Cutting off muffler...?

[rockymt21]

I've heard of this before, and am wondering if anyone here has done it. I know Adam with the atomic hoe has but I would like a couple of other opinions.

If I were to cut off the muffler, how loud would the truck be? Annoyingly loud and a burden to my neighbors? Also would it create a lot of drone in the vehicle? I had a muffler fall off my old Audi and you couldn't even hear yourself talk, not to mention there was a ton of vibration.

I am going for the cheapest route to making the truck sound "mean".

Thanks,
Dan

[96ProCompTahoe]

yeah its going to be loud to the people around and inside the truck. but it'll sound mean. when i put the headers on mine had to take the chance to start it up with just the headers... talk about a sick sounding truck :D

[rockymt21]

How about vibration?

Also, would "straight pipes" entail cutting off the muffler and running pipes straight back? Would that make it sound better?

[96ProCompTahoe]

couldn't tell you on the vibration as i didn't drive it, just messed with it in the driveway. straight pipes usually go straight off the down pipe/header to the back of the vehicle, no cats, no mufflers. it'll be loud, and doesn't always sound good. you'll probably get some pops and cracks. haha

if you want to make it loud on the cheap I'd take it to a muffler shop and have them weld on a glasspack instead of the muffler. the shorter the louder, and it'll be really cheap compared to other mufflers

[rockymt21]

Hmmm something to think about....

[tahoe ss]

sounds like a tractor

[tybardy]

i had a 24" magnaflo welded up (its basicly a glass pack only it uses a little bit different technology, its a straght through designe though) and it is perfect if you ask me, its not overly loud, very little cab noise...

however, for a brief moment when the stock muffler was off, we fired it up... STUPID loud IMO... fucking rediculous... but i dont prefer a foolishly loud truck, i like a nice deep tone. hence the magnaflo. if you get the 14" magnaflo it will be pretty loud but still have a good tone.

[malones99]

It's very loud, did it when I repleaced my cats (I live in CA) you do get the pops and cracks. when you give it gas it sounds awesome!

[HitandRunDriver]

+ On the 24 inch magnaflow, loud when you get on it....but i think i've just gotten used to it now in the year and a half i've had it on. Looking to go a bit louder

[foreverfalcon40]

just go to youtube.com and type in what your looking for. Chances are they will have it!

[shsportsfan12]

I run my truck currently with just the stock Y pipe after some shorties. Nothing else. It's loud....Hopefully, you realize you are losing numbers when you do this. Less back pressure will hurt you. For a while I spent $25 and had an entire setup. Cut off one of my old tips when I had a dual exit, welded it to a turn down from Summit then welded the turn down to a Summit Glass Pack (or resonator). Cut my flange off my old pipe and welded it to the glass pack. Bolted it in to my Y pipe. Sounded good....lost of drone though on the high way...considering it was under my front passenger seat.

No muffler:

DwC8lmjRyn0

With turn down and glass pack:

E6Xexdk2PjI

These were all done before a tune. All of the popping is now gone. Under load the sound is much much deeper throated.

[tybardy]

+ On the 24 inch magnaflow, loud when you get on it....but i think i've just gotten used to it now in the year and a half i've had it on. Looking to go a bit louder

i love my 24" magnaflo... the only thing i would consider replacing it with is a 24" corsa... those are a bit louder but still use a straight through designe. I wasnt in the market for loud though so maybe my opinion doesnt apply here, i was in the market to make my truck sound "not stock"

i have a turn down welded right after the magna

[Volant1]

If your looking for super cheap check out the muffys on summit.com. You need some kind of backpressure

[shsportsfan12]

If your looking for super cheap check out the muffys on summit.com. You need some kind of backpressure

Summit has some great cheap mufflers. Just pick up a glass pack to put in its place. You don't necessarily need a muffler, sure it hampers your performance, but from what I gathered, I could NOT feel the difference....

[tybardy]

http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/tybardy/?action=view&current=VID00006.flv


here is a sound clip of the 5.3l w/ 24" magnaflo

[shsportsfan12]

http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/tybardy/?action=view&current=VID00006.flv


here is a sound clip of the 5.3l w/ 24" magnaflo

That is quiet as shit.... damn...

[tybardy]

i know, personally... i couldnt be happier about it!!! you can certainly tell its aftermarket but it is not at ALL loud, sounds great when the foot is on the floor too... i love it, cant stop sayin good things

[shsportsfan12]

To each their own... I think for a "quiet" aftermarket exhaust...Magnaflow is the way to go. I'm personally into making shit as loud as it can go :crazy:

[AtomicHoe094]

haha. i love my sound from my truck. mine doesnt crack and pop and shit.. the only time it pops, is when im getting off the freeway on the exit ramp and i down shit through all the gears, then the rpms go up and well pop pop pop ahah but i love that.. (yea its bad for your tranny, but i love that feeling. lol)

I could try getting you some sounds clips like inside of the truck and outside and on the road if u want.. i have a better camera now to record stuff with.. just let me know.. i actaully have a youtube video with out mufflers, idk if youve seen em or not..

[Lifted99Yukon]

I ran without a muffler for a long time when I was lowered. Because my OE one dragged the ground all the time.

Now I have Two Super Turbo's with small turn downs.

I thought I add pictures of them, but I dont.

[sc00bz]

I'm running duals w/ cats and no mufflers. mine doesn't crack or nothing and sounds mean as all hell.

[shsportsfan12]

I'm running duals w/ cats and no mufflers. mine doesn't crack or nothing and sounds mean as all hell.

but it's extremely hurting your performance....

[sc00bz]

but it's extremely hurting your performance....

nah not bad. reprogrammed computer. runs smooth as ever and got +1.2 mpg. Don't race it either lol

[shsportsfan12]

You have absolutely no backpressure.... I could go on, but you're happy with it so, so be it.

[tybardy]

to say a vehicle with no muffler has NO back pressure would be an under educated assessment... Not completely untrue but lets recap

The first bit of back pressure comes right as the exhaust is leaving the block through the exhaust manifold, this is why many people not only go with long tube headers but also go with a larger dia primary tube (1 3/4" v 1 5/8). The manifold primarys condensing your exhaust into its "collector" creates back pressure. Next your exhaust meets the catalytic converter; this is probably the most obstructive link in the exhaust chain. This thing is jam packed with media meant to filter out carbon deposits, and it works; in doing so it creates a great deal of back pressure....

Finally bringing you to your "stock" muffler, yes now this DOES provide back pressure, but can you say that this particular back pressure is NEEDED? Honestly, i am not 100% on that; however i went with a magnaflow muffler because of its straight through design to hopefully allow for better air flow. My magna provides the exact same amount of back pressure as simply lopping off the muffler.

so please do go on, for my sake, because i am curious to learn

[shsportsfan12]

It's not a matter of having no muffler.... fuck, I don't run a muffler.... True duals do hurt performance. First let me point out I read his post with the " W/" to be "without cats", instead of "With cats". Now if you take off cats, muffler, and run true duals, what are the benefits of that? There are numerous threads, including with dyno charts, over on GMFS that supports the idea, that true duals, no cats, no muffler, no nothing, hurts performance. Granted I did read his post wrong as stated above, with cats it provides substantial backpressure. When you eliminate all components of an exhaust, how is there any benefit?

[tybardy]

the idea is always that better air flow provides more power... on paper this looks great but like you pointed out, the dyno tells a different story.

so of course the million dollar question is, when does air flow become "too much?" I am actually curious about this because in about 8-9 months i plan on doing LT headers and a high flow cat. I want to make sure i maintain proper back pressure while still allowing MAX air flow. This leads me to believe that if i go with 1 5/8 Long Tube headers i might actually be better off then the standard 1 3/4" that everyone goes with... but again, i dont really know what the fuck i am talking about and i would love to see some tested data to show the difference

[DESIGN]

It is less a matter of back-pressure as it is thermal and fluid dynamics. A proper exhaust aimed at performance will keep the exhaust from cooling too early. Keeping the heat in the tubes doesn’t just keep the engine bay and cabin cooler it actually helps with air flow.

Well designed muffler actually causes a low pressure area (usually obtained by crossing the paths of the two exhaust tubes) therefore “pulling” the exhaust gases through the system. This is why a “true dual’ type exhaust system will almost always utilize a x-pipe somewhere between the headers and the mufflers. This is commonly referred to exhaust scavenging.

Headers will both smooth the air flow and decrease back pressure through larger primaries. Do some reading on the styles of headers and you will discover that they make power at varied RPMs. That is why that people will say that the feel they have lost power with long tube headers during daily driving. Once you spin the motor up they become monsters.

[sc00bz]

It's not a matter of having no muffler.... fuck, I don't run a muffler.... True duals do hurt performance. First let me point out I read his post with the " W/" to be "without cats", instead of "With cats". Now if you take off cats, muffler, and run true duals, what are the benefits of that? There are numerous threads, including with dyno charts, over on GMFS that supports the idea, that true duals, no cats, no muffler, no nothing, hurts performance. Granted I did read his post wrong as stated above, with cats it provides substantial backpressure. When you eliminate all components of an exhaust, how is there any benefit?

Yeah you must have read it wrong. It's cool though. But yeah, that's why I left the cats. A buddy of mine is running true straight pipes & his truck sounds like shit and doesn't run near as good as before he removed the cats. I realize I lost a tad of back pressure but with the cats I'm at the low end of the spectrum but still in the clear. I would not, however, recommend doing it if the OP is thinking about racing etc...

Also, i read earlier in the thread that someone mentioned the summit mufflers. Another buddy of mine used summit mufflers when he built his dirt track car and I can personally vouch for them.

[shsportsfan12]

Occassionally I'll throw my muffler back on (I have a flange on it so I can do with it as I please) and it's a Summit Glass Pack. Picked it up for $20. That and a turn down cost me $25. I had an old tip around and welded that onto the turn down. Came out alright.

You can see it in the second video here:

http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133

[96tahoe]

ive been running without a muffler for a while its not loud at adle but once you get on it its pretty damn loud but its a mean loud and everybody looks trust me haha

[flatsearcher41]

is there over heating issues with cutting off the muffler?

[AtomicHoe094]

nopee

[dgw3839g]

i know, personally... i couldnt be happier about it!!! you can certainly tell its aftermarket but it is not at ALL loud, sounds great when the foot is on the floor too... i love it, cant stop sayin good things

What size trims and tires are on you Tahoe ?

[kope]

What size trims and tires are on you Tahoe ?

lol, topic change much?

[drowndindreams]

i was looking into taking my muffler off for a while. a few weeks ago my friend took his out from his 02 yukon. the next day he blew his transmission. so thats why im not going to do it. i dont know if theyre related or not but i wouldnt take the chance.

[mdiacont322]

i personally feel like my 5.7 runs better with open cats. I had a custom muffler made and it ran horrible... no torque. Just my 2 cents.