# ! Resonator + Stock Muffler



## inssane (Jun 20, 2011)

Anyone ever done this?
I don't want to do a big expensive cat back. I want to pull the resonator and put a magnaflow muffler on the car.
I don't think I want to do the muffler until next spring though.

If I pull off the resonator only and keep the stock muffler, is the cruising drone pretty bad? I have a KN short ram, so not too many exhausts will over power that noise on acceleration.

I figure that the !resonator is part of my process and it's something easy to do before winter.

Thoughts?

Nick


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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

Id say keep the res, get a muffler and depending on your state emissions a down pipe.


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## inssane (Jun 20, 2011)

I won't be doing a down pipe on this car 

I was just looking at those magnaflow turbo type mufflers, seems like mags are overall deeper than flowmasters. Trick is, I don't want drone or for it to sound farty. The 1.8s seem to do ok with sounding deeper than other 4s though. I did no cats through a stock muffler and a cam on a 99 camaro a while ago. THAT sounded nice and sneaky, but this is a Cruze 

I just want to keep it simple and run it straight back, not put the new muffler in the stock position.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

I have a full custom exhaust that only uses the zzp downpipe I've done everything else custom check my YouTube link for a sound clip. I havw $300 invested. 

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## inssane (Jun 20, 2011)

Ideally, I would like a performance muffler and !res only. I am not opposed to replacing piping from the cat back. It would still dump to a stock-type bent hidden tip, as I would like to do one of those rear bumper diffusers at one point.

Is stock piping 2 or 2.25? I would think going with a 2.5 if I am replacing from the cat back.

Was your $300 with labor or DIY?
I'm in Chicago and custom work isn't always cheap in my experience - I can still do a custom catback for alot less than bolt ons systems, so that I already know and am a fan of


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

inssane said:


> Ideally, I would like a performance muffler and !res only. I am not opposed to replacing piping from the cat back. It would still dump to a stock-type bent hidden tip, as I would like to do one of those rear bumper diffusers at one point.
> 
> Is stock piping 2 or 2.25? I would think going with a 2.5 if I am replacing from the cat back.
> 
> ...



Stock is 2.25. yes thats DIY and I feel your pain I will not spend $600+.


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## inssane (Jun 20, 2011)

Yeah.

I've gotta price it out. Then decide on a muffler, haha, oh ****.

I don't see it being too bad for me, no tip, no custom Y for duals, and the muffler ideally would be inline so there aren't many bends (better flow anyhow).

Any harm in going with a 2.5" (1.8L) I love a deeper growl, and wider will help, but if it adversly effects something then I'd rather not.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

If you want a cheap muffler its a flowmaster knock off I have it. IMCO High Output muffler summit sells them now.


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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

The 1.8s sound good with a 80s series flowmaster IMO 
Many YouTube vids out there.

The difference in performance stepping up to a bigger pipe won't be noticeable. But the cost might be 

I'd ask the guy what the cost to stretch/shrink the pipe ends to fit the muffler and stock pipe. Not sure if that's free or not. 

I'd try and get all the ends the same size if possible.

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## inssane (Jun 20, 2011)

2.25 would be just fine from front to back.


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## prince_bigd (Jul 16, 2013)

honestly any larger than 2.25 on the 1.8 and probably the 1.4 would do nothing for performance and possibly hinder power development. 2.25 in a single outlet exhaust piping should be capable of supporting up to 275-300 hp. Most the time the limiting factors are your bends and weld seams, and your catalytic converter/downpipe. Most of the gains you get from downpipes are more from thermal effeciency and backpressure scavenging. Too large a piping will cause more droning and too little backpressure in small displacement engines.


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## prince_bigd (Jul 16, 2013)

Also the best sounding muffler ive used on a 4 cylinder was the borla proxs line. sounded amazing and had much less drone than the magnaflow i had on the car previously. I dont have any plans to swap the resonator or muffler on this car. probably will do a catted dp/midpipe combo from zzp down the road, but i actually like that its so quiet.


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## leeclark (Mar 25, 2012)

taking the reso and leaving the factory muffler didn't make hardly any difference from stock. i have down pipe as well now, and it's only changed very little with downpipe and reso delete. Not where i want it still, so i'm thinking of doing a muffler delete on top of it. Gonna keep mid pipe factory though so that it isn't way too loud.


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## inssane (Jun 20, 2011)

I pulled the muffler off today and kept the res. It was a good choice


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