Most car owners with powerful cars want an aggressive sound that will match their vehicle and consider a muffle delete. The muffle is the component in your vehicle’s exhaust system that suppresses engine noise. Quite simply, a muffler delete is a replacement pipe that makes your car loud.
But just like any other vehicle modification, the muffler delete has its risks and rewards. You will have rough exhaust sound improved performance contending against potential legal issues. This article will weigh the advantages and disadvantages of using a muffler delete in your vehicle and help you decide if the exhaust modification is worth it.
What does a muffler delete do?
A muffler is a device in your vehicle’s exhaust system that acts as a resonator and dampens or minimizes the amount of noise your engine makes. Therefore, a muffler delete is a process of replacing the muffler with a straight pipe so that your vehicle revs more loudly.
The muffler creates back pressure in the exhaust system and slows down the flow of exhaust gases out of the system cutting down horsepower. Removing the muffler will offer a little more horsepower and speed.
That said, there are a few other reasons you may want a muffler delete system; your muffler has gone bad due to corrosion or blockage. Hence it is not functioning correctly.
Pros and cons of muffler delete system
Although muffler delete has become a popular modification to give your vehicle a more aggressive sound, it has its pros and cons that you should be aware of before installing the device. Below we have highlighted the most common advantages and drawbacks to help you decide if a muffler delete is good or bad.
Pros of a muffler delete
Increased horsepower
If your vehicle is 20 years or older, there is a good chance the muffler delete will increase your top-end horsepower. This is because older vehicles have extremely restrictive exhaust systems, which increase engine backpressure, which is unsuitable for your engine. The muffler delete will reduce the backpressure and low faster flow of exhaust gases out of the engine, resulting in more horsepower.
More aggressive exhaust sound
The entire purpose of the muffler s to reduce the amount of engine noise your vehicle produces. Therefore, your vehicle will have a more aggressive sound without the muffler, like a race car.
Lower backpressure
The muffler delete offers the vehicle’s exhaust a wider tip. So this reduces backpressure that might build within the car’s engine and causes the gases to flow out faster.
Attractive appearance
The back of your vehicle will look better without a clunky muffler protruding underneath, especially for low vehicles.
Reduced overall weight
A muffler delete will reduce some weight from your vehicle, resulting in more power. Even if your vehicle’s muffler is not particularly heavy, removing it will make your car more robust and faster.
Cost-effective
The increased horsepower you get for the muffler delete is usually cost-effective. At just about $200-$250, you’ll get improved performance and a more aggressive sound.
Cons of a muffler delete
Loud exhaust noise
You may not know how loud your engine is until your install a muffler delete. Therefore the noise you get may not meet your expectations. In addition, some engines produce a cracking, rattling noise without a muffler which may be irritating.
Reduced engine performance
A muffler delete performs better in older car models but not newer vehicles. The ECU is the unit of measurement for all sounds, inputs, outputs, and losses, so removing the muffler will result in loss of engine performance and trigger the check engine light.
Failed emissions test
A muffler’s purpose is noise reduction and making the engine smooth and environmentally friendly. Unfortunately, a muffler delete will trigger the sensor and register the modification as a malfunction, and your vehicle will fail the emissions test.
Legal issues
A muffler delete is legal in most jurisdictions in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada. But it is illegal if you break any legislation regarding noise, emissions, and efficiency. This is because the increased noises contribute to noise pollution, affect people’s health, and contribute to road safety issues.
The muffler delete is legal if it meets the allowable legal decibel level. So it is important to check your local laws before modifying your car’s muffler.
Also, a muffler delete does not affect exhaust system emissions test as it removes no smog equipment. However, some cars have sensors in the exhaust that may respond to the muffler removal as malfunction, causing a failed emissions test.
In other places, any change to the factory exhaust system is illegal, and you are likely to get a fine if detected.
Is a muffler delete bad for your car?
Yes and no are the answers. Any modification to the exhaust system can damage or benefit your vehicle. For example, removing the factory muffler in newer model cars can affect the vehicle and trigger the check engine light to come on.
Mufflers in newer cars are also engine-related; therefore, you may notice an impaired engine with the muffler delete. But in older cars with archaic exhaust systems, a muffler delete system will result in significant performance gains at high engine speed and a louder and more powerful exhaust sound.
Despite everything, your car is at risk of an exhaust leak or corrosion due to poor welding work.
Does a muffler delete make a tangible difference?
Some changes are noticeable, while others aren’t, depending on different factors.
Sound
Most people incorporate a muffler delete for sound modification. However, a muffler delete will give your vehicle a loud roaring sound. Also, depending on your engine type, some will produce more noise than others.
Horsepower
The difference in horsepower with a muffler delete can either be more noticeable or not there at all. Most modern cars have very power-efficient factory mufflers that can minimize engine noise without robbing much power if any.
So for most new models, the muffler delete will not increase any power. However, older cars can have more power of up 5-10 horsepower, depending on the car horsepower due to their restrictive exhaust system. So the power gain should be more noticeable on higher RPM.
