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What bits do I need to swap out of my exhaust if I want it no louder but as light as possible? Anybody know which aftermarket muffler is the lightest and how it compares to the OEM muffler?
Exhaust Mods: Want Less Weight, Stock Noise Volume...
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The stock muffler weighs a ton,mine is still sitting on my porch waiting for a late night trip to a dumpster.Go through a catalog and look at the stainless(Borla, Dyno max,Flowmaster-louderor any of the known hi end companies) and the weight will be better.
Titanium would be the lightest. But good luck using one designed for the G or the 350. When you come down to extending the tips, I don't think you're going to find anyone to weld on extensions. It's just not feasilble with Ti. You may be able to use SS slip joint extensions, but good luck w/ cutting the Ti.
Also, because there is so little mass, the sound tends to be a bit more 'tinny'/ raspy. They usually don't come with a center resonator, so you'd have to splice one in.
I know JIC offers some exhausts w/ SS piping and a Ti muffler. That may be the lightest way to go that would a feasible.
Also, because there is so little mass, the sound tends to be a bit more 'tinny'/ raspy. They usually don't come with a center resonator, so you'd have to splice one in.
I know JIC offers some exhausts w/ SS piping and a Ti muffler. That may be the lightest way to go that would a feasible.
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So if I go with one of the more basic name brand mufflers, what kind of weight savings would I experience?
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Half easy..stock is #50 + .I like brand names because the sound will be consistent over time..Dyno max is probably the quietest with least restriction,Borla is a very distinctive sound but super quality.Stainless will last,and the cost of titanium could better be spent elsewhere...who make TT in mufflers excect the Z04?
Just did the exhaust on my '45, sounds awesome, feels stronger- hoping to do some 0-60 runs soon to see if I really got anything "statistically significant" out of it...
It seems like there are some super expensive exhaust systems out there, which I honestly don't think are worth the almost-a-grand prices I'm seeing. Here's what I did to save some coin- thought I'd pass it on to anyone else who's hoping to do a cat-back around $300!
I had noticed the flange after the Y pipe comes out 2.75" then chokes quickly down to 2.5" before the resonator. It's really a simple run for an exhaust shop- cut right before the choke down and 3" slides right over that pipe, a couple slight bends to get over the cross member, do a straight-through 3" resonator in the same place as the old one- then just weld together mandrells to make that zig-zag 90 degree corner into a muffler of the same style. I used a Dynomax Welded (Ultraflo) 17227- takes the 3" in and puts 2.5" out- which made it really easy to use the stock exhaust tips! (I like the tips and like that fact that it still looks stock! Note that because stock, one has a shorter run to the tip, and had to be lengthened just a little bit- easy for the muffler shop).
That's it- cheap, sounds awesome (I did use a full 18" resonator), and feels stronger- and will be ready to take all of the increases when we get some ECU upgrades!
It seems like there are some super expensive exhaust systems out there, which I honestly don't think are worth the almost-a-grand prices I'm seeing. Here's what I did to save some coin- thought I'd pass it on to anyone else who's hoping to do a cat-back around $300!
I had noticed the flange after the Y pipe comes out 2.75" then chokes quickly down to 2.5" before the resonator. It's really a simple run for an exhaust shop- cut right before the choke down and 3" slides right over that pipe, a couple slight bends to get over the cross member, do a straight-through 3" resonator in the same place as the old one- then just weld together mandrells to make that zig-zag 90 degree corner into a muffler of the same style. I used a Dynomax Welded (Ultraflo) 17227- takes the 3" in and puts 2.5" out- which made it really easy to use the stock exhaust tips! (I like the tips and like that fact that it still looks stock! Note that because stock, one has a shorter run to the tip, and had to be lengthened just a little bit- easy for the muffler shop).
That's it- cheap, sounds awesome (I did use a full 18" resonator), and feels stronger- and will be ready to take all of the increases when we get some ECU upgrades!
Yeah, I did K&N- too easy not to! Waiting for a good CAI, of course... need to open up the flow there big time- when it's hot out it really gasps for air- obviously needs more shoved down in there...
