What is the quietest muffler that will not sacrifice performance? Updated?

[sidewayzgt]

I’ve searched and cannot find anything newer on this subject. I have a stage 3 car with a Dynomax muffler, gutted cats and 3” DP. I absolutely love the way my car sounds but I leave for work at 5:00am and my neighbors are not liking it. I have HOA and can get fined if they complain. The best way I can describe the current sound is a 1000cc motorcycle with performance exhaust. Anyway, I really want to quiet it down but without ruining my tune or performance. I know that there used to be options but a lot of them have been discontinued for some reason? Just wanted to get an idea of what everybody is using these days and what my options are?

[JustManson]

High flow resonators. It will take some of the bite off.

12-18 inch should be enough.

I have 12” resonators on my SSAC exhaust and it helped a lot with not only making the exhaust quieter but taking some of not all of the rasp out that is in the higher DB range.




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[sidewayzgt]

So you don’t think a different muffler will make a difference? I live in Southern California so DB’s do make a difference.

High flow resonators. It will take some of the bite off.
Encryption.
12-18 inch should be enough.

I have 12” resonators on my SSAC exhaust and it helped a lot with not only making the exhaust quieter but taking some of not all of the rasp out that is in the higher DB range.




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[JustManson]

No. I don’t think it will unless you go to a regular style muffler vs a high flow.

Try the resonator first and see if it makes the difference you need.

I have 2 SSAC exhausts, same ones. One with resonators and without. Huge difference.

Especially at low rpms under 3500.


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[sidewayzgt]

I will try it! Thank you!

No. I don’t think it will unless you go to a regular style muffler vs a high flow.

Try the resonator first and see if it makes the difference you need.

I have 2 SSAC exhausts, same ones. One with resonators and without. Huge difference.

Especially at low rpms under 3500.


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[sidewayzgt]

One more thing. Is there a specific brand of resonator that is better then another?

No. I don’t think it will unless you go to a regular style muffler vs a high flow.

Try the resonator first and see if it makes the difference you need.

I have 2 SSAC exhausts, same ones. One with resonators and without. Huge difference.

Especially at low rpms under 3500.


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[Rs4Sedan]

You Can use a DB-Killer as well. Not expensive and you have the choise between Loud an silence.

[Monty23]

I love my varex muffler. At the flip of a switch, my car goes from stock sounding to racecar. I also have a straight through 3.5" mid muffler as well.

Sick of the racecar exhaust all the time. I am going to try out a 3.5" X-force Varex muffler. I am leaving the center magnaflow 3.5" straight through muffler too. The varex arrives tomorrow, hopefully I'll find time to install it this weekend and give a review.

[christianb5s4]

I've wondered about those in the past, they have one dual inlet muffler option but it seems like the only inlet/outlet diameter is dual 3" which complicates things for most duals for our cars which are 2.5" dual pipes.

http://xforce.com.au/product/vmk31-300/

[sidewayzgt]

Won’t the DB killer restrict the flow and kill HP (but how much Horsepower)? The high flow resonator is more expensive but will not restrict flow.

You Can use a DB-Killer as well. Not expensive and you have the choise between Loud an silence.

[Rs4Sedan]

Won’t the DB killer restrict the flow and kill HP (but how much Horsepower)? The high flow resonator is more expensive but will not restrict flow.

Yes, it will. I know somebody with a 5-Zyl Turbo who use DB-Killer.
Restriction from 990HP to ~ 900.

So Maybe you lost 30-40 HP at Engine. Does it matter? I think you‘ll lost 20 HP Not more. And u Can change it with one or Two Screws.

When you Drive 3,5“ and you‘ll downgrade it to 2,5 oder 2,75“ you will lost the same..


Ah. Depens on your HP.

[sidewayzgt]

Another question before I buy the resonators. I have the rear muffler delete with the SSAC setup. I also have gutted cats at the beginning of the downpipe. Where should I place the resonators? Should I just remove the cats and install the resonators? They look the same. I’m at 83DB’s at idle and California law is 95DB’s, period.

[Bordom]

I had 4 resonators on my car when I had it. 2 SSAC ones where the main cats would be, and 2 10" Vibrant resonators where the stock resonator would be. I never put a decibel reader on it so I couldn't tell you how loud it actually was, but it was quiet enough to go to work early in the morning in a private townhouse block.

My Allroad has the same SSAC resonators where the main cats would be, twin 18" Vibrant bullet resonators in the factory location, and another pair of custom locally made 18" resonators. It's not the best car for going to work in the morning because of the S6 4.2 swap lol

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[christianb5s4]

Another question before I buy the resonators. I have the rear muffler delete with the SSAC setup. I also have gutted cats at the beginning of the downpipe. Where should I place the resonators? Should I just remove the cats and install the resonators? They look the same. I’m at 83DB’s at idle and California law is 95DB’s, period.

