DIY EXHAUST MOD....AWESOME SOUND FOR FREE!!!
03-17-2013, 09:35 AM
#1
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DIY EXHAUST MOD....AWESOME SOUND FOR FREE!!!
*Disclaimer* apparently this is "old news" so think of it as a reminder that this option is out there.
Okay, so this is how my journey started. I bought my E55 last summer and thought it was way too quiet ( My last V8 was a 620 rwhp Charger SRT straight piped to a set of super 40 mufflers ). I did the standard 2nd cat/reso delete and found very little change in exhaust note. I researched all of the exhaust systems out there and couldn't see spending the money these companies want for their products. Don't get me wrong, they sound good, but I have a real problem paying thousands of dollars for something I can get for a domestic at a fraction of the price.
What to do? I decided it was time to experiment.
Step 1 - I pulled my exhaust system and went to work with a cutoff wheel. I opened up the housing on the muffler and found so much packing that the fiberglass and steel wrap felt almost solid.
Step 2 - Pull all of that crap out of there and see what is left. I found that the stock system uses a double baffle setup.
Step 3 - Cut all of that crap out as well. A sawzall worked best for me ( a lot of weight saved as well as sound improvement
).
Step 4 - Weld the housing back together and reinstall the exhaust system.
YOU'RE DONE!! Go and enjoy the new sound of your beast.
Notes:
- This can be done at home. I put the car up on jack stands so everything was easy to get to.
- Can't weld? Do all of the cutting yourself and take the mufflers to a shop and have them weld the housing together for you. It should be pretty cheap.
- The car sounds great at idle and driving around the neighborhood but I haven't stretched it out yet so I don't know if there will be any drone issues. I will update on that in a day or so. The car is not very loud at all. Don't worry about it sounding obnoxious. It isn't, nice deep rumble and a little more pronounced note overall.
- The pictures show two access holes cut in the muffler. You only need to make the single large cut ( the small cut was my first exploratory cut).
- I will take some video in a couple days and post them. If they aren't up in a few days or so, start hounding me about it so I will do it. I get pretty busy and can lose track of that stuff.
- Ask any questions you have and I will do my best to answer them.
Okay, so this is how my journey started. I bought my E55 last summer and thought it was way too quiet ( My last V8 was a 620 rwhp Charger SRT straight piped to a set of super 40 mufflers ). I did the standard 2nd cat/reso delete and found very little change in exhaust note. I researched all of the exhaust systems out there and couldn't see spending the money these companies want for their products. Don't get me wrong, they sound good, but I have a real problem paying thousands of dollars for something I can get for a domestic at a fraction of the price.
What to do? I decided it was time to experiment.
Step 1 - I pulled my exhaust system and went to work with a cutoff wheel. I opened up the housing on the muffler and found so much packing that the fiberglass and steel wrap felt almost solid.
Step 2 - Pull all of that crap out of there and see what is left. I found that the stock system uses a double baffle setup.
Step 3 - Cut all of that crap out as well. A sawzall worked best for me ( a lot of weight saved as well as sound improvement
).Step 4 - Weld the housing back together and reinstall the exhaust system.
YOU'RE DONE!! Go and enjoy the new sound of your beast.
Notes:
- This can be done at home. I put the car up on jack stands so everything was easy to get to.
- Can't weld? Do all of the cutting yourself and take the mufflers to a shop and have them weld the housing together for you. It should be pretty cheap.
- The car sounds great at idle and driving around the neighborhood but I haven't stretched it out yet so I don't know if there will be any drone issues. I will update on that in a day or so. The car is not very loud at all. Don't worry about it sounding obnoxious. It isn't, nice deep rumble and a little more pronounced note overall.
- The pictures show two access holes cut in the muffler. You only need to make the single large cut ( the small cut was my first exploratory cut).
- I will take some video in a couple days and post them. If they aren't up in a few days or so, start hounding me about it so I will do it. I get pretty busy and can lose track of that stuff.
