Question for Oppo- Resonator Delete

"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
06/18/2014 at 14:14 • Filed to: None

When I got my car, several of you asked me what modifications I planned to make to it. None, I replied. And it was true. I planned to leave the car perfectly stock. But then I got to watching some Youtube videos like !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and naturally, I thought, "I want my car to sound like that." So we asked the guy who sold us the car if there was any way to get that sound without buying an expensive custom exhaust setup. And lo and behold, he said yes! He told us that this car had a resonator, which as far as I can work out must be like a second muffler (I'm mechanically clueless sometimes), and that removing it will increase the power slightly, save a lot of weight, and most importantly, give the car a bit more of a voice. He also said that, because it was a simple delete, it could be achieved at an exhaust specialist for just a few hundred dollars. So Oppo, I ask you: what do you know about getting a car's resonator removed? Is it legal? Is it cheap? Does the car perform or sound any better?

DISCUSSION (23)

Coty > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
06/18/2014 at 14:16

Accelerating, you'll love it. Holding 45mph on the road, you'll want to kill yourself.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Coty
06/18/2014 at 14:17

That bad?

crowmolly > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
06/18/2014 at 14:17

In my opinion:

1. Legality depends on where you live.

2. It should be very cheap. It depends on where the resonator is in the system.

3. The car should perform slightly better but it may not be noticeable.

4. It will be louder. Depending on your tastes that may mean "better" or "worse". Louder does not always equal better.

Coty > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
06/18/2014 at 14:18

The resonator exists to eliminate drone from the exhaust. It'll sound like a swarm of bees buzzing around a few feet away.

Rock Bottom > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
06/18/2014 at 14:21

You probably won't notice a performance change, but it'll likely sound deeper. It might drone a bit on the highway, so be aware of that. I've deleted many resonators, and it almost always makes it sound a little more aggressive, so go for it! And you're 100% correct: the resonator is a small muffler. It's generally designed to eliminate one particular frequency range of exhaust sound.

It should be legal, as you're not changing the location or number of the cat (or cats).

Coty > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
06/18/2014 at 14:24

That said, it does sound good when you're on it.

-friend has deres'd VR6 R32

EL_ULY > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
06/18/2014 at 14:24

I want to do it on my A6 2.8L. I've seen some vids on youtube and it sounds rad sauce

STANDARD6SPEED > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
06/18/2014 at 14:26

It definitely is. Granted it depends on the car, but it becomes very annoying on long trips.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Coty
06/18/2014 at 14:32

I just looked this up for my WRX. The video made it sound like he had put one of those cheap fart connons on it. While it was louder, it didnt sound better.

OPPOsaurus WRX > crowmolly
06/18/2014 at 14:33

is a resonator just another name for the catalytic converter?

Delta Five Nine > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
06/18/2014 at 14:35

Removing resonators just makes it louder, and more apt to drone in particular. It entirely depends on engine/exhaust configuration what the end result would be. Civvie panther bodys have resonators, but P71 don't. Obviously, the effect in that case is not enough to drone particularly badly, but it's also with stock/quiet mufflers and 4 cats.. Most people still don't complain much with aftermarket mufflers from what I've seen, though.

Also, weight and performance gains are likely very negligible unless these have huge ass resonators.

crowmolly > OPPOsaurus WRX
06/18/2014 at 14:36

No.

If memory serves a resonator exists to take certain tones out of the exhaust to make it easier on most people's ears. It does not change anything coming out of the tailpipes except for sound.

The catalytic converter cleans up the engine's combustion byproducts as well as some noise.

Some modern systems have cats, resonators, and mufflers all in the same system.

As an example, a 1997-2003 Pontiac GP will have a single cat, resonator, and dual mufflers.

Delta Five Nine > OPPOsaurus WRX
06/18/2014 at 14:37

No, a resonator is more akin to a straight through muffler, just that it has the specific purpose of removing resonation/drone rather than generally quiet the exhaust.

