Exhaust recommendations?
 

I'd like to find a happy place between non-restrictive, cheap but sounding good but not snappy.

OEM exhaust routing? or dual exhaust with an x-over and one muffler?

Unless you want it to be LOUD to the point of being obnoxious, or plan to race it, I would avoid following in my footsteps with dual 2.5", a H pipe and a single muffler.

I'm considering trying to put a pair of resonators in the area the stock resonators were, versus the trouble of building the system again with smaller pipe.
As it sits on my SEC, it's loud to the point that when it's cold it's almost painful to the ears to be behind the car, and with the slightest bit of load on the engine it has an almost deafening roar.

If I didn't have to live around other people, and didn't worry about my own hearing over the long run, it'd be nice, but...


I'm thinking that dual 2.25" might have been a better choice, but I was being ambitious.
(If I can find other work soon, I might just try to fit twin turbos to help take a little of the noise off rather than shrinking the exhaust... They quiet things, right? :D)

I was thinking the original mercedes type exhaust the twin paired all the way down, but in 2.25 or 2.5 resonator and muffler. No such thing as pipe headers for these cars is there?

Give it up.

When not restricted for USA cheapskate tire buyers, you car would be a 150mph autobahn burner. Can't do that with "restricted" exhaust.

BTW, "restricted" exhaust is a concept that exists only in the minds of advertising copy writers.

Save your money for maintenance.

One of my bigger maintainance items IS my exhaust. it's a hack job from a previous owner, that I am sure is restricted at least 45%. I need to replace it so I thought I might have a little fun with it. I can do the work myself (Xcept for the complicated bends) so I'll save a tonne of money on labor.

I use Magnaflow Dual in/out Cat into a Dual in/out Magnaflow Muffler on my SEC and it Growls to quote Jim B. I am contemplating adding resonators to quiet it down some.
It isn't so loud that you cannot stand to be behind it though.

Oh,Well, In that Case.
 

(A Pipe Bender and A Welder)
First thing you do is fabricate a reducer to go from a 4" SS "straight through
system" to the flex pipe.'Mufflers,Catylsts and Etc., are unnecessary and
only "Restrict" the free flow.

I'll be able to hear that baby start up,even down here,Thousands of miles away! [Think about a Low Rumble,from over the Horizon.]

hehehe! I like the way you think :D I need to be heard but I also need the girls at the drive-thru to hear my order too :rolleyes:

Even with a Magnaflow 2.5" dual in/out muffler on my system, it's loud enough that I've had trouble with drive-thru order taking.

Driving uphill under an overpass is an interesting experience, having the exhaust resonating off of the underside of the overpass as well as the inclines to either side, all while the car is under load and accelerating.



As Chadahar said, I'm also considering adding resonators. One suggestion a friend had was another pair of the dual in/out Magnaflow mufflers with a U-turn pipe on one end of each, and mount them where the stock resonators lived.
This would have the added benefit of giving a point to suspend the exhaust from the stock exhaust hanger brackets.

Well I'd be curious to know what motor you're operating on first off. And, stock systems flow very well. I'd just go that route.

Cheap, quiet tone, direct fit... see my point.

Ditto...
For a diesel anything more than taking the center mufflers out is over kill and those come out because they are clogged with carbon.
For a 560 ask JohnHef. He just did his 560SEC... It is better than stock, but not too loud...

I think I will go with Stock, yes, cheap easyy and adequate. I'll just omit the cat's...oh, and it's a 4.5 gas engine.

Mine is a 500SEC so it's a European spec m117 5 liter engine.
I don't know if the slightly higher compression ratio and different cam timing would make all that much of a difference versus US spec motors though.

The 300SD still has stock bits on it, as I haven't seen any need to fiddle with it's exhaust plumbing, nor any real performance gain to likely be had.

When I had my 500 SEC I removed the rear muff and had a straight pipe made for that section. It made it rumble just a little. Perfect. When it came time to sell, I put the stock muff back on. I've also done this with other benzes with good results. The 91 350sdl, my 91 300d, maybe others I can't remember.

Well, I had a chance to re-work my exhaust a little. I eliminated the rear-most muffler and left the resonator, and WOW i noticed an increase in throttle response immediately :D