- Ask any questions you have and I will do my best to answer them.
Last edited by Alex Kapparos; 03-17-2013 at 11:27 AM. Reason: My bubble got popped about this being original. LOL
. Anyway, congrats on the new find!
03-17-2013, 11:23 AM
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CRAP!! I thought I was on to something. I didn't see any threads like this. I guess this can be a "revival" 
No worries. Some would rather buy and some like to mod. That's what owning a car is all about.
No worries. Some would rather buy and some like to mod. That's what owning a car is all about.
03-17-2013, 12:08 PM
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03-17-2013, 03:34 PM
#8
MBWorld Fanatic!
*Disclaimer* apparently this is "old news" so think of it as a reminder that this option is out there.
Okay, so this is how my journey started. I bought my E55 last summer and thought it was way too quiet ( My last V8 was a 620 rwhp Charger SRT straight piped to a set of super 40 mufflers ). I did the standard 2nd cat/reso delete and found very little change in exhaust note. I researched all of the exhaust systems out there and couldn't see spending the money these companies want for their products. Don't get me wrong, they sound good, but I have a real problem paying thousands of dollars for something I can get for a domestic at a fraction of the price.
What to do? I decided it was time to experiment.
Step 1 - I pulled my exhaust system and went to work with a cutoff wheel. I opened up the housing on the muffler and found so much packing that the fiberglass and steel wrap felt almost solid.
Step 2 - Pull all of that crap out of there and see what is left. I found that the stock system uses a double baffle setup.
Step 3 - Cut all of that crap out as well. A sawzall worked best for me ( a lot of weight saved as well as sound improvement ).
Step 4 - Weld the housing back together and reinstall the exhaust system.
YOU'RE DONE!! Go and enjoy the new sound of your beast.
Notes:
- This can be done at home. I put the car up on jack stands so everything was easy to get to.
- Can't weld? Do all of the cutting yourself and take the mufflers to a shop and have them weld the housing together for you. It should be pretty cheap.
- The car sounds great at idle and driving around the neighborhood but I haven't stretched it out yet so I don't know if there will be any drone issues. I will update on that in a day or so. The car is not very loud at all. Don't worry about it sounding obnoxious. It isn't, nice deep rumble and a little more pronounced note overall.
- The pictures show two access holes cut in the muffler. You only need to make the single large cut ( the small cut was my first exploratory cut).
- I will take some video in a couple days and post them. If they aren't up in a few days or so, start hounding me about it so I will do it. I get pretty busy and can lose track of that stuff.
- Ask any questions you have and I will do my best to answer them.
Okay, so this is how my journey started. I bought my E55 last summer and thought it was way too quiet ( My last V8 was a 620 rwhp Charger SRT straight piped to a set of super 40 mufflers ). I did the standard 2nd cat/reso delete and found very little change in exhaust note. I researched all of the exhaust systems out there and couldn't see spending the money these companies want for their products. Don't get me wrong, they sound good, but I have a real problem paying thousands of dollars for something I can get for a domestic at a fraction of the price.
What to do? I decided it was time to experiment.
Step 1 - I pulled my exhaust system and went to work with a cutoff wheel. I opened up the housing on the muffler and found so much packing that the fiberglass and steel wrap felt almost solid.
Step 2 - Pull all of that crap out of there and see what is left. I found that the stock system uses a double baffle setup.
Step 3 - Cut all of that crap out as well. A sawzall worked best for me ( a lot of weight saved as well as sound improvement
).Step 4 - Weld the housing back together and reinstall the exhaust system.
YOU'RE DONE!! Go and enjoy the new sound of your beast.
Notes:
- This can be done at home. I put the car up on jack stands so everything was easy to get to.
- Can't weld? Do all of the cutting yourself and take the mufflers to a shop and have them weld the housing together for you. It should be pretty cheap.
