Exhaust - best sound for AU i6?

[Dauphin]

About three months ago I had my final stage muffler replaced with a pipe with a big bulge. It made the Fairlane sound a little more meaner but, like all mods, I want more.

I have one big flat rectangular muffler left up the front. What do you all recommend would be best to do? I want it deeper with more of a growl getting through (don't we all), and don't tell me to get an 8 (hehe)! I get a drone around 2,000 RPM which is okay but noticable.

Does removing the last muffler make the drone better or worse, make things deeper, louder, more growl, etc? I can't just unbolt it for a test unfortunately as it's all welded.

While we're on the subject, can anyone discuss what a balancer pipe is?

Thanks,

Andrew.

[JoesAu]

well your gonna get a hundreed opinions lol!? im guessing your running 2 mufflers one in the midddle and one at the spare wheel cavity, i would get rid of the rear muffler and replace it with a Hot dog muffler,(kills drone and adds more sound and deeper idle.). Extractors can become a factor to! Paccie comps provide a wicked sound with a high flowing exhaust, my car sounds wicked with them they rule.

[V8falcons]

If you havent fitted extractors do that first,as I have a 2.5" single muffler system on my wagon and it wasnt too loud fitted extractors the other day and for a few days there I thought I was going deaf,just getting used to the new sound,my brother says it sound like a VP commodore now which isnt a good thing :

[BIGJB]

Its been a while since I had to think about this.
Tafe was a long time ago. Balance pipes are for
twin exhaust systems. It basically is there to balance
the the pulsation of the exhaust from a V8.
It increases flow by decreasing the turbulence
created by the V block engine which in turn creates
HP and because it is flowing better also quietens
the exhaust down.
Think I got that right.

[WAS 240]

Yeah my xr6 sounds pretty tough but i have the same set up with the large muffler box up front and im pretty sure its a resonator at the rear. I heard that the resonator can quiet ur car down a bit so either replace it with a hotdog or just straight through pipe what ever suits you best.

[XR82GO]

yep get rid of the resonator...i have and don't have extractors and it sounds great...a little drone at high speed but u get use to it

[bodes-sh]

i had the same as you, till i put extractors on (mind you it was only a few days because they were already on their way) only the standard 4499's, but it made it sound heaps better. it would probably sound different again with a vct motor, but i still have a middle muffler and hotdog at the rear, on lpg too...i might have to put up a sound clip

[The Monty]

Best sound Ive heard is a 2.5 inch Lukey cat back, with no extractors. Was really deep and smooth with no barkiness, or drone. Single muffler at rear, no resanator.

[Dauphin]

I should have mentioned that it has JMM race series extractors.

Okay, thanks for the opinons, something to think about...

[Sox]

I like them with 1 muffler and 1 resonator.
Even like that they tend to drone a tiny bit at certain constant RPM.
My last car had 1 muffler, 1 resonator, and 1 hotdog, this had a deep note yet was very quiet and didn't drone at all.

I can't stand just 1 muffler and no resonator, but then I am heading into old fart territory. :togo:

[HLC]

My car has one Lukey muffler, it aint that big, and a hot dog at the rear. and sounds awesome. its fairly loud when you get stuck up it.

i reckon the muffler/hotdog combo is the best. i've heard too many AU 6's without the rear ressy/hotdog and they just sound lame and droney.

i'd love for my exhaust to be a but louder but keep the same note it has now. i love it.

[The Monty]

Originally Posted by HLC

My car has one Lukey muffler, it aint that big, and a hot dog at the rear. and sounds awesome. its fairly loud when you get stuck up it.

i reckon the muffler/hotdog combo is the best. i've heard too many AU 6's without the rear ressy/hotdog and they just sound lame and droney.

i'd love for my exhaust to be a but louder but keep the same note it has now. i love it.

Try a three inch with no res or hot dog, just a single straight through muffler at the rear, lol. Its loud when you get up it, sounds like a saloon car. I dont like the sound much, its not the sound I want, but I just want it for the strip. SOunds great at Idle though.

[HLC]

Originally Posted by The Monty

Try a three inch with no res or hot dog, just a single straight through muffler at the rear, lol. Its loud when you get up it, sounds like a saloon car. I dont like the sound much, its not the sound I want, but I just want it for the strip. SOunds great at Idle though.

Stiddy use to live 2 minutes from me lol i know the sound of a 3 inch with a tiny little muffler really really well lol

[eXi7w0unD]

i say i say, 2and half inch zorst, high flow cat, pacemaker extracotrs, 1 mufler 1 tip, mandrel bent.

not a straight through pipes or anyhting

[au2sw]

i dont have extractors....yet, but got a 2 and 1/4 sports system fitted to the wagon. simply put, cat back is 1 muffler mid section then hot dog behind rear wheel. gives the wagon a nice note and very little drone. i would have prefered 2 and 1/2, but as its also the family car, this worked out well.
putting extractors and 2 and 1/2 sports system on my XF ute....should sound mean as

[Stav]

Originally Posted by The Monty

Best sound Ive heard is a 2.5 inch Lukey cat back, with no extractors. Was really deep and smooth with no barkiness, or drone. Single muffler at rear, no resanator.

