13 replies to this topic

[nick1208]

Hey USMB, 

Quick question. I don't really dig the stock sound of my 94 Loyale wagon. I think it would be super sweet to at least get a little rumble going. A friend of mine had a GL wagon and just took the muffler off and apparently it sounded pretty good. What do you think? As someone with pretty short budget, this seems like a solid option to get a nice meaty rumble. The only concern I have is it being too loud? thoughts? experiences? videos?

[MilesFox]

replace it with  straight pipe to exit past the bumper. It is quiet unless you are pulling some revs. it is almost noiseless at idle. you should get some gurgling and popping sounds on rapid decel

[88wacaroo]

YEP,Cut it off right before the muffler-use fence pipe-zinc coated won"t rust

[mikaleda]

if you just pull the muffler off and throw a glass pack on it sounds like a v8 but its going to draw more attention to you for sure

[Rust]

Mine usually fall off on thier own thanks to all the free salt the state throws on the roads, saves $ on sawzall blades.  The only expense is replacing the speakers in the stereo after blowing them up to cover up exhaust noise.  Give it an extra romp for me when your tooling through a residential area after the bars close.  Be loud, Be proud !

[nick1208]

My Dad is trying to convince me it is bad for the engine and I shouldn't do it. What can I do to convince him otherwise? 

[turbosubarubrat]

it will not hurt the engine to change the muffler because it only changes the sound so you do not need a muffler. the only reason why there are mufflers is to quite down the exhaust and because a bunch of people complain anout the niose of a straight pipe which is why cars are required to have them.

[turbosubarubrat]

well i guess unless your flooring it to the ground all the time you will have problems.

[cider3200]

i personally am a fan of dual cherry bombs like what this guy has 

[Justin1997]

i did it to my car and it sounded like a tractor....... spend $20 on a little pop can muffler and it will sound better.

[nick1208]

i did it to my car and it sounded like a tractor....... spend $20 on a little pop can muffler and it will sound better.

Where can I snag me one of those? 

[Uberoo]

just cut the muffler off and then run a glasspack depending on your preferences.Most of my EA81/ea82 vehicles haven't had mufflers.My 93 legacy had an 11" glasspack because the exhaust was a little too high pitched and sounded tinny.With that little glasspack it sounded like an STI.

 

No you will not damage your engine by running a different muffler or even non at all.The muffler is far downstream that the engine just sees a reduced diameter pipe(check the flow rate of pipe to an equal size muffler).

 

While we are on the subject an engine does not NEED backpressure. What it needs is a certain exhaust velocity.Too slow and bottom end suffers,while too fast the top end suffers.

 

small pipes have high velocity,

large pipes have low velocity.

 

the problem with high velocity is it leads to something known as backpressure, in other words resistance to flow.

 

The exhaust travels in pulses so there will be a positive pressure than a negative pressure.When velocity is about right when the exhaust valve opens exhaust will be drawn out and the fresh air charge will get drawn into and trapped in the combustion chamber to start the cycle again.When exhaust velocity is too fast the intake charge will be partially sucked out the exhaust.Too slow and the engine has to expend energy to push the exhaust out.Not to mention most of the combustion chamber will be full of exhaust which doesn't burn.

 

so too small of pipe will choke the top end,while too big of a pipe will kill low end power.

 

On just about any subaru 2-2 1/4 is about ideal.On turboed things a much bigger downpipe is allowed for a different reason.

Edited by Uberoo, 20 March 2013 - 03:56 AM.

[Gloyale]

My Dad is trying to convince me it is bad for the engine and I shouldn't do it. What can I do to convince him otherwise? 

 

He's right.  Not too "bad" for the engine.....but bad for efficiency, and horspower.  You need the backpressure of a muffler to keep exhaust flow steady.  With no muffler, the scavenging effect is reduced, and the exhaust flow "pulses" in and out, rather than all flowing out.  It's partly because of how one side fires, then the other side.

 

Also, no muffler is LOUD.  it sounds kinda cool at first, and then gets real old, real quick.  Draws negative attention WAAAY more than any positive "Coolness" factor you gain from the sound.

 

Get a "cherry bomb" brand turbo muffler. not the hotdog, the actual muffler, made by cherry bomb.  2" is perfect, 2-1/4 works, but is a little hollow and raspy sounding.  They are about $30-40 at carquest, and others.

[mikaleda]

He's right.  Not too "bad" for the engine.....but bad for efficiency, and horspower.  You need the backpressure of a muffler to keep exhaust flow steady.  With no muffler, the scavenging effect is reduced, and the exhaust flow "pulses" in and out, rather than all flowing out.  It's partly because of how one side fires, then the other side.
 
Also, no muffler is LOUD.  it sounds kinda cool at first, and then gets real old, real quick.  Draws negative attention WAAAY more than any positive "Coolness" factor you gain from the sound.
 
Get a "cherry bomb" brand turbo muffler. not the hotdog, the actual muffler, made by cherry bomb.  2" is perfect, 2-1/4 works, but is a little hollow and raspy sounding.  They are about $30-40 at carquest, and others.

I put a 2 1/4 cherry bomb on a legacy and it was just a tad to big I had to have a snuffer nut welded to the end, after that it sounded just like an sti at least for the first few miles.