[Ben]

This be going in MY archives since I liked it so much. It was written by Boonrat (Boonie) Lohwongwatana.

Okay guys, thanks for a few people who responded to me privately. There
were about the same amount of emails telling me that they were wondering
about the same thing, as well as some who suggested some setup.

Here is my finding that could be worth something.

1. There is no straight-through quiet muffler. (Thanks for suggestion on
the adjective location too!) The person who is looking for one is a
moron.

1.5 As a side note, it's been religiously believed (on our mailing
list) that straight-through muffler is most desirable because of its
flowability. So, if the performance comes first, you will want a
straight-through. And then, you will be wondering like me how you could
quiet it down.

2. The noise level can increase significantly if
- you have a header
- you have a leak in your system
- you don't have a cat

3. The noise level can decrease if
- you add a pre-muffler/silencer/glasspack.
- your muffler tip is not underneath the car, but rather extrude
beyond your bumper.
- you line up your exhaust system well. No overlapping.
- you have stock b-pipe
- you add a turbo

4. Some recommended brands: (People told me that they were happy with
them.)
- dynomax
- edrelbrock
- HKS

4.1 There are also some flow charts for different muffler in Carparts.com,
Summit catalogues.

5. I am still unsure about the inside construction of HKS muffler. Size
does matter a bit, but bigger muffler doesn't always mean quiet. Also, if
the stuffing materials get old, the muffler tends to propagate more
noise. And this convinces me that HKS muffler is very well-designed for
its resonance and its sound deadening materials. (But this is IMO.)

6. We didn't have a chance to do muffler dB testing at Woodley park
meet. But I will keep begging Carlos if we can do a testing at the future
events. For now, I will be putting a flange on my b-pipe and experiment
with some cheap mufflers (<$100) and let you guys know the
result. Hopefully the cost won't add up to the Graddy or HKS system.

Later guys,

Boonie

 

[jacen99SE]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">straight-through muffler is most desirable because of its flowability</font>

make sure it is a perforated core, not louvered.

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">3. The noise level can decrease if
- you add a pre-muffler/silencer/glasspack.
- your muffler tip is not underneath the car, but rather extrude
beyond your bumper.
- you line up your exhaust system well. No overlapping.
- you have stock b-pipe</font>

IMO, the stock b-pipe is quieter because of the small diameter. A 2" b-pipe with a resonator should be quieter than a 2.5" b-pipe with the same resonator. Again, just my opinion, i don't have enough evidence yet.

7. For those that don't live in Arizone or SoCal, all stainless steel is pretty important. You don't want to have to replace it next year...