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Let me see if I get this straight. You put the tube mufflers exactly where the resonators were and then its straight pipe all the way back to the tips? Did you leave the stock mufflers on the back?
Any sound clips?
- Correct, with straight pipes. The mufflers were placed in the mid section.
- Stock mufflers were removed, would defeat all purpose of more sound by double-muffling the flow.
The decision for a mid-section placement was because we spent a long time planing test spots for the exhaust. First we thought to place them where the stock exhaust was, but that was not flush at all. The tubes were too long to tuck in neatly, without having any piping sticking out below, thanks to the awkward shape of the OEM muffler. Regular shaped exhaust also didn't fit neatly. We inched along the line and tried to find a neat spot. There is more than enough room in the mid section to place them in a neat manner without knowing they are there looking at the car from the side or rear. You'll only see them when the car is on a lift.
The stock tips were kept and the new piping tucked away neatly with minimal bends. I wanted to achieve a sleeper look.
Thanks to the 4 cats that are installed on the vehicle the "no muffler" sound is somewhat clean and "muffled" already, doesn't sound like a raw V8. HOWEVER, with the "no muffler" method the drone issue IS present. The mufflers toned down the volume by ~15%, eliminated drone, and deepened the tone noticeably.
We spent a long time with trial and error to come to the conclusion that this is the loudest, enjoyable sound most people are going to be happy with when changing resonator and muffler ONLY. New headers and cats are a totally different story.
- I've been pretty busy and haven't had the time to make a proper sound clip yet, but I should be able to find some time on a weekend in the near future.
Just because you asked me previously, and I want to make sure you'd be happy taking this route, I took 2 short videos on my phone on the way home yesterday. Quality isn't the best, and I apologize for that, the phone just couldn't pick up how deep the sound was accurately, but It still gives you an idea.
Click on the pic and the video should open. Not really familiar with posting videos, so hope it works. *Use speakers with good sub for best sound*
The first is a 2nd gear pull through a tunnel with the sunroof open. (I usually don't record while driving, but the roads were empty. SAFETY FIRST PEOPLE!)
Second clip is in the garage. Just a start up and slight revs. (~2800rpm tops)
- Correct, with straight pipes. The mufflers were placed in the mid section.
- Stock mufflers were removed, would defeat all purpose of more sound by double-muffling the flow.
The decision for a mid-section placement was because we spent a long time planing test spots for the exhaust. First we thought to place them where the stock exhaust was, but that was not flush at all. The tubes were too long to tuck in neatly, without having any piping sticking out below, thanks to the awkward shape of the OEM muffler. Regular shaped exhaust also didn't fit neatly. We inched along the line and tried to find a neat spot. There is more than enough room in the mid section to place them in a neat manner without knowing they are there looking at the car from the side or rear. You'll only see them when the car is on a lift.
The stock tips were kept and the new piping tucked away neatly with minimal bends. I wanted to achieve a sleeper look.
Thanks to the 4 cats that are installed on the vehicle the "no muffler" sound is somewhat clean and "muffled" already, doesn't sound like a raw V8. HOWEVER, with the "no muffler" method the drone issue IS present. The mufflers toned down the volume by ~15%, eliminated drone, and deepened the tone noticeably.
We spent a long time with trial and error to come to the conclusion that this is the loudest, enjoyable sound most people are going to be happy with when changing resonator and muffler ONLY. New headers and cats are a totally different story.
- I've been pretty busy and haven't had the time to make a proper sound clip yet, but I should be able to find some time on a weekend in the near future.
What size magnaflow mufflers in length and muffler body width did you use?
Sounds great.!
What size magnaflow mufflers in length and muffler body width did you use?
Sounds great.!
Originally Posted by OUZO Power
Can we see pics from the underbody work setup?
This setup sounds awesome.
Thanks!
It's been a while since doing all the work, so I'm not exactly sure as to what length was installed anymore, but I hope that these pictures will help you out.
Currently I'm away from my car, so I can't hop under it and measure right now either, sorry.
Went to a muffler shop the other day to see how much it would cost. The guy there didn't recommend cutting out the resonators because I told him I wanted minimum drone inside the cabin. He said the resonators are there to decrease drone.
So I was thinking just cutting out the mufflers and keeping the resonators in should give the least amount of drone? But according to SunnyT that's not the case? Wouldn't having just the two Magnaflow tube mufflers cause more drone by themselves?
I guess I can always try the no muffler way for a while and then if I don't like just go with the tube mufflers. that's easy to do.
Went to a muffler shop the other day to see how much it would cost. The guy there didn't recommend cutting out the resonators because I told him I wanted minimum drone inside the cabin. He said the resonators are there to decrease drone.
So I was thinking just cutting out the mufflers and keeping the resonators in should give the least amount of drone? But according to SunnyT that's not the case? Wouldn't having just the two Magnaflow tube mufflers cause more drone by themselves?
I guess I can always try the no muffler way for a while and then if I don't like just go with the tube mufflers. that's easy to do.
