V1 It's very loud

[Gtstorey]

Just be careful with the thought of swapping a restriction in and out on the exhaust. At some point you may exceed the ability of the ECM to compensate.

 

[PHENDERSON]

How hard is it to get a quieter muffler?? There are dozens (conservative count, lol) to choose from that will fit.
I fail to see the issue here. Ecotecs are not unique in any way...

I'm not having a problem finding mufflers that fit. I'm asking if anyone has a proven solution to the noise level so I don't have to go through trial and error.

Lots of good advice here otherwise.

 

[G Atsma]

Find an OEM muffler with similar in/out diameter. There should be a few that will fit where the kit muffler goes now. Most OEM mufflers are fairly quiet.

 

[PHENDERSON]

Well, this is what I came up with. Purchased some pre-bent tubing, muffler, and resonator off Amazon. Chopped up the pipe to fit and used clamps to hold everything together. It all is connected to the original DF supplied exhaust. Looks silly but will make the neighbors happy until I troubleshoot everything and then I can simply remove it and have the original setup still in place.

 

[JBINTX]

Those neighbors will never appreciate the lengths you have gone to appease them……

 

[Dsteinhorst]

It sure looks silly, but I love it! I bet it's the quietest car in town!

 

[Dsteinhorst]

Those neighbors will never appreciate the lengths you have gone to appease them……

I'll speak for PHENDERSON and say this is a strictly selfish venture.

 

[Fozda]

Well, this is what I came up with. Purchased some pre-bent tubing, muffler, and resonator off Amazon. Chopped up the pipe to fit and used clamps to hold everything together. It all is connected to the original DF supplied exhaust. Looks silly but will make the neighbors happy until I troubleshoot everything and then I can simply remove it and have the original setup still in place.

Woah, that's like $100 in band clamps alone!

 

[PHENDERSON]

It wasn't cheap. $50 in band clamps, $130 in pre-bent tubing, $35 for the resonator, and $45 for the Thrush muffler...not to mention about 4 hours of labor. I already have the worst lawn on the block, I don't need to add noisiest

 

[Fozda]

Do you have an HOA?

 

[PHENDERSON]

I do.

 

[Gtstorey]

No way I could survive living under HOA.

 

[Waterdriver]

What you came up with was very creative. It would be interesting to hear yours now compared to how it was before.

I can't tell from the picture, did you add a support to your exhaust system? If not you might want to consider it. There's quite a bit more weight now that's all hanging on the header and the studs in the head.
Statically, the weight would be ok. Once your driving though, forces are being applied to the exhaust in all directions and multiplied when you hit bumps, turns, etc. Especially the up and down motion.
For the DF supplied exhaust and something else I'm looking into doing, I've considered building a bolt in crossbar mounting bracket that runs between the two lower wing mounts on the chassis. From there options abound on how to support the exhaust, depending on muffler selection and exhaust routing. (Cradles, J hooks with isolators, etc)

Not telling you what to do, just something to consider if you hadn't already and since you went through the effort.

 

[Joebob]

What you came up with was very creative. It would be interesting to hear yours now compared to how it was before.

I can't tell from the picture, did you add a support to your exhaust system? If not you might want to consider it. There's quite a bit more weight now that's all hanging on the header and the studs in the head.
Statically, the weight would be ok. Once your driving though, forces are being applied to the exhaust in all directions and multiplied when you hit bumps, turns, etc. Especially the up and down motion.
For the DF supplied exhaust and something else I'm looking into doing, I've considered building a bolt in crossbar mounting bracket that runs between the two lower wing mounts on the chassis. From there options abound on how to support the exhaust, depending on muffler selection and exhaust routing. (Cradles, J hooks with isolators, etc)

Not telling you what to do, just something to consider if you hadn't already and since you went through the effort.

The weight has me concerned as well. I have a NS goblin and the 2" exhaust with a DF added Cat. When I first got it, it was very loud and was not happy with it. Idle in neutral is still pretty loud. Once I put a few hundred miles on it, the sound mellowed out and also once in gear is more quiet. From the looks of your tires, it looks like you have not driven much yet. You can give it time to see if it mellows out to your liking or get the 2" exhaust that is much quieter than the 2.5 and 3" I have heard.

 

[PHENDERSON]

I've driven about 3 blocks. Still troubleshooting. I wanted to make it quiet so I don't worry about letting it just run in my driveway. I plan on removing the extra stuff once everything is in working order.

The weight concern is a great point. I looked and I can add some straps on both sides connected to the wing uprights. It will add to the silly factor but take stress off the manifold bolts.

 

[PHENDERSON]

Started it finally. It actually sounds good. Still a touch louder than a normal cobalt would be but in range of "normal"