Fiveoh
02-17-2006, 10:10 PM
OK, for those of you with a 3.5 and wanted to know about how well the Mag sounds with no resonator, here goes.
First I would like to say that, a local mom&pop, but professional, muffler shop was extremely helpful and willing to assist me with testing different types of exhaust options for the Magnum. And to top it off, I only pay $10 bucks for labor per visit (so far two visits). Of course, once I decide on the final setup, I pay for the parts (if any). Well here goes.
Mods: Jet Chip II and CAI.
1. First we took off the stock SXT muffler with a Magnaflow XL Performance series muffler. We kept the stock resonator on and the car sounded nice, but no throaty or loud growl. It was a tad bit louder than stock, but unnoticable to Mr. Q Public. The Mag seemed to pick up some speed and acceleration on the highway (0-80)
2. Next we removed the resonator and welded a straight pipe tail. The Magnaflow was left intact. The Mag sounded great at startup and WOT. It was extremely loud, but with a mean deep growl. The Mag accelerated nicely. Everyone was impressed. However, the drone was unbearable at cruising speed of 70 and was loud and steady at 2300-3000 RPM - Cruising speed with and without Cruise Control. Even with my radio up, the drone was annoying. In fact, the resonation interfered with the bass in my music, almost like the resonation from wind buffeting (when one window is opened). I do not recommend this option unless resonance isn't an issue.
3. We then decided to try a glass pack with the Magnaflow. We also installed a cheap resonator tip. The sound was slightly quieter than Option 2, but the exhaust had a deeper tone at idle. At WOT or increased rev, the Mag sounded mean and ready to fight with a loud deep tone at acceleration. However, once I jumped into cruising speed, the drone reappeared. This time the drone wasn't as bad as Option 2, but still annoying. The nice thing was the Mag wanted to jump into action everytime I pressed the gas (this is subjective opinion, not scientific).
Monday we will try placing a high flow resonator with the Magnaflow muffler. I'll update this thread with what happens. That will be my third, and probably final, visit for my tests.
Before I conclude, I want to make a few comments about this test. The reason for using Magnaflow is simply because the muffler shop only had Magnaflows, no Borlas, Corsas, Zoomers...etc. My main concern isn't sound, but resonance free ride and, more importantly, free flow exhaust. I know, Zoomers does all this, but at this time I can't afford it...give me a few more months...heh.
If you want the sound and resonance isn't a issue, then simply replace the stock muffler with a high flow muffler and discard the stock resonator (recommend a resonator tip). If you are looking for resonant free ride, then a good resonator/muffler combo is a must (exception being Zoomers).
First I would like to say that, a local mom&pop, but professional, muffler shop was extremely helpful and willing to assist me with testing different types of exhaust options for the Magnum. And to top it off, I only pay $10 bucks for labor per visit (so far two visits). Of course, once I decide on the final setup, I pay for the parts (if any). Well here goes.
Mods: Jet Chip II and CAI.
1. First we took off the stock SXT muffler with a Magnaflow XL Performance series muffler. We kept the stock resonator on and the car sounded nice, but no throaty or loud growl. It was a tad bit louder than stock, but unnoticable to Mr. Q Public. The Mag seemed to pick up some speed and acceleration on the highway (0-80)
2. Next we removed the resonator and welded a straight pipe tail. The Magnaflow was left intact. The Mag sounded great at startup and WOT. It was extremely loud, but with a mean deep growl. The Mag accelerated nicely. Everyone was impressed. However, the drone was unbearable at cruising speed of 70 and was loud and steady at 2300-3000 RPM - Cruising speed with and without Cruise Control. Even with my radio up, the drone was annoying. In fact, the resonation interfered with the bass in my music, almost like the resonation from wind buffeting (when one window is opened). I do not recommend this option unless resonance isn't an issue.
3. We then decided to try a glass pack with the Magnaflow. We also installed a cheap resonator tip. The sound was slightly quieter than Option 2, but the exhaust had a deeper tone at idle. At WOT or increased rev, the Mag sounded mean and ready to fight with a loud deep tone at acceleration. However, once I jumped into cruising speed, the drone reappeared. This time the drone wasn't as bad as Option 2, but still annoying. The nice thing was the Mag wanted to jump into action everytime I pressed the gas (this is subjective opinion, not scientific).
Monday we will try placing a high flow resonator with the Magnaflow muffler. I'll update this thread with what happens. That will be my third, and probably final, visit for my tests.
Before I conclude, I want to make a few comments about this test. The reason for using Magnaflow is simply because the muffler shop only had Magnaflows, no Borlas, Corsas, Zoomers...etc. My main concern isn't sound, but resonance free ride and, more importantly, free flow exhaust. I know, Zoomers does all this, but at this time I can't afford it...give me a few more months...heh.
If you want the sound and resonance isn't a issue, then simply replace the stock muffler with a high flow muffler and discard the stock resonator (recommend a resonator tip). If you are looking for resonant free ride, then a good resonator/muffler combo is a must (exception being Zoomers).