- The car sounds great at idle and driving around the neighborhood but I haven't stretched it out yet so I don't know if there will be any drone issues. I will update on that in a day or so. The car is not very loud at all. Don't worry about it sounding obnoxious. It isn't, nice deep rumble and a little more pronounced note overall.
- The pictures show two access holes cut in the muffler. You only need to make the single large cut ( the small cut was my first exploratory cut).
- I will take some video in a couple days and post them. If they aren't up in a few days or so, start hounding me about it so I will do it. I get pretty busy and can lose track of that stuff.
- Ask any questions you have and I will do my best to answer them.
also what is your current exhaust setup?
03-17-2013, 03:38 PM
#9
MBWorld Fanatic!
*Disclaimer* apparently this is "old news" so think of it as a reminder that this option is out there.
Okay, so this is how my journey started. I bought my E55 last summer and thought it was way too quiet ( My last V8 was a 620 rwhp Charger SRT straight piped to a set of super 40 mufflers ). I did the standard 2nd cat/reso delete and found very little change in exhaust note. I researched all of the exhaust systems out there and couldn't see spending the money these companies want for their products. Don't get me wrong, they sound good, but I have a real problem paying thousands of dollars for something I can get for a domestic at a fraction of the price.
What to do? I decided it was time to experiment.
Step 1 - I pulled my exhaust system and went to work with a cutoff wheel. I opened up the housing on the muffler and found so much packing that the fiberglass and steel wrap felt almost solid.
Step 2 - Pull all of that crap out of there and see what is left. I found that the stock system uses a double baffle setup.
Step 3 - Cut all of that crap out as well. A sawzall worked best for me ( a lot of weight saved as well as sound improvement ).
Step 4 - Weld the housing back together and reinstall the exhaust system.
YOU'RE DONE!! Go and enjoy the new sound of your beast.
Notes:
- This can be done at home. I put the car up on jack stands so everything was easy to get to.
- Can't weld? Do all of the cutting yourself and take the mufflers to a shop and have them weld the housing together for you. It should be pretty cheap.
- The car sounds great at idle and driving around the neighborhood but I haven't stretched it out yet so I don't know if there will be any drone issues. I will update on that in a day or so. The car is not very loud at all. Don't worry about it sounding obnoxious. It isn't, nice deep rumble and a little more pronounced note overall.
- The pictures show two access holes cut in the muffler. You only need to make the single large cut ( the small cut was my first exploratory cut).
- I will take some video in a couple days and post them. If they aren't up in a few days or so, start hounding me about it so I will do it. I get pretty busy and can lose track of that stuff.
- Ask any questions you have and I will do my best to answer them.
Okay, so this is how my journey started. I bought my E55 last summer and thought it was way too quiet ( My last V8 was a 620 rwhp Charger SRT straight piped to a set of super 40 mufflers ). I did the standard 2nd cat/reso delete and found very little change in exhaust note. I researched all of the exhaust systems out there and couldn't see spending the money these companies want for their products. Don't get me wrong, they sound good, but I have a real problem paying thousands of dollars for something I can get for a domestic at a fraction of the price.
What to do? I decided it was time to experiment.
Step 1 - I pulled my exhaust system and went to work with a cutoff wheel. I opened up the housing on the muffler and found so much packing that the fiberglass and steel wrap felt almost solid.
Step 2 - Pull all of that crap out of there and see what is left. I found that the stock system uses a double baffle setup.
Step 3 - Cut all of that crap out as well. A sawzall worked best for me ( a lot of weight saved as well as sound improvement
).Step 4 - Weld the housing back together and reinstall the exhaust system.
YOU'RE DONE!! Go and enjoy the new sound of your beast.
Notes:
- This can be done at home. I put the car up on jack stands so everything was easy to get to.
- Can't weld? Do all of the cutting yourself and take the mufflers to a shop and have them weld the housing together for you. It should be pretty cheap.
