Dissapointed in Muffler Delete

[SSEssence]

Try an x pipe with muffler deletes, it changes the tone and I think it sounds amazing.

[Chris49066SS]

Originally Posted by rontammy0

I had a muffler delete with solo hi flow cats. I thought it sounded great. Until I ended up with my Corsa...then recently heard an old vid of my car. Yep zero tone or refinement. Still wasn't terrible.

Big cam and open headers. Unruly, unrefined = satisfied. But thats just me wish it were louder though

[samman11]

From what I researched, a straight forward muffler delete will indeed increase the sound, but also cause an annoying drone at highway speeds. Plus, the sound at idle may or may not be what is appealing to "most" people. Of course, it's a low cost way to get rid of the stock muffler system sound. So you get what you get when you go cheap. Harsh, but true. I went with Solo Performance Axel back system out of Buffalo, NY, and I couldn't be happier. They specifically designed the system for Camaro convertibles along with eliminating the drone associated with some other systems or a straight forward muffler delete. Bottom line is that you get what you pay for.

[rontammy0]

Originally Posted by SSEssence

Try an x pipe with muffler deletes, it changes the tone and I think it sounds amazing.

Solo hi flows and just had the x pipe added in this vid.
https://youtu.be/sKA9dy-2oFI

[radar1972]

I replaced the stock mufflers with bullet mufflers (what used to be called glass pack mufflers). Great sound outside but AWFUL drone and roar inside. Then I replaced those with the Solo axle back system w/ J-pipes. Great sound and no drone. I'm very pleased with it.

[myold88]

Originally Posted by radar1972

I replaced the stock mufflers with bullet mufflers (what used to be called glass pack mufflers). Great sound outside but AWFUL drone and roar inside. Then I replaced those with the Solo axle back system w/ J-pipes. Great sound and no drone. I'm very pleased with it.

Exactly what I purchased over 9 years ago on my early '10 SS L99. Solo Axle
Back with J/pipes. Great sound and 0 drone at any RPM. Nothing not to like.

[redcoats1976]

Originally Posted by hunter1660

I love mine. Headers,no cats,resonater, pype bomb muffler delete. Scares old folks and small children at WOT.

wont scare me much.after 25 years of driving a big block pontiac with headers and duals and 50 years of loud rock and roll im fairly deaf.if you guys value your hearing and not listening to your ears ring constantly you might want to think about not deleting your exhaust parts.

[BAD DAB]

Originally Posted by pyroguy

Here's my setup so you can make your own opinion as well, but I love what I have for my setup. Like I said earlier, the only time I had an issue with drone was after I had my cam installed and a little tweaking of the J pipes and it's all but gone (haven't done a test since the last tweak). I went straight to the full catback so I cannot comment on what an axle back vs. catback will do, but I wouldn't change what I've done. I have some LT w/ cats videos and then a couple idle videos post cam, one hot idle and one cold start to settle down idle. I hope this helps!

Pre tune exhaust 4.5k rpms max

Post tune exhaust full pull

Warm idle post BTR Stage 2 NA cam install

Cold start post BTR Stage 2 NA cam install to idle Around 45 seconds in it starts to settle down and lope.

Thanks so much. This is exactly the information I was looking for. Your car sounds great.

[pyroguy]

Originally Posted by BAD DAB

Thanks so much. This is exactly the information I was looking for. Your car sounds great.

Thanks! I’m glad I could help! Make sure to post your car’s progress as you continue to mod. I’d love to see how it keeps going.

[Jayjellyfish212]

Issue I’m seeing here on OP complaint regarding tone etc. is he went backwards in how any exhaust mods should be done. Apparently he started from back end and is chasing a tone to a liking without starting off on the right way to begin with. I see this all the time. If he started with the front at the engine with the exhaust mod such as aftermarket long tubes or shorties and worked from there going back he would be in the right direction. The 5th gen sound or tone is a major change when one simply installs aftermarket headers and then high flow cats or cat deletes and then so on etc.

I personally prefer long tubes, cat deletes, stock h pipe and NPP set up
Which I’m running now but currently deleting the NPP and may do an x pipe.

