My budget exhaust
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Member
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 176
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'10 C63 P30
My budget exhaust
Just had my oem cats swapped with Magnaflow metallic 200 cell ones (#59976 offset for primary and #59956 straight for 2nd) and so far(all of about 10 miles), am loving it. LSS, didn't want to drastically change the sound but wanted a little more volume, edge and power and had planned on replacing the primaries with a 200 cell and the 2nds with the Vibrant Ultra-Quiet resonator via either custom fab or the Armytrix DP but... the reputable/reasonable exhaust shops in the area will only replace a cat with a cat so opted for the above with the thought that once the work is done, I could swap the 2nd cat with a resonator if I didn't like it and still be money ahead - better to be lucky than good. Obviously still early and I may change my mind after a tune, E85 and time, but really enjoyed what I heard in the cabin on the way home, and it was easy to avoid 'obnoxious' via the throttle once I got into the neighborhood. No CEL yet.
All in I'm at $760 ($360 for cats, $400 labor/SS) and figure I've added somewhere between 15 and 236hp...just a guess
semi-cold start-up video...
All in I'm at $760 ($360 for cats, $400 labor/SS) and figure I've added somewhere between 15 and 236hp...just a guess
semi-cold start-up video...
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,697
Likes: 381
2005 E55
I think the ultimate budget build would be to just delete the primary cats and leave the secondary ones in place.
I've done the Mike's power pipe delete and it's not that much louder than stock.
I've also done the armytrix full cat delete pipes and the car is just as loud as full long tube headers.
The biggest sound restriction is the primary cats
I've done the Mike's power pipe delete and it's not that much louder than stock.
I've also done the armytrix full cat delete pipes and the car is just as loud as full long tube headers.
The biggest sound restriction is the primary cats
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 176
Likes: 11
'10 C63 P30
Did a ton of research before going forward and best I can recall from reading numerous posts - 2nd-delete add 2-5hp; primary delete add 10-25hp(assuming a hotter tune at 25hp); 200 cell cats deduct 2-4hp. I recall a post comparing straight pipes/stock manifold vs LTH w/tune was somewhere around 25-40hp difference...memory ain't the best, so please correct me if I'm wrong. I strongly considered LTH but didn't want to take a chance on the sub $1500 models and potentially dropping $4K+(install, hi-flow cats and whatever else to tweak/tame the sound) for the added hp on a street car that I have well under $20K in (for now), just didn't work for me. Keeping it 'budget' for now and loving the sound/feel - just need to make up my mind between EC and OE for a tune.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 176
Likes: 11
'10 C63 P30
I think the ultimate budget build would be to just delete the primary cats and leave the secondary ones in place.
I've done the Mike's power pipe delete and it's not that much louder than stock.
I've also done the armytrix full cat delete pipes and the car is just as loud as full long tube headers.
The biggest sound restriction is the primary cats
I've done the Mike's power pipe delete and it's not that much louder than stock.
I've also done the armytrix full cat delete pipes and the car is just as loud as full long tube headers.
The biggest sound restriction is the primary cats
I'm FAR from any kind of exhaust guru (and I mean FAR), but am big into sound/audio and have to believe that the position of the cats(or resonators) plays at least some role in the overall sound(not to mention the oem resonator). I've only heard LTH via video and some set-ups sounded great, but quite a bit different than oem? No doubt different in person and I'm rambling here. At some point in time in the future, I may swap something else for the 2nd cat just to see, but feel pretty certain that anything other than something to reduce sound at that position (all else being oem) would be too loud for me.
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 61
Likes: 2
From: Seattle, Washington
Mercedes C63 AMG W204
I did a primary and secondary cat delete for $300 at my local exhaust shop. Sounds awesome and still quiet when cruising but when under load and over 50% throttle it sounds awesome and louder than stock but not crazy loud. I love it, only downside is the CEL but I can easily get rid of that when I get a tune.
