.
A quiet UTV is the way to go. Whether you’re retrofitting your favorite side-by-side with insulation and an exhaust silencer or thinking about getting an electric UTV, quieting down is a win-win. It will change your experience for the better… and your neighbor’s too.
Why do you want a quiet UTV? Let us know in the comments!
22 Comments
A little disappointed. All RZR’s stock exhaust need to be even quieter… I was hoping you guys were going to offer a super quiet muffler … so I can go thru Moab super stealthy. If all the machines were as quiet as the 3 cylinder CanAm, I think we’d be much better off.
My 3 cylinder Can Am Maverick X3 RS Turbo R is insanely loud, even with a suppression kit on the exhaust. I’m selling it…
UTV riders need to get smarter. I think the general public doesn’t care that we are riding in open areas, it is the NOISE they object to. If your machine is quiet, nobody will even know you are riding in the area. Just because your machine makes a lot of noise doesn’t mean more horse power. Even to most other UTV riders, the noise is irritating. Lets get smart as a group and be more considerate of others out in the open. The people are now closing down Pismo beach to UTVs because of NOISE and lack of courtesy to others. Where else are they going to close down?? Think about our future riding!!
Do you even own a UTV? it’s not the rider modifying their utv ri make it louder it’s the manufacturers not listening to their customers is why utv’s are loud. Everyone and i mean everyone who owns a utv wants it to be quieter but none sells a quiet muffler for utv’s
I agree the quieter the better .
I test drove a few SxS’s last fall, thinking they would be a lot of fun. I have a Jeep Wrangler and love to 4×4 in Colorado. I knew they were noisy but had no idea how loud they were when actually driving one. I don’t know how people can stand the noise?
How can you enjoy nature and it’s surroundings when its like sitting next to a lawn mower for hours . The technology is there to make these vehicles a lot more quiet, the manufacturers just need to at least offer vehicles with added sound insulation. In the meantime, I will stick with the Jeep and save my hearing.
I think I will take a look at the electric models.
The way to make your UTV is to buy an electric one. There are plenty of high quality electric side by sides just around the corner from hitting the market. This is absolutely the way to have a quiet UTV, not by modifying your inevitably loud gas UTV.
The problem is going to be range.
Most world agree quite would be nice.
If you are trail riding how long can you go on a charge? Where can you charge when you need to?
With a gas powered rig you can carry gas cans with you. Also most atv/sxs trail systems are planned with many filling stations along the route. I’ve never seen a single changing station along any trail system.
Electric is very cool in concept but just not practical. The electric market will be for the riders that only use their rigs on the property. Gas will still dominate for many years to come.
Falling on deaf ears. Manufacturers don’t care about this issue and never will till they are shut down. They did nothing with snowmobiles until they we’re kicked out of Yellowstone and wilderness backcountry. Now sleds are much quieter.
Don’t buy one until they make a trail machine quieter than the kawasaki pro 800 and put it in a trail machine.
Where is the award for the greenest UTV???
Agree with all the above; love my 2021 Yamaha Rmax 1000 but it’s exhaust is as noisy as my pro chainsaw. So I installed 35 lbs of sound deadener on the rig and wear ear plugs. On the trail I come across fresh tracks, example moose, bear, deer and see that they ran away as I approached. I’d love to see them but with so much noise at 25-30 mph that won’t llikely happen.
I think there is a market for after market mufflers that muffle. C’mon Super ATV or Maremont, nice shiny stainless steel and quieter than stock.
Yeah! More aftermarket stuff to make it quieter would be great. EV machines like the Ranger XP Kinetic is a decent choice for quiet riders too, but I get what you’re saying. Thanks for reading!
Manufacturers need to fix this pronto. My tractor is not as noisy as the SSR Bison 400U. Every motorcycle I have driven and owned is quieter. Shame on the ATV, UTV manufacturers.
Yeah, if you ask me, this is the biggest downside to riding UTVs in general. At least Polaris has some good EV options in their Ranger line, and Segway looks like they want to go in that direction too with their promised hybrid vehicles. We’ll how their hybrid engines work, but if they don’t have a dedicated EV mode, then they’ll probably be no quieter than any other UTV engine.
I live in Okc Oklahoma area, who around here carries exhaust mufflers, exhaust silencer, and dynamat insulating material?? Call Rick Duncan, 405-206-3588 ps I have a 900 Polaris razor, trail side by side. (2015) seats (2)
Haven’t you guys heard.”loud pipes save lives?” That myth was busted more than 40 years ago. Everything, including Harleys, need to quiet down.
Has anyone thought about using or adapting a BMX motorcycle muffler to install on a SXS? BMX motorcycles are so quiet and their muffler is a big part of running quietly. I have used a number of SXS aftermarket exhaust silencers and have never been satisfied with the results.
Hi, J! Now that is an interesting idea. Any time you tinker with exhausts, you have the potential to change the air/fuel mixture. That would be my primary concern. Side-by-sides use much larger engines and completely different exhaust systems (depending on the model and all that jazz), so it could be hard to make it work. But I’d be interested in seeing someone try!
Sara, I viewed BMW Motorcycles website and their are a number of motorcycles that are rated 160hp are higher. So flow restriction won’t appear to be a problem. It might be that BMW muffler design may not provide enough restriction to match Polaris Ranger engine back pressure. I wonder if that could be fixed by adding a restriction at the BMW muffler to try to match Ranger engines.To me this might work. I am not an expert but the idea really intrigues me. How does one determine the exhaust back pressure of ATV and SXS engines? What about connecting BMX muffler to Polaris muffler outlet tube? Cost of a BMW muffler is $1000.00 or more. Need to find a wrecked BMW?
I’ve got a 4×4 Bison 400U UTV. I added what I thought was a great after market muffler but it’s still pretty loud. Is there anything else I could do to make the muffler quieter? Is there sound reducing wrap available that i could wrap around the muffler that would make it quieter? I saw moto wrap but that looks like it’s more for heat than making muffler quieter. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Ive just purchased a 2024 Bighorn 550 and blown away by how annoyingly loud it is!faster you go louder it gets to the point it sounds way over revved for what im doing and waiting to hear something explode,with just 5 miles on it so far im truly regretting the $12k purchase,i like the machine but dam*!
Hubby got the Segway Villian and I simply cannot stand driving it. I do rock concerts… that are LOUD. Front row, next to speakers , but the Viilan is absolutely horrible. I know he doesn’t want to hear ( because he got it knowing how much fun we have had doing other ATV experiences that were total fun and NOT loud ) . It sucks :(
Karyn,
We’re sorry to hear you feel that way! Try out our tips and see if they work!