Delta Five Nine > Delta Five Nine
06/18/2014 at 14:38

Also, only legal factor are typical/general loudness regulations. Technically Kentucky has a law that says a car cannot be louder than in stock configuration but literally no one cares.

OPPOsaurus WRX > crowmolly
06/18/2014 at 14:40

Thats what I was thinking but then you started talking about the legality of it so I started questioning myself.

Milky > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
06/18/2014 at 14:40

Here is my been there & done that advice. You want an exhaust cut-out / dump.

The performance gain won't be noticeable but hearing those lovely noises makes it all worth it. I, like you, watched youtube vids on exhaust and decided to cut off the 2 mufflers & 2 resonators from my SC.

Awesome right? I loved it too, except on 4 hour road trips, which I did a lot. The drone wasn't terrible until it gave me a headache after hour #3.

New car time and more videos. Except this time instead of permanently deleting the muffler, I got a cutout installed for about $140 (including the $60 part and shipping).

Kinja'd!!!

Now in less than 5 minutes I can have the car jacked up and the plate on, taking me back to stock sound.

I (obviosuly) would go this route if I was you.

crowmolly > OPPOsaurus WRX
06/18/2014 at 14:43

If you remove a resonator it may push the exhaust volume above your municipality's legal dB limit. That would make it illegal and people do get ticketed for it.

OPPOsaurus WRX > crowmolly
06/18/2014 at 14:51

would the same rules apply to motorcycles (i'm in Mass)? I live on a main road and I can hear them coming and going a mile in each direction. Its pretty much just rice rockets. It seems like they can;t hold a steady throttle. Its gutta be gas, then off, gas, then off. Its annoying cuz it scares my kids especially when they give it gas right in front of the house. I know there is a safety factor to having a slightly louder bike so they can be heard since they can;t be seen as well but his seems excessive. I'm all for modding and what not, I worked at a truck aftermarket shop and had exhaust kits on my previous truck, but nothing that would annoy people for miles.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Milky
06/18/2014 at 14:57

Thanks!

crowmolly > OPPOsaurus WRX
06/18/2014 at 16:36

It should but police usually look the other way. Typically you need to be LOUD LOUD for anybody to even care... but it happens, and I can attest to it personally.

Klaus Schmoll > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
06/18/2014 at 18:54

I'm still a bit awestruck that you got an A8 as your first car. Congrats! Why not cherish it the way it is? It is a highly complex machine, the fuck, it's a Pheaton or a Bentley with a different body shell.

A muffler shop in your town might have done this type of procedure several times, but probably never on this car with this engine. With Audi's miraculous German engineering the car might find a way to fight back. A loss in power (don't think Audi's engineers left enough room for some hillbillies with a welder and some leftover plumbing materials to find extra power), or worse MPGs (modern engines need a little bit of back pressure, not too much, but it might hurt MPG figures), annoying noises at highway speeds ( it's a luxury cruiser, not a sports car, why ruin that?) Whatever you do, you will never be able to turn this big boat into a sports car, and the more you try, the worse you will look.

One of our commenters has an old 230 C-Class which he adorned with a big AMG sticker on the windshield. and called it the "sports car". He then caught so much flag (for other reasons as well) that he changed his screenname.

Also think about the ladies! I get it that you are rather young, so this must be of interest to you. Nope, they are not into the guy who shows off or does do-nuts, they like the guy who picks them up and drives them home in a nice ride. WITHOUT SHOWING OFF!!!

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Klaus Schmoll
06/18/2014 at 21:08

This was my original line of thinking. What got me into the above idea was how great those cars sounded. But the general impression I'm getting from everyone is that I should just leave it alone, so that's probably what I'll do. Thanks for the advice!

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
06/25/2014 at 23:01

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resonator

Depending on the design it could do multiple things. Reduce certain noises, create helpful back pressure, break up the waves. Some are integrated into the design of the muffler.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/muffler4.htm