How many of you guys regret taking off your resonator/muffler?
- Thread starter sunny4201
- Start date
silverspeed03
Boost Junky
- :
- 2008 MS3
I know exactly what you mean. I've had mine off (both cat's and resonators) for about 8 months and I'm putting mine back on next week for the same reasons you mentioned.
dandydaniel
Member
- :
- 2008.5 Mazdaspeed 3
The only reason why I'm annoyed is because I brought the car to a bad muffler shop and they had to do remove the stock exhaust from the original hangars, and had to re-weld them onto the exhaust so the exhaust is sitting a bit closer to the plastic rear causing some water/condensation to splatter up onto the plastic part...
Bonafide_Spd3
Member
- :
- 2007 Mazdaspeed3 GT Cosmic Blue
That is the reason I didn't want to go that route because why would I want to have noise and no power
I like the noise. I have all 3 items in the back off. A nice bassy sound. It made the turbo whine slightly more due to less resctriction.
to each his own tho. Some will like it and other will not. With the back resonator and muffler off I didn't hear anything loud or annoying in the car, it was as if I never modified anything. So I am not sure how anyone can be annoyed with that part gone.
to each his own tho. Some will like it and other will not. With the back resonator and muffler off I didn't hear anything loud or annoying in the car, it was as if I never modified anything. So I am not sure how anyone can be annoyed with that part gone.
Ok. i had the resonator put back on and i wish i had done it earlier. Freeway is muucchh quieter and downshifting seems smoother and QUIETER. My headaches are now gone from that annoyingly loud exhaust sound.
For all you guys thinking of putting the resonator back on, DO IT!!
I was an idiot dumbass for taking it off in the first place. Having that annoying sound and no performance gain is idiotic in my opinion
(2thumbs)
For all you guys thinking of putting the resonator back on, DO IT!!
I was an idiot dumbass for taking it off in the first place. Having that annoying sound and no performance gain is idiotic in my opinion
(2thumbs)
you're killing me smalls! Taking off only 1 resonator could not have possibly caused a huge annoyance or loudness. I took off a resonator and muffler and I hardly heard any difference at all(sleep). So with only 1 taken off it seems hard to believe it was that gut-wrenching and headache inducing
Ok well I had the front resonator removed and i noticed a loud difference in sound. I put the resonator back on today and the loud sound disappeared. Hmm.. I think the 1 resonator does make a difference. What ever you say does not change that fact that my car was way louder with it off. My friends noticed, I noticed, and my ****** noticed.
HA!
Fix your eardrums, i think with all thems mufflers and resonators deleted your ears are effed up.
I've gone catless, but I really want a full exhaust type tone, but without the extra volume. Ho-hum. Damn the musician in me who can't be happy until the sound is perfect. What do you think about removing the muffler on the end?? I hear people say they remove the first 2 and its ok, then take out that muffler and go wow, thats what I wanted. Maybe?
Dont do it. It'll get annoying in about a month or 2. TRUST ME!
HA so now YOUR oppinion should matter to lestat13 correct? Sucks you didnt like it. Sorry you spent money on removing it and then hated it. The one up front closest to the floor should make a difference. But if you remove the back resonator or the muffler it will only give a slight sound. I did that and it was very minimal. The one directly under you will definately make you har and feel it more. I got more vibes and sound from that one before removed for sure.
lestat I think you heard my take off video from youtube, if you like it, go for it. Its all 3 items out and the testpipe. But I know you already have a downpipe
Yeah, all the clips I heard with people running catless took everything out cause they just wanted to be as loud as possible.... period. I am looking for a certain volume and tone. Ah, to be a musician.
I have the muffler and rear resonator off. Took me about 2 weeks (and upgrading my audio system), but I'm satisfied. I started with just the muffler and it just wasn't aggressive enough for me.
Actually, I did add a resonated tip on, it had a minor effect, but I DID notice the difference. I won't be doing anything different until I feel like I've got money to waste and buy a 3" catback.
No cats = No way. Too stinky.
Actually, I did add a resonated tip on, it had a minor effect, but I DID notice the difference. I won't be doing anything different until I feel like I've got money to waste and buy a 3" catback.
No cats = No way. Too stinky.
Actually, once I recirculated my blow off valve all smells went away. I say:
No cats = No problem
Also, has anyone done these exhaust mods with an aftermarket downpipe? Looking to see some impressions from that end being that the factory downpipe quiets the exhaust quite a bit
The exhaust system on our car was designed to be as quiet as possible. Removing any of the resonators will definately give a louder sound from the exhaust, despite which one you remove.
And the comment about removing the muffler barely being louder.........come on man!! Lets look in the dictionary:
Muffle - to wrap with something to deaden or prevent sound.
Muffler - any of various devices for deadening sound, as the sound of escaping gases of an internal-combustion engine.
Put down the crackpipe, and turn on the hearing aid. Removing your muffler = loudness.
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Vibrant Ultra Quiet Resonator Noise Solution
I may be one of the oldest Speed3 freaks here at 58 y/o. I've played with turbocharged toys of various types, mostly SAAB's and Volvo's for quite a few years, but had to jump on the MS3 when I saw how the engine was designed and tuned from the factory and how it would probably be easy to make more speed safely.
