Deleting exhaust resonator?!?

[02LGT]

If i go to meineke and get my resonator deleted from my exhaust system, and keep my stock muffler, how loud would it be? and also, how would i be seeing CEL? thanks in advance.

[JPaul99GT]

the resonator is after the O2 sensors, so i dont think it should be a problem. the sound would most likely have more of a boxer sound... more rumble

ive been considering putting a resonator back into my exhaust. the loudness is getting old

[02LGT]

how loud does it get without resonator and what if i keep my stock muffler?? what kind of setup do you have now?

[Wiscon_Mark]

The resonator doesn't quiet the exhaust sound down a whole lot, it's more just there to smooth the tone out (less popping noise when you let off the throttle, etc) and delete drone. I don't think you want to delete the resonator.

[badbasser98]

I don't think you want to delete the resonator.
+1

I think you will be unhappy with the sound if you remove the resonator. It makes the sound very raspy, especially at or close to WOT...

[02LGT]

What is the best way to get the most of the boxer engine rumble? Thats my mail goal here.I've been thinking about muffler and catbacks also in the past but deleting the resonator did not come across my mind til yesterday...do you guys know about this from past experience? and also is it harmful to the car?...any advice appreciated and thank you

[Wiscon_Mark]

No, it is not harmful to the car, it's just like a muffler- you can go without and still run the car just fine.

I don't know this from personal experience, but I do know the design of a resonator, and it's pretty easy to compare sound clips where cars that don't have a resonator are much more raspy vs. cars that do.

To get the maxiumum boxer rumble? Get a good muffler. Run good Stainless steel piping. Put headers on (Borla is noted to give you the loudest sound, although it isn't as high on performance).

[02LGT]

Thanks for your quick response...u seem to come through all the time with everyone's questions!! THANK YOU!!! Are stock midpipe made of SS? and what kind of muffler would you say that is GOOD MUFFLER for boxer rumbling?

[Wiscon_Mark]

A good muffler? Well, I've never really heard a bad muffler for a Subaru exhaust. Even those buzzcans that sound like ass on a Civic sound decent on a Subaru (not that I'm reccomending them, they're usually junk).

I don't think the Subaru OEM midpipe is SS, mine looks far too rusted to be said stainless. Larger piping would of course give you a bit more sound, however don't go overboard, 2.25" is the max you want to get for N/A.

I'm oogling Magnaflow right now, Borla sounds good, Stromung is excellent ($$ though), Flowmaster is loud, there's all kinds. Look at the sound clips sticky (I believe it's in this forum) and decide what you like, many members have posted their various exhaust sytems for your appraisal.

[02LGT]

damn...u are FAST...hahhaa anyways...i went thru the whole forum...listened to all the sound clips and checked out the muffler exhaust threads...they all sound nice but im being picky right now because of my past experience with mandrel bent pipes with obx muffler on my gsr...and that was LOUD...i posted on one of the thread here about this story...it was LOUD i couldnt even hear my music and i got annoyed...and it was disturbing the whole world...it was 2.25"...and yeah...so i just dont want it to be too loud...i would like to hear these exhaust notes in person but i know thats something difficult...since evryone is from all over the world...anyways thanks again for your advice and input.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Go with an STi muffler then. It just take a bit of modification (moving some exhaust hangers and rotating the flange.

Were you running catless or anything else on your GSR? I'd imagine it was just the muffler (OBX is generally listed as junky stuff, although Plays_With_Toys likes his muffler).

[02LGT]

Yea...it was catback...but i think it was really loud cuz it was straight thru muffler...and yes...ive been hunting for those sti mufflers...would it still have the boxer rumble with those? and i read on the nasioc forum that sti axlebacks tend to have raspy sound...is this really true?

I called up meineke during my lunch break and they told me they dont have USUAL cost for customizing exhausts...depends on the car and wat the customers want and need...well i told him that i just wanted to add universal muffler and he was kinda rude and demanding to come see him for free on lift estimate...Even though its a free estimate...i wouldnt want to get pressured to doing anything at the place and the guy who i talked to was very demanding...I had bad experience with a mechanic who put my car on the lift and wouldnt let it go down unless i purchased ridiculously over priced tires couple of months ago...he doubled the price of the cooper lifeliners... :-?

What should i do? can i trust this? i know meineke is a nation wide commercial chain but every place has its own rules...or at least make up their own rules...any advice?

[Wiscon_Mark]

He just needs to see the bends of the exhaust to get an estimate, as bends are the most expensive part of it. He can't give you an estimate without seeing what he needs to do. I don't know how the conversation went, but I'm sure that his demands were reasonable.

