HELP: Make Exhaust Sound Louder

[tRiCksteR_IAN]

Hi, I recently got a resonator delete. I like the sound better than before, but I would like a little more loudness without dishing out much money.Any ideas on modifying it on the cheap? Only legal mods please! I probably will not go more than $50. Also, is there any way to drill out a silencer in the muffler if there is one? I have a 2.0 gas beetle. Thanks

[TDI_bubble]

Legal, nothing short of a new muffler. If you like the sound of the engine I would suggest a cat delete with appropriate 02 spacer to not throw a code. The rear muffler will make it sound stock still, but the cat cuts out a lot of the raspyness of the engine exhaust noise.

[tRiCksteR_IAN]

Originally Posted by TDI_bubble

Legal, nothing short of a new muffler. If you like the sound of the engine I would suggest a cat delete with appropriate 02 spacer to not throw a code. The rear muffler will make it sound stock still, but the cat cuts out a lot of the raspyness of the engine exhaust noise.

I want it to be raspy and sound deep. I have too much engine noise! I guess I'm looking for a more ricey sound. I live in Texas where there is no decibel limit but their thing is to not sound "unusual." Everybody and there hillbilly deluxe pick up trucks sound loud!!

[tRiCksteR_IAN]

Originally Posted by TDI_bubble

Legal, nothing short of a new muffler. If you like the sound of the engine I would suggest a cat delete with appropriate 02 spacer to not throw a code. The rear muffler will make it sound stock still, but the cat cuts out a lot of the raspyness of the engine exhaust noise.

Wait.... I'm confused! You are saying that a cat delete will give it the raspy sound? Oh, and will an eBay $40 muffler make it any better?

[Homer3D]

Install a Cut Out and get best of both worlds.

Reverend's Sti exhaust cutout - YouTube

You can get a Cut Out for like $30, but the electric plate that opens and closes will cost you.

[tRiCksteR_IAN]

Originally Posted by Homer3D

Install a Cut Out and get best of both worlds.

Reverend's Sti exhaust cutout - YouTube

You can get a Cut Out for like $30, but the electric plate that opens and closes will cost you.

That would be awesome to do, but wouldn't that be illegal? I've looked online and saw that people could possibly be ticketed for cutouts. Also, it wouldn't pass emissions test.

[Homer3D]

Originally Posted by tRiCksteR_IAN

That would be awesome to do, but wouldn't that be illegal? I've looked online and saw that people could possibly be ticketed for cutouts. Also, it wouldn't pass emissions test.

Completely legal. When the cut out is closed, everything works like it would if you didn't have it. Meaning all the exhausts still runs through its normal path. The only way it would not pass emissions if you had it installed before the cats and you had it open during the test. But you should install it after the cats but before the muffler.

[tRiCksteR_IAN]

Hmm....... I'm not sure what I'd do. I emailed a muffler shop asking if glass packs would be legal. He will probably say no. The glass pack is like $20 which would be cheap enough to do. If I had a cutout, I would probably get a manual cover instead of electronic. Then I wouldn't be able to close it in time if I saw the po po! I can't afford a ticket, as I would have insurance increase and others at 16 yrs old. I don't plan on spending much, as my beetler is at 169k miles and is an 01.

[Oh Randi]

Originally Posted by tRiCksteR_IAN

I want it to be raspy and sound deep. I have too much engine noise! I guess I'm looking for a more ricey sound.

[Homer3D]

I am not sure who you are working with or what your local laws are, but a glass pack should not be illegal. Now the amount of sound your car makes with said glass pack might be if it exceeds the sound laws of your area. However, I couldn’t image your 2.0 engine sounding that loud with a cutout or glass pack. In either case, loud exhaust should only be a “fix it” ticket and have no affect on your driving record and/or insurance rates. (You should confirm this with your insurance company)

Personally, I don’t think your car would sound good with either one of those choices. If it was my car, I would probably install a magnaflow muffler. They have a nice mellow tone. Sounds healthy. I do not like the “Ricer” sound. But I have not sure the magnaflow on a beetle before so I don’t know what it would sound like.

[nighttrain1974]

Remove the centre silencer.

[Judee]

The big muffler right before the tips is what really reduces the sound more-than the intermediate muffler in the middle, and definitely more than the catalytic converter.

I would recommend against removing the catalytic converter because it really won't do much for your exhaust tone. It may even do bad things like confuse the Post-Cat O2 sensor (if you have one) into producing false readings.

For reference, Nubz is an I5 with a slightly different firing order/frequency than your 2.0, so your car will sound slightly different.

The CAT and intermediate toblerone-shaped triangle muffler/resonator is still in place, with 3" piping from triangle resonator back, with a DynoMax SuperTurbo muffler at the end.

Above 3k, you get a really nice dual-tone sound, similar to Audi UR-Quattro race cars. That's a biproduct of the I5. Exhaust tone is deep enough to set off car alarms in parking structures in 2nd gear... you can actually hear my neighbor's car beep once (0:25) in the video:

3" Beetle2.5L Exhaust - YouTube

.addicted2sp33d (Judee's Chauffeur)

[nighttrain1974]

Originally Posted by Judee

[FONT="Trebuchet MS"][SIZE="2"]The big muffler right before the tips is what really reduces the sound more-than the intermediate muffler in the middle, and definitely more than the catalytic converter.

Have to disagree tbh.

Once i removed my centre box it really opened up the noise and gave the car a bit more performance wise as well.

The muffler at the box is what tunes the tones once they get there, the smaller it is the louder it is, the longer it is the deeper it is. It's like anything else, personal preference can be tuned in.

I'll have videos from a tunnel run soon.

[FootScoot]

I too was not happy with the sound of my Beetle. Too quiet to begin with, so I went with a Magnaflow, of which I was not impressed, too tinny sounding. Then finally a resonator delete, with a 14857 Magnaflow. Sounds very healthy now. Around $150 including parts and labor.

We have a noise ordinance here, but I rarely get a second look from the local police. My Beetle is not nearly as noisy as the Harley's around here.