Price
A muffler delete is significantly cheaper than a replacement muffler. So if your muffler has damage from corrosion, you may consider installing a muffler delete in its place for a louder exhaust but with the same performance.
Will a muffler delete affect gas mileage?
No. A muffler delete will not affect your gas mileage at all. However, you might experience improved fuel consumption after installing a muffler delete since more air can entire the combustion chamber, resulting in better fuel combustion.
Muffler delete vs. straight pipe: what are the differences?
A muffler delete removes your muffler and replaces it with a straight exhaust pipe. The goal of the muffler delete is to have much louder exhaust noise and reduce the backpressure for more horsepower.
A straight pipe means removing everything from the exhaust system that is not a pipe, including a muffler, resonator, and catalytic converter, and replacing them with a single straight pipe. The goal of a straight pipe is to have a louder exhaust sound and improve horsepower and gas mileage due to significantly lower back pressure.
Sound
Both muffler delete and straight pipe will increase your exhaust sound significantly. However, the sound increase would be equal for cars that come with one sound suppressing device-muffler. While cars have two or more sound muffling devices and do straight piping, the exhaust sound will be louder than a muffle delete.
Note that not all cars come with a resonator and all cars have a muffler from the factory.
Horsepower
Muffle delete gives a minor horsepower gain of about 5 horsepower. In contrast, a straight pipe gives a little more horsepower of up to 10 horsepower.
Exhaust backpressure
Backpressure reduces car performance because it limits the amount of air entering the combustion chamber.
Both muffler delete and straight pipe help lower exhaust backpressure. But straight piping reduces more back pressure than muffler delete because it removes more restrictions, like the muffler, resonator, and CAT. It is also why straight piping gives more horsepower.
Exhaust velocity
Exhaust velocity is how fast exhaust gases flow out of the system, improving performance, which means the higher the velocity, the better.
Both muffler delete and the straight pipe doesn’t impact exhaust velocity. The exhaust gases will flow at the same speed as before.
Tune required
Tuning allows you to adjust additional settings such as deleting the highest speed limits, RPM limiter.
A muffle delete system doesn’t require ECU tuning to function correctly. On the other hand, straight pipes require ECU tuning- mostly to disable the check engine warning light and optimize the air-fuel mixture for optimal horsepower gain. You can tune other parameters with a higher budget, such as adjusting the engine torque map.
Weight
Straight piping reduces more weight since it removes more exhaust system components. However, a muffler has less weight reduction since it only eliminates the muffler alone. Do note that these weight reductions do not provide noticeable power gain.
Legality
Both muffler delete and straight pipe are illegal for streetcars. But you are more likely to get away with a muffler delete than a straight pipe if the exhaust noise remains within the permissible decibel levels.
Over time, the noise from a muffler delete can be annoying and irritate others and the authorities. However, if your car has both a muffler and resonator, a muffler delete can still be legal because a resonator will suppress some of the engine noise.
A vehicle with a straight pipe will be more aggressively loud and likely be above the allowable decibel levels. Additionally, straight piping is not emissions legal. It removes the catalytic converter, which reduces exhaust emissions.
Gas mileage
Both muffler delete and straight pipe do not improve gas mileage. In some situations, gas mileage will worsen since the driver unconsciously revs more because of the loud sound.
Costs
Installation costs also depend on other factors, such as the city you reside in, the brand and model of your car, and the cost of piping materials. For example, titanium alloy pipes cost more than steel pipes.
Straight pipe installation is more expensive because there are more components to remove and pipes to bend and fit. For instance, muffler delete could cost you about $50-$100, whereas straight pipe could cost about $150-$200.
When it comes to a muffler delete Vs., Cat-back, muffler deletes are fine if you’re on a budget, but a cat-back is better. It is because a cat-back doesn’t have an exhaust noise as harsh as the one a muffler delete produces.
Mid muffler delete pros and cons
A mid-muffler(resonator) is a part of the exhaust system that sits behind the muffler to help it minimize the exhaust volume for a quieter car. It cancels out a specific range of sound frequencies to prepare the noise coming from the engine for more muting in the muffler. The resonator doesn’t just minimize sound; it changes it.
A mid-muffler delete will give your exhaust a deep, rumble sound that some people desire while also increasing your car’s horsepower and torque slightly.
Pros of a mid-muffler delete
- It will change the profile of your exhaust.
- It reduces the weight of your vehicle.
- It gives a small horsepower gain, depending on the circumstances.
- The middle muffler delete gives a clean underbelly appearance to your car.
Cons of a mid-muffler delete
- It gives your car more droning sounds, especially when driving at low speeds.
- You may lose some fuel efficiency as the engine works slightly harder to create the results you want.
- Due to the lower fuel efficiency, it may also result in some power loss.
- You will lose your vehicle’s signature sound.
Check this too: How Much Does It Cost To Install A New Exhaust System?
Conclusion
A muffler delete can provide a lot of loudness and slightly increased horsepower, but it may trigger a check engine light and go against noise control laws. Remember these muffler delete drawbacks and benefits while choosing whether or not to install the modification for your vehicle. Also, have a professional mechanic install the muffler delete to reduce risks associated with poor welding.