MRT V2 ... Typical Drone Issue?

[RedHotRS]

Originally Posted by Gen-X45

You should be fine... I put the MRT V2's on about 6 or 7 weeks ago, the first thing I did was to take the car on the freeway and drove it in clean traffic for about an hour. I ran the car between 60-85 mph, all the while I was watching the tachometer and getting bench marks for drone and other in cabin noise. As many have posted here, the first few minutes in the car can be startling anytime a performance mod has been made, CAI's TB's Exhaust, each bring a different perspective and driving experience to the table. There are a few reasons for this, however the most important to note in my opinion is that the car is so quiet from the factory, any cabin noise at all can seem abnormal. This is why you're reading a lot of posts which suggest that you give it some time and you'll get use to the noise level in the cabin. I 100% agree with this advice, in fact while driving in some conditions you'll forget the mod was even put on... until you jump on it a little bit, then your world will be as it should be again... it took me about 2 weeks of listening and watching where the drone kicked in, where I was in the RPM range and as it would start to fade away etc. I've been in engineering and construction for my entire adult life, so how things work is important to me, to be assured that they are working correctly is paramount.

So, having said all of this and I do apologize for the long read... After driving the car for almost two month with the MRT V2's, I really liked the sound, the drone was very minimal however, I do a lot of freeway driving and like my music as well. So for me personally, I decided to have the magnaflow x-pipe resonator put on. I did that just yesterday, May 24th.
(Thank you Chase from Apex, for all your help and advice). I really like the results... there is no raspy sound at all, no drone at any speed or RPM range. I really can't tell the difference in sound, if there is any deterioration, I'm being very honest when I say my ears can't pick it up. What I did notice is that the X-Pipe itself brings a noticeable smoothness to the acceleration, not throttle response, the engine is breathing better and the exhaust is balanced out by the x-pipe. For what I was hoping to achieve, it was worth every dime. It cost me about 200 dollars to have both the MRT's and the X-Pipe installed, it took about 2 hours in total. I don't know if that price is good, bad or somewhere in the middle, however the shop that did it is a local ma and pa who have been in business for about 25 years and I prefer to give my money to the small shop owners whenever I can. At the end of the day, it comes down to preference, you'll hear that all over the place and it's true. Just give yourself sometime, magnaflow isn't going away tomorrow, you've got time to decide what is best for you. Good luck!

Thank you for your time and input. It's greatly appreciated! Seems like all the threads I read before buying the MRT all reported issues only at 70mph. Like I said I like the tone, just hate the rattling in my dash/doors/wherever.

I already have the XPipe so I will definitley give that a try if needed after my breakin period.

Again thanks to all, I appreciate the feedback and I'm guessing I will become another satisfied owner in time.

[AutoAgenda]

Originally Posted by RedHotRS

Yeah I don't think I'm describing my problems very clearly. I don't have a problem with the "tone" of my exhaust, the tone sounds great!

What I do have a problem with is the vibrations that are rattling my interior. Most people report drone issues only around 70 mph, I have vibration running through my car at all speeds in the 15-2k range. I just drove to work and watched the tach, even at low speeds I got vibrations that ran through my entire car.

Does everyone experience this in the beginning? 70 mph is one thing but I don't recall people having rattling dashboards even at slow speeds.

Thanks everyone.

Well that doesn't sound right. I would do a visual inspection, make sure it looks properly installed from the MRT instructions. Or take it back to the shop and let them know the situation. If still unhappy, contact MRT or distributor for advice. Then definitely return it if problem continues.

[SNK]

Just wait, it will mellow

[Gen-X45]

We are all learning here RedHotRS, back in the day I had a 1969 GTO and could have told you anything and everything about the mod's that went with that era. However, I got married, raised a family and just didn't have the time or money to spend on dream cars and how to modify them. For all of my life's experience, the Gen 5 Camaro is new to me. I rely on people like Chase from Apex because this is how he pay's his bills and he knows his craft, that and I don't think he sleeps lol. The man is always working... These forms are great, you get a lot of people out here that care about their cars, they want them to run well and strong.

