I've been having some problems with my McIntosh sub causing rattle. My music didn't have to be up very loud in order for it to be the case, so I went to a couple of audio shops in search of a new sub.
Long story short, I purchased some Stinger Roadkill (Dynamat alternative) and put it on my parcel shelf. I also glued my McIntosh sub as it had cracks (see the pics) and it seems to be fine now.
You can see the brown, cracked area. I wiped the cone clean and glued it together.
Insulation coverage - around 3/4 of a sheet used.
I also had some additional Roadkill, so I put it in my front doors. Used 2 sheets overall for the parcel shelf and front doors.
Insulation coverage, used a bit more than show in the pictures. Used roughly 1 and 1/4 sheets.
Finally took the plunge on some mufflers for my car. Decided to go with Ultrex because they were reasonably cheap and I wasn't sure if I'd like them (or anything) anyway.
They fit reasonably OK, could do with some modification to help straighten them up and they hang a bit closer to the centre than the sides.
I've attached some photos (sorry, they're terrible) so you can see what they look like on a sedan, with the rest of the exhaust stock.
I'm not keen on how round they are or how much they stick out – just my personal opinion. However, the sound isn't too bad. It sounds quite sporty, with most of the action happening down low. They aren't too loud, which I like and don't seem to drone. I've only done about 50km in them though!
Here's a video with some light revving:
So, my dilemma now is what to do. I'm thinking of getting some custom mufflers made up in mild steel with oval shaped tips. The exhaust places I've gone to said they can't do much with the Ultrex mufflers because the way they're made.
I could, perhaps, gut the stock mufflers, I suppose? I'm not sure.
Hope this helps someone who was as unsure as I was!
shav wrote:That's basically all I did too Chris. Seemed to make a difference too.
Yeah, I think so too, Shav! I feel as though they make a slight difference, nothing radical, but you realise it's done. I don't think it's placebo anyway!
Exhaust sounds just like mine Chris. I had my mid pipe modified a bit to make the mufflers sit back under the bumper more. As for the alignment with the cutouts, I think that's just how they come. Im fairly satisfied with them to be honest. Sure they could look a bit better but for the price paid, I think it's a great system.
Cheers Shav
MY07 Subaru Liberty GT Premium Sedan | HKS Panel filter | Pierburg 3 port | Whiteline adj sways F&R | Cusco HD mounts | Whiteline HD front sway links | Anycarlink AL-1080B | Ultrex s/s 3" CBE | Ultrex PU lip spoiler | Invidia s/s dump pipe and 100cel cat | KiDo tuned | DBA T2 rotors | Intima SS brake pads | Mishimoto TMIC | Koya ISR7 wheels | 265L Kobe fuel pump | Diamond Works SI Drive dial | Bilsteins
COSMETIC MODS ON THE WAY
My other toys: 2012 Focus Cayo 2.0 road bike 2015 Cervelo S5 VWD road bike
A few weeks ago I got some custom mufflers made up for my Lib. They're mild steel, so compared to the Ultrex ones, they're probably a little bit deeper, but the noise level is around the same.
The tips basically follow the contour of the car, which I'm happy with.
I put a little bit of roof installation (?) sheets under the back seats and in the boot to take away around 10% more of the noise, so I'm really happy with now.
I'll post up some better photos this weekend hopefully and a sound clip.
shav wrote:That looks good Chris. As long as your happy that's all that matters
If I could design them and get the sound exactly as I wanted, I would. Unfortauntely I can't do that. The muffler place didn't have the tips I wanted on the day, but my car was there and I basically just conceded for him to put on whatever he thought were best. These look a little bit big for my liking, but it's not the end of the world.
I feel like these will do until I get sick of them and put the stock ones back on.
shav wrote:That looks good Chris. As long as your happy that's all that matters
If I could design them and get the sound exactly as I wanted, I would. Unfortauntely I can't do that. The muffler place didn't have the tips I wanted on the day, but my car was there and I basically just conceded for him to put on whatever he thought were best. These look a little bit big for my liking, but it's not the end of the world.
I feel like these will do until I get sick of them and put the stock ones back on.
Thanks for commenting Shav.
Hi Chris nice work but way to big in my opinion . You could have used your stock muffler tips..
shav wrote:That looks good Chris. As long as your happy that's all that matters
If I could design them and get the sound exactly as I wanted, I would. Unfortauntely I can't do that. The muffler place didn't have the tips I wanted on the day, but my car was there and I basically just conceded for him to put on whatever he thought were best. These look a little bit big for my liking, but it's not the end of the world.
I feel like these will do until I get sick of them and put the stock ones back on.
Thanks for commenting Shav.
All good mate. The size of the tips is probably at the limit I would go too but it's personal taste at the end of the day. They are different to what is out there for these cars so at least you can rest knowing you havent copied someone else. As for the sound, well it's subjective. Other than measuring each bend, angle and curve of the exhaust and doing back to back tests on what is and isn't good, I think you have done well. It can be worse remember. I have heard some Subies sound like farts in a can. Bloody terrible. But hey they like it, so who am I to judge.
Cheers Shav
MY07 Subaru Liberty GT Premium Sedan | HKS Panel filter | Pierburg 3 port | Whiteline adj sways F&R | Cusco HD mounts | Whiteline HD front sway links | Anycarlink AL-1080B | Ultrex s/s 3" CBE | Ultrex PU lip spoiler | Invidia s/s dump pipe and 100cel cat | KiDo tuned | DBA T2 rotors | Intima SS brake pads | Mishimoto TMIC | Koya ISR7 wheels | 265L Kobe fuel pump | Diamond Works SI Drive dial | Bilsteins
COSMETIC MODS ON THE WAY
My other toys: 2012 Focus Cayo 2.0 road bike 2015 Cervelo S5 VWD road bike
Changing my mufflers more than underpants at the moment.
Got some TBSTi mufflers off James (unsure of forum name, sorry mate!) and fitted them on Friday night.
Pretty much stock sounding with maybe 3-5% more sound at certain parts of the rev range. Can only really tell with a keen ear in the cabin. Sound a bit different than the stock mufflers outside of the car.
Also, got my roof resprayed and the entire car detailed, so it's looking pretty clean at the moment.
chris12 wrote:Changing my mufflers more than underpants at the moment.
Got some TBSTi mufflers off James (unsure of forum name, sorry mate!) and fitted them on Friday night.
Pretty much stock sounding with maybe 3-5% more sound at certain parts of the rev range. Can only really tell with a keen ear in the cabin. Sound a bit different than the stock mufflers outside of the car.
Also, got my roof resprayed and the entire car detailed, so it's looking pretty clean at the moment.
Nice sounding. Did they have to blend in to pillars etc when roof re sprayed ?