Hey Stiggs,
Think of it this way. A mufflers job is there to decrease the sound caused by the engine through the pipes by taking in the sound-waves and air-pressure and bouncing them through the inner walls and fabric that is there to, hence, "muffle" the sound. NOW, IF you have a car that still produces too much sound/air, so that the muffler cannot muffle the entire sound to the desired effect, a resonator is installed, which is essentially a bounce wall to decrease the flow before again being decreased as it enters into the muffler chamber.
The muffler is the most important part in killing sound, say 80% of the sound is neutralized with it. The resonator only adds an additional 20% of dampening to make the car really quiet (ergo, you hear the engine more than the exhaust when accelerating).
Removing the muffler opens up 80% of the flow (WAY too much for no drone)
Removing the resonator bumps the sound up 20% (Most common AMG Mod for that extra grunt, and braaap during downshifts -> check the CLS63 forum for 5+ pages of this discussion).
The MagnaFlow mufflers produce more sound than OEM, as they have less air blocking chambers in them and less sound canceling fabric lined along the walls, that's why the smaller the muffler the more sound comes through.
To roughly put it into numbers; OEM I had 100% sound/airflow slowed by the OEM equipment. Removing the resonator I opened up 20% flow, leaving me with 80% blocked by the muffler. Replacing the mufflers with MagnaFlow higher flow tubes, I reduced the blockage by about 40%. This means that I freed up 60% of air and sound passing through, leaving me with a total blockage of 40% instead of 100%. (double than leaving the resonator with no muffler!)
Does that make more sense?
I would advise you to do the exact opposite of that you thought Stiggs, remove the resonators first to see if you are happy with 20% gain, only then play with the mufflers if you want more sound.
Of course there WILL BE some more cabin noise with a louder exhaust, making you hear the exhaust notes more than the engine when accelerating (which is what you want ) The annoying, vibrating, ear filling, super bass, undertone that remains when staying at a constant rev, under a constant exhaust pressure, (the cabin drone we all fear) is not caused by removing the resonator on such a quiet car, it is caused by the pure straight pipe method, or installing a "shorty" hot rod muffler.
Hope this helps you Stiggs! Let me know if there is anything else you want to know about the mod or install, I'll do my best to explain it and help you find a choice you can be happy with.
Think of it this way. A mufflers job is there to decrease the sound caused by the engine through the pipes by taking in the sound-waves and air-pressure and bouncing them through the inner walls and fabric that is there to, hence, "muffle" the sound. NOW, IF you have a car that still produces too much sound/air, so that the muffler cannot muffle the entire sound to the desired effect, a resonator is installed, which is essentially a bounce wall to decrease the flow before again being decreased as it enters into the muffler chamber.
The muffler is the most important part in killing sound, say 80% of the sound is neutralized with it. The resonator only adds an additional 20% of dampening to make the car really quiet (ergo, you hear the engine more than the exhaust when accelerating).
Removing the muffler opens up 80% of the flow (WAY too much for no drone)
Removing the resonator bumps the sound up 20% (Most common AMG Mod for that extra grunt, and braaap during downshifts -> check the CLS63 forum for 5+ pages of this discussion).
The MagnaFlow mufflers produce more sound than OEM, as they have less air blocking chambers in them and less sound canceling fabric lined along the walls, that's why the smaller the muffler the more sound comes through.
To roughly put it into numbers; OEM I had 100% sound/airflow slowed by the OEM equipment. Removing the resonator I opened up 20% flow, leaving me with 80% blocked by the muffler. Replacing the mufflers with MagnaFlow higher flow tubes, I reduced the blockage by about 40%. This means that I freed up 60% of air and sound passing through, leaving me with a total blockage of 40% instead of 100%. (double than leaving the resonator with no muffler!)
Does that make more sense?
I would advise you to do the exact opposite of that you thought Stiggs, remove the resonators first to see if you are happy with 20% gain, only then play with the mufflers if you want more sound.
Of course there WILL BE some more cabin noise with a louder exhaust, making you hear the exhaust notes more than the engine when accelerating (which is what you want ) The annoying, vibrating, ear filling, super bass, undertone that remains when staying at a constant rev, under a constant exhaust pressure, (the cabin drone we all fear) is not caused by removing the resonator on such a quiet car, it is caused by the pure straight pipe method, or installing a "shorty" hot rod muffler.
Hope this helps you Stiggs! Let me know if there is anything else you want to know about the mod or install, I'll do my best to explain it and help you find a choice you can be happy with.
Thanks man! That is a big help.
I guess I was too hung up on the resonator being the main part that would suck up the drone. As you can tell I fear the drone. Mainly because my wife will kill me if it drones too much into the cabin. So I fear the drone because I fear my wife. lol
I think I just have to jump on in with both feet!
Thanks again SunnyT
I want to thank SunnyT once again. I just had my ML550 exhaust done this morning exactly like he did....and it is awesome!
What a sound!
I ordered two Magnaflow universal tube mufflers, had the resonators and old mufflers cut out, and put the new Magnaflow tubes in where the resonators were.