- The car sounds great at idle and driving around the neighborhood but I haven't stretched it out yet so I don't know if there will be any drone issues. I will update on that in a day or so. The car is not very loud at all. Don't worry about it sounding obnoxious. It isn't, nice deep rumble and a little more pronounced note overall.
- The pictures show two access holes cut in the muffler. You only need to make the single large cut ( the small cut was my first exploratory cut).
- I will take some video in a couple days and post them. If they aren't up in a few days or so, start hounding me about it so I will do it. I get pretty busy and can lose track of that stuff.
- Ask any questions you have and I will do my best to answer them.
Post a video up!
I had something similar done on my M3 but instead of cutting those piece, I had the perforations covered on certain 2 pieces. Gave it a deep nice tone... like this
Last edited by tbal; 03-17-2013 at 03:42 PM.
03-17-2013, 04:51 PM
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Nice write up, I am sure a few people dont know and wil appreciate it.
Post a video up!
I had something similar done on my M3 but instead of cutting those piece, I had the perforations covered on certain 2 pieces. Gave it a deep nice tone... like this BMW E90 m3 with OEM exhaust mod - YouTube
Post a video up!
I had something similar done on my M3 but instead of cutting those piece, I had the perforations covered on certain 2 pieces. Gave it a deep nice tone... like this BMW E90 m3 with OEM exhaust mod - YouTube
03-17-2013, 05:05 PM
#11
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I like that you cut the baffles out and made the pipes direct flow and out.
The CL and I think maybe the CLS have straight through mufflers but not sure why the baffled the E55 model.
The CL and I think maybe the CLS have straight through mufflers but not sure why the baffled the E55 model.
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E63 Biturbo, UPD Cold Air induction kit, UPD performance crank pulley and UPD adjustable rear suspension with ride height adjustment.
CL55 UPD Cold Air Boost kit, UPD 3000 stall converter, UPD 77mm SC clutched pulley and beltwrap kit, Custom long tubes, UPD crank pulley , UPD suspension kit, UPD SC pulley, Aux. HE, Trunk tank w/rule 2000 pump, Mezeire pump, UPD 5pc idler set, Aluminum rotor hats.
www.ultimatepd.com
instagram @ultimate_pd
facebook.com/ultimatepd
03-17-2013, 08:03 PM
#13
MBWorld Fanatic!
Does anyone know how the muffler looks at the point of entry? At what point does the one inlet switch to the two (or U shaped baffle) is it an open area or is there a y pipe inside? Hope that makes sense......
03-18-2013, 07:30 AM
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03-18-2013, 09:34 AM
#15
MBWorld Fanatic!
03-18-2013, 03:00 PM
#16
MBWorld Fanatic!
*Disclaimer* apparently this is "old news" so think of it as a reminder that this option is out there.
Okay, so this is how my journey started. I bought my E55 last summer and thought it was way too quiet ( My last V8 was a 620 rwhp Charger SRT straight piped to a set of super 40 mufflers ). I did the standard 2nd cat/reso delete and found very little change in exhaust note. I researched all of the exhaust systems out there and couldn't see spending the money these companies want for their products. Don't get me wrong, they sound good, but I have a real problem paying thousands of dollars for something I can get for a domestic at a fraction of the price.
What to do? I decided it was time to experiment.
Step 1 - I pulled my exhaust system and went to work with a cutoff wheel. I opened up the housing on the muffler and found so much packing that the fiberglass and steel wrap felt almost solid.
Step 2 - Pull all of that crap out of there and see what is left. I found that the stock system uses a double baffle setup.
Step 3 - Cut all of that crap out as well. A sawzall worked best for me ( a lot of weight saved as well as sound improvement ).
Step 4 - Weld the housing back together and reinstall the exhaust system.
YOU'RE DONE!! Go and enjoy the new sound of your beast.
Notes:
- This can be done at home. I put the car up on jack stands so everything was easy to get to.