I had already moved past the "loud is better" phase of my life quite a while back after going through SAAB and Volvo versions of the same issues posted here about the droning and increased noise when freeing up the exhaust. I prefer very free flowing exhausts that are "stealthy" in cars that look stealthy. So, after playing with my MS3 for a while, here's the results of my efforts to get power and keep the sound subdued.
1. Past experience in European turbo cars suggested that there was probably an emissions based restriction in the downpipe before the first cat and perhaps another one after that cat and before the second cat. People here have already figured out that adding a race pipe, especially a 3 inch one, does help a bit, but not that much. Eliminating the second cat does increase noise and droning a bit because the cat does have the secondary effect of toning town the volume, and does produce a few ponies by eliminating some restriction, but gains are modest.
2. It is well known that big downpipes tend to really help turbo engines, especially in the midrange and when the turbo is under full boost. Eliminating the restriction in the stock DP and MP and replacing both with straight through, no cat, 3 inch pipes should realize very significant increases in power but with attendant increased volume and droning. If you willing to live with the noise and want the power, that's the way to go if you are like me and live in a state with no emission inspections. If you want the power and still be stealthy, (or don't like the headaches from the droning) a little more thought goes into the solution.
So, I ended up getting the TurboXS combo "stealth back" which is their 3 inch flex DP and 3 inch flex MP with no cats, no restriction. There is a reducer where the MP connects to the stock exhaust so you do not need a cat back exhaust. You connect to our stock exhaust which uses straight through muffler and reso's. The reduction down to 2 1/2 at that point should be no problem unless you plan to go over 300 wheel horses.
Result at this point in the upgrade: Huge gains, particularly in midrange performance. 60-100 mph times fell from 8.9 seconds in 90 degree weather to 7.9 in the same temperature conditions. That's a full second. In cooler weather (75-80 degrees), 60-100 mph drops to 7.5. Why use 60-100? Because it's repeatable, easier to control the variables run to run, to minimize the effect of traction problems and inconsistent launches, and to reduce the effect of heat soak and drive train shock when tuning.
But eliminating those two cats and opening up the system to straight through 3 inch up to the rear of the MP did result in a big increase in loudness and in droning, especially in the 2500 rpm range and when downshifting. This is with the stock muffler and both stock reso's still in place. This is consistent with my experience with other cars, especially turbo SAAB's.
Next step:
This may seem drastic but it proved effective -- add another reso. But where and which one? The ideal place to put an addtional reso would be between flanges in the 3 inch MP. This means cutting the MP, taking out enough of it to insert the reso and then welding or clamping the two sections back together.
Which resonator? A little research suggested that the Vibrant Ultra Quiet 3 inch reso would be just the right size. It is a straight through design with a lot of sound deadening material inside its oval outer shell. It's 17 inches in over all length, including excessively long inlet and outlet connections which can be shortened as needed.
The turboXS MP can be cut one inch behind its bend and again on inch before the flex joint which connects to the rear flange. The Vibrant Ultra Quiet Resonator's 3 inch inlet and outlets are, as stated, longer than needed and need to be shortened to fit the total over all length of the MP. Cut one inch off of each end. You can then assemble the parts loosely, loosely attach the MP to the flanges at each end. Rotate as necessary to get the flanges to match the bolt holes. Using a Magic Marker, Sharpie or similar marker place a mark across the MP and muffler inlet and then across the MP and muffler outlet, so you can line them up later and remove. After removal, line up the marks and either weld the three pieces back together (my method) or reassemble with stainless 3 inch muffler clamps. Then reinstall the now completed midpipe reso combo.
To finish off the completed system, I removed the 4 inch stock chrome exhaust tip and welded a 3 1/2 inch unrolled straight cut Magnaflow tip. No offense guys, but I'm going steath and this makes the car look less rice, is still bigger than the exhaust ,and since it's not rolled, it virtually disappears.
End result: The Vibrant Ultra Quiet Reso is aptly name. This restores the exhaust to stock volume and even eliminates the drone which the stock system had! Because the reso is a straight through design, the gains from the catless DP and MP are unchanged -- a full second drop or more in 60-100 mph time.
I may be one of the oldest Speed3 freaks here at 58 y/o. I've played with turbocharged toys of various types, mostly SAAB's and Volvo's for quite a few years, but had to jump on the MS3 when I saw how the engine was designed and tuned from the factory and how it would probably be easy to make more speed safely.
I had already moved past the "loud is better" phase of my life quite a while back after going through SAAB and Volvo versions of the same issues posted here about the droning and increased noise when freeing up the exhaust. I prefer very free flowing exhausts that are "stealthy" in cars that look stealthy. So, after playing with my MS3 for a while, here's the results of my efforts to get power and keep the sound subdued.
1. Past experience in European turbo cars suggested that there was probably an emissions based restriction in the downpipe before the first cat and perhaps another one after that cat and before the second cat. People here have already figured out that adding a race pipe, especially a 3 inch one, does help a bit, but not that much. Eliminating the second cat does increase noise and droning a bit because the cat does have the secondary effect of toning town the volume, and does produce a few ponies by eliminating some restriction, but gains are modest.
