I really need help with this! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

mbtjc · #1 02-28-2002, 03:29 PM

I've incorporated this into another post, but I am just going to ask it straight out! What aftermarket muffler can I put on my W126? I want it to be relatively quiet yet still flow better than stock and I don't want to be able to hear it inside the car. I also don't want it to cost a grand. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

E55 KEV · #2 02-28-2002, 03:40 PM

There are probably NO direct fit aftermarket exhaust for your model. Aftermarket performance parts are non-existance for older models. Performance Tuning for Mercdes is relatively new. It is very hard to find stuff for cars before the 1990's.

In order to put a custom exhaust on your car you would need to buy a universal type muffler and have a muffler shop custom fit it. Visit your local custom muffler shop for advise. Good Luck.

mbtjc · #3 02-28-2002, 04:02 PM

Yeah...I know that unfortunately no one makes a direct fit exhaust for this car. I am going to have a shop custom bend a brand new stainless exhaust from the manifolds back for my car. I still have no idea what brand universal muffler I should use that fits the criteria in my first post.

E55 KEV · #4 02-28-2002, 04:34 PM

Since the entire system will be fabricated maybe you should go with an AMG from a W201 or W124 chassis. AMG mufflers are very mild sounding.

Michael · #5 02-28-2002, 07:58 PM

Your requirements, no offense, are not reasonable. You want it to flow optimally, yet be quiet and unobtrusive like a stock exhaust and be reasonably priced, right?

You've outlined the design and pricing of parameters for a stock exhaust, amigo. Go OE

They knew what they were doing, and assuredly spent more designing your resonator than the net worth of many of the aftermarket companies out there.

jasondew · #6 02-28-2002, 08:35 PM

the terms: optimal flow and stock exhaust shouldn't be used together. MB stock systems are designed with sound as the primary factor, to max torque. a custom free flow setup will give you the best performance--better than stock. as far a muffler, make sure it's stainless steel, since you're going with SS pipe. just find a straight through muffler that has the proper dimensions and learn to live with the louder exhaust.

mbtjc · #7 02-28-2002, 10:29 PM

Alright...how much power do you estimate a high flow cat, no resonators and a performance muffler will give me? And how much louder do you estimate it will be inside the car? I wouldn't mind a little rumble when I step on it, but I don't want a constant droning, because I am on the highway a lot. That is my main concern. Thanks again for any help.

And Michael, I respect your experience, but it was not necessary for you to be a smart a$$. I was just wondering if there is a good "middle ground" muffler out there. Amigo.

Ashman · #8 03-01-2002, 01:21 AM

Look into magnaflow as a decent exhaust.

You should hear the sound of my brothers range rover. it sounds like a stock car. hehe well not really, but it sounds nicer than most muscle cars I've heard out there.

hehe

If you want it to be quiet. use resonators to quiet it down.

Alon

Michael · #9 03-01-2002, 09:24 AM

Jasondew/all:

As I understand it from people in the muffler business, many of the OE Mercedes exhaust systems employ triple chamber resonator/muffler designs, so they "open up" with increased flow yet maintain sufficient back pressure at lower loads so that torque is enhanced. An example is my 500E; several corner workers were intrigued by the car at a recent track event, and said the neatest thing was how it sounded. When I asked them to describe it, all they could come up with is that it sounded very "unrestricted". When I'm at WOT in that car, it howls mildly from inside the car, but from outside it's pretty loud.

And mbtjc, I wasn't intending to be a wise-ass, I was just trying to get you to reconsider, or re-evaluate, your requirements. As you stated, you want a sytem "...to be relatively quiet yet still flow better than stock and I don't want to be able to hear it inside the car". Well, I humbly submit that no muffler or resonator combination on the planet will meet these requirements as well as the OE design. More flow WILL mean more noise, unequivocally...so if you want quiet when you're toodling around or pounding down the highway, then an OE or a copycat design (like the stainless setup from TimeValve on my TE) I think is the way to go.

For any minimal performance gain you might achieve with a high-flow setup, you're gonna regret the noise tradeoff.

Good luck with your evaluation

jasondew · #10 03-01-2002, 09:32 PM

any backpressure is bad for performance, at all RPMs. less backpressure is always better. that is a fact, not an opinion. of course you don't run 5" pipes or open headers because that destroys scavenging, not because the backpressure is too low.

the less restrictive the muffler is, the lower the backpressure will be and the better the performance will be at all RPMs. the lower the restriction, the louder the muffler will be. that is a rule that i've never seen an exception to. of course this doesn't work in reverse because a louder exhaust doesn't equal better performance.

yes for quiet sound a OEM or copycat. for better performance go with a universal straight through and put up with the noise. for the absolute best performance eliminate the muffler all together yet keep the exhaust pipe the same diameter and approximately the same length. basically you've got to weight the increase in sound (large) vs. the increase in performance (small) when considering a straight through muffler.

pipe diameter relative to the manifold diameter and design has a reciprocal affect on upper and lower RPM torque. smaller pipe better for low RPM. larger pipe better for high RPM. but, you've got to stay withing the limits imposed by the header. mufflers and catalyic converters affect the entire RPM range equally.

what you can do to improve the performance is have a custom pipe bent that is no more than .25" larger diameter than your stock pipe, that minimizes the number of bends, uses mild bends, not sharp, and eliminates things like the mid-muffler, and catalytic converter if your car has those. this will not change the sound drastically and you'll see more gains than with a different muffler. this type of system with a high flow muffler will of course give you the best performance.

...(catch breath)....

okay i guess that's enough for now huh?

mbtjc · #11 03-01-2002, 10:08 PM

Thanks for the reply! So you're sayin that if I do all that and just leave the OE rear muffler, I will see gains and it won't be too much louder? I know that a performance muffler is better....but I haven't made up my mind yet. Thanks

jasondew · #12 03-01-2002, 11:23 PM

yes, exactly. just make sure the muffler you use is the same diameter as the new pipe you use. it will be a little throatier but not too loud. it doing this alone will help more than a muffler alone. and, it's not that expensive. you can do it all with stainless steel and still end up spending less than 1/3 of what it costs to buy Lorinser, Renntech, Carlsson, etc. the biggest thing is finding an exhaust shop with someone who can do the work well. most shops around me don't even do custom bending, only installation of direct fit parts.