Queue Bing Crosby... "I'm dreaming of a... intercooled turbo!"
Queue Bing Crosby... "I'm dreaming of a... intercooled turbo!"
I put on a magnaflow muffler...its very light and alot smaller than the stock one. I also removed the resonator. Pretty loud when you get on it with very little freeway drone. But, its raspy as heck at WOT. Gonna put the resonator back on to hear how it sounds.
Can you give me some sense as to how much louder it is compared to stock?fxfan said:
Using a scale from 1-10, with 5 being the sound level from the stock exhaust, how would you rate the following:
1. Idle
2. Part-throttle/daily driving
3. WOT(flooring it)
Any resonance at cruising speed?
I was looking to make a custom exhaust, also using the UltraFlo muffler and resonator. Seems you went the exact route I planned to use, so your answers to the above would be most appreciated.
I've been very pleased with the sound! Funny that you just posted this, as I was just on a section of freeway this afternoon with the rubbarized asphalt (super quiet) with the cruise set on 79, and I couldn't hear the exhaust at all, just wind noise (I was surprised actually that I couldn't hear the exhaust).
But, answering your question as you asked it (sorry for my preliminary soliloquy!)
1) Idle- can't really hear it at all- have to put my head down there to hear a difference, so I'll say 6
2) Part throttle/daily driving- hard to answer, depends on how much pedal- but when simply cruising- no noticable difference- so I'll say a 5 there, when at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle (sorry, I just can't ever accelerate WITH traffic!) I'd say 6-7
3) WOT- not bad, but definitely noticable- pretty nice sound- I'd say 7-8
I get a little resonance (feels like a teeny bit of exhaust "vibration" at about 3800-4000 rpm- probably should have left the dampener on there (on the stock 2.5" pipe right behind the Y-pipe flange). So try having them cut it off the old pipe and reweld on the new one- wish I would have done this (asked the exhaust shop and they said the things were a waste... should have gone with my gut!).
I hope this helps!
But, answering your question as you asked it (sorry for my preliminary soliloquy!)
1) Idle- can't really hear it at all- have to put my head down there to hear a difference, so I'll say 6
2) Part throttle/daily driving- hard to answer, depends on how much pedal- but when simply cruising- no noticable difference- so I'll say a 5 there, when at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle (sorry, I just can't ever accelerate WITH traffic!) I'd say 6-7
3) WOT- not bad, but definitely noticable- pretty nice sound- I'd say 7-8
I get a little resonance (feels like a teeny bit of exhaust "vibration" at about 3800-4000 rpm- probably should have left the dampener on there (on the stock 2.5" pipe right behind the Y-pipe flange). So try having them cut it off the old pipe and reweld on the new one- wish I would have done this (asked the exhaust shop and they said the things were a waste... should have gone with my gut!).
I hope this helps!
Hey fxfan & brnjugfx45:
What performance are you seeing seat-of-the-pants. Any loss on low RPMs? Biggest gains mid and upper range? Approximate idea as to how much MAX hp/tq?
I really would like to get the exhaust done (as fxfan enthusiastically wants) before heading out to Technosquare. Of course, I still feel that they would want to work with a stock FX45, stock exhaust first. I'm expecting baseline dyno runs and such. I'll speak to them. I'm fully willing to focus on the ECU upgrade results first, then immediately go back with the 3" exhaust modification for another tweak.
Finally, please highlight the parts/part count I would need to purchase before going to a performance muffler shop as in what else do I need to supply the shop other than the mufflers? I like the Dynomax Magnum Race Welded 17227 mufflers and the perceived sound cited here. fxfan, is this the right muffler which you are referring to? The Dynomax 17227 isn't listed as the part of the "Ultra flo" Stainless-steel line instead it comes up as the "Magnum Race Welded" Aluminum. I do prefer stainless-steel although I'm not certain the 3" in - 2 1/2" out is available in that series.
Here's the Dyno-max description based on the part# 17227.
http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ ... rmenbr=361
What performance are you seeing seat-of-the-pants. Any loss on low RPMs? Biggest gains mid and upper range? Approximate idea as to how much MAX hp/tq?
