Running without a Muffler

[TurboMan]

Has anyone gone mufflerless on our car? I heard an MSP today that had it's exhaust cut off about a foot after the 2nd cat. It sounded really nice. Not ricey or fart-can like at all (sounded similar to a WRX). Surprisingly, it also wasn't very loud. I'm thinking about having a muffler shop custom fab an axleback setup where I'd get a 2.25-2.5" all the way back to a 3-4" angled tip. i figure I'll go SRT4 style and I'll get that angry sound Opinions anyone?

 

[jaymode]

I didn't know anyone had done that on the msp but on the srt4 board its known as the $15 poor man's exhaust, and they supposedly get some nice gains from it. I think it would be different and if it sounds good to you go for it.

 

[Brian MP5T]

Has anyone gone mufflerless on our car? I heard an MSP today that had it's exhaust cut off about a foot after the 2nd cat. It sounded really nice. Not ricey or fart-can like at all (sounded similar to a WRX). Surprisingly, it also wasn't very loud. I'm thinking about having a muffler shop custom fab an axleback setup where I'd get a 2.25-2.5" all the way back to a 3-4" angled tip. i figure I'll go SRT4 style and I'll get that angry sound Opinions anyone?

Jump on this if you disagree....

I have seen several turbo cars just run a downpipe for drag purposes. I have found that the turbine itself stopps most of the noise. So I think that could work for you. I still recomend some kind of muffler. I took off the first cat on my car, replaced the second with a high flow and kept the stock mufler but gutted it.
(Sleeper Look)

It's really quiet until the wastegate opens, but the wastegate is external and it just vents into the engine compartment.

I was looking at an N-1 but everyone has one now it seems.

Later...

 

[AutoBox]

a bunch of friend from my old nissan 240sx days did this, a simple 3in pipe frpm the dp to the back of the car, several musle car friends did this as well but slapped a flow master tip at the end.... its cheap and free flowing

 

[ping]

OK guys, do a search on the High Strung Motorsports "exhaust" - you can have video and audio of a straight pipe axle-back (or you can ask me about it, I have one...) HSM no longer makes these (long story) but your assumptions are correct.

The straight pipe axle-back is a decent addition, basically it's a sound-only upgrade with very minimal difference in power or responsiveness. It sounds like a big Healey or MG (not "Harley", but "Healey"). You can hear pops on downshifts and decel, and it's a ton of fun. Doesn't sound ricey, but deep and mellow (not raspy like a Honda exhaust or boomy like the SRT4). It's actually louder IN the car than out, and even inside it's not bad at all. I like it in the parking structure at work, yummy sounds...

The HSM exhaust was a matching-diameter, steel pipe, appropriately bent, with a welded-on chrome tip and hangers where they should be. I'm going to have my mechanic fab something in ss mandrel-bent with a different tip, but the same idea, 'b/c I think the one I have will rust out (it's not ss. I put the RacingBeat ss muffler on for winter).

Don't run w/o a muffler, though - the exhaust comes out a little too close to the fuel tank for my comfort!

 

[03MSPRO]

Has anyone gone mufflerless on our car? I heard an MSP today that had it's exhaust cut off about a foot after the 2nd cat. It sounded really nice. Not ricey or fart-can like at all (sounded similar to a WRX). Surprisingly, it also wasn't very loud.

I am thinking of doing that, but I'll remove the 2nd cat. This should yieeld large gains. This is the way most race cars have their exhausts.

http://solar.innercite.com/comptech/itr_race_ex.html

 

[TurboMan]

jaymode: Can you further explain what you mean by the SRT4's poor man's $15 exhaust, because to my knowledge, the SRT runs without a muffler stock.

ping: The links are broken to the vids of the HSM exhaust thread. Could you repost the vids? Also, why would it be dangerous to run without a muffler if there is a pipe going all the way back to the stock location of the muffler? By the "pops" on shifts and decel do you mean that it backfires (the popcorn popper kind of noise)?

 

[ping]

Replied to your PM... not dangerous IF you extend the oputlet of the exhaust to the back of the car - only dangerous if you leave the muffler off and let the hot exhaust spew out right next to the gas tank, and leave the back end of the pipe unsupported... sorry don't have a copy of the vids. Hard to describe the sound verbally, but it's a ballsy deep sound, not ricey, almost like an older MG. Not obnoxious outside the car at all, a little drone on decel at about 2500-2800 RPM, but for a performance-sounding exhaust it's really not obnoxious. It IS noticably different fronm the stock muffler, the stocker sounds, well, "tame" in comparison. I put the RB muffler on for winter tho 'cuz it's stainless. If I were doing it again, I'd have a local shop mandrel-bend some SS piping and cap it off with a polished SS tip like stock, perhaps with a little perforated metal in the tip (a "resonated" tip) to muffle it a little (remember, my ears have been hearing for 2x as long as many on this board have been alive!).

 

[jaymode]

TurboMan check your PM, but for others the poor man's or welfare exhaust is cutting the exhaust off after the cat and placing a bend there shooting the exhaust toward the ground. Here is a link to a post about it. http://www.srtforums.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=25008&highlight=welfare+exhaust

 

[jred321]

http://www.buickgn.com/electricexhaustcutout.htm
in the spring/summer i'm going to look more into the possibility of putting one of these before the first cat, so it can go from no muffler/cat to bone stock at the push of a button. i just need to check room under there and find a way to make it flow so most exhaust will go out this when opened, rather than just some like i see on most of the existing setups like this on other cars.

 

[Swerny]

I'm running the HSM exhaust that Ping talked about earlier, so no muffler. It sounds a little louder than i would have liked, but I have grown to like it a lot.
The stock exhaust is crap sound-wise as far as i'm concerned.
With that and the K&N drop in panel filter, the car sounds really good front and back IMO.
I heard my car drive away last week (girlfriend driving) and it sounded really good IMO. Not ricey at all.

 

[TurboMan]

Why is it that HSM stopped making their mufflerless exhaust system?

 

[SpicyMchaggis]

I took off my exhaust last night (muffler).. i love the way it sounds..i must say though, after having my friend do a few fly by's for me..my car sounds sick..and thats with my recently fixed exhaust..

 

[TurboMan]

Just thought of some more questions:

1. Does anyone know where to buy nice looking exhaust tips online?
2. If i went through with the exhaust setup that I detailed above, do you think that anyone would be able to tell that I didn't have a muffler? I'm thinking that the tip might disguise the fact that I have no muffler. I want it to look like the SRT4 does (Most people think that it has a muffler), the stealth look if you will.

 

[Black Majik MSP]

How hard is it to take off the catback section? I wouldn't mind trying this the next time I go to the track.

 

[KyRaceFan]

This is the setup i was planning on going on. 3 in straight back from the downpipe. Should sound pretty dirty.

 

[Striker187]

turboman - borla and magnaflow both sell tips. personally, i like the single-walled slash cut tip, prolly cause that's what my muffer has . fits really nice with the car. but if you wanna go for a more stock look, i'm sure it'd be easy to find a oval rolled tip.

HSM stopped making their exhausts cause the guy apparently ran into financial troubles....and members here got screwed out of their money...long story big fiasco.

 

[TurboMan]

Do you guys think that running a mufflerless setup would be under 95 decibels?

 

[SpicyMchaggis]

hmm..good question..its not THAT loud..but it is loud.

 

[kylenls]

i am right now because my muffler blew up.