Muffler Delete, the good, the bad, and the ugly (with VIDEO)
 

***My review has changed from this initial assessment in this original post. Please find my comments later for my latest feelings on this setup. The portions enclosed by three asterisks are no longer my current opinion of the setup.***

Well, today I went and had a local guy fabricate some pipes with tips to complete the exhaust after a muffler delete. I went with Tom at One Stop Muffler and Brake in East Chicago, IL. He does a lot of custom work and has gotten rave reviews in the Audi forums.

He did a fantastic job. It took about 2 hours and he custom fabricated pipes for both sides to replace the gap after muffler deletion. I went with slanted round tips which look great. With the tips, he charged $170 which is the most I'd ever consider paying.

So, we roll it off the lift and fire it up. Let me say, the muffler delete video does not do justice to the overall loudness of the delete. The quality of the sound is excellent. Very low and has a nice rumble at idle. This same low quality rumble is also present at a constant cruise which I really like.

***Now the not so good. Under load, the car ROARS from 2500 to 5k RPM. It's loud enough that I woefully think it's too loud to keep in this configuration. Maybe it's fine for a track day, but on the street it's in the motorcycle loud category.*** Above 5k RPM, the deep loudness abruptly stops and it becomes a very sweet racecar sound the rest of the way to the redline.

***So, beware the 2500 to 5000 RPM range, it will likely set off car alarms and I'm sure cops will get whiplash looking for the source of the ruckus. Driving home past a few cops, I was trying to coast past and be incognito!
I'd love to compare this to the Stillen and FI setups just to be sure that even the aftermarket CBEs aren't too loud for me as well.***

!!!Updated Opinion!!!
Having driven the car for another hundred miles since the muffler delete, I've changed my mind a bit. First, everyone who has heard it in person thinks it's 1) not excessively loud, 2) thinks it sounds fantastic and 3) doesn't want me to change it back. The concensus is that outside the car, it sounds aggressive and is certainly a head turner, but it's not crazy loud like a sport bike or Harley. Inside the car, I've found the noise to be troublesome in two RPM bands...both while under load (coasting is very tame and just a low rumble). First, below 2000 RPM has a small droning harmonic that is annoying but livable. Between 2000 and 3800, the sound is perfect. Once you hit about 3800, you get into a trouble, drone prone zone from 3800 to 5000. This is pretty extreme and can get some interior panels vibrating a bit. Once you push past 5000 RPM, it becomes a refreshing, racecar blare that is just awesome.

Overall I really like it. I don't think I'm going to ever go back to the stock configuration. However, I'd eventually like a true aftermarket CBE as long as the choice maintains the deep, aggressive tone. I also hope we can get come owners of different aftermarket configurations to take some sound level readings. That's the best way to really compare sound levels as youtube videos all end up sounding the same with regard to loudness.

!!!New Video Posted!!!

FWIW, I only revved to about 5k in the video as the 2500 to 5000 range seems to be the loudest. Also, keep in mind that the video is shot in an indoor parking garage.

YouTube - 370Z Muffler Delete with Custom Tubes and Tips

My buddy is a great guy, but he couldn't use his electronics correctly to save his life. Thus, this vid starts with the first takeoff right at the shift to second gear (appreciate the tire chirp). Hang in there for a second run though in the same video. Didn't have time for a formal drive-by as I had to make it back home for a meeting. 96dB max on the takeoff run from behind the car.

post the vids anyways.......

Yeah, would like to see vid.

definately need videos...

i want to compare your vids with mine as i have the loudest option that Tony sells right now and i know what you mean by the tone through the rpm range...

I should have seen the issue with RPM range coming. With the fully stock exhaust, 2500 to 5000 RPM is where it sounds best. The rest of the range is too tame. With the muffler delete it's essentially flipped.

iPhone video posted

Ouch...Painful!
The only thing that would make that work would be to put a Turbo between the engine and those tips....:-)

Don't worry...Some 19yr old here will buy those tips!

It sounds good but def seems pretty loud. Hoping my FI HFCs and 18" res aren't that loud.

I like your voice. You sound like you belong in a SOLID RED machine and should work recording books on tape.

That's pretty loud man. Have you gotten the dBs while driving?

nice, loud is good



try leaving the iphone leaning on something on the floor with the meter infront
press record and rev it up....lol




also, u'r in a parking garage, that amplifies the sound quite a bit.....

wow...thats definately loud...idk if its because its in a parking garage and the sound is bouncing off of everything...but it may be a bit too much like you said...

i could see your z setting everyones car alarms off as you start it up and drive by their cars on the way out/in the parking garage :rofl2:

it's b/c of the garage

sounds really good but that place sucks... i got some work done there before and they ripped me off.. the guys there have really bad attitudes and they dont give a f*&k after you pay them....... they kept talking gibberish around me (i think theyre indian).

sounds great...but i suggest going else where for exhaust work.

I hate shops like that.

sounds loud. but that is a good thing. need more vids.

wow, that thing sounds like a beast!!! Loud as hell, but i like loud. Bet it scares the neighbors.