As for the mechanic...you should file a lawsuit and report him to the Better Business Bureau.

Just take your car in. They won't pull the same shit, I'm sure, and if they do, you get the police in. If they offer free estimates (which everyone should) then they have to stick by that.

[badbasser98]

damn...u are FAST...
Yeah, Mark lives on the forum. He is usually the first to post on every thread. Not to mention he has it run through his instant messanger to give him instant notification of any replies. Just check his post count :wink:

Mark is pretty much right on about sound. If you are up to spend some cash and don't have strick inspection laws holding you down. I'd go for headers, single high-flow converter, straight mid-pipe and a good high flow muffler. If you are just looking for a sporty tone, I would do headers, high flow converter(s), resonated mid-pipe, and a STi or other single baffled muffler.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Yahoo messenger aids me in my posting, for sure.

Just a little audio indication, and if I'm anywhere near, I'll know a post has been made.

I'm not really on here all day ;)

Yeah, Matt summed it all up for me.

[02LGT]

haha okay...thanks guys...so in conclusion...i shouldnt delete resonator because it will make the popping noise and i wouldnt like it...and im not planning to spend much for this mod because im broke...if i had money i would go bolt on hahaha...anyways thanks for your input...

But ive seen a subaru baja with stock muffler and it has mean rumble...just like the wrx's with aftermarket exhaust...any idea how he did it?

Btw...Can anyone post up their setup: pic, sound/video clip if possible? That will be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

[Wiscon_Mark]

All of the turbo Subarus sound badass from stock.

[02LGT]

i dont think the baja wasnt a baja turbo...and it was LOUD...definitely not stock. it was rumbling at idle and when he reved...alil it had a niceeee VRRRROOOOM sound.

[badbasser98]

he might of had a Baja Turbo muffler on it... If it was stock, I have no idea. I doubt just removing the resonator will do much of anything with a stock muffler.

If you want to wait a little bit I can get some clips of a 2.5 NA engine with Borla headers, stock cat and mid-pipes with a WRX or STi muffler :wink:

[02LGT]

That will be great! ill b waiting. let me know when its ready.

[02LGT]

I have the opportunity to get a Sti axleback...I would like to know what people meant by rotate the flange? I see what people are talking about repositioning the hangers but how do you rotate the flange? Thanks again.

[bubaru21]

i couldnt help but notice it seemed as though the stromung cat back deletes the resonator in the pics on boxer4racing.com or am i mistaken?

sorry to jump in but i figured the thread subject didnt need to be repeated.

[Wiscon_Mark]

It does. You can always have a shop put in a good one though.

[Huffer]

I have the opportunity to get a Sti axleback...I would like to know what people meant by rotate the flange? I see what people are talking about repositioning the hangers but how do you rotate the flange? Thanks again.

The flange is the part where the bolts go through to join the pipes.
The holes don't match up totally, so most people choose to cut the flange off, reweld it back on so the holes match up. Some people drill more holes to "make" it fit.

[02LGT]

hmm...do i get a new flange? or do i use the ones from my axleback? or not from my OEM axleback do they sell flange separately and how much? and would there be exhaust leak? thanks.

[Huffer]

a decent muffler shop will be able to cut the flange, rotate it and re-weld. No need to mess around with your stock backbox, though why you would keep the stocker when you have an STi one, is beyond me.

The only place it will leak will be around where metal joins metal. Think about it...

[rougeben83]

You have an 00-04 Legacy? I think it will need more than a simple flange rotation to get the Sti axleback to mate up with your exhaust...

take it to a shop and have them take a look to see how they line up.

[Wiscon_Mark]

yeah, you'll need to change hangers...But it still fits.

[rougeben83]

Hangers will have to be hacked off and rewelded to the right direction, I'm not sure the bend after the muffler will clear the rear diff. Mine and many of other BE's I've seen w/ STI mufflers had to have the muffler slightly tilted to get the bend right ouf of the inlet to point in the right direction, then a new section of pipe had to be bent/welded up to clear the rear diff and not have the exhaust pipe hang too low.

[02LGT]

i see...thanks for the input...it helps alot towards my decision.

[JKirk]

I was in the same boat as you 02GT, I wanted a muffler but wasn't sure how I could get the sound I wanted. You can get STi mufflers for decent prices over at Nasioc.com if you haven't figured that out already.

[rougeben83]

I'd suggest the STI muffler too...it just looks right underneath the BE bumper :grin:

The sound, when paired up with a resonator is a little louder than stock, but its the tone that really changes...much deeper and boxer-like.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/09/HPIM021-1.jpg