Ok, so does the car quiet down after break in... again, I'm no expert however I do understand physics to a decent extent and to that end. I'd say that the term "break-in" is subjective in that there are no moving parts to your axle back system. What does happen is your cars computer and other governing sensors make critical adjustments to account for the revisions that have been made to the exhaust system. There are too many to list here, just be assured that one of the reasons that we pay 500-700 dollars for what amounts to about 4 feet of bent pipe and a two baffle chambers is because a lot of research and development went into making a proprietary system that can compete in a very difficult market. It is your cars adjustments that tame the sound because how it is producing energy and making exhaust has changed.

As I noted in my previous e-mail, the x-pipe resonator really does seem to balance out the exhaust. I've only had it on my car for a day but it doesn't seem to be robbing the car of sound to any great extent. It is a different sound, the sound is smoother upon acceleration, however it is still impressive when you consider that my car isn't a V8, it's a V6 manual 6-speed.

No, you're not going to see performance gains with an axle back system, the car does lose a few lbs. and every little bit helps because the car weights a lot. The CAI will give you some extra hp, you will notice a difference in sound there as well, It's a different type of sound though. When you are talking CAI's you're speaking to air flow coming in, when you're talking about exhaust, the flow is exiting the car. How your cars (MAF)mass air flow sensor hands the information off to the (ECU) Engine Control Unit will increase the sound, your axel back system is helping your car to exhale, your CAI is helping your car to breathe in.

[Gen-X45]

Just read your other post... no, my car did not vibrate at all. I'm trying to think what would cause that because you're only axle back on the V2 system. The only thing that I can think of is if the pipes themselves were not hung correctly on the isolation pads, that could cause problems.

[Niko]

Mayb I'm one of the few people that do but I love drone of exhausts. I've always had loud exhaust on every vehicle I had. My kawasaki ninja is the loudest. For about a week I had just a mid pipe on it. Man was it loud!!! It kinda sounded like a F-1 car when I started going from a stop. I only put my muffler back on cause I was tired of being pulled over for it being to loud.

[cam45]

I definitely had a similar problems with mine as well. Around that range of rpm, my interior would vibrate and coins in the drink holder would make noise from hitting each other from the vibration. I waited about 2 weeks just to see if it will settle down but it was still the same. Mine was bought by one of the forum members here so it was already driven greater than 1000 miles from the previous owner.

What I have done is go with the J-pipe route, and thanks to the instructions from fellow members the J-pipe made a tremendous difference. I almost took it out to replace it back with the stock but it worked out great!

[RedHotRS]

Originally Posted by AutoAgenda

Well that doesn't sound right. I would do a visual inspection, make sure it looks properly installed from the MRT instructions. Or take it back to the shop and let them know the situation. If still unhappy, contact MRT or distributor for advice. Then definitely return it if problem continues.

Definitely will do, I'm not sure they even bothered with instructions. I figured they knew what they were doing as they were recommended. I'm guessing the instructions are in the packet with the hardware, which was never opened. Thanks

Originally Posted by Gen-X45

Just read your other post... no, my car did not vibrate at all. I'm trying to think what would cause that because you're only axle back on the V2 system. The only thing that I can think of is if the pipes themselves were not hung correctly on the isolation pads, that could cause problems.

That definitely makes sense, I will be at that shop Tuesday before work and try to see what they can do or didn't do the first time. Again, I do appreciate yours and everyone's help.

Originally Posted by Niko

Mayb I'm one of the few people that do but I love drone of exhausts. I've always had loud exhaust on every vehicle I had. My kawasaki ninja is the loudest. For about a week I had just a mid pipe on it. Man was it loud!!! It kinda sounded like a F-1 car when I started going from a stop. I only put my muffler back on cause I was tired of being pulled over for it being to loud.

Yeah I hear you brother, I've had my share of crotch rockets with loud exhausts then got old and had a couple of Harley's that would wake the dead, lol. Loud isn't my problem, I hate vibration that rattles the car.

Originally Posted by cam45

I definitely had a similar problems with mine as well. Around that range of rpm, my interior would vibrate and coins in the drink holder would make noise from hitting each other from the vibration. I waited about 2 weeks just to see if it will settle down but it was still the same. Mine was bought by one of the forum members here so it was already driven greater than 1000 miles from the previous owner.

What I have done is go with the J-pipe route, and thanks to the instructions from fellow members the J-pipe made a tremendous difference. I almost took it out to replace it back with the stock but it worked out great!

Thanks for that, ill definitely keep it in mind.

Again, thanks everyone!

