[STARDOC]

Just had the 2 center mid pipes replaced with straight pipes. As others on this forum noted, there was about only a 20% increase in sound. The tone is deeper and richer but not yet adequate IMHO. Also get more burbling sounds with an occasional pop when down shifting. The next plan is to replace the 2 rear mufflers with Magnaflow oval resonators attached to straight pipes and some tips (if we can fit them).
Will let you guys know of the results.

 

[demoe]

Stardoc

when you say mid-pipe was that the center resonator which you replaced?

I had an exciting Saturday evening and went through every prior thread here and found a person who posted photos of a piece he had fabricated to replace the center resonator. I took the photos to a local muffler guy who is researching the photos to see what he can fabricate for me. He thinks it will be about $150 to do.

What was done with yours, at what cost. The one I am trying to do has sort of 2 U -shaped pipes with their ends cut off and joined (at the catalytic end) , then 2 pipes out of the end towards the pipes which attach to my Tubi mufflers.

Have you noticed any good or bad with your set up?

I expect what I plan to do, to get some more volume, possibly some extra flow, I am hopeful, but doubtful to see any performance gains.

 

[demoe]

here are some links to the prior post sabout the Center Resonator replacment with a Mid Pipe, I am having my local shop see what they can come up with to replicate the same piece

http://www.maseratiforum.net/forum/download.php?id=49

http://www.maseratiforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=192

http://www.maseratiforum.net/forum/download.php?id=34

http://www.maseratiforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=159

 

[STARDOC]

Demoe,
It cost me about $385 but I'm sure you can do better as this is Scottsdale pricing. Just remember though that a stainless steel setup is about twice that of a regular steel setup so prices you got are most likely the non-S.S. pipes. The setup that I have is very similar to the photos, sort of an elongated 'X', from the cats to the rear muffler. We were affraid that straight pipes from the cats to the tips would create too much 'popping', so of uncharacteristic of an Italian luxury brand. If I don't find a set of used Tubis, I'll go with option 2 mentioned above, removing the rear muffler and tips and going with straight pipes with 2 Magnaflow resonators (with baffles) attached to some nice tips. As stated above, expect about a 20% increase in sound with the removal of the centre resonators with a little bit of rasp to go with it.

 

[demoe]

I gave up on the local muffler person after all he could say was "this is a lot of work", "i'm sure I can do it, but it is going to take a lot of time"

I took the car over to my other trusted source who is pretty bare bones place who only do mufflers...lots of old mufflers stacked all over the place...place is in a bad neighborhood...

I showed him the photo of the pipe which Maserati of Ontario did, he said, "no problem"...

They lifted up the car though and noticed that in my set up, I had the sort of double wishbone joints at the muffler side already, so all he had to do was to cut off the center resonator and put straight pipes from the Catalytic side to the muffler end.....

He used Aluminum piping of the same diameter of the exisiting pipes...

After the resonator came off, I checked it out, of note, It is VERY heavy, the resonator is pretty much a straight through design, so removing it and replacing it with straight pipes, will likely not dyno any performance gains other than a lighter weight car.......so it looks like this project would be for sound and losing about 25 lbs off cars curb weight.

I should add for the record, I have Tubi mufflers already...

When I started the car I got a very deep rumble upon start up....

What I've noticed so far...

In first gear the car sound is loud, but distant, almost like the car is in a canyon and the sound echos....

2nd -gear---more of the same as first, but less..

3rd-4th -5th -6th....within the 0-3500 RPM range, I can really hear the engine winding and it sounds like a race car, the exhaust engine tones are very prounounced, with the Tubi only, I got a deep aubilble rumble....now I get definition of the engine sound.....kind of like going from crappy speakers, to refined speakers....

Above 3500- to 6500 rpm, the sound is louder, but taking the foot off the accelerator and cruising, the car is no louder than with the Tubi...

What also happens, is that I can now feel the car more, ...from the floorboard into my seats, I feel the reverberations of the engine more which is a good thing.....

All in all, I am still on the fence if I am going to keep it this way....what bothers me the most is in 1st gear, the car sound thin and whinny, not what i expected....and echoey as I mentioned earlier...

the cost to do this was a measly $80 and the guys said it would be no problem going back to stock......

the muffler guys were pretty impressed by the underside of the car and commented that the quality of build was tremendous.

I will give it another few days to a week to decide if I like the set-up....for those interested, it took about 20 minutes to do...and the car with my Exsiting Tubi, is still at an aubible level which is livable....

 

[Dr. Larry Kauffman]

demoe,
Thanks for the update. I gotta do something to my exhaust pretty soon. I need to wait until my S.O. recovers from the sticker shock for my oil change.
:?
Doc

 

[haha]

demoe,
it's rather temping especially shaving off 25lbs but worry about the noise level. i have tubi and every morning car alarms on cars around me would go off when I start my engine. do you think you could get a measurement of the decibel...

 

[STARDOC]

I wonder if the raspiness comes from the fact that they are aluminum pipes and not S.S. I don't hear that on my car, just more of a deep tone. Spoke with the muffler people today, next on the agenda is to replace the rear mufflers. I agree, that midpipe is HEAVY. I'm thinking that there should be another 40-50 lbs of weight savings once I replace the rear mufflers.
On order are Magnaflow rear tips and two 14" resonators which will feed from the mid-pipes on one end and to the tips on the other. That should temper and deepen the sound compared to just straight pipes from the cats. Pretty excited but not sure what the result will be. I was quoted about $630 for the work so its not a cheap experiment but nonetheless an interesting one.
Will keep you guys in tune.

 

[demoe]

Not sure if the raspiness is due to the aluminum vs SS...I think it would have to do with the width of the pipe...

the sound is kinda driving me crazy and I am going back to the shop to see if there is some middle ground between putting the resonator back on vs what I have now......

the sound isn't bad mind you, pretty nice for a weekend driver, but as a daily driver it sounds like I am racing at the Indy 500.

lots of people I have asked like it, but they have only experienced it for the 30 seconds as i drove by,,,,,

in the AM upon first starting the car, and while to car is cold, the car upon first start sounds like an explosion

the sum it up, my neighbors kid who is about 6 years old saw me the other day and asked my what kind of car it was......I told him....his next question was "why is your car so loud?

 

[demoe]

OK NOW I AM HAPPY!

I went back the muffler shop on Saturday. ..this after getting a second opinion from a well respected muffler guy who said there is "no middle ground, put the original resonator back"

the person who did my work, suggested he could lower the noise level by 30% by adding 2 small approx 8 inch long glasspacks between the straight pipes. the glasspacks are a straight through design as well, but have some outer sound insulation and within the pipe have some little metal bits within the pipe (perhaps for a little backpressure?)...

I was skeptical, but did it, thinking if this did not do the trick I was putting back the original resonator back....Started the car up and it was clearly quieter, almost like stock......however driving around at the right RPMs the car now has a DEEP grumble and when shifting they are clearly defined. the car is now exactly what I was looking for, now too loud as to attract attention, but the car now clearly has a distinctive grumble that those in the know understand.

so my set up is this....

Tubi mufflers, removed the heavy heavy center resonator and replaced with 2 straight pipes with small 8inch glass packs welded in between towards the rear piping..