- Can't weld? Do all of the cutting yourself and take the mufflers to a shop and have them weld the housing together for you. It should be pretty cheap.
- The car sounds great at idle and driving around the neighborhood but I haven't stretched it out yet so I don't know if there will be any drone issues. I will update on that in a day or so. The car is not very loud at all. Don't worry about it sounding obnoxious. It isn't, nice deep rumble and a little more pronounced note overall.
- The pictures show two access holes cut in the muffler. You only need to make the single large cut ( the small cut was my first exploratory cut).
- I will take some video in a couple days and post them. If they aren't up in a few days or so, start hounding me about it so I will do it. I get pretty busy and can lose track of that stuff.
- Ask any questions you have and I will do my best to answer them.
Okay, so this is how my journey started. I bought my E55 last summer and thought it was way too quiet ( My last V8 was a 620 rwhp Charger SRT straight piped to a set of super 40 mufflers ). I did the standard 2nd cat/reso delete and found very little change in exhaust note. I researched all of the exhaust systems out there and couldn't see spending the money these companies want for their products. Don't get me wrong, they sound good, but I have a real problem paying thousands of dollars for something I can get for a domestic at a fraction of the price.
What to do? I decided it was time to experiment.
Step 1 - I pulled my exhaust system and went to work with a cutoff wheel. I opened up the housing on the muffler and found so much packing that the fiberglass and steel wrap felt almost solid.
Step 2 - Pull all of that crap out of there and see what is left. I found that the stock system uses a double baffle setup.
Step 3 - Cut all of that crap out as well. A sawzall worked best for me ( a lot of weight saved as well as sound improvement
).Step 4 - Weld the housing back together and reinstall the exhaust system.
YOU'RE DONE!! Go and enjoy the new sound of your beast.
Notes:
- This can be done at home. I put the car up on jack stands so everything was easy to get to.
- Can't weld? Do all of the cutting yourself and take the mufflers to a shop and have them weld the housing together for you. It should be pretty cheap.
- The car sounds great at idle and driving around the neighborhood but I haven't stretched it out yet so I don't know if there will be any drone issues. I will update on that in a day or so. The car is not very loud at all. Don't worry about it sounding obnoxious. It isn't, nice deep rumble and a little more pronounced note overall.
- The pictures show two access holes cut in the muffler. You only need to make the single large cut ( the small cut was my first exploratory cut).
- I will take some video in a couple days and post them. If they aren't up in a few days or so, start hounding me about it so I will do it. I get pretty busy and can lose track of that stuff.
- Ask any questions you have and I will do my best to answer them.
03-18-2013, 08:49 PM
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2003 E55 AMG
Nice!
Looks like a great way to improve sound without empty your pockets.
Questions:
1. It won't affect engine performance?
2. My car is completely stock including exhaust system- any idea of how will this mod sound on my car?
I also think the E55 is too quiet at idle and would like to have that extra "punch" but don't want the sound to be too aggressive.
By the way, I'm in love with the C63 stock sound, especially those "backfires" when you leave the throttle or downshifting, anyway to custom the E55 exhaust to have those small backfires as well?
Love it!
Looks like a great way to improve sound without empty your pockets.
Questions:
1. It won't affect engine performance?
2. My car is completely stock including exhaust system- any idea of how will this mod sound on my car?
I also think the E55 is too quiet at idle and would like to have that extra "punch" but don't want the sound to be too aggressive.
By the way, I'm in love with the C63 stock sound, especially those "backfires" when you leave the throttle or downshifting, anyway to custom the E55 exhaust to have those small backfires as well?
Love it!
03-19-2013, 06:09 PM
#18
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Nice!
Looks like a great way to improve sound without empty your pockets.
Questions:
1. It won't affect engine performance?
2. My car is completely stock including exhaust system- any idea of how will this mod sound on my car?
I also think the E55 is too quiet at idle and would like to have that extra "punch" but don't want the sound to be too aggressive.