Hopefully I will try to get a video up sometime. I would highly recommend this setup for anyone. Not too loud at idle and not much drone. You do get some drone at 2,000 rpm and giving it some throttle, say going a slight uphill, but I've only driven her about 20 miles so far.
This is about as close to an AMG sound I will be able to get from this beast.
I want to thank SunnyT once again. I just had my ML550 exhaust done this morning exactly like he did....and it is awesome!
Glad you like the set up! Remember that the exhaust will settle within the next 200-300 miles or so, meaning the note will change slightly. Mine deepened.
Interesting that you are experiencing some drone. Could be that we have different size tubes, or it may have to do with the engine revision when they turned it into a 550. Perhaps there is more pressure being put out, or changes made to the cats/headers to help make that added power. Would be interesting to know the cause! Let me know how your system holds up.
2006 Mercedes-Benz ML500, 2008 Chrysler 300 Dub Edition
Originally Posted by Stiggs
Update:
I want to thank SunnyT once again. I just had my ML550 exhaust done this morning exactly like he did....and it is awesome!
What a sound!
I ordered two Magnaflow universal tube mufflers, had the resonators and old mufflers cut out, and put the new Magnaflow tubes in where the resonators were.
Hopefully I will try to get a video up sometime. I would highly recommend this setup for anyone. Not too loud at idle and not much drone. You do get some drone at 2,000 rpm and giving it some throttle, say going a slight uphill, but I've only driven her about 20 miles so far.
This is about as close to an AMG sound I will be able to get from this beast.
Thanks again SunnyT!
Please do try to get a video up. What size were the magnaflow tubes?
I had done the same with the magnaflow centre exhausts replacing both resonators and straight pipes all the way to the tips.
Exhaust sounded great and LOUD, but it was too loud, especially anything above 2k rpm. I then had two standard aftermarket mufflers installed in the rear to tone it down.
Now it sounds just about right. Similar to AMG, no droning, minimal cabin noise, exhaust note gets louder as you gas it above 2k. The noise level is loud enough, any louder attracts too much unwanted attention.
Everyone has a difference when it comes to how loud they want their cars to sound, so when going custom, you need to try it out first and see how you like it.
Thanks for all the tips as it now sounds like what it should've been outta the shop.
Hey guys i can see this is an old post but just want to thank SunnyT for his expertise. I was pazzin out trying to work out what to do for a exhaust as i wanted a nice sound but nothing to crazy loud or droney. After reading many forums and coming across this to put my mind at ease reading your posts i ordered some magnaflow mufflers not tube but oval as i was unable to get them here in Aus due to shipping issues i beleive they are 14" long and 6" round im booked in next week to do the same setup really hoping it sounds as good as you all say it does. Cheers boys Photo is of my original stock exhaust hopefully works the same ad it has for you guys
Hey Gatorbeug32, how did you go with you exhaust upgrade?
I just purchased a 14 ml500 for my wife which has straight pipes from the cats. too loud for her and the drone is crazy.
Looking to do the same as SunnyT also.
I want to thank SunnyT once again. I just had my ML550 exhaust done this morning exactly like he did....and it is awesome!
What a sound!
I ordered two Magnaflow universal tube mufflers, had the resonators and old mufflers cut out, and put the new Magnaflow tubes in where the resonators were.
Hopefully I will try to get a video up sometime. I would highly recommend this setup for anyone. Not too loud at idle and not much drone. You do get some drone at 2,000 rpm and giving it some throttle, say going a slight uphill, but I've only driven her about 20 miles so far.
This is about as close to an AMG sound I will be able to get from this beast.
Thanks again SunnyT!
Hi there,
I’ve got a 2013 ML550 and looking to do this. Can you give me some feedback and information if you don’t mind.
What year is your ML5540?
Do you recall what magnaflow mufflers you used? Were they the Magnaflow 10416?
Hey Gatorbeug32, how did you go with you exhaust upgrade?
I just purchased a 14 ml500 for my wife which has straight pipes from the cats. too loud for her and the drone is crazy.
Looking to do the same as SunnyT also.
Hi there,
I’m looking at getting this done with my 2013 ML550, did you get a chance to get it done on your car?
How are you enjoying the setup?
Do you get any drone at all?
What size magnaflows did you use? Are they the 10416 models?
Thank you for all your feed back and please provide a clip if you’ve got one.
Hey guys,
I have a trusty old ‘07 W164 ML 500. I cut out the rear silencers as recommended way back up the thread & left everything else stock. Sounds great, like an 8 should sound, especially above 2500 rpm.
A little bit of drone cruising inner city, but nothing that gets annoying, otherwise, why would you want your 8 louder?!
Open road, don’t notice it really, worst is at 1800 rpm or so…I just turn the music up or enjoy the sound of a quality v8.
Cheers.
Not the cheapest way to go, but the Supersprint exhaust is simply great. Sounds better, NO drone, fit and finish is superb. Here’s a few pics from my ML63 AMG: https://mbworld.org/forums/ml55-amg-...ml#post8915551
04-22-2015, 10:17 AM
