Muffler Delete, the good, the bad, and the ugly

spearfish25

***My review has changed from this initial assessment in this original post. Please find my comments later for my latest feelings on this setup. The portions enclosed by three asterisks are no longer my current opinion of the setup.***

Well, today I went and had a local guy fabricate some pipes with tips to complete the exhaust after a muffler delete. I went with Tom at One Stop Muffler and Brake in East Chicago, IL. He does a lot of custom work and has gotten rave reviews in the Audi forums.

He did a fantastic job. It took about 2 hours and he custom fabricated pipes for both sides to replace the gap after muffler deletion. I went with slanted round tips which look great. With the tips, he charged $170 which is the most I'd ever consider paying.

So, we roll it off the lift and fire it up. Let me say, the muffler delete video does not do justice to the overall loudness of the delete. The quality of the sound is excellent. Very low and has a nice rumble at idle. This same low quality rumble is also present at a constant cruise which I really like.

***Now the not so good. Under load, the car ROARS from 2500 to 5k RPM. It's loud enough that I woefully think it's too loud to keep in this configuration. Maybe it's fine for a track day, but on the street it's in the motorcycle loud category.*** Above 5k RPM, the deep loudness abruptly stops and it becomes a very sweet racecar sound the rest of the way to the redline.

***So, beware the 2500 to 5000 RPM range, it will likely set off car alarms and I'm sure cops will get whiplash looking for the source of the ruckus. Driving home past a few cops, I was trying to coast past and be incognito!
I'd love to compare this to the Stillen and FI setups just to be sure that even the aftermarket CBEs aren't too loud for me as well.***

!!!Updated Opinion!!!
Having driven the car for another hundred miles since the muffler delete, I've changed my mind a bit. First, everyone who has heard it in person thinks it's 1) not excessively loud, 2) thinks it sounds fantastic and 3) doesn't want me to change it back. The concensus is that outside the car, it sounds aggressive and is certainly a head turner, but it's not crazy loud like a sport bike or Harley. Inside the car, I've found the noise to be troublesome in two RPM bands...both while under load (coasting is very tame and just a low rumble). First, below 2000 RPM has a small droning harmonic that is annoying but livable. Between 2000 and 3800, the sound is perfect. Once you hit about 3800, you get into a trouble, drone prone zone from 3800 to 5000. This is pretty extreme and can get some interior panels vibrating a bit. Once you push past 5000 RPM, it becomes a refreshing, racecar blare that is just awesome.

Overall I really like it. I don't think I'm going to ever go back to the stock configuration. However, I'd eventually like a true aftermarket CBE as long as the choice maintains the deep, aggressive tone. I also hope we can get come owners of different aftermarket configurations to take some sound level readings. That's the best way to really compare sound levels as youtube videos all end up sounding the same with regard to loudness.

!!!New Video Posted!!!

FWIW, I only revved to about 5k in the video as the 2500 to 5000 range seems to be the loudest. Also, keep in mind that the video is shot in an indoor parking garage.

YouTube - 370Z Muffler Delete with Custom Tubes and Tips

My buddy is a great guy, but he couldn't use his electronics correctly to save his life. Thus, this vid starts with the first takeoff right at the shift to second gear (appreciate the tire chirp). Hang in there for a second run though in the same video. Didn't have time for a formal drive-by as I had to make it back home for a meeting. 96dB max on the takeoff run from behind the car.