muffler choice

[Eneto-55]

18 hours ago, greg g said:

Guess I have out grown loud exhaust pipes long ago.  My single exhaust system has a dynomax turboflow on 2 inch I'd pipe.  It speaks a little, is just noticeable in the 45 to 55 range and is overcome by wind and tire noise above 55.  We had an Uber ride with a guy in a hemi charger.  It droned so much at 65, I told him to exit the highway and take surface roads after 5 minutes on the interstate.  At 65 the whole interior of the car vibrated disharmoniously.  Is that a word?

Reminds me of one car the missionary agency had where we were assigned in Brazil.  I think it was some sort of combination of the sound of the engine, the shape of the cockpit, and the shape of my head (or sinuses).  Others didn't notice it, but at just the speed I needed to travel along the dirt road into town, there was this painful drone in my head.  Drove me crazy, and I always took a different car if another was available.  (We didn't have our own vehicle at that time, since we spent around half of our time back in the jungle, where there weren't any roads at all.)

[Eneto-55]

4 hours ago, chrysler1941 said:

Here in Denmark, we're getting more and more of these fashionable battery operated vehicles.

They are too quiet. Suddenly they appear and drive fast past you. I think that's dangerous. Especially residential areas.

I prefer to be alerted by an engine's increasing sound coming towards you.

Here in "Amish country" we have been inundated with electric bicycles.  I walk back & forth to work (just a quarter mile) year around, and in the winter, with a stocking cap & another insulated cap over that, my hearing is lessened to the degree that I can't hear those guys coming up behind me at all.  Actually, I nearly got hit by one in the summer last year, when I was crossing a street and the bicyclist turned right just as I stepped out in the street.  Young kids (and some adults as well) come up our residential street so fast that they are sometimes barely in control of it.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I did a bit or reading and the laws are so vague....sound testing not a set standard and when there is a standard established the set up procedure is unclear and could well be done wrong.  The speed at center of highway reading.....the 50 foot law is another.  For instance....stationary testing at 20"  supposed to have the mic at a 45 degree angle parallel to the exit of the pipe...is this a leading or trailing angle as it is not stated....one video shows police taking the reading dead inline with the pipe rendering vehicle unsuited for road use.    Many states setting very low db levels...some as low as 72-76db  Many are still going on a 95 as the newer cars are tuned to this level, surprisingly Calif. recognizes this 95 level.  Legislation is pending in many states just on this issue alone.   Reciprocity of states registration will be tested to the limits and offended by other state's LEO's.  This states if your car is registered in state 1 the legal guidelines in this state will be honored by the other 48 (not sure of Hawaii not being on the continent) as you transit their highways.  Such things as blue dots and YOM tags....are such legal for you can be a highly noticed offences in other states....if one state recognizes 95 db then any other state has to let it slide as long as the car is 'transit'.  I carry a copy of both laws in my cars with blue dots and Yom tags.  Georgia is pushing for the 95db now...as the writing is vague on offending noise and open to interpretation by too many variables.  As long as the playing field is leveled....hobbyists such as we will fall into compliance for the most part.  Always a few radicals about. 

[ccudahy]

@DJKto get back to your original question. I have recently purchased a Brockman Mellowtone 22" long steelpack and hopefully will be installing it this weekend if it ever stops raining here. The longer the steelpack/glasspack the brassier the sound, was what has been mentioned on sites such as the HAMB and help with the annoying high pitch sounds. I looked at Smitty, Porters, and Brockman. Brockman had the most length choices. Also, there are video on Youtube showing how the different mufflers sound on mopar flatheads. Just search "mopar flathead glasspacks" and down the rabbit hole you go. Oh by the way, I am also running a single carb./single exhaust on my stock 218. The header pipe is 2" and the tailpipe is 1.75", also stock.

 

Living in Wisconsin were the H-D motorcycles originate. Having motorcyle friends they have explained to me over the years, in Wisconsin, it is not about the decibles here as much as it is about having that baffle in the muffler. There are tricks and special mufflers that get the loudness and still have the baffles in them. Cops will pull over motorcycles here if too loud and the stick their night sticks up the tailpipes to check for that baffle. If it's there, that's it, their free to go.