2. It is well known that big downpipes tend to really help turbo engines, especially in the midrange and when the turbo is under full boost. Eliminating the restriction in the stock DP and MP and replacing both with straight through, no cat, 3 inch pipes should realize very significant increases in power but with attendant increased volume and droning. If you willing to live with the noise and want the power, that's the way to go if you are like me and live in a state with no emission inspections. If you want the power and still be stealthy, (or don't like the headaches from the droning) a little more thought goes into the solution.
So, I ended up getting the TurboXS combo "stealth back" which is their 3 inch flex DP and 3 inch flex MP with no cats, no restriction. There is a reducer where the MP connects to the stock exhaust so you do not need a cat back exhaust. You connect to our stock exhaust which uses straight through muffler and reso's. The reduction down to 2 1/2 at that point should be no problem unless you plan to go over 300 wheel horses.
Result at this point in the upgrade: Huge gains, particularly in midrange performance. 60-100 mph times fell from 8.9 seconds in 90 degree weather to 7.9 in the same temperature conditions. That's a full second. In cooler weather (75-80 degrees), 60-100 mph drops to 7.5. Why use 60-100? Because it's repeatable, easier to control the variables run to run, to minimize the effect of traction problems and inconsistent launches, and to reduce the effect of heat soak and drive train shock when tuning.
But eliminating those two cats and opening up the system to straight through 3 inch up to the rear of the MP did result in a big increase in loudness and in droning, especially in the 2500 rpm range and when downshifting. This is with the stock muffler and both stock reso's still in place. This is consistent with my experience with other cars, especially turbo SAAB's.
Next step:
This may seem drastic but it proved effective -- add another reso. But where and which one? The ideal place to put an addtional reso would be between flanges in the 3 inch MP. This means cutting the MP, taking out enough of it to insert the reso and then welding or clamping the two sections back together.
Which resonator? A little research suggested that the Vibrant Ultra Quiet 3 inch reso would be just the right size. It is a straight through design with a lot of sound deadening material inside its oval outer shell. It's 17 inches in over all length, including excessively long inlet and outlet connections which can be shortened as needed.
The turboXS MP can be cut one inch behind its bend and again on inch before the flex joint which connects to the rear flange. The Vibrant Ultra Quiet Resonator's 3 inch inlet and outlets are, as stated, longer than needed and need to be shortened to fit the total over all length of the MP. Cut one inch off of each end. You can then assemble the parts loosely, loosely attach the MP to the flanges at each end. Rotate as necessary to get the flanges to match the bolt holes. Using a Magic Marker, Sharpie or similar marker place a mark across the MP and muffler inlet and then across the MP and muffler outlet, so you can line them up later and remove. After removal, line up the marks and either weld the three pieces back together (my method) or reassemble with stainless 3 inch muffler clamps. Then reinstall the now completed midpipe reso combo.
To finish off the completed system, I removed the 4 inch stock chrome exhaust tip and welded a 3 1/2 inch unrolled straight cut Magnaflow tip. No offense guys, but I'm going steath and this makes the car look less rice, is still bigger than the exhaust ,and since it's not rolled, it virtually disappears.
End result: The Vibrant Ultra Quiet Reso is aptly name. This restores the exhaust to stock volume and even eliminates the drone which the stock system had! Because the reso is a straight through design, the gains from the catless DP and MP are unchanged -- a full second drop or more in 60-100 mph time.
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Wow MSMS3, I might steal that idea!! I also have, dare I say it, a sound fetish. I am looking for more burble and a more aggressive tone without a huge increase in volume. Maybe adding a catback or removing one or more factory resonators might give me the TONE I am looking for and the vibrant will keep the volume livable for my picky gf. I already have catless downpipe and midpipe, just want a small bump in volume and more presence to the exhaust sound.
That brings me to my next question. What, if anything, did the Vibrant Ultra Quiet resonator do to the TONE of the exhaust? Does it sound stock or does the vibrant allow it to retain the downpipe sound??
SOUND CLIPS?!??
That brings me to my next question. What, if anything, did the Vibrant Ultra Quiet resonator do to the TONE of the exhaust? Does it sound stock or does the vibrant allow it to retain the downpipe sound??
SOUND CLIPS?!??
I can make sound clips, but I don't have a "before" clip to compare. You have to use the same mike, have the same gain setting, have the exact distance from exhaust to mike, or you end up with something that you can't really tell.
Give me a few days and I'll post something. The main thing is that you can hear the engine over the exhaust as with stock, which was impossible after the DP/RP were first put in. And the drone at 2400-2600 rpm is now actually less than stock. Wifey is very happy with this mod! Wifey happy, me happy.
Give me a few days and I'll post something. The main thing is that you can hear the engine over the exhaust as with stock, which was impossible after the DP/RP were first put in. And the drone at 2400-2600 rpm is now actually less than stock. Wifey is very happy with this mod! Wifey happy, me happy.