Post a video of a drive by!! I'm thinking of doing this cos winter's right around the corner and no need to get a full exhaust when my car will be in the garage for the next 4-5 months, stupid Chicago winters. I need some sound from the z before she goes into hibernation!!!

That sounds awsome. If I was in the parking garage and heard that beautiful sound i would mistake it for a super car. I think i will have my friend make me the pipes this week.

I love parking garages and loud exhaust with my bike.

Sounds like a AAA Dragster at take off. :)

Well I have to say, this sound is growing on me. I think I was a bit embarrassed by how loud it was at first. I went to a family party in the 'burbs tonight and everyone was raving about it. As some of you said, they think it sounds like a supercar. In fact, I drove past a GT-R in traffic and the dude snapped his head toward the car as I passed. I'll be damned, but my Z was MUCH louder than his GT-R. :tup:

So, for now it stays on. The garage may have amplified the sound some, but trust me...it's just as loud outside. I left my wife and dad on the curb and did a pass, and they claim it's loud but not TOO loud. A good loud if you will. The wife said that if it doesn't set off car alarms, she won't make me take it off. So far, no car alarms triggered :).

More videos to come tomorrow. My buddy with the HD camcorder will be taking a spin with me :driving:

Really a bright comment...someone speaks a language that (I assume) you can't understand so you characterize it as gibberish?? :shakes head: :rolleyes:

He's friends with the guys in the shop. In a separate thread, he notes that he was joking.

The guys in the shop are great. Five stars for their work and professionalism. (and most of them are hispanic, for the record).

That sounds very good. Do you have any pics of the setup? The pipes and the tips?

Will be waiting for more vids. Glad you are keeping it though.

Your conclusions are perty much the same i came up with. At first i thought it would be too loud, but after driving it this way for months, i put the stock exhaust back on just to see and i took it off after a week because its too boring. I also agree about eventually moving to a real cat-back exhaust system in the future.

Yep, I would stick with this indefinitely except for the drone range of 3800-5000 RPM. It's interesting...with the purely stock exhaust, I had a lead foot and routinely wound it out to 5k to enjoy SOME exhaust sound. I rarely went above 5k due to the harshness. Now with the muffler delete, I either drive around conservatively below 3500rpm max (which sounds great up to there), or go balls to the wall to get in the heavenly 5000+ RPM range which gets very sweet sounding again. The 3800-5000 range though, nails on a chalk board for me.

I have my eye on the Berk CBE which I think is going to be the middle ground that maintains the deep rumble.

my bad... didnt mean to offend anyone, i know the guys there we mess around with each other all the time

spear once again sounds real nice, im shocked at how loud and yet crisp the car sounds with just deleting the muffler

If it's not a problem, can you take pictures of the pipes

any updates? pics.. vid?

Here are some pics off the car. I'm in the process of selling them to another member as I've decided to go with a formal CBE system.

Thanks for selling these to me spearfish... I have berk test pipes on my car and wow its loud.. I am going to try to get video of it soon but I know I can be heard from a good distance and everyone loves it...

Glad you're enjoying them! I'm bored with my stock exhaust now :) Cant get a CBE fast enough

Did you lose any power with this configuration? I know some BMW's actually lose a few bhp when done.

It's a tough question to answer really given that I never did a dyno comparison. I think the exhaust is a particularly difficult item to 'butt dyno' as you add a new element to the experience....LOUD sound. My gut feeling is that removing the muffler added power just given the restrictive nature of the stock exhaust. However, it was so much louder that I'm not sure I could separate the sensation of improved acceleration from the overwhelming auditory experience that at certain revs was downright painful.

In comparison, I finalized my exhaust dilemma by purchasing a Stillen catback (which I love). The sound is awesome without being overly intrusive or painful. While the sensation of increased power is subtle, I will say that I find it much easier to chirp the tires on aggressive shifts or flat-out spin them when I jab the accelerator while driving.

Solus, where's that video??? Hope you're still enjoying the pipes. I miss that off-throttle 'burble' which is so distinctive on the muffler delete!

I haven't gotten around to it lol been too busy playing w/ the supra lately.. I will get it and put it up soon haha my bad... I will get some fly by's on the way to the show this weekend.

And there definitely was not a loss of power.. the fastest I have run at the local track here was a 13.5941 before I did it. I just ran on Friday and turned a 13.3509

He didn't lose any power if he did its very very negligible (read 1-3 hp)
Reason being your biggest restrictions are in the Cats which is also why it is not that loud even after deleting the mufflers.


I have deleted the mufflers on my stang and many do they sell axle back kits for the sole purpose of just deleting the mufflers. It isnt until you start cutting Cats off that it gets loud.

Case in point my brothers stang, same car as mine only he went with a Bassani race axle back ( a straight through design with resonated tips) Well when we put on his off road H-pipe (an H-pipe with all the cats removed) his exhaust became unbearably loud and we had to slap my stock mufflers on his car which "muffled" the sound down to a bearable level again.

Whoever said the muffler delete is quiet before was flatout wrong (has been posted a few times). It's very loud but just happens to sound good.

I agree it is pretty loud but no cats is much much louder at least in the mustang crowd.

Besides Loud is a relative term what is loud to one may be quiet to another,