I really would like to get the exhaust done (as fxfan enthusiastically wants) before heading out to Technosquare. Of course, I still feel that they would want to work with a stock FX45, stock exhaust first. I'm expecting baseline dyno runs and such. I'll speak to them. I'm fully willing to focus on the ECU upgrade results first, then immediately go back with the 3" exhaust modification for another tweak.
Finally, please highlight the parts/part count I would need to purchase before going to a performance muffler shop as in what else do I need to supply the shop other than the mufflers? I like the Dynomax Magnum Race Welded 17227 mufflers and the perceived sound cited here. fxfan, is this the right muffler which you are referring to? The Dynomax 17227 isn't listed as the part of the "Ultra flo" Stainless-steel line instead it comes up as the "Magnum Race Welded" Aluminum. I do prefer stainless-steel although I'm not certain the 3" in - 2 1/2" out is available in that series.
Here's the Dyno-max description based on the part# 17227.
http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ ... rmenbr=361
Hi RU_MATRX,
Here's my seat-of-the-pants take: same or maybe very slight loss in power below say 2500RPM, and some nice gain above that, with the biggest gains being closer to redline. I would hate to start guessing hp and torque numbers... maybe brnjugfx45 is willing to give a venture there. Because this is all one system, I think we won't see the real impact of the exhaust until we do ECU and intake upgrades as well... that's the kick I'm waiting for!
That's the correct part #. Here's the pdf specs on the Dynomax site, showing all the different part #'s:
http://www.dynomax.com/documents/ultrafloweld_specs.pdf
You can see from the mfg site that this is indeed an Ultraflo muffler... the welded unit is just a sturdier design. No mirror stainless finishes, but welds are way better than crimps, and I personally don't have too many people sliding under my car to see how pretty my muffler is...
The only other parts I ordered were a couple U-bend madrells (because I wanted mandrell for that near-180 right before the muffler). Here's the Jeg's part# for the mandrells (I bought 2): 289-42323. Any 3" round resonator will fit fine- I just had my local exhaust shop use one of theirs, or you can grab one at the nearby Autozone- I used an 18" length (3", of course). And that's it!
I hope this helps... thanks again for doing the Technosquare run!
Here's my seat-of-the-pants take: same or maybe very slight loss in power below say 2500RPM, and some nice gain above that, with the biggest gains being closer to redline. I would hate to start guessing hp and torque numbers... maybe brnjugfx45 is willing to give a venture there. Because this is all one system, I think we won't see the real impact of the exhaust until we do ECU and intake upgrades as well... that's the kick I'm waiting for!
That's the correct part #. Here's the pdf specs on the Dynomax site, showing all the different part #'s:
http://www.dynomax.com/documents/ultrafloweld_specs.pdf
You can see from the mfg site that this is indeed an Ultraflo muffler... the welded unit is just a sturdier design. No mirror stainless finishes, but welds are way better than crimps, and I personally don't have too many people sliding under my car to see how pretty my muffler is...
The only other parts I ordered were a couple U-bend madrells (because I wanted mandrell for that near-180 right before the muffler). Here's the Jeg's part# for the mandrells (I bought 2): 289-42323. Any 3" round resonator will fit fine- I just had my local exhaust shop use one of theirs, or you can grab one at the nearby Autozone- I used an 18" length (3", of course). And that's it!
I hope this helps... thanks again for doing the Technosquare run!
Ok all:
Per fxfan's reference to Brian who will head our FX45 ECU project. I called Technosquare this morning and although Brian won't be in until Monday (due to Thanksgiving Holidays), I spoke to Tadashi. Tadashi spent some patient time with me on the phone going over the process. All facets of full ECU upgrading will be optimized including increased rev limit, timing/retard, fuel/air ratios @ given RPMs, etc., etc. I will have more details when I speak to Brian as well as when they are actually working with the ECU maps.
