need quieter exhaust (have GMS), ideas..?

picked up on 05 LGT, has full turbo back via GMS, and its driving the family crazy. So I need to find something more family friendly. Would it be best to swap out some stock muffler cans/tips? What will I be able to bolt right up to the 3" back? Anyone have something they would like to trade for?

 

Thanks...

You can go to a muffler shop and have them weld on another muffler before the Y-pipe

You can go to a muffler shop and have them weld on another muffler before the Y-pipe

yah have the muffler shop add another muffler or resonator

Save yourself time and money, anything straight through is still going to be loud. Adding a muffler or resonator before the Y-pipe will help with cabin resonance but not much with sound. From what I've read and heard the SPT catback is the quietest, then there is stock. For some the SPT catback is still to loud, this is a very subjective and agonizing issue. I recently removed my MagnaFlow cat back after almost a year, I couldn't take it any longer. I currently have a Perrin down pipe to a Perrin 3" resonated mid/y-pipe with the stock mufflers. It's slightly louder then stock, not the sound I'm looking for but It will have to do for now. We all want a good healthy sound but we don't want to get beat up by it.

Supposedly a set of Equal Length Headers will kill the drone and lessen the boxer rumble quite a bit. Do some searching, read a thread the other night while researching ELH's and a couple wagon guys said it made their exhaust tolerable. Sorry can't remember what forum it was on, but pretty sure it wasn't this one.

 

I had an HKS and it was too loud for the wife, so I had a Magnaflow 4 x 9 x 14 added. It softened it ups some, but not enough for her. Ended up with an SPT v2. Hoping to add ELH's shortly, but for the horsepower, not the sound.

where is a good place to source a SPT v2 exhaust? I am guessing the wagon is a little different?

ELH or UELH are NOT going to make it quieter. Thats silly. More air + comparatively think header walls = more noise all around.

 

Don't buy a cheap exhaust that everyone says drones, particularly at mid rpm highway speeds at a tone of exactly the middle of talking range. I ran a GMS and would not even consider one without a in-line resonator. I actually ran a GMS/CXLighting mid (ebay). If you want a good sounding exhaust you need a exhaust with good quality mufflers not just decent quality tips. Stromung, Cobb, SPT are all good options in the one grand range.

 

Personally, I'd go to a muffler shop and weld in a in-line resonator for $100 to see if thats enough while you shop it out. It will increase the value of your GMS by at least $50. Mine sold for $250 shipped IIRC.

 

Does my Stromung make noise? Sure does. Plenty on throttle! Little off throttle. All in a range so deep that anyone without an aftermarket sub is unfamilliar with tones that deep and low in a car. THATS a quality exhaust.

Here is my word of advice... Rid the 3'' midpipe...Go put back the stock midpipe, (retain the last of the cats.) y pipes & cans..You will sound like a sleeper factory exhaust unit....Silence is golden ....

ELH or UELH are NOT going to make it quieter.

 

Don't blame me, it's those liars on Nasioc

 

Eliminating wagon drone - EL headers or Maddad Whisper?

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2128298&highlight=wagon+drone

 

I had the same issue and went with the Maddad EL header and uppipe combo and it did wonders for the highway drone!

 

I highly recommend it,

Josh

 

EL header got rid of the drone on my 03 wagon. Before that I tried many different CBE and they all did nothing to reduce the drone. EL worked for me.

 

EL give more power, but you lose boxer grunt and drone apparently.

 

I have an STi exhaust on my wagon and I think its awesome. Its quiet, on the road, but it lets you know its there when you really open it up (or at idle... has a nice little rumble to it). I have a stock DP, catless STi UP and the stock headers. EL would work, but for my money it would be the STi exhaust. I also was able to pick it up for like $35 from a local guy here in NC.

 

I got the perrin el header and no more drone, i'm also running the perrin catback as well.

The perrin exht wasn't bad to begin with but it's nice on the hwy now.

 

Here's some more, you can search more on your own after this:

http://www.3gwrx.com/forum/index.php/topic,19375.30.html

 

I installed the GT Spec equal length headers on my car and I will say without a doubt yes, the equal length headers do appear to make the car quieter and more comfortable to drive on the highway.

 

Been driving with the Invidia headers for quite a bit now and I like it. Could be a bit quieter (2500-3000 Rpm range on partial throttle), but after that it's good. Highway drone is a lot less and city driving is quiter too.

 

Honestly Max, I read it on the Internet, so it must be true.

But I agree with you, probably need a better exhaust with at least a resonator or third muffler.

 

OP I found my SPT Exhaust on sale bnib for 829.95 last November. Bought it off a website I can't remember but it actually shipped from Belknap Subaru in NH. It was by far the lowest price I could find at the time, just shop around or look for a used one.

Borla, Bosal, SPT v.2 all relatively quiet aftermarket exhausts.

 

Surprised no one mentioned it, but your GMS y-pipe should mate to the stock cans just fine. Could always bolt up the stock cans and cut down noise significantly, while keeping the flow benefits of a larger mid/y pipe.

Don't blame me, it's those liars on Nasioc

Honestly Max, I read it on the Internet, so it must be true.

But I agree with you, probably need a better exhaust with at least a resonator or third muffler.

 

I can only really base my opinion on the personal experience I have with (EDIT) the GMS exhaust and I have had and different setups. I have ran it at stage 0, stage 2, stage 3, with oem exhaust manifold, with uelh, etc.

 

At stage 0 it woke the sound of the car up and I liked it.

At stage 2 with uelh it was a million times louder

 

The under car sound certainly seems to be coming though the (compared to cast iron) thin header walls and increase of air traveling though the exhaust (wot). Thats all I can say other than the fact that I also run GTSPEC ELH like some of the posters and will verify the exact opposite of their claims in my instance.

 

(EDIT2) I would also readily admit that my wife drives the car at least as much as I did at the time and I had many opportunities to listen to the startup and pull away from the outside of the car but also from the passenger seat.

Well based on positive comments from you and Mike I took the plunge and bought a GTSpec ELH, just waiting for it to come in.

 

I don't have much drone w/the SPT exhaust, but I am pretty noisy under the hood already. I'm only getting it for the powa, but I'll see if it quiets any thing down in the back end. Maybe the front end noise just makes the rear less noticeable.