simon1966

Guys I'm looking at removing my x-pipe and reinstating my stock secondary cats and resonator. Now there are a couple of reasons for this but mainly it gives the option of going for headers soon without the need for sports cats etc....

Anyway I'm therefore thinking of getting my mufflers opened up instead but having read a few threads some seem to show just all the fibreglass and wadding removed whereas others show the baffle pipes cut out as well? Can anyone tell me if there is much difference in sound between the two? I definitely don't want any drone but would like a little more hard edged v8 sound (something approaching a c63 would be great but...?). I've searched for c63 or cls55 mufflers over here in England, but rare as rocking horse sh*t!

Any advice much appreciated.

Bigtickets

Just remove the muffler all together and weld in a pipe to connect everything. You shed about 60 pounds.

chiromikey

I refuse to live with drone and therefor didn't want to change the flow or shape of the chamber when I modified my stock mufflers. Therefor I didn't cut the baffles and only removed the packing directly between the inlet and outlet tubes, leaving all the packing in the outer recesses of the muffler. I have long tubes, x-pipe, resonator delete, and run with and without cats and the sound is perfect! It's VERY aggressive at wot, sounds only slightly louder than stock at idle from outside the car, and completely stock while cruising from inside the car.

We'll never duplicate the sound of the higher compression 63 motor but I'd recommend this over any other set-up. It's free of you can do the labor and still cheaper than any other option even if you can't.

simon1966

That sounds a good idea and I'm sure would be easier but new laws here in the UK say that any mod to the standard exhaust system will fail the MOT, which is another reason why I'm looking at reinstating my secondaries and resonator.

I can obviously find a friendly tester but just want to save the hassle.

Having no rear boxes will be obvious but I was planning on getting round this buy getting the boxes cut open on the top side so not visible on inspection if that makes sense. The tester isn't interested in noise and I'm sure wouldn't know how loud an E55 should be anyway, after all it's an AMG, just the E55's are just far too muted.

chiromikey

I can't imagine the drone or trying to hold a conversation with no mufflers!

simon1966

Cheers - sounds like you have a good setup, unfortunately I can't go that far but would like it to sound a bit more aggressive. Totally understand about the n/a higher compression 63 motors, but think you know what I mean about the noise. The secondary cat and resonator delete I have now is ok but just makes the sound deeper IMO. I would like it to sound harder edged if that makes sense.

I may be being bit thick but not exactly sure I understand what you mean where you removed the packing material. I have read through these threads.

DIY EXHAUST MOD....AWESOME SOUND FOR FREE!!!

Modified AMG mufflers and resonator delete.. Pics inside

chiromikey

It's been a while but iirc, when you open up the mufflers you will find an inlet and outlet baffle. Thes baffles are wrapped with a fiberglass mat then fiberglass packing is packed into the rest of the chamber. I removed the mat wrapped around the baffles along with the packed fiberglass only between the baffles. I felt that leaving the rest of the packing in the outer recesses would help reduce some reverberation and unwanted sounds.

simon1966

Nice one - get what you mean now cheers

I was sort of thinking along similar but more extensive lines. Maybe cutting all the baffles pipes out but somehow retaining some sound deadening material secured to the inside face of the main box chamber. Not sure how this could successfully be secured though long term

EREBUS

text instead. problem solved

chiromikey

Lol...I meant with actual people inside the car. I network with docs and attorneys over lunch all the time so I need to pretend to be professional even if I'm not!

Lawrence1

does anyone have a video with the muffler baffling removed?

EREBUS

Could you imagine telling your clients, after opening electronic exhaust cut-outs, to hold on because your about to hand some random vette their own a$$? Their facial expressions would be priceless. lol

simon1966

From what I understand this video is with muffler baffling removed but also the resonator removed and cats still in place.

These videos are with muffler baffling removed but also resonator and secondary cats removed.