I have seen so many people regardless of make models just try changing mufflers or delete the mufflers only to be disappointed. The disappointment is due to starting exhaust mods backward literally! Exhaust mods start at the front of engine and go to back. The tail end of the system is nothing but sound and preferences and has no performance difference. Hope this helps.

[pyroguy]

Originally Posted by Jayjellyfish212

Issue I’m seeing here on OP complaint regarding tone etc. is he went backwards in how any exhaust mods should be done. Apparently he started from back end and is chasing a tone to a liking without starting off on the right way to begin with. I see this all the time. If he started with the front at the engine with the exhaust mod such as aftermarket long tubes or shorties and worked from there going back he would be in the right direction. The 5th gen sound or tone is a major change when one simply installs aftermarket headers and then high flow cats or cat deletes and then so on etc.

I personally prefer long tubes, cat deletes, stock h pipe and NPP set up
Which I’m running now but currently deleting the NPP and may do an x pipe.

I have seen so many people regardless of make models just try changing mufflers or delete the mufflers only to be disappointed. The disappointment is due to starting exhaust mods backward literally! Exhaust mods start at the front of engine and go to back. The tail end of the system is nothing but sound and preferences and has no performance difference. Hope this helps.

You make a very good point. Personally if NPP exhaust came in 2010 I would have done headers and left the NPP because that combo is music to my ears. However, I was not granted that opportunity, nor did it come on automatic cars (to my knowledge) and now that I have the factory ground effects I think that it wouldn't fit anyway.

Getting back to your main point, the best place to start is from the block back, IMO. Get the performance gain you'll be after with headers and hi flow cats/cat deletes THEN work on changing up the rest of the exhaust. If I was going to do it over, I'd probably go this route.

[qcman]

Originally Posted by Jayjellyfish212

Issue I’m seeing here on OP complaint regarding tone etc. is he went backwards in how any exhaust mods should be done. Apparently he started from back end and is chasing a tone to a liking without starting off on the right way to begin with. I see this all the time. If he started with the front at the engine with the exhaust mod such as aftermarket long tubes or shorties and worked from there going back he would be in the right direction. The 5th gen sound or tone is a major change when one simply installs aftermarket headers and then high flow cats or cat deletes and then so on etc.

I personally prefer long tubes, cat deletes, stock h pipe and NPP set up
Which I’m running now but currently deleting the NPP and may do an x pipe.

I have seen so many people regardless of make models just try changing mufflers or delete the mufflers only to be disappointed. The disappointment is due to starting exhaust mods backward literally! Exhaust mods start at the front of engine and go to back. The tail end of the system is nothing but sound and preferences and has no performance difference. Hope this helps.

This is a very good point that you make. I think why myself & others drank the muffler delete Kool Aid is it is pretty hyped on this forum. And of course the videos sound okay when you play them too. What I have learned is no one does a video of their muffler delete from inside of the car only the outside.

My complaint is mine sounded like ass on the inside where I reside so it had to be corrected. I should have done an in car video & posted it up for others before reverting back. The drone argh! And no it wasn't the AFM as its tuned out long ago....

[SSEssence]

TBH exhaust drone and sound levels are completely subjective to each person. I have Kooks LT headers with high flow cats, Magnaflow X pipe, and muffler deletes and am completely happy with the way she sounds inside and outside. Someone that is way more sensitive to sound would probably hate it, but I don't think mine drones that bad inside. The x pipe definitely helps but adding a resonated x pipe would help with the drone and then next step would be some kind of J pipe exhaust and then to be overkill would be to add sound deadening. In my case, I don't feel its necessary for me.

[Moto-Mojo]

Backwards, forwards, sideways. I still don’t get why the muffler delete is so unappealing. Unless like I said earlier, tone chasers are never satisfied. I’ve been around ‘hot rods’ since the middle 60’s and our LS motor with just a simple muffler delete sounds pretty darn good to me. Comparing it to LT’s, HF cats, $1300 axle backs, is apples and oranges. If you wanted some added noise and some tone, a muff del seems to do the job. If you’re going for a high db level and specific frequency, get out your wallet and start at the headers. But be prepared, you may not like that either!