The law is 95DBs max from idle up to holding 75% redline in neutral. So to understand your current setup, you have the one muffler just in front of the rear axles right?

[sidewayzgt]

Yes, and 2 gutted cats in front of that.

The law is 95DBs max from idle up to holding 75% redline in neutral. So to understand your current setup, you have the one muffler just in front of the rear axles right?

[christianb5s4]

You're pretty limited on placement then unless you place the resonators after the axles, I had the same setup as you previously and bought a SSAC twin 2 to quiet the car down. It made a huge difference in terms of being significantly quieter in normal driving but still is loud enough under acceleration to be enjoyable.

The tone sounds much more refined too and volume at highway speeds is significantly improved.

[zatch_303]

Throw a second muffler on the rear and make it a "twin 2" instead of the "twin 1"

[sidewayzgt]

So are you saying that if I put 2 high flow resonators after the muffler in the center (almost like bullet mufflers) then it will quiet it down a lot?

You're pretty limited on placement then unless you place the resonators after the axles, I had the same setup as you previously and bought a SSAC twin 2 to quiet the car down. It made a huge difference in terms of being significantly quieter in normal driving but still is loud enough under acceleration to be enjoyable.

The tone sounds much more refined too and volume at highway speeds is significantly improved.

[sidewayzgt]

Like I mentioned in the previous post, will the high flow resonators be quieter then another muffler?

Throw a second muffler on the rear and make it a "twin 2" instead of the "twin 1"

[christianb5s4]

So are you saying that if I put 2 high flow resonators after the muffler in the center (almost like bullet mufflers) then it will quiet it down a lot?

I'd say that's the only viable place since space is tight between the downpipes to the rear axles. FYI on switching to a Twin 2, the way the sections join are not compatible i.e. you can't just buy a rear muffler from a twin 2 and join it to your current twin 1.

Trust me I tried.

[sidewayzgt]

I think I understand. I will buy 2 3” high flow resonators and put them in place where the second muffler would go? Would 12” be ok or are longer ones quieter?

I'd say that's the only viable place since space is tight between the downpipes to the rear axles. FYI on switching to a Twin 2, the way the sections join are not compatible i.e. you can't just buy a rear muffler from a twin 2 and join it to your current twin 1.

Trust me I tried.

[goalieman24]

I think I understand. I will buy 2 3” high flow resonators and put them in place where the second muffler would go? Would 12” be ok or are longer ones quieter?

In theory a longer resonator of the same model should cause a bigger change because of more baffling.

Slightly weird alternative suggestion: a lot of those cheap universal e-bay-special mufflers have "silencers" that bolt into the tip and reduce it down to like an inch or 2. Maybe you could rig something up like that for early morning start ups and then hop out and take it out as soon as you leave the neighborhood?

[sidewayzgt]

Good suggestion but I live in Southern California and the less attention I draw the better. They ticket you for anything over here lol.

In theory a longer resonator of the same model should cause a bigger change because of more baffling.

Slightly weird alternative suggestion: a lot of those cheap universal e-bay-special mufflers have "silencers" that bolt into the tip and reduce it down to like an inch or 2. Maybe you could rig something up like that for early morning start ups and then hop out and take it out as soon as you leave the neighborhood?

[sidewayzgt]

I’m looking at the Vibrant quiet resonators but I’m not sure if they will fit where I want them to. The exhaust pipe is to close together. If I put them in a different place then I’m not sure if they will be as quiet. Any other suggestions on a quiet 3” resonator that will fit where the rear muffler should be?

[sidewayzgt]

This is the setup I have http://www.ssautochromeinc.com/cat-b...haust-catback/

[christianb5s4]

I think I understand. I will buy 2 3” high flow resonators and put them in place where the second muffler would go? Would 12” be ok or are longer ones quieter?

It's hard to tell as every brand, length of resonator/muffler, and design will lead to different outcomes. The longer it is the more it will affect volume decreasing as it gets longer.

I feel your pain on wanting to be more more incognito due to being in California, exactly why I switched to a Twin 2.

[sidewayzgt]

Yep, I really do not want to attract attention and I work right by the CHP here in Valencia. I have stock height with 17” BBS Wheels, BBK and roof racks lol. I’m all about the sleeper 👍. If I could have a stock sounding S4 and not sacrifice the power I would.

Anyway, I’m still not totally set on what my final plan is. I have to quiet this thing down ASAP. I know I need to add 2 resonators but I am not set on which ones? I do need to weld them in behind the muffler but the pipes are so close together that they will probably hit each other. Another idea I had was resonator exhaust tips but they are not very long and will probably not quiet it down much. Any other ideas?