Basically, I'll remove my ECU and send it to Technosquare, Torrance who, in turn, will send it off to Japan. Their liaisons in Japan are the only ones that can assist them with extracting the various ECU maps off of the ECU. Once, they receive the ECU/map files, they will return the ECU to me so that I can drive my FX45 down to them for preliminary dyno runs (AWD specific dyno). In the meantime (as I await my ECU from Technosquare), they will have had 2-3 days to analyze and optimize the maps before a reflash. By then, I would have had my vehicle down to them for testing. I did offer to leave my vehicle there for the entire time, but they felt that they wouldn't have enough room (must be busy in a small shop). Tadashi did confirm that the FX45 would have to be stock in order to form an accurate baseline to this ECU upgrade as I thought. The +2 Degree timing I have will be effectively reset back to default after ECU removal. The most important thing is: Where is my ECU located? I'm not familiar with Japanese ECUs although Tadashi mentioned that I can follow the engine wiring harness back to, most likely, behind the glove compartment to locate the ECU. Noone Technosquare knows has seen or worked with an FX ECU yet.
I may be making a business trip to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for about 2 weeks and then, a X-mas vacation back to Chester, VA. at the end of December. I'm anxious and ready to have my ECU to Technosquare by early, mid next week and for all of us to have an FX45 ECU upgrade with dyno results by the end of Dec. I asked and Tadashi confirmed that they will only be closed for X-mas and New Years day only. I won't be a bottle-neck on the timeline regardless of how the logistics fall. If I'm out of state, then a friend will take my vehicle down there. Also, for fxfan, myself, and brnjugfx45, plus others, I believe that we can realistically obtain a further- tweaked ECU map for a Y-pipe back 3" exhaust shortly after success with the first phase. That's the enthusiastic plan, so let's make this realize now.
Per fxfan's reference to Brian who will head our FX45 ECU project. I called Technosquare this morning and although Brian won't be in until Monday (due to Thanksgiving Holidays), I spoke to Tadashi. Tadashi spent some patient time with me on the phone going over the process. All facets of full ECU upgrading will be optimized including increased rev limit, timing/retard, fuel/air ratios @ given RPMs, etc., etc. I will have more details when I speak to Brian as well as when they are actually working with the ECU maps.
Basically, I'll remove my ECU and send it to Technosquare, Torrance who, in turn, will send it off to Japan. Their liaisons in Japan are the only ones that can assist them with extracting the various ECU maps off of the ECU. Once, they receive the ECU/map files, they will return the ECU to me so that I can drive my FX45 down to them for preliminary dyno runs (AWD specific dyno). In the meantime (as I await my ECU from Technosquare), they will have had 2-3 days to analyze and optimize the maps before a reflash. By then, I would have had my vehicle down to them for testing. I did offer to leave my vehicle there for the entire time, but they felt that they wouldn't have enough room (must be busy in a small shop). Tadashi did confirm that the FX45 would have to be stock in order to form an accurate baseline to this ECU upgrade as I thought. The +2 Degree timing I have will be effectively reset back to default after ECU removal. The most important thing is: Where is my ECU located? I'm not familiar with Japanese ECUs although Tadashi mentioned that I can follow the engine wiring harness back to, most likely, behind the glove compartment to locate the ECU. Noone Technosquare knows has seen or worked with an FX ECU yet.
I may be making a business trip to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for about 2 weeks and then, a X-mas vacation back to Chester, VA. at the end of December. I'm anxious and ready to have my ECU to Technosquare by early, mid next week and for all of us to have an FX45 ECU upgrade with dyno results by the end of Dec. I asked and Tadashi confirmed that they will only be closed for X-mas and New Years day only. I won't be a bottle-neck on the timeline regardless of how the logistics fall. If I'm out of state, then a friend will take my vehicle down there. Also, for fxfan, myself, and brnjugfx45, plus others, I believe that we can realistically obtain a further- tweaked ECU map for a Y-pipe back 3" exhaust shortly after success with the first phase. That's the enthusiastic plan, so let's make this realize now.
Have you guys seen how those in Taiwan are not afraid to experiment a little? (about 1/2 way down) http://www.infinitifx.org/phpBB2/viewto ... sc&start=0 ...Kinda Funky, but they're doing, not talking. 8) Slick!
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Dave...Thanks for pioneering on this! It's about time we see some more mods available for the 45. 8) Ditto for the work on the exhaust FXFAN!
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