Theres a version of the f40 that has side exhaust, contemplating doing it on mine. Anybody running straight pipe after the cat? If so, how loud is it? I think my car sounds kinda wimpy. I heard a real ferrari go by the other day, thought it was a crappy running honda w a fart can, i looked and it was a new ferrari. Sounded like crap
Removing the muffler and keeping the cat should sound good. One of mine has the cat removed, but still has the muffler. Sounds good if you don't need to pass smog. From what I've seen, removing the muffler and retaining the cat will result in a similar sound, with the bonus of smog legality Should result in a more muscular tone without becoming to loud or annoying.
[This message has been edited by liv4God (edited 08-02-2017).]
It's going to be subjective. For example, I personally think running without a muffler (just the catalyst) sounds like crap. It's also loud. But a muffler with no catalyst is tolerable, as long as the muffler is halfway decent.
I had an 85GT that had a converter but no muffler. One of my neighbors said he could hear me a mile away as I hit the main highway. It is loud, even when coming out the rear of the car.
My ZR1 Corvette had cats, dual mufflers and dual resonators (so 4 mufflers) I took them all off except for the cats and ran new tailpipes from the cat to the dual slightly baffled tips. Sounded great and only a few decibels louder than it was stock. I dont know why they bothered to put any mufflers on them at all.
Unbolt the two spring bolts off the downpipe that runs off the manifold; the pipe that has the catalytic converter... I think it sounds sinister... Really loud though. Make sure you don't drive in a crowded neighborhood in the middle of the night or you'll wake everyone up! Haha
------------------ "Discord" Red 1988 GT under restoration!
Personally I would not run without a muffler. The exhaust would be extremely loud. At the very least I would use a non-restrictive Spintech. Running without a muffler would also make the car a police magnet and you would not gain any horsepower. Don't they also check for missing CATs in Kalifornia? IMO, the risk vs reward is just not there.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
Personally I would not run without a muffler. The exhaust would be extremely loud. At the very least I would use a non-restrictive Spintech. Running without a muffler would also make the car a police magnet and you would not gain any horsepower. Don't they also check for missing CATs in Kalifornia? IMO, the risk vs reward is just not there.
Not true, I had a stock 87 GT with the muffler removed and it sounded great, and it didn't attract any police.
Neither one of my Fieros has a muffler, but resonator tips, so like glass packs, my GT has two duel tips and a "vacuum driven centrifugal muffling device" (IE: turbo) that helps quite it down a bit. My Quad4 has one dual tip and I had to block off one of them as it was so loud. It is still loud, really loud. When I uncap it (open both tips) my 2.3L is louder than V8s.
If you want a good loud sound I would recommend at least a glass pack, good throaty sound. But find a way to add back in the muffler as Cali are SMOG nazis, so it will pass SMOG when you have to test it.
Im in a fierrari the cops dont bother me. I said I was planning on taking out the muff only, the cat will stay. Muffs arent part of smog. Everythings welded together so id hafta have a clamp to put it back if I did try it. Ive had glasspacks before they sound good. I could fab up the side boxes pretty easily. I ran my mustang w just the long tubes and it sounded stupid monstrous i loved it. If it pisses people off too bad, im doing it for me not them.
I had a T-top Formula with a cat, no muffler, and twin Hooker resonator tips. It sounded "mean", but it was obnoxious. It droned so badly at 2000-3000 RPM that you could not carry on a conversation with the windows down. The resonance would plug up your ears. (Kind of defeated the reason for having T-tops.) When I drove it to work, I could leave a trail of screaming car alarms behind me, in the parking garage.
A few years later, I tried a single straight through chambered muffler, on a different V6 Fiero. Same deal. The "thrum" was obnoxious. Only stayed on the car for a week or two.
A lot of people think that a car sounds good (or at least "okay") as long as it "talks" when you hammer it, and doesn't make your ears bleed, or get you pulled over. I find that the drone, at cruising speed, is hugely annoying.
I should add that my 4.9 has a 2.5" system, through a cat and a single glasspack, in the stock Fiero configuration, and out through a single C6 resonated tip. It's loud, but it sounds good.
------------------ Raydar 88 Formula IMSA Fastback. 4.9, NVG T550
Praise the Lowered!
[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 08-02-2017).]
Back in early 90s I bought the Fiero Store muffler eliminator kit. It was just a cherry bomb and two resonator tips. I also had no cat. It sounded very nice but was on the loud side. For daily driver I would say not nice. Once it rusted I remember how happy I was when I put the stock system back (no cat). My current V8 setup is louder but hey, it is a V8 sound and I only use it now for car shows and cruises.
Pat i finally got the v6(roman numeral) joke lmao! Thats in another thread buddy lol
Yeah id like some motor growl but hate the drone at freeway speeds. Had flowmasters on my old truck and around town it was awesome, on the freeway it f%$king sucked. Also everyone else in town had flowmasters so everytime a car went by I thought my truck was being stolen lol
I don't have a video just getting the exhaust sound, but in this one the third car to drive by has no cat. No muffler, but retaining cat should end up louder, but similar tone as far as I know.
I have the Fiero Stores Ocelot system with a Rodney Dickman low restriction cat. My Fiero has a nice purr that gets angrier as I accelerate. While your at it, I think the best exhaust flow improvement is honing out the nasty restrictions in the exhaust manifolds.
In '86 I was working in a muffler shop when a friend got a new GT, the first thing we did was cut the muffler off and make a y to connect the tail pipes, sounded great, ran less great... (needed a custom chip to run right, didn't know that at the time.) within a month, I put the muffler back on...
I think the best exhaust flow improvement is honing out the nasty restrictions in the exhaust manifolds.
Absolutely! Anyone who alters the exhaust system trying to "improve" the sound is only doing a half-ass job if they don't remove those awful OEM exhaust manifold restrictions. The Y-pipe should be done as well.