Opinions on WRX muffler?

LegacyT · Post by **LegacyT** » Sun Feb 15, 2004 5:24 pm

Ok well, I plan to get a nice 2.75 - 3 inch turbo back system in the spring for my car. It will likely be a custom fab. I'd like to put a wrx muffler on since it sounds pretty good, and the sound level isn't annoyingly loud or rumbly. My question is whether a wrx muffler would be a cork in the system? Is it free flowing? I definetly don't want a pop can fart muffler, I'll leave that to the civics and jetta's. How about an STi muffler? is it much better than a stock wrx?

Thanks,
Mark

BAC5.2 · Post by **BAC5.2** » Sun Feb 15, 2004 10:55 pm

Free-flowing almost always means more noise.

A stock WRX muffler will be a cork in the system, so will an STi muffler.

Your best bet is to deal with the excess decibels and run a quality muffler.

I recomend Borla or Magnaflow.

If you look a few posts down, I made a post about the TurboXS turbo-back. In that thread are 2 videos of a WRX with a Magnaflow muffler and a TurboXS TBE.

That's what the car will likely sound like if you use a high-flow muffler. It's exactly what my car should end up sounding like.

G-reg · Post by **G-reg** » Wed Mar 17, 2004 3:15 am

Rather than start another new WRX muffler thread I'll throw it on this one. I just installed my 10.00 eBay WRX muff, the stocker was on its last legs. I slapped it on with the front two hangers and some safety wire, and connected the pipe with some clamps so I could drive it to a muffler shop so they could to put some fire to it. The muffler guy charged 30.00 to weld in a new section, add a hanger that would reach the fwd mount, and adjust the back hangers. You can't really tell a difference from the driver’s seat, the snorkus-ectomy drowns out the exhaust still. But I recorded some 1st gear roll-on's with a microphone taped to the bumper...and DAMN, you could say there is a tone change

. When on the gas it is a bit louder and much more burbly, it’s when you let off the gas or down shift that it snarls. I have a couple of wav files I can put up if someone want's to host them, or I can email if anybody is interested. I’m back in Ft. Collins CO at the moment, and the butt dyno can’t tell a difference @ altitude. When I get back to the thick air in ND maby there will be a difference

Matt Monson · Post by **Matt Monson** » Wed Mar 17, 2004 4:05 am

G-reg,
NA and turbo are apples and oranges. That muffler is about as big of piping as you would want on an NA car, but it is the minimum you would want on a turbo.

LegacyT,
You can stick with the stock muffler or a wrx muffler. They are the same diameter, so if you can get a Legacy one for cheap and not have to modify it, then you are golden. You will lose a little power if you go this route, bit only 5 hp or so. The real power to be released is in the down-pipe. As long as you get a nice big tuned downpipe, you will be set. So, the set up I would recommend would be similar to what I had made for my Turbo wagon. You can see pics and details here in this thread:

http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?t=14637

I used a PDM divorced wastegate downpipe(defunct company, but Stromung is making a similar one) That fed into a 2.5 custom flange that had been added to the front end of a modified '04 WRX wagon midpipe. The back end of the midpipe was the stock 2.25" and was bolted to the stock muffler. I was going to add the WRX muffler, but didn't get around to moving the hangers and all before I sold the car. If you want a review of it beyond mine in that thread, ask Dizzy. It is now on his wagon. And ask him about the guy he knows with a tuned WRX that has a similar sort of set up and runs 12's. The guy changed the DP and tapers it off to the stock muffler and still makes mad power.

I will be doing something very similar with my Legacy RS conversion once it is all set up. Personally, I see this as the path to sleeper power in our cars. I believe the power should be made through proper tuning on the front end, and getting the air directly out of the turbo out of there as quick as possible. Beyond that, you can taper the exhaust for sound control and not sacrifice a ton of horses...

G-reg · Post by **G-reg** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 5:23 am

How much real damage could you do to the pulse tuning/velocity to a NA suby from the axle back. I can't imagine much gets past the collector for the two sides of the headers and the cat. Or I'm wrong...ignore me

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 5:40 am

Depending on length change and diameter of the pipe, the reflections would change frequency so the scavenging effect would be moved up or down the rev range a bit. IMO I doubt Subaru really spent a lot of resources on tuning the exhaust properly anyway, so I don't really think you'd upset anything much unless you did something dractically different.

Steve

boostjunkie · Post by **boostjunkie** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 2:42 pm

LegacyT, do you want me to pick up this exhaust for you? I dunno how much shipping would be for this piece, but the exhaust is free.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthr ... did=501633

LegacyT · Post by **LegacyT** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 11:38 pm

Thanks for the offer boostjunkie, I'll prolly just build up a custom turbo back with magnaflow muffler or something.

Mark,

warlord · Post by **warlord** » Sun Mar 28, 2004 8:03 am

just did this to my TT nice and quiet, with nearly as much urgency as with my fujisubo 3 inch muffler, I can change mufflers as I please cause I have it with flanges.

btw its 3 inch right back from both turbos

NICO · Post by **NICO** » Sun Mar 28, 2004 9:13 am

my car dont sound like a rice rocket it sound like american muscle car. belive me pepole ask me is there a big block under that hood. the deep sound i get out of my flat four can scare a big block to shame

BAC5.2 · Post by **BAC5.2** » Sun Mar 28, 2004 9:17 am

NICO I WRX U wrote:my car dont sound like a rice rocket it sound like american muscle car. belive me pepole ask me is there a big block under that hood. the deep sound i get out of my flat four can scare a big block to shame

What exhaust do you have? That way, I know what not to buy.

Why would you want to sound like "American Muscle"?

I hope I'm not the only one who's proud of the rumble of a boxer's exhaust

THAWA · Post by **THAWA** » Sun Mar 28, 2004 10:15 am

unequal length headers = most of the boxer sound.

NICO · Post by **NICO** » Mon Mar 29, 2004 8:46 am

the sound i get just turned out that way. what i got is a, hks header, hks up pipe, 5inch down pipe custom made and it flares down to 3inch sright pipe out the back, with flames and rally popping sound and big block rummble. if you pulled up to me at a light and u had your windows up and stereo on i would make your glass and car shake vibrate. if you whant speed thats the only way.

rsstiboy · Post by **rsstiboy** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 10:21 am

THAWA wrote:unequal length headers = most of the boxer sound.

make that all of the boxer sound

but it definately sounds more like a rally car, it adds a metallic sound to the exhaust, sounds really tough, especially at full noise

G-reg · Post by **G-reg** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 12:28 am

Bumpybump. I could not help it and I installed another 10.00 WRX muffler on my new RS. Not nearly as loud or mean on the new car, but that is just fine. I bring it up again because I found the solution to the "whistling WRX muffler on NA suby phenomenon.” I never experienced this on my Legacy because I had to move the tips out about an in to get them to the edge of the bumper. Well with the muff on the RS I had my bro drive around me, and there was a little whistle at low RPM. So I moved the tips out about 1cm, and no whistling just beautiful suby burble

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Opinions on WRX muffler?

Opinions on WRX muffler?