By the way, I'm in love with the C63 stock sound, especially those "backfires" when you leave the throttle or downshifting, anyway to custom the E55 exhaust to have those small backfires as well?
Love it!
Looks like a great way to improve sound without empty your pockets.
Questions:
1. It won't affect engine performance?
2. My car is completely stock including exhaust system- any idea of how will this mod sound on my car?
I also think the E55 is too quiet at idle and would like to have that extra "punch" but don't want the sound to be too aggressive.
By the way, I'm in love with the C63 stock sound, especially those "backfires" when you leave the throttle or downshifting, anyway to custom the E55 exhaust to have those small backfires as well?
Love it!
2. Now that I have driven it for a couple days I would think your secondaries and resos would mellow it a bit and probably sound pretty darn good.
03-19-2013, 06:22 PM
#19
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Here is my first review of this mod.
So far it sounds pretty good considering I only have time invested. There is some minor drone down around the 1200-1400 rpm range but only while lugging the car a bit. It is easy to drive around the drone though.
The tone is a little on the raspy side, kind of what you hear from some of the magnaflow setups. I feel this will be a personal preference thing. It isn't a bad sound or a good sound. It just is what it is.
What about wide open throttle you ask? PURE SEX!! I'm talking total car ****! At least from my perspective.
Here is a quick video I shot in the parking lot to give you a basic idea of sound at idle and revving. This was shot on my new GoPro and I have no idea how to address the sound sync issues. I guess it is pretty common with these cameras. As I figure it out I will take more videos. You will hear a ticking sound in the video that is similar to an exhaust leak sound. Ignore it, it doesn't exist in the real world. It has something to do with the sound codec or some such gobledygook. If you can ignore that the rest of the sound is pretty spot on.
Drive by and videos in motion are soon to come.
All in all, I will drive the car like this for a while and see how it goes. The next step will be swapping in some super 40's if I decide to go a different way.
So far it sounds pretty good considering I only have time invested. There is some minor drone down around the 1200-1400 rpm range but only while lugging the car a bit. It is easy to drive around the drone though.
The tone is a little on the raspy side, kind of what you hear from some of the magnaflow setups. I feel this will be a personal preference thing. It isn't a bad sound or a good sound. It just is what it is.
What about wide open throttle you ask? PURE SEX!! I'm talking total car ****! At least from my perspective.
Here is a quick video I shot in the parking lot to give you a basic idea of sound at idle and revving. This was shot on my new GoPro and I have no idea how to address the sound sync issues. I guess it is pretty common with these cameras. As I figure it out I will take more videos. You will hear a ticking sound in the video that is similar to an exhaust leak sound. Ignore it, it doesn't exist in the real world. It has something to do with the sound codec or some such gobledygook. If you can ignore that the rest of the sound is pretty spot on.
Drive by and videos in motion are soon to come.
All in all, I will drive the car like this for a while and see how it goes. The next step will be swapping in some super 40's if I decide to go a different way.
03-19-2013, 10:28 PM
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I just acquired a 2010 CLS63 AMG and I immediately deleted the resonator (no x-pipe) and I couldn't be happier. In 'Comfort' mode it still sounds almost as quiet before I did the modification. I live in a quiet suburb in California and I didn't want something too obnoxious, but in 'Manual' mode it sounds like a beast and there is no sound droning at any RPM. I sincerely believe that the stock AMG exhaust is absolutely fine without the resonator. I wanted to post this for anyone that was contemplating deleting the resonator and I can say that this small modification for the money is the best decision that I have made.
03-19-2013, 10:40 PM
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Thanks, I appreciate the compliment. I have always felt that my dollars should be spent on things I can't do for myself. Sometimes it pays off and sometimes it costs me more in the long run if I screw the pooch. Unfortunately there are lots of nervous pooches around when I get an idea floating around in my head.
