sound of engine or exhaust? loud inside the car

I wanted to know if it is normal for the sound of the engine/exhaust to be so loud inside the car. I have a 99 C2 coupe 6spd completely bone stock believe it or not. no mods at all. I have noticed that when I am driving in 6th gear on the freeway at say 50-80 mph, there is a significant amount of noise that I would think is engine based but feels like it is coming from just underneath the center carpeted tunnel just ahead and between the rear seats. The noise is there when i accelerate and keep the gas steady, but once i remove my foot from the gas, the noise stops actually lessens significantly but is still there. then back on the gas, and the noise comes back. It is hard to describe but sort of like a whirring sound. I swear i can almost feel the vibrations with my hand when I touch the carpeted tunnel. I tried to hear the noise in lower gears at the same speeds but it just drowns out the sound. I dont know if it is engine related or exhaust or normal or something wrong. shoud I be concerned and have it looked at? thanx so much all!!! Peter

If you're talking about a whirr / whine / almost screaming sound coming from the engine when over ~2500 revs then I think that's normal of every Porsche, or at least all the water-cooled ones (986 / 996 / 987 / 997). I can only hear it on the highway when I'm on the gas but driving around at slower speeds, especially in parking garages, it's very apparent. And yes, there is a lot of engine and road noise in the cabin. But would you want it any other way?

And yes, there is a lot of engine and road noise in the cabin. My wife calls it noise, but it sounds like music to my ears.

If this is a new noise, you need to have it looked at. The 996 has never been known to be a loud Porsche.

That happens in 6th gear for me. Not to be macho, but I think you will find that the exhaust is better if you use a lower gear at 50 mph. I should say, I do notice 6th gear is louder at low speeds.

Interesting observations so far! On my way in to work this morning, i was trying to test for the noise at lower speeds and lower gears. I found that 1st gear I just hear the typical sewing machine noise, no whirring at all, if it is there it is drowned out by other sounds. But in 2nd gear, WOW! very obvious! driving in 2nd at about 25-50 foot on and off the gas noise is on and off. Even if i dont accelerate, but keep my foot on the gas just to keep the rpms steady, the whirring sound is there and it is LOUD. The sound of the exhaust and engine is music to my ears for sure, but not this sound! I would say unless I turn the radio pretty loud it would drown out the music. I am not that mechanically inclined admittedly, but I would compare it to the sound of a mechanical gear spinning without lubrication. Oh, and I tried to hear the noise while the car is in neutral at the same rpm...NOTHING, no noise! I guess then my first thought would be it is driveline/drivetrain related? just dumb guesses on my part really? What do you guys think, anybody else experience this? Thanx, Peter

From the location and the symptoms I would certainly have your transmission, clutch, half shafts, etc checked out. It would be something as small as a transmission mount. Or, it could be worse. I really wouldn't drive it much that way if I were you. A good Porsche mechanic will figure it out in a hurry. Jim