Do I need a Muffler?

[TinyRulz]

I switched my muffler on my camaro today from stock to magnaflow, While I was changing it I ran the car around the block with no muffler and it sounded GREAT But will it hurt my motor to run it like that because I have a gutted cat.

1993 Z-28 Camaro

So can I run it with no muffler?

[98BlackTransAm]

Originally Posted by TinyRulz

I switched my muffler on my camaro today from stock to magnaflow, While I was changing it I ran the car around the block with no muffler and it sounded GREAT But will it hurt my motor to run it like that because I have a gutted cat.

1993 Z-28 Camaro

So can I run it with no muffler?

i dont think running it w/ out a muffler could really hurt the engine,, that'd basically just be straight pipes..altho that's def not street legal. i'd go with a cutout, which isnt street legal either, but it's slightly more refined and a little less noticeable than just having no muffler. just cap the cutout when you get it inspected and don't go above 2k rpms in front of the po-po

[Savage Messiah]

won't hurt your engine, just your neighbors' ears

[NoRiceHere01]

it will only hurt the engine if theres not enough pipe to dissipate the heat of the exhaust.even if its a straight pipe it wont hurt if it runs all the way out to the back of the car.if u run a cutout and its right off the headers its not a good idea to leave it that way.with a pipe that short it will eventually build up enough heat to burn the exhaust valves.plus if theres no backpressure at all u will lose any bottom end torque the engine has.as cool as open headers sound it is better to have a properly tuned exhaust.i wouldnt worry about it bein legal tho.if the cats gutted then ur already illegal haha

[98BlackTransAm]

Originally Posted by NoRiceHere01

it will only hurt the engine if theres not enough pipe to dissipate the heat of the exhaust.even if its a straight pipe it wont hurt if it runs all the way out to the back of the car.if u run a cutout and its right off the headers its not a good idea to leave it that way.with a pipe that short it will eventually build up enough heat to burn the exhaust valves.plus if theres no backpressure at all u will lose any bottom end torque the engine has.as cool as open headers sound it is better to have a properly tuned exhaust.i wouldnt worry about it bein legal tho.if the cats gutted then ur already illegal haha

you will lose a little low end torque with open exhaust (not sure how the open headers work performane-wise) but it basically just moves the torque curve up and gives you better performance in the long run (i.e. 1/4 mile times). you shouldnt have to worry about burning the exhaust valves if you install a cutout down the I-pipe closer to the muffler rather than right next to the engine. should also net you 1-2 mpg as well (assuming you resist the temptation to make it growl everywhere you go )

[NoRiceHere01]

no it wont hurt if its down the exhaust.sorry i didnt mean to sound discouraging haha i was just assuming he was gonna put it on the header cuz thats probably what i would do

[98BlackTransAm]

Originally Posted by NoRiceHere01

no it wont hurt if its down the exhaust.sorry i didnt mean to sound discouraging haha i was just assuming he was gonna put it on the header cuz thats probably what i would do

haha it's str8,, and open headers sound mean as shit imo

[Savage Messiah]

Originally Posted by NoRiceHere01

it will only hurt the engine if theres not enough pipe to dissipate the heat of the exhaust.even if its a straight pipe it wont hurt if it runs all the way out to the back of the car.if u run a cutout and its right off the headers its not a good idea to leave it that way.with a pipe that short it will eventually build up enough heat to burn the exhaust valves.plus if theres no backpressure at all u will lose any bottom end torque the engine has.as cool as open headers sound it is better to have a properly tuned exhaust.i wouldnt worry about it bein legal tho.if the cats gutted then ur already illegal haha

you're right on for the first part, except I'm pretty sure it's the cold air that can work its way up to the valves and crack them. Vavles are right in the combustion chambers, they're used to heat, it's when the cold air hits the other side that they crack

Other thing is oen that really gets t me, YOU DO NOT NEED OR WANT ANY BACKPRESSURE. backpressure is BAD. What people commonly mistake for backpressure, what you want, is exhaust velocity... if your piping is too wide or too short then you lose velocity at lower RPMs which will cost you torque. More velocity is better... less backpressure is better.

[demon9766]

savage is right if you have back pressure that means that your motor is choking out and won't run well. if he has long tube headers with cutouts it won't hurt a thing i do it all the time and still make the torque to pull the passanger tire off the ground.

[NoRiceHere01]

yes but u also have an engine thats tuned for that kind of exhaust.the cam in his car is not one thats designed to have just open headers on the engine.i have 2 mufflers on my truck right behind the cats and nothing after them and it works fine, but if i take the mufflers off i have no bottom end.i cant imagine it would improve his launch any if he were to run nothing but open headers.ur engine is a bit more extreme than most of ours lol.and whether its cold air or heat dissipation if he were to run just open headers on a regular basis it would burn his exhaust valves.my friend blew out the donut that seals his manifold to his pipe in his pickup and it soon burned all 4 exhaust valves in that bank of cylinders cuz he was too dumb to replace it.it does sound sweet with open headers and with a full exhaust and no muffler its perfectly safe.im just tryin to save him any trouble if i can

[TinyRulz]

My friend has a 1/8 and 1/4 mile timer that you place on your windsheild that tells you your power, speed, and time I tried it on my Z-28 with my Magnaflow, Stock, and No muffler and without anything it was 1.657 Seconds faster in 1/8 and about 1sec. in 1/4 why is that?

[AlmostStock]

Originally Posted by TinyRulz

My friend has a 1/8 and 1/4 mile timer that you place on your windsheild that tells you your power, speed, and time I tried it on my Z-28 with my Magnaflow, Stock, and No muffler and without anything it was 1.657 Seconds faster in 1/8 and about 1sec. in 1/4 why is that?

Because the timer is not accurate? There is no way simply removing your muffler is going to gain you a second in the quarter.

[NoRiceHere01]

thats what it sounds like to me.it takes quite a bit to just knock a second off a quarter mile time.how many times did u run the car with each exhaust setup?

[TinyRulz]

I ran them all once. I did it again today and got my friend to set it up for me and It's still faster with no muffler but nowhere close to the number's I got last time.

Now it is a 13.25 @ 107 no muffler
13.47 Magnaflow
13.90 Stock

Does that sound better.

[NoRiceHere01]

that sounds better.when u ran it with no muffler u still had a full pipe going to the rear of the car correct?