What would happen if I removed the muffler permanently?

[R22tech]

How loud would a 3.2 be without a muffler, just a straight pipe with a polished tip? Any performance gains/losses? Car is stock and I am still figuring out which muffler will give me the sound I'm looking for. Thought about taking the muffler off and just going for a drive to see how much "sound" I'm really interested in. If it's not too loud, can't I just leave it off and connect the straight pipe is my thinking- plus save a few$$$.

p.s. The cat will be staying on as well.

[nhromyak]

It's pretty FRICKING LOUD!!!

If you like V8s with open headers, add a dash of a modified VW beatle engine with open headers, you got a flat six with no muffler!

No ONE will like you! Including, the Big block Jet boat owner down the street, and cops 5 blocks away.

I imagine you would lose quite a bit of low-end torque and gains some upper end power.

Now where would you put that O2 sensor?

[304065]

It will be unbelievably loud, so much so that you will attract the attention of every peace officer within earshot.

The effect on performance is more difficult to determine: there IS a performance gain to be achieved by backdating to the earlier 911 SSI-style muffler, which would suggest that the later crossover style exhaust has more back pressure/less flow. A while back somebody was marketing the "track pipe" which is essentially a 2-5/8 extension welded to a three bolt flange which bolts up to the back of the catalytic converter, diverting the exhaust out under the body. I would be very wary of just disconnecting the pipe under the car, not only for the deleterious effects of exhaust heat on your motronic wiring, but because introducing air to the catalytic converter might interfere with its operation in a big way.

I have one of those "track pipes" sitting in my hangar, I never installed it. The maker produced a dyno sheet for an SC that showed increases in both power and torque but I don't have it anymore. I paid $100 for this aluminized steel part for my 3.2, you can have it for $50. eMail me off-list if interested. No warranties expressed or implied, particularly if bad stuff happens.

It would sound VERY cool, though.

John

'71 E
'88 Carrera (stock exhaust)

[pbs911]

Do it just for fun. Why not. Then you will know for sur. No permanent damage will result for a short experiment.

[spinner]

Actually, it isn't as loud as I first imagined it. I haven't had a muffler on my 87 for about a year now. Just a simple pipe at the end of the cat. The only negative is some loss in low-end torque but it's very little. The mids and highs have improved plus some weight loss on the end - a good thing. IMO, its a tad louder than some aftermarket mufflers like B&B while delivering similar "performance" except mine costs $10.

Paul

[makaio]

Whenever I have to take my muffler off, I always start it up and blip the throttle a few times!

But seriously it is REALLY loud! It would be fun to run it through downtown Atlanta in the middle of the night though!

[tmctguer]

i did the same thing years ago when i rebuilt and hot-rodded an old Dodge Dart.

i put headers on the car (along with many other mod's) and drove it to the muffler shop to get exhaust pipes and muff's installed. the drive to Midas was one of my most memorable.

loud as heck..........rumbling right under my seat........really sounded BAD !!

[Doug Zielke]

Been in my local Porsche shop when they have fired up a motor without a muffler. The noise is best described as some huge giant, ripping sheets of canvas with his bare hands!!

But the best part of the muffler-less experience, is the awesome flames that come from the tailpipe. Think ALMS racer!!

[R22tech]

I'm laughing pretty hard right now! Can't wait to try it out. If it's loud enough, I'll taunt my unfriendly neighbor with a drive-by-ear-thrashing when she comes down her driveway to fetch the paper!!! Seriously though, I've done his with an 86 Mitsu Starion ESI-R turbo and it sounded very good-not too loud, but that was a 2.6 4-banger and I was 17 at the time. I think regardless of how it turns out, it'll be at least good for a roll-on-the-floor luaghing experience.

[724doorE]

Theres a thread here somewhere about this from a week or two ago. I have a set of megaphones I bought from performance products. I once put em on and drove my 72 E in town to get gas. Trust me, you just can't be quiet with those on. At idle it sounds like the baddest bug youever heard. at 7000 rpm well I'd hate to be on the side of the road when I went by. When I was done filling up and sarted her up the old man next to me about jumped out of his shoes. Then as I left I hit 7000 in the first three gears. After that I looked around alot and hoped I got home before the MAN started looking for me. It got me freakin paranoid!

But, what is neat is the fact that most average cars sound like $@?? without a muffler, but the stock 911 still sounds like a 911 and pretty good at that.

my .02

Dennis H.

72 911E