 

Some electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf actual have sound devices that will make noise, so blind people can hear them coming so they have a chance at not being hit. The Nissan Leaf made sound the Jetsons Flying car, I found very funny the first time I heard it. Others I heard have gas engine sounds they play. Is this something that can be turn on/off in the settings in the menus, I don't know.

 

My 2¢ on it all.

 

 

Edited August 10, 2021 by ccudahy

[greg g]

In reviewing the state language several mention unusual noise control.  Anyone able to come up with a legal definition of unusual?

[Plymouthy Adams]

usual is USUALLY what is to be expected.....many will default to OEM in these cases....even in the case of my LBC van I opted for a Walker pancake muffler....size and fit played a predominant role in selection....oval being less offensive in sight and scrub line issues....should be relatively quiet.  I also opted for a heat shield to match its dimensions somewhat.  At 1.750, much greater pipe diameter over stock and matches the better exhaust manifold also.

 

 

[grea235]

My 1952 Concord 218 has a split exhaust and its got Allied Blue Streaks on it.  Pipes go over the axle and a little past the rear bumper.  It's really quiet at idle and low rpm.  

 

I don't know what the equivalent muffler is today.

 

Edited August 10, 2021 by grea235

[Sniper]

59 minutes ago, grea235 said:

I don't know what the equivalent muffler is today.

 

Read the comments

 

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-630810#reviews

[kencombs]

On 8/9/2021 at 12:02 PM, Plymouthy Adams said:

in my experience and the go to for me overall for the best sound ever is a oval (pancake) turbo muffler.......good sound...not deafening...no brap....just deep throating sound....smittys, thrush, glasspacks.....just too sharp on the average...

Yep, me too.  The size and design originally used on the 60s Corvair turbos.

[Sniper]

Super Hemi turbo, pn 17749 is real hard to beat for performance and noise control.

[grea235]

1 hour ago, Sniper said:

 

Read the comments

 

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-630810#reviews

 

Thank you for the link!  I really appreciate it!  I need to replace my exhaust next.  The PO used straight pipes and did 45 degree cuts to make curves and it leaks in most of the joints.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I have two cherry bomb mufflers here....son dropped them off.....one is basically a straight pipe with holes and glass....does not do much for sound I would think...the other has an internal spiral wrap on the inlet and outlet .....I am curious to slip this over the collector of the little engine when I test fire it before install.....and I have a nice 80db muffler that I hope will be my oyster.....love the look of the outlet....

[52b3b Joe]

From my experience, it takes some trial and error to get the sound you want. On my B3B with a 230, I have a single 2" exhaust all the way back. I started with a thrush turbo muffler which was quieter than I wanted. I went to a magnaflow straight through muffler, which was still too quite. I finally ended up with a 22" glasspack that sounds perfect to me. Its by no means loud on my truck. 

 

Now to stir the pot a little, based on the experience with my truck and the 230, I jumped straight to a glasspack for our 48 Desoto with a 237. It had the original exhaust with 1-3/4" tail pipe after the muffler. To be honest, it sounded pretty bad. I have since put a 2" system with mandrel bent pipes that I built from scratch with the same thrush turbo muffler I had on my truck to start with. It sounds really nice with this setup. 

 

In summary, I think there are a ton of factors (exhaust size, engine, number of bends, how the pipe is routed) and personal preferences in what sounds good. If you're going for the "perfect" tone, be patient and keep trying until you find the right combination. 

[kencombs]

One comment on noise that I haven't seen mentioned.  The closer to the engine the muffler is placed, the less it 'muffles'.  The same muffler placed as close as possible to the manifold compared to at or near the rear bumper may sound much different.

Buick used to place the muffler across the car right in front of the rear bumper and behind the gas tank.  Even duals!  they had a dual inlet, dual outlet that was really two mufflers in one case.  In keeping with their dual reputation as a luxury performance car at the time.

 

Anyone else remember the chambered pipe systems of the 60/70s?  worked well on the chassis and engine the were original to, but didn't transplant well.

[bluebanshee]

I have dual carbs and dual exhaust on my 230 (truck) with knock off glass packs. It's not very loud at all with no baffling. If I was to do it over again I'd start off without any muffler/glass pack. Slightly disappointed at the sound or lack of.