I second that.I also had JMM headers with resonator. If you go pacemaker headers though it may sound a bit farty ..not as tough.

[Sox]

I can't say I've ever noticed extractors to make much of a difference to the sound of any car. Ususally they sound slightly crisper, but volume and note hardly changes.
The exhaust from header pipe back is what always makes the most difference for obvious reasons.

[JoesAu]

when i put my paccie comps on, the car has this whind/whistle like noise, it sounds awsome, another friend of mine has them on his Au and his car makes the same sound too, there mad!! i was rapt for the noise they gave me over the Hi tech headers let alone the extra Go.

[Mechan1k]

Pacie 4499 extractors ... Metalcat ... 2.5" pipe ... one small rear muffler ... dumper tip.
That is it ... can get a bit droney on the auto though ... would sound a lot better on a manual.

Although ... I am running a Stg 2 LPG cam as well ... so idle is fairly lumpy ... the ute rocks about at idle.

[XR6_4EVA]

Heres my au xr6 vct with a straight through exhaust, and thats it. It's remote controlled too haha. And the sound of a person trying to do a burnout is NOT me, there were a few hoons up there that day!
VIDEO

[75van]

Seeing as we're talking hotdogs, resonators etc.....

I got my new system done the other day (4499s, hiflow metal cat, 2 1/2" system) and helped my mechanic assemble it onto the car. I noticed that on the mid section of 2 1/2" pipe that BEFORE the middle muffler (the only muffler) there seems to be a bulge in the pipe which is about 3 to 3 1/2" in diameter - would this still be a resonator? I presumed that the resonator goes last in the system, but I am happy for someone to prove me wrong...

[JoesAu]

yeah! before the muffler, that is a hot dog, usaully they are put after the muffler near the spare wheel cavity to get rid of the resonance before it leaves the pipe! i wonder how that would sound would be different again!

[WillyG351c]

I had a lukey 2 1/2" system on my ef fairmont and then my au futura, sounded great. has 2 mufflers in the mid section, none in the tailpipe, nice crisp note without being obnoxiously loud like a 3" system they just sound like a wet fart IMO.
my mate had a Redback 2 1/2" system on his EB also sounded good.

[autickfordfairmont]

I have standard headers, running into a high flow cat, 2 1/4 inch straight through to a mercury straight through sports muffler in the standard main muffler position, and then just 2 1/4 inch pipe running out the back. No resonators, no hotdogs, just the mercury muffler which i can highly recomend. I will try and get a sound clip of it tonight and chuck it up tomorrow for you. Sounds nice, not to loud at idle but a nice note (i think), no drone at 100km/h, but a nice lound bark when you get up it. The only thing that spoils my current system is the twin tips. It sounded beautiful without them, but with them, the exhaust whistles/Screams at high revs, must just be where the air is splitting at the tips.

I have had quite alot of comments of how nice it sounds, even from cops at RBT's and when rolling into a carpark and pulling up next to them. They're always impressed by the sound as they hear some pretty loud and dodgy jobs done to other cars.

[mik]

lukey extractors with 3" collector , hi flow cat ,lukey race muffler and hot dog, all 3", very deep note , not raspey at idle sounds like an 8 , at 80 k`s still sounds like an 8 cruising, when you stick the boot in a tad loud but good, a little bit of drone.

[75van]

Originally Posted by JoesAu

yeah! before the muffler, that is a hot dog, usaully they are put after the muffler near the spare wheel cavity to get rid of the resonance before it leaves the pipe! i wonder how that would sound would be different again!

I thought it might have been a hotdog, but wasn't sure as the Redback system I had on my EB had the hotdog at the back...

New system sounds great - I'm really stoked! Some may say that it is a little droney at around 105km/h, but it suits me fine - each to their own in terms of sound!

[blueoval]

+1 for lukey extractors.

2.5" mandrel bent system, straight thru muffler and add a resi in the tail section.

will sound like mini v8 at idle and low speed.

[autickfordfairmont]

how do i post up a sound clip??? I have a short video taken on my camera but its 11MB and in avi format???

[st33l3y]

Got my Pacemaker 4480's installed last Friday, mated to a 2.5" Lukey system, 1 muffler, 1 resonator. The pacemakers are raspier and actually make the exhaust note quieter than with the Hitech extractors. However, they do give a really unique, deep sound that people have complimented my car on.

+1 on the Lukey extractors. A mate (username nutter_x) has them on his AU XR6 and they have a real rumble about them.

[Dauphin]

Originally Posted by autickfordfairmont

how do i post up a sound clip??? I have a short video taken on my camera but its 11MB and in avi format???

You can signup to aufalcon.com and put it into the multimedia gallery.