300 TDi exhaust - do I need a muffler?

[86mud]

Hi all

Sorry if this has been discussed before, but my 1998 300 TDi currently has exhaust made up of a 2 & 3/4 inch pipe with one muffler.

Will removing the muffler help improve torque/power? The current muffler looks standard - not high flow

Is anyone running a straight through system without a muffler?

Cheers

Andrew

[nice1guv]

Do a search for exhaust, alot of people have made modifications, but nearly always keep one muffler.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/technical-chatter/78537-what-size-should-i-go-300tdi-exhaust.html

You can always remove the mufflers if you want to, but the performance appears to be not really increased even if you do.

Removing one and or both mufflers generally gets the turbo spinning earlier, so there is a slight power increase to be had.

But it is a big trade off. From what I've read the drone at highway speed is the biggest problem. Remove one muffler and its fine, but go straight through and its nearly unbearable.

[weeds]

i don't run mufflers, apparently its a bit noisey but i have never heard it and the turbo does seem to spool a little quicker, no noticable increase in power

[rainman]

I've been toying with this idea for a while now on my 300TDi 110 ute. I did a few tests without actually having to fork out cash at the exhaust shop:

1. Removed the centre section from the system, thus taking out the main muffler, but of course meaning that it was dumping straight out of the dump pipe under the passenger seat. It was loud; really loud. It sounded like a tractor. It's not an unpleasant sound, but it would become too much on a trip. Obviously putting a straight though to the rear would make it a bit better. The coolest thing was that you could hear the turbo spinning at idle.

2. Removed the rear section from the system, this taking out the resonator, but leaving the main muffler. This wasn't as loud as removing the muffler as well, but it was really "boom-ie" (I guess that's why they call it a resonator). This would be unbearable for any extended period also.

What you have to realise is that a 110 ute is always going to get more exhaust noise in the cab than a wagon or even a 130 crew cab, especially when you don't have a centre seat like me. I think what I have decided to do is go for a straight through section to replace the main muffler, and leave the resonator at the back. I just have to get around to getting it done.

As a side note, the tail pipe (from the resonator back) is considerably smaller than the rest of the system. I reckon a 2 3/4 inch piece of stainless there would be much nicer.

I'd be intersted to know what you end up going with Andrew. I'm considering a 300TDi crew cab for the future.

[Grover-98]

I have removed both mufflers on my 300Tdi. It growls a lot more and you hear the turbo much clearer!

It spools up slightly quicker but no real performance gain. But sounds awesome! :)

[86mud]

I currently have just the one muffler..

I am going to my mates muffler place tomorrow afternoon, so we will play around with it and I will let you all know.

Thanks all for the advice

Cheers

Andrew

[rijidij]

There are a lot of muffler choices. On my Isuzu turbo I run just one muffler in the middle of a 3" system, but it's a straight through one with no restrictions at all. I know it's a different engine, but I've had no droning and the noise level is quite comfortable. It's not just a hollow muffler, it's fiberglass packed and the muffler guy highly recommended it for a turbo diesel as he'd fitted them before with some success.

Cheers, Murray

[86mud]

I use to own a 1985 Peugeot 505 Turbo Diesel which had no mufflers at all, just a straight through pipe which I think was 2 & 1/4 inch diameter. I had no issues of resinating sound through the cabin. But I must admit, the soundproofing on the Pug was a slight bit better then the Defender.

Originally the Pug had a huge centre muffler - about 500mm long! and when I removed it, it weight a ton as it was chock full of soot!

See how I go tomorrow....at this stage I am all for removing the existing muffler all together.

Cheers

Andrew

[pommy66]

I took everything out......sounds OK no droan.
pomm

[dullbird]

might drown out yeah tyres if you got muddies on :D

I'm going to get mine done..but i'm having flanges put in so the box can be bolted back in if need be...my only concern with doing it is whether it will effect the engine breaking as mine is crap already :D

[dromader driver]

My Defa ute centre muffler had cracked out so did a cut and shut on a hotdog using the original bolted connections just in case. Rear pipe is a 1994 original. Power is up a bit using the calibrated hill test and no discernable change from in the cabin. Recently one of the kids drove it up a hill when I was standing across the valley from it. Probably a bit noisier from outside but then I'm not normally outside...

:twisted:

[Robmacca]

I know this post is a bit old..... but any comments on how your muffler mods went ??


I currently have just the one muffler..

I am going to my mates muffler place tomorrow afternoon, so we will play around with it and I will let you all know.

Thanks all for the advice

Cheers

Andrew

[dromader driver]

Don't worry about the centre pipe needing a hot dog. Just fills up with soot. Use a straight pipe.

[86mud]

Update is - best mod for a 300Tdi. With the straight through exhaust (2.5" pipe), bigger intercooler and tweaked pump I get this.... (This is on 285/75 16 MTZ tyres)

[rick130]

Just don't go straight through with a 3" system.

It's far worse than awful.

You'll need a resonator and centre muffler, the resonance and just plain noise is horrific without.
Smaller pipe diameters will be a lot better noise wise.

[Robmacca]

Update is - best mod for a 300Tdi. With the straight through exhaust (2.5" pipe), bigger intercooler and tweaked pump I get this.... (This is on 285/75 16 MTZ tyres)

So, "straight through" I assume u don't even have a resonator then ???

Aside from performance changes, How's the noise level then ??? Would the 110 Wagon be worse for noise?

rob

[PAT303]

Both my Tdi and TDCi have the rear resonator,everything else is gone. Pat

[simmo]

Hi ,I'm with Pat, i removed the middle muffler and bought one of the aftermarket pipe substitutes.

Can't say i noticed any increase in noise inside the cabin at any speed. ( Or any increase performance or economy either :)

But it certainly a weight savings. cheers simmo

[weeds]

On my old defer I went straight through with the original sized pipe.......noticed increased noise when passenger window was down while on freeway with concrete barriers.

[86mud]

I have a straight through pipe on my 300 Tdi - no resinators, no mufflers. And as said above, keep to 2.5" diameter, no bigger.

Like Weeds said, the only time I hear noise in the cab is when the left rear window is open and i am driving along side a barrier on a freeway.