Skip to main content

Closed12 replies

muffler and loudness/drone

FM Former Member
You guys are getting me a little worried here about mufflers. I have not decided between a Beck or a Intermechanica or a JPS Speedster, and already I am running into still another consideration -- sound. Here is my story... A few years ago I put two different aftermarket mufflers on my Miata. Neither one provided substantial improvement over the stock Miata system. The stock one was only a shade restricted after 6,000 rpm but still saw 7,500 rpm without much ado. Then I went to a Camaro muffler and nearly went deaf with probably only a minor to slight increase in upper revs. Then I went to a high end stainless muffler which reduced noise level but kept the 2,500 to 3,000 rpm drone. The drone was horrible and draining on my nerves. I finally went back to original and am happy with it now. What kind of mufflers are currently being offered on turnkey Speedsters that come with typical 1776 engines? Is there a noticable drone? Can normal conversation be carried on with a stock or aftermarket muffler? I am of the belief that only a small price is paid for a liveable muffler arrangement over a high performance set up. I still want a somewhat sporty sounding set up but I want to retain my hearing....
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

FM Former Member
You guys are getting me a little worried here about mufflers. I have not decided between a Beck or a Intermechanica or a JPS Speedster, and already I am running into still another consideration -- sound. Here is my story... A few years ago I put two different aftermarket mufflers on my Miata. Neither one provided substantial improvement over the stock Miata system. The stock one was only a shade restricted after 6,000 rpm but still saw 7,500 rpm without much ado. Then I went to a Camaro muffler and nearly went deaf with probably only a minor to slight increase in upper revs. Then I went to a high end stainless muffler which reduced noise level but kept the 2,500 to 3,000 rpm drone. The drone was horrible and draining on my nerves. I finally went back to original and am happy with it now. What kind of mufflers are currently being offered on turnkey Speedsters that come with typical 1776 engines? Is there a noticable drone? Can normal conversation be carried on with a stock or aftermarket muffler? I am of the belief that only a small price is paid for a liveable muffler arrangement over a high performance set up. I still want a somewhat sporty sounding set up but I want to retain my hearing....
Ron ORon O1984/2010 IM, B.C. Canada
Garth, you could put a QP muffler on a 1776, and they're very quiet. Putting a Dynomax et al, on a mild 1776 is not going to give you much, if any gain in hp. I ran a QP on my mild 1776 for 5,000 miles and I couldn't hear it over the noise of the Weber carbs. I know that Henry, at IM, installs dual, inline mufflers on his cars to really quiet them down.
I have a Magnaflow on my 2110 and it's fairly quiet while cruising around and very loud when I floor it. Top down I love it, but with the top up it's VERY loud in the car. Hope this helps.
Ron
FM Former Member
All
I find this discussion very informative. I'm on my third muffler system with only 600 miles on the car. The first was the dual muffler and header system from VS. The sound was too loud for me and I did not like the look of all of the pipes hanging out of the rear of the car. I went to a MONZA system from Tweeks but it was so misaligned that it would not fit. I sent it back and in the interim put on an EMPI. It was horrible, it rusted while I was looking at it and the sound was unbearable. The replacement MONZA arrived and this one did fit. I'm now running with it and the sound is also unbearable. I saw David Dowling's system on one of these topics and was planning to go with his system. Now, after hearing what he had to say about the noise level, I'm back to square one. Something out there must perform and be reasonably quiet. I'll listen to any suggestions.
FM Former Member
Here's the custom set up I had done for my Speedster by a local tuning center called HANSONS Muffler. It utilizes a 1-5/8" short flanged header to prevent it from exiting the rear. The muffler is a Magnaflow and has been tucked up into the bodywork for a completely hidden look. All tubing was Madrel-bent for a very clean look. Sound is very quiet and non-VWish
FM Former Member
DavidD: I liked your AI system so much that I ordered and installed one . Mine is ceramic coated with a SS muffler. It is beautiful, and very well made. Yes, it is noisy, but I can live with it. Thanks for your help. One more question. The resonator. What does it look like; where do you get one; does it restrict the exhaust?
Post Content
Remove This Ad

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×

Access to this requires a premium membership.

Supporting Member

Please help keep us running!

Supporting members have donated about $4.00 a month ($49.00 US per year) paid annually.

  • Priority support
  • Removal of inter-page (between thread) advertisements.
  • Access to Build Manuals
  • Access to Knowledge Base
  • Access to Supporting Members events.
  • Access to Leveraged Group Buying from site Merchants.

AUTO RENEW: You membership will auto-renew after 12 months. If you prefer not to auto-renew, you can cancel your premium membership at any time and it will remain in effect until the end of the 12 months. To cancel, sign in at SpeedsterOwners.com and navigate to: (Your User Name)  > Premium Membership.

PLEASE NOTE: Your credit card will receive a charge from CROWDSTACK PAY, the payment processor, not SpeedsterOwners.com.

$49.00 per 12 Months (plus tax if applicable)
×