[Belam]

Originally Posted by RedHotRS

Yeah I don't think I'm describing my problems very clearly. I don't have a problem with the "tone" of my exhaust, the tone sounds great!

What I do have a problem with is the vibrations that are rattling my interior. Most people report drone issues only around 70 mph, I have vibration running through my car at all speeds in the 15-2k range. I just drove to work and watched the tach, even at low speeds I got vibrations that ran through my entire car.

Does everyone experience this in the beginning? 70 mph is one thing but I don't recall people having rattling dashboards even at slow speeds.

Thanks everyone.

I also have Flowmasters and there is alot of drone from 18-2200 range nomatter what speed I am in .I installed J pipes but couldn't help it at all . Still looking for a solution

[Gen-X45]

Let me know how it goes on Tuesday, you don't hear many problems with the V2 system so when you do it is a concern. Is your car a 2012 or 2013?

On another note, I'm day two with the magnaflow x-pipe and the sound is about 5% less, I'm thinking that it is just the rasp that has been filtered out. When I get on it, the car talks back loud and clear. For my ears it's perfect and the car runs stronger on the low end as well. I'm pretty happy with it, other than a new throttle body that I have coming I think I'll leave well enough alone. I have a drop in K&N air filter, the MRT V2 axle back exhaust and the magnaflow x-pipe. I was thinking about a CAI however the car is running well enough without it so that may or may not come later. I need to do somemore research on the Richmond 3.55 gear swap, could be better money spent on something like that from a performance stand point.

[RedHotRS]

Mine is a 2013. If the MRTs are installed and hung properly ill probably just go ahead and have my Xpipe installed while I'm there.

[Gen-X45]

I've given this some thought, there are a couple of things that could be effecting your installation. First, if the installer did not measure correctly and cut to much pipe off the existing exhaust, the section where the two pipes are mated could be compromised. Your MRT V2's have what amounts to a slip flange. In other words, the section of the new pipe that slips over the existing pipe is oversized by about about 3 to 3.5 inches long. The existing pipe has to slip all the way into this section of the new pipe to create rigidly. If the fit is not correct, the pipe will flex at that joint (even if it's welded) and can touch on a surface somewhere along it's pathway. If your exhaust was still hot from the weld and indeed the two connecting parts were not seated well, the joint could have flexed and may have stayed in the flexed position as the rubber isolation pads would give under the stress of the medal hangers.

Another thing that could have happened is the rubber isolation pads themselves could be out of position and the medal hangers attached to the MRT's are not seated well. I doubt that would be the case because the hangers are bent steel rods and are made to reach further into the pads then they need too be in order to be secure. Even so, when it comes to vibration, it's best to check everything.

The good news is that all of this can be fixed without a lot of effort. You may want to stand behind your car and see if one or the other exhaust tips are tweeked some. You can also craw under your car with a tape and make sure that both connecting joins are consistant. If you pull out your installation instruction, it will give a measured distance for the cut. From there you can determine if the linear distance along the two connecting pipes makes sense. From an engineering perspective, these are the things I'd be looking at first. It doesn't take much to create harmonic vibration, however once the source is found in most cases it is easy to correct as well. If you have been driving your car, by now it should be adjusting and some of the vibration may be going away, I'd still get it checked out on Tuesday though.

[RedHotRS]

Yeah I'm going to have to take a look, I know there is some pipe left on the stock exhaust, just not sure if he cut it right at 3.5 inches. I know he welded them on, should I have the clamps put on as well? Ill have them check the hangers and isolation pads and make sure it is seated properly on Tuesday. I know there wasn't much time between when he was done welding the second pipe and when the car was started. I drove off about 10 minutes after he backed it out.

Great info, will definitely check all this out. I'm going out soon and will take a tape measure and see how much pipe he left on the stock muffler, I'm curious now.

Thanks again!

[Gen-X45]

You're welcome, other than LA Traffic, there are few things more frustrating than to spend hundreds of dollars on something that is suppose to make things better but instead creates a problem.

You don't have to have the clamps on if the exhaust is welded all the way around. I had them clamp mine and just spot welded in one place to make sure the pipe didn't slip if the clamp came lose. Now that I have everything done and like it, I'll check the clamps in about a month. If they are holding, I'll call it good, if not I'll have them weld all the way around and remove the clamps.