2003 Mazda Protege5 Muffler Delete

Overdonebacon

Member
:
2003 Mazda Proteg5
So my friends moved the flange on the muffler over so it bypasses it while I was in class. When I got to my car I had a car with a muffler delete. Well it sounds way better than I ever thought it could be. So I will probably remove the muffler and run just piping from the resonator on. It does give a little bit of back fire once in awhile. Here is the video ( https://youtu.be/nCWBrqWsqqk ). This is just a video of me revving it a bit. It was warmed up plenty before this happened.
 
Don't do that. That's terrible.
If you want loud aftermarket muffler, Megan magnaflow etc.
Want a good nice growl, mazdaspeed or racing beat to keep it simple.
No muffler is terrible, sorry to say.
 
Not only is it bad for the environment (emissions) it just doesn't sound nice with the backfires...
I hate the honda drivers down here in Tucson that do it, so much exhaust fumes and hearing backfiring. Just isn't an honest/ nice build. You get out what you put in. Just like you get what you pay for.
 
It sounds like you're describing a catless system. A muffler has no emissions effect, and is so far downstream that it can't cause backfires either. It's literally just a muffler, it muffles, that's it.
 
Plus, if he digs the sound for the price, then more power to him!

Even if it were emissions related too however, if he is in a state which does not test for emissions, then again more power to him.

While it may not be in some people's taste, his build is his so, lol.

Doesn't sound half bad to me, especially since not much was done, but I would second the notion for an exhaust sometime in the future for that extra growl 👌
 
Well technically the muffler does muffle sound but it's also pollution with sounds same with music. It is illegal because it's not up to standards, you may swap a muffler out with another muffler. Even if the no muffler is under 90db it's still illegal and against emissions.
That's what I was getting at, there is still some carbon that gets passed the cat and the muffler is there to soak some of it up.
You are right the muffler really doesn't play in carbon emissions but still goes against the emissions law.
 
We have a resonator. And those big fart cans you see people run don't really count as a muffler either. They are just big perf-core straight through resonators.
 
27150. (a) Every motor vehicle subject to registration shall at all
times be equipped with an adequate muffler in constant operation
and
properly maintained to prevent any excessive or unusual noise, and
no muffler or exhaust system shall be equipped with a cutout, bypass,
or similar device.

27151. (a) No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor
vehicle in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise emitted
by the motor of the vehicle so that the vehicle is not in compliance
with the provisions of Section 27150
or exceeds the noise limits
established for the type of vehicle in Article 2.5 (commencing with
Section 27200). No person shall operate a motor vehicle with an
exhaust system so modified.
(b) For the purposes of exhaust systems installed on motor
vehicles with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of less
than 6,000 pounds, other than motorcycles, a sound level of 95 dbA or
less
, when tested in accordance with Society of Automotive Engineers
Standard J1169 May 1998, complies with this section. Motor vehicle
exhaust systems or parts thereof include, but are not limited to,
nonoriginal exhaust equipment.

You can be cited for one or both of these sections.
 
My car had the muffler deleted and a piece of pipe welded in it's place with a 3" tip when I bought it. It was pretty quiet, and the tone was not bad. I added a header in hopes of gaining a little power. It is a lot louder now, and has a bit of a trumpet sound. I still have the factory cat, mid-pipe, and resonator in place. If I had the chance to do it again, I wouldn't have installed the header.

I'm not sure if you already have or not, but if you delete the muffler, you'll want to have some pipe welded in so the tip extends beyond the bumper. It will drone if you don't.

I like my 4 cylinder cars quiet, or with just a little exhaust noise. IMO, the only 4 cylinders that sound good are motorcycle engines that spin 10,000+ RPM.
 
Last edited:
To answer all the responses here is my answer.

It is my build so I can do what I like. It sounds nice to me. It has no pollution affects due to it being just the muffler. There is still a stock cat in place still as well as resonator. I will be honest it is illegal but only if you get pulled over. I mean there is nothing bad with the engine not having a muffler. Yeah, a little bit less back pressure creates less low end torque though I can notice higher end torque due to this engine being a high power band engine and not having back pressure.

Thanks to the people that agree with me. :D
 
I will be honest it is illegal but only if you get pulled over.

It's illegal regardless if you are pulled over -- equipment violation. You're driving around giving police a guaranteed pretext to stop you. You also won't pass the visual inspection for smog at any reputable smog check station. If you did this because you like to rev the engine, perhaps at a traffic light, then you could easily land yourself a misdemeanor citation and impound for Exhibition of Speed (no speeding required). 9 out of 10 times LE will go for a modified vehicle for an equipment violation because they generally yield additional charges than pull over an unmodified car with a brake light out. If you've got plenty of money to pay for these fines then have it, the state of California would like your money.
 
I never got pulled over with my muffler deleted and illegal tint. The car wasn't loud or obnoxious in the slightest.

The only time I've ever been ticketed is when I had my head in the clouds and was caught going 17 mph over. I would have been ticketed regardless of my vehicles modifications.

Then again, I am in Missouri, which might as well be the wild west compared to Cali.
 
You also won't pass the visual inspection for smog at any reputable smog check station.
The muffler is not part of the SMOG test, visual or otherwise. A SMOG technician can NOT fail you for not having a muffler. If he can’t hang the “sniffer” in your tailpipe, then he could zero the test and send you to a BAR Referee as “untestable” but the referee would just do the test. The California BAR does not classify the muffler has an Emissions Component because the California ARB, California FAW, and both the state and federal EPA, have stated that the muffler, “does not contribute to the addition, subtraction, neutralization or filtration, of harmful emissions/emission byproducts, produced by a passenger vehicle.”.
Bottom line? It may annoy you, but it is not harmful to the environment and not even CHP will pull him over for that. Way too much paperwork for a fix-it ticket. The only way he’ll get a citation is if it in addition to another violation (tint, speed, etc.).
This was 5 years ago. @Overdonebacon do you still have it?
 
Back