[ocamilo]

So I've gone through and probably read every old post regarding the more economical exhaust upgrade of deleting the rear mufflers or the center mufflers. From what I can tell most people opt to get rid of the rears (I'm doing this on a '02 Spyder btw).

However, I've seen some opt to take out the center muffler and keep the rear mufflers. I'm not going to add the 12" glasspacks (yet) so I'd like to know what my best alternative is- the rears or the center? I'm looking to get a nice growl but not be too obnoxious at idle, although I want it to sound more pronounced than it is at stock.

I read to get rid of the center if I want the more American V8 growl and to get rid of the rears if I want a more high pitched whine. Can anyone who has heard any of these 2 setups give me some feedback?

Also, my buddy who runs a Kost is planning on doing this for me. I'm assuming he has extra pipes there to do it with and should be a pretty straight forward procedure. Any specifics I should make him aware of before taking my car under the knife? Do I need to worry about mandrel bent pipes or any of that?...

Thanks in advance!

 

[MaseratiBoy]

Replacing the center section with an x-pipe will keep the same tone but just make it LOUDER.

Replacing the rear boxes will change the tone and make it louder... The cars I have heard with straight pipes in place of the boxes sound very... american.... from what I remember.

 

[demoe]

there is nothing wrong with glass back in the lieu of the center resonator

I use 2 glass packs, straight-back, not X-shaped, to the rear Tubi mufflers. I beleieve I have the best sound which is also livable and not obnoxious.

I did run straight-pipes to the Tubi and that was much too loud/obnoxius,

 

[MaseratiBoy]

The problem is that while the SOUND may be nice, if you remove the X configuration you will lose the power and you will also lose the V8 rhythm that it creates...

 

[paulc]

I am considering replacing the center pipe with an X-pipe, but I have a real hard time paying $1000 for the Fabspeed X-pipe, esp since it is just some bent pipe. Has anybody done this with a regular muffler shop?

 

[PacoSaca]

Paul, I'll begin by saying that I'm absolutely in love with the sound of my car... this is my set up:

I have tubi rears and got rid of the center resonator at a local muffler shop... I kept the original X pipe and welded it to the SS tubing they used to replace the center resonator.

The sound is beyond description; sort of Ferrari like but with the Maserati signature growl... it might be a bit loud for some but to me is music to my ears, in fact since I did this mod I rarely drive with the windows up or crank up the stereo... if I want to listen to music I can do that at home, when in my Maser I rather hear my 400 horses run. I highly reccomend this setup.

 

[paulc]

Paul, I'll begin by saying that I'm absolutely in love with the sound of my car... this is my set up:

I have tubi rears and got rid of the center resonator at a local muffler shop... I kept the original X pipe and welded it to the SS tubing they used to replace the center resonator.
.

Please explain how this was done. I thought the X pipe and the resonator were all one piece. As seen in the diagram.

 

[PacoSaca]

Paul, they cut the piece and then welded it to the SS pipes... any muffler shop can do it for you. Worst come to worst and you want to go back to your original configuration you can have it welded again to the resonator.

 

[MaseratiBoy]

I would suggest paying an extra few hundred and having a full Xpipe made for you... The "smoother" the X is, the better it will be in terms of power and sound...

Hell, I think the best thing to do is actually get the Larini X pipe... From what I understand, they actually tested it, etc. for the best power gain and sound.

 

[FormulaDynamics]

X-pipes aren't just bending pipes... they are designed to produce a scavenging effect. We have them for $750, a bit less than FabSpeed. I think that this is your best bet. You'll get the best HP boost and sound, in my experience. If you later decide to pickup a set of mufflers ( new or used ) you can still get a good result.