blau928

Esprit, send me a PM.. I have one..

Ed Hughes

Very timely thread, as this is on my list to do this Spring or Summer.

the flyin' scotsman

I have my OEM rear muffler sitting around but logistics may be prohibitive.

gjm

First - I've not read the whole thread! Apologies if I repeat that which others have said.

I have an '84 S2 auto with RMB, and a 1990 GT (currently) with x-over and RMB. The S2 is fine, nice 'n' rorty, but not so obtrusive that the neighbours will complain when you creep home at 2 in the morning.

But the GT... No chance. Wa-a-ay too loud. Sounds fantastic, unbelievable from inside and outside the car at full throttle. 5500rpm up and it'll deform the panels on any car you pass. Wow.

However, it's also a real PITA. It's possible, but not easy, to hold a normal conversation in the car at 70mph; under acceleration, forget talking. There's a school of thought that says conversation should be the last thing on your mind, but it's all but impossible. The exhaust sounds great, but its LOUD.

I'll be swapping the RMB for a standard, or near-standard, rear silencer. The RMB generally doesn't give a performance advantage, just a 'better' sound while a rear silencer will quieten things down without hurting the benefits that can be gained from a x-over, and I'll still have a heavier exhaust note than a standard car.

In summary - x-over+rmb is too loud. One or the other will give a better sound, but only a x-over will give any performnace benefit.

Of ocurse, tapered headers will also enhance performance, but thats another topic entirely...

Graham
'84 Strosek auto
'90 GT

the flyin' scotsman

Graham..........don't sell the RMB just yet. Ed (posted above) is about to experiment with his X, a set of larger (Carl at Motorsport) resonators and a RMB. It may just be the correct combo we waiting for as most who have posted on the subject are in agreement that the X/ RMB combo is too loud for regular driving.

SeanR

Ed was here with his RMB put back on and I think (only my personal opinion) that it sounded very tough. It was louder than mine with the stock cats, GT resonators and RMB, but it sounded really kick ***.

I didn't take it for a drive to see how it sounded in traffic or what the reverb was inside, but it was very nice sounding.

Ed is going to try some new cat back to RMB stuff and I'm sure he will post on what his impressions are. Maybe just a tone down from what it was today would be perfect for him, I'd almost be happy with the way he has it now.

Damn near (pardone) Ferarri sounding today.

Ed Hughes

Sorry Sean, shoulda let you take her for a spin. I'm keeping the RMB on for the interim, that friggin' boat anchor muffler ain't going back on. So, you should be able to try it out. It is just a touch too loud. When you get on it, particularly from 4K up, it sounds incredible, but for just cruising, it is a smidge too much. For the record, I think the muffler chokes down the power too, but that's just my butt dyno, so it's obviously unscientific.

I hope the new sport mufflers going on in place of the resonators do the trick. I'll definitely post my opinions, and I'm sure Capt. Carl will too.

the flyin' scotsman

........and Ed you have the new cats which will deaden the sound also.

I too kept the RMB on for a while but after triggering parked car alarms last spring, unwanted attention from our folks in blue and the SO threatening never to venture forth again I got the GT rear muffler. This is a bandaid fix though as I really liked the style and shape of the RMB so I'm hopeful the Motorsport mid mufflers do the trick.

SeanR

Is there a difference between the GT's rear Muff and the S4's?

Ed, didn't need a drive, the testosterone was enough watching the small rubber squeeks to get me interested in that X-Pipe.

When John got here, I didn't throttle him for busting me with the wife. I wanted to........................but didn't.

the flyin' scotsman

Yes, the stock S4 rear muffler has a single outlet pipe, platypus style. The newer rear mufflers have twin outlet pipes but weigh approx the same as the S4. The true GT/CS club sport rear muffler is lighter with the twin outlets.

SeanR

How can you tell with just a visual inspection?

I thought I had stock resonators until someone (sterling) educated me that it was different.

Ed Hughes

That must be an early S4 style, my stock S4 muff has the twin outlets....

the flyin' scotsman

Thats what I meant by newer rear mufflers; S4 and GTS.........

Sean, the rear mufflers have the part number stamped on them............have a look and we'll see what PET tell's us.

SeanR

I've got PET, but not the stock rear muff. When I got my car, it came with the GT reson's and a RMB.

Talk about being given the best of both worlds, but not knowing what world I'm on.

whitefox

The S4 resonators are the largest ones correct? So X-pipe+RMB+S4 resonators will not be too loud.