New GSX owner - exhaust too loud

[jdlohr]

1997 Eclipse GSX
- A'PEXi N1 muffler
- A'PEXi N1 down pipe
- A'PEXi Super Silencer

Research:
- Purchased a silencer for short-term relief
- Based on what I gathered from searching, I should add a resonator. Vibrant/Magnaflow

Would it be a decent idea to cut the down pipe to make room for a Vibrant Performance 3" Ultra Quiet resonator? Would I need more than one resonator? I go to work at 6 in the morning and this setup is 2 Fast 2 Furious loud.

Could anyone provide other recommendations on how to quiet down the exhaust?

Note: I did read alot of the Newbie material and have been able to get by on that without needing to sign up until now.

 

[SoNew]

Add a catalytic converter, that would cut down on the ferociousness

 

[jdlohr]

From what I've read, a resonator would be the best choice for quieting it down. I thought the cat was used more for emissions than sound reduction?

Either way, is cutting the down pipe to install one a decent idea?

Thanks for the reply

 

[deflator]

I've got a 3" with a bullet muffler and a 4" can muffler. With the silencer in the exhaust, the car is not very loud but it kills the power to have it in. Without the silencer, it is pretty loud but not a disaster. It draws cop's attention but doesn't get me pulled over.

 

[H@xtGSX]

I have a 3" pipe with nothing but a 1-2 Magnaflow at the end. It's was not quiet, but it definently didn't have that nasty rasp to it that some cans do. It did cause a low pitch drone that when driving at highway speed for a decent amount of time got real annoying. I had a 14" PERFORATED CORE (louvered cores actually cause a constriction in the pipe, be sure it's a perforated core) glass pack welded in where the cat would be, and it has made a world of difference. It sounds great, is quiet in normal traffic, flows very well, doesn't drone on the highway, and has a mean sounding rumble when I get on the gas. A good size resonator can make a huge improvement.

 

[RamenPride]

I thought the cat was used more for emissions than sound reduction?

The cat presents a restriction in the exhaust, which will reduce noise.

 

[jdlohr]

The cat presents a restriction in the exhaust, which will reduce noise.

As of now, I'm planning on ordering a Vibrant Ultra Quiet resonator and then cutting out a section of the down pipe to make room for it. It's also perforated as H@xtGSX suggested.

Would you recommend going with a high-flow cat or sticking with the resonator?

Trusting my search skills... ordered the Vibrant resonator. I'll let you guys know how it goes! Thanks everyone for your help

 

[H@xtGSX]

If you don't have to go through and pass emissions, just leave the cat off. It's a fairly expensive item, so if you don't require it and don't mind being a little less environmentally friendly (which, if you add water injection, it'll be just as clean if not cleaner than a car with a cat), save a few dollars and just have that resonator installed. I would call it good at that point, and you should be running quite a bit quieter.

 

[jdlohr]

Installed the Vibrant resonator and it quieted the car down a lot. Thanks!

After the install, I noticed my boost gauge is sitting at around 12-15 vacuum. Before, it was around 20. Am I good to go or what's going on here? Sorry guys, this is why I'm in the Newbie forum

 

[Tiki2777]

Adding a resonator does not necessarily silence anything. The apexi n1 catback has 2 resonators on it besides the cannon in the back, and a full n1 3" is loud as hell (and i love it ) With that said, a resonator designed as an actual "muffler" will silence the exhaust.

BUT, if i were you, i would have gotten rid of the cheap silencer and went out and bought the expensive silencer that apexi makes that actually works. It's a $200+ silencer called the apexi active tail silencer. It also doesn't kill your power either, and it makes it silent.

I happen to have one of those (they don't even make them any more IIRC), and i've never even used it. The PO of my car said it was really nice on the highway though (but i also got an evo3 5th now, so i don't even know if ill ever need it).

Loud exhaust, FTW.

Happy for you that you got your solution.

As for the vacuum issue, you may have a boost leak.