| Greasyman |
05-17-2013 04:34 AM |
Threw away my muffler, sounds great!
I was messing around with my 2006 xB the other day, and for some reason had to pull off the muffler. Just for fun I started it, expecting an ear-shattering noise, but instead it sounded mellow and good. I drove it that way for a bit, and then decided I liked it enough that I had a 2" diameter pipe made to replace the muffler, cost only $70 at the local shop.
It's a touch quieter with the pipe than without, and definitely not overly loud. It's at the level where you could drive it for years and never get pulled over, but strictly speaking, and depending on local laws, it's probably not quite legal. There are plenty of louder cars on the streets.
It does resonate and drone slightly around 3000 rpm, but the drone is livable, not very loud and easy to drive around. I did just buy a Hedman resonator tailpipe tip, but haven't installed it yet. I hope it'll take the edge off of the drone without making the car too quiet. It's not too blingy either, it's only a 2 1/2 inch tip, with a perforated core. I slipped it over the tailpipe with the car idling just to get an idea, and it sounds a touch higher pitched and a touch quieter, which is what I want. I'll install it next week, needs to be welded on.
Other than the slight drone, the exhaust sounds great, the car wails at full throttle, and has a mellow sports car note when cruising. I'm really happy with it, and I think it sounds better than many exhaust systems that sell for hundreds, so before you go that route, you might want to try my method and save a little money.
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