I can't find anything with a stock system retaining the cats and resonator with just the muffler baffles removed. Also can't find anything with just the muffler sound deadening material removed. Hopefully someone can chime in and post some sound clips.

simon1966

This is exactly my problem, I have to visit clients in my car and I can't turn up with it sounding a bit NASCAR!

simon1966

Has anyone just cut the 2 pipes out that connect to the tailpipes, leaving the 'u bend' in place? I'm not sure if there is any benefit in leaving the 'u bend' or not, I was just thinking it would create some flow in the smaller chamber!?

simon1966

Right guys - I have a thought and not sure if anyone has tried this

Ideally I would like to cut the boxes open from the top side, so not obvious when viewed from below. From the pics I have seen this would expose the 'u bend' first, I am thinking that maybe this could be cut away temporarily to fully expose the 2 pipes below. Once the pipes are exposed I was thinking maybe that the perforated sections of pipe could be cut away to be replaced with solid pipes, or maybe the perforated sections sleeved to give same result. The perforated sections of the 'u bend' could be cut away and replaced in the same way before welding back in place. This would result in only the small chamber being utilized and the main chamber would effectively be sealed off with just solid walled pipes passing through. I'm thinking this would give a more balanced sound and maybe less boomy than just gutting all the baffle pipes out and using the main chamber, but to be honest I have no idea what I'm taking about

Attached couple of pics from previous threads (hope the guys won't mind). The pic shown with all the fibreglass and wadding in place shows the cuts from the top side as I want to work. The other pic is shown with cuts from the underside but clearly shows all the pipes.

ginger55k

Go on Simon, Olly at PCS keeps telling me to do it, epic at WOT is his statement, always a bit worried about opening and removing packing as once its done its done if you know what i mean.

You go first

simon1966

I remember us debating this some time back Ginger. I thought you were going for it first

I plan to get this done hopefully within next week or so

Just not quite sure how to go about it

ginger55k

I think Olly has done a few before, I think that was just removing the wadding and not modding the internal pipework, have a word with him, am sure he can talk through some options with you, he has a guy next door for the welding/cutting work think the same who fabricated my front tank.

Lawrence1

yes this is what i was referring to ... i heard the ones on youtube but i was hoping that chiromikey might have a video somewhere

stockC43

What if you were to open the "chamber" and block off the u bend so it goes inlet-chamber-2 outlet pipes? I would think the u bend could be restrictive

chiromikey

I left the U-bend and length of the exit tubes intact because I decuced they were there to remove a specific frequency that this motor caused. If I just wanted loud I'd strap on any straight through design and call it a day. As a daily driver, I wouldn't trade my gutted mufflers for anything at this point. Very aggressive at wot, mildly aggressive from outside the car at idle, but from inside they barely sound more than stock except when you don't want them to.

simon1966

I had this exact thought, but I'haven't seen any pics showing the smaller chamber opened up. I was thinking that the main inlet pipe probably runs through the small chamber and is therefore separated from from it. So if I cut the 'u bend' off and blocked it it would effectively block the whole exhaust off, but I am not sure if that is the case or not I am basing this on the marked up photo from the other thread.

I guess that if that is the case then the small chamber could be opened up too and the main inlet pipe cut out so that it discharges into the small chamber and block off the 'u bend' and where the inlet pipe goes between the two. Not sure if that makes sense but see my simplistic sketch below. Sorry I don't know how to sort the attachement so that the pdf is visible, rather than having to download it!? If someone can open this and post it for me much appreciated.

Please chime in guys as I really have no idea what I'm on about

stockC43

The best I can tell from the pix and putting a boroscope in mine, is that there is a 70* bend that connects the inlet to the u bend. When the chamber is opened up you " should" be able to see and remove it. I may try it on mine when this polar vortex frees up here in Chicago. I just don't want it to sound too hollow or chambered like a flowmaster if I remove all of the insulation.

James M

I did this exact mod to my car last week Friday. I am running 45mm longtube headers, X-pipe, no cats at all, no resonator and an 88mm exhaust all the way from the end of my headers to my stock E55 mufflers. I was not getting enough V8 sound so I asked a performance exhaust shop to do what they could.
They simply dropped my entire exhaust, cut open the tops of my mufflers and opened them like cans of beans. All the sound deadening material was removed and the U-bend was cut off and the tops welded back in place. It cost less than $100 and I am completely thrilled with the work. You can really hear the supercharger hissing like an anaconda on steroids and a massive V8 growl, with a bit of raspiness shoved in the mix. I do get a bit of drone at 1500-2000rpm if I am just chugging along, but since I hardly ever chug along it sounds like a hellish symphony that makes pedestrians jump for cover. I use my E55 as a daily driver and it is dead quiet when I take my kids to school, but once you give it horns it is much louder than a stock C63. My E55 is a sleeper and unsuspecting BMW's never have a clue until I stomp on the gas - the noise level is all in how you drive. The only drawback is you can never go back to stock without replacing the mufflers. If you like big V8 noise, then go for it.