Looking for a throaty no drone exhaust. Suggestions? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Perfectlap · 02-21-2010, 10:35 AM

I think my 10 year old exhaust has had it. On start up I'm getting a wheezing sound that seems to go away once the car has warmed up after driving a while.
It almost sounds like a whistle. Well its going in for some maintenance this week if it is indeed time to replace the exhaust I'd like to consider some alternatives you've tried. Of course no drone, I went through that with an old car and