Quieter Exhaust

XUrotaryrocket said:
After reading this entire thread I'm a bit amazed. It's clear that very few people throwing in their 2 cents have any experience with real sports cars. There is nothing loud or obnoxious about the exhaust system on this car. Go buy an FD RX-7, slap on a Racing Beat catback and then you'll experience something close to loud. And that's probably the quietest FD catback there is.....

I hate to say people, but if this non-existent "drone" gives you a headache either grow a pair or sell the car.
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Lots of smiley's on this forum but I couldn't find the troll smiley. :D

The drone is pretty annoying, especially when your on the highway trying to have a conversation.

I'm going to verify with my dealer if they have any problems with me changing the exhaust, if not I will definitely be doing this.
 
Metro Gray said:
Lots of smiley's on this forum but I couldn't find the troll smiley. :D

The drone is pretty annoying, especially when your on the highway trying to have a conversation.

I'm going to verify with my dealer if they have any problems with me changing the exhaust, if not I will definitely be doing this.
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I would be interested with a service advisors response to that question.
 
mikesul said:
[/B]

I would be interested with a service advisors response to that question.
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I spoke with the service writer at my first oil change last week and he stated that an exhaust modification would not void warranty. He was a bit surprised that I was looking for a quieter solution and he said he would contact me if he found a solution. He also maintained that the CAI and other Mazdaspeed components would not void warranty.
 
my service manager is cool. hes down with intake, bov, fmic, inlet, tp. he rocks
 
Metro Gray said:
I spoke with the service writer at my first oil change last week and he stated that an exhaust modification would not void warranty. He was a bit surprised that I was looking for a quieter solution and he said he would contact me if he found a solution. He also maintained that the CAI and other Mazdaspeed components would not void warranty.
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Then he should probably familiarize himself with the wording of the Mazdaspeed Accessories Warranty...

Nowhere does it state that they will cover anything other than the Mazdaspeed part, and "Green" items like the CAI are only themselves covered for 12 month/12K miles.

Now, that's not to say that your dealer won't cut you more slack if they see your aftermarket part is a Mazdaspeed branded part, but in no way is your vehicle's warranty explicitly "protected" by opting to use a Mazdaspeed part in lieu of another aftermarket part.
 
This is a really interesting thread for me. I do not typically have an issue with my car. I do mostly non highway driving. I also typically play my radio pretty high. It was not until recently when I was doing highway driving with my wife that I was bothered by the drone.

With the radio off and at a constant 70-75 the noise is bothersome.

My question for the Florindi is why did you go with the 14616 from Magnaflow instead of the 12616? Both are stainless the 146 is polished. You can't really see it and its about $20 less for the satin?

Ed
 
Im also looking for a cheaper way to reduce drone.
Anybody else go with the magnaflow 14616 or equivalent
Care to share your impressions?
 
nbroadster said:
Im also looking for a cheaper way to reduce drone.
Anybody else go with the magnaflow 14616 or equivalent
Care to share your impressions?
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I went the Vibrant Ultraquiet Resonator route and it worked well.

Because I already had a 3inch downpipe and race pipe, I went with a 3 inch model and put it in the middle of the race pipe which then connected to the stock CBE. This is a true straight through design and does not hurt performance.

Vibrant also makes a 2 1/2 inch model, with the same specifications otherwise, and you can put just about anywhere in the stock system:

http://vibrantperformance.com/catal...id=46&osCsid=9d5d53066f006d15a60a8ba5f5ff8c63

I got mine from Amazon at a substantial savings over list price.

The Vibrant reso is shorter than the Magnaflow (14 inches v. 20), but is oval shaped. Both have center inlet and outlet.

Either should perform well.
 
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The first time I gave a couple friends a ride in my ms3 they we're impressed by it's power but laughed at the loud stock deceleration drone. We are all in our mid 30s now, and the loud drone upon throttle lift off reminds us of our younger years with loud but slow cars. Fortunately, the ms3 is not slow, and I'm done with loud cars, now that I am a little bit older, I can appreciate performance without a noise penalty!

I'm considering trying the magnaflow resonator trick, has anyone else tried it based on the example shown earlier in this thread?
 
mazdasp33d said:
corksport
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Yep CS FTW...also the red car myth=more speeding tickets is just that a "myth." If your driving the speed limit=no ticket no matter what color your car is.

http://www.snopes.com/autos/law/redcars.asp

# The "Red Car Bias" Myth #1: A commonly held misperception is that red cars tend to receive more speeding tickets than do cars of other colors because of their flashiness. There's also the supposed optical illusion created by their color that makes the cars appear to be going faster than they really are. These are both fascinating theories, but the fact is, according to Carolyn Gorman, vice president of the Insurance Information Institute and Insurance Trade Association, "there is no data to support the assertion that red cars receive more traffic tickets than cars of any other color." Still, the urban legend has been so widely accepted in American society that it has spawned the driving myth discussed below.


# The "Red Car Bias" Myth #2: One can't help wonder how many car buyers have shied away from red cars because they believed owning one would cause higher insurance rates than those commanded by cars of other colors. However, even though some studies have suggested red cars are involved in a disproportionate number of accidents, according to Gorman, "there are no major insurance companies that consider car color when determining your rates." Basically, says Gorman, what it comes down to is "people with good driving records and who also drive safe vehicles typically have the lowest car insurance premiums."
 
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Sound deadening mat installed. It definitely helped. Road noise from the rear wheelwells really got quiet. The exhaust drone is a little better too.
2ldyt02.jpg

Ok, got my resonator swapped out to the magnaflow one.
wjdok5.jpg


I took some sound measurements with a DB meter. I got it up to about 4,000RPM then leave it in gear and coast down to decelerate trying to see where it was the loudest. All going highway speeds. The loudest RPM range is around 2,500 RPM it was hitting 90DB.
That's the "Drone zone"!
After sound deadening mat it was peaking at 85 DB
After the resonator was installed it still peaked at 2,500 RPM around 80DB but it was actually milder all around but still unmistakably throaty and cool like mazda wanted it to.

I'd consider this mission accomplished. No more headaches on long trips.

Just driving with the wheel noise on the highway is around 70 to 75DB to give you an idea.
 
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