Has anybody tried the resonator exhaust tips?

It's hard to tell as every brand, length of resonator/muffler, and design will lead to different outcomes. The longer it is the more it will affect volume decreasing as it gets longer.

I feel your pain on wanting to be more more incognito due to being in California, exactly why I switched to a Twin 2.

[darren p.]

Curious to see what you come up with, please follow up with your results. I have a similar setup and it is too loud (and raspy) but I only have the rear muffler, not the primary one. ASP, true dual 2.25", catless 3" downpipes, no resonoators

[james 408]

just go with some dual magnaflows, they're cheap and available. Can put em on anything. Any resonator will slightly impede airflow, just the nature of the game. But we're talking nothing. Can always wider/oval if you're worried about 10 hp. In terms of sound, many companies made dual resonator versions. The raspy loud ones are all single resonators. The high flow will always muffle less, as the diagram illustrates, because they aren't actually working to direct airflow inefficiently (which is what reduces sound, competing energy waves cancelling, aka restriction).

Bottom line though, there's probably not any exhaust on the standard s4 market the courts are going to rule against you on, in my experience. Not saying they won't write you the ticket, but the rule is that it can't be modified, not that it can't be aftermarket. That's your defense, and it works. The cop isn't going to DB meter anything, he's just gonna ticket you, and as a result, he'll have no evidence of anything, which is your defense.

[MacDaddy]

Fwiw i have 3” catless downpipes and a stock exhaust, its pretty loud on cold start and pretty raspy when i get on it.

I think without cats your just going to have something thats pretty loud.

If you have a true dual an x pipe will get rid of a lot of drone without adding restriction (there are 300zx videos with the x pipe you can use for reference) other than that probably a bigger muffler will be your best solution, as bigger will have less restriction. In HVAC anyway if you want to make a system quieter you oversize the ductwork.

Homefully that gives you some food for thought 🤷*♂️

[sidewayzgt]

I was told that I can’t just put another muffler on a twin 1 system in an earlier post. I did find this https://www.phastekperformance.com/C...pipe-11386.htm and it’s dual resonated with x pipe. This says it’s for a Camaro but the spacing looks right. Does anybody have this or something similar with the twin 1 system?

just go with some dual magnaflows, they're cheap and available. Can put em on anything. Any resonator will slightly impede airflow, just the nature of the game. But we're talking nothing. Can always wider/oval if you're worried about 10 hp. In terms of sound, many companies made dual resonator versions. The raspy loud ones are all single resonators. The high flow will always muffle less, as the diagram illustrates, because they aren't actually working to direct airflow inefficiently (which is what reduces sound, competing energy waves cancelling, aka restriction).

Bottom line though, there's probably not any exhaust on the standard s4 market the courts are going to rule against you on, in my experience. Not saying they won't write you the ticket, but the rule is that it can't be modified, not that it can't be aftermarket. That's your defense, and it works. The cop isn't going to DB meter anything, he's just gonna ticket you, and as a result, he'll have no evidence of anything, which is your defense.

[jbpka06]

I bought a magnaflow 11378 which uses 2.25" dual inlets and outlets with an internal x pipe with hopes to install it as a replacement rear muffler in a twin 2 setup. Magnaflow doesn't specify the distance between the ports on any of their documentation so I took a shot and ordered it. Wasn't even close, the ports are about 3" apart from each other which makes it difficult to adapter to the twin 1/2 system.

I have been unable to find a universal muffler which uses dual 2.25" inlets/outlets that matches the port separation of the stock SSAC/AWE mufflers.

[alphaVR]

If you can find someone who is selling one of the APR RCS exhausts for the B5 S4, that is hands-down the absolute BEST way to go. I have one on my S4 and it's by far the best overall exhaust I've heard on an S4. Sure, it's not as loud and obnoxious as straight pipes or something of that kind, but it sounds proper for this car. It will be loud when you really get into it, but just puttering around the block will keep it nice as mellow. No louder than the factory exhausts you'll find on the performance Dodge models, that's for sure. The best part IMO is that you get zero done inside the cabin.

As others have pointed out, having cats will dramatically change the rasp of the exhaust at mid/low RPMs, though I think having some kind of resonator in their place if you really don't want to have cats would suffice as well.

Here's an example of the way it sounds. Mic is attached to the back of the car near the license plate.

[christianb5s4]

just go with some dual magnaflows, they're cheap and available. Can put em on anything. Any resonator will slightly impede airflow, just the nature of the game. But we're talking nothing. Can always wider/oval if you're worried about 10 hp. In terms of sound, many companies made dual resonator versions. The raspy loud ones are all single resonators. The high flow will always muffle less, as the diagram illustrates, because they aren't actually working to direct airflow inefficiently (which is what reduces sound, competing energy waves cancelling, aka restriction).

Bottom line though, there's probably not any exhaust on the standard s4 market the courts are going to rule against you on, in my experience. Not saying they won't write you the ticket, but the rule is that it can't be modified, not that it can't be aftermarket. That's your defense, and it works. The cop isn't going to DB meter anything, he's just gonna ticket you, and as a result, he'll have no evidence of anything, which is your defense.

Yes, but the problem with the revision to the exhaust law they snuck through the general bill last year means if you're getting an exhaust ticket, you now have to see the ref.

Yep, I really do not want to attract attention and I work right by the CHP here in Valencia. I have stock height with 17” BBS Wheels, BBK and roof racks lol. I’m all about the sleeper 👍. If I could have a stock sounding S4 and not sacrifice the power I would.

Anyway, I’m still not totally set on what my final plan is. I have to quiet this thing down ASAP. I know I need to add 2 resonators but I am not set on which ones? I do need to weld them in behind the muffler but the pipes are so close together that they will probably hit each other. Another idea I had was resonator exhaust tips but they are not very long and will probably not quiet it down much. Any other ideas?

Has anybody tried the resonator exhaust tips?

The Twin 2 option is $400 ish for the complete cat-back IIRC. One thing you can also do is paint the exhaust flat black with high heat paint, I did and it helped keep it more subtle in the looks department.

I'd add a muffler vs a resonator personally. The SSAC piping is dual 2.5" so you'd have to find a dual in/out muffler that has 2.5" diameter inlets/outlets. Resonated tips won't make much if any different I'd imagine.

Here's what mine looks like

[sidewayzgt]

I would do it that way if I could. I don’t understand why I can’t just add a similar dual resonated muffler to my setup. Everything looks the same on my car minus the rear muffler.

Yes, but the problem with the revision to the exhaust law they snuck through the general bill last year means if you're getting an exhaust ticket, you now have to see the ref.



The Twin 2 option is $400 ish for the complete cat-back IIRC. One thing you can also do is paint the exhaust flat black with high heat paint, I did and it helped keep it more subtle in the looks department.

I'd add a muffler vs a resonator personally. The SSAC piping is dual 2.5" so you'd have to find a dual in/out muffler that has 2.5" diameter inlets/outlets. Resonated tips won't make much if any different I'd imagine.

Here's what mine looks like

[christianb5s4]

This is my old twin 1 and should be exactly the same as yours. All you'd have to do is have an exhaust shop weld in a muffler within the area I highlighted in blue, shouldn't be very expensive at all. I've always liked Magnaflow although I can measure the size of the SSAC muffler so you have dimensions that you know will work.

[vavJETTAw36]

Yes, but the problem with the revision to the exhaust law they snuck through the general bill last year means if you're getting an exhaust ticket, you now have to see the ref.



The Twin 2 option is $400 ish for the complete cat-back IIRC. One thing you can also do is paint the exhaust flat black with high heat paint, I did and it helped keep it more subtle in the looks department.

I'd add a muffler vs a resonator personally. The SSAC piping is dual 2.5" so you'd have to find a dual in/out muffler that has 2.5" diameter inlets/outlets. Resonated tips won't make much if any different I'd imagine.

Here's what mine looks like

I went this way as well with the paint and Twin 2 option. I still wish the car was quieter though. When I was looking for replacement mufflers, i could find any of the low DB rated mufflers short enough to fit into the muffler spot under the trunk. But if you find a good one please let us know. Let us know what you end up doing regardless as this has been a subject that has been in my mind for years

[sidewayzgt]

Yes, if you could measure it please I would appreciate it! I guess the goal will be to find a resonated twin muffler with the piping spaced to slip right on to weld. The Magnaflow muffler in my previous post would be ideal but I’m not sure of the size yet? Thank you!

This is my old twin 1 and should be exactly the same as yours. All you'd have to do is have an exhaust shop weld in a muffler within the area I highlighted in blue, shouldn't be very expensive at all. I've always liked Magnaflow although I can measure the size of the SSAC muffler so you have dimensions that you know will work.

[Monty23]

FWIW, I originally ran 2 magnaflow 14151 mufflers and it was very quiet. I think any 2 muffler design will meet your requirements.

[sidewayzgt]

Will the Magnaflow 14151 fit in the allotted space and adapt to my SSAC twin 1? I need to find a muffler with the correct measurements to fit in the blue area in the picture above.

FWIW, I originally ran 2 magnaflow 14151 mufflers and it was very quiet. I think any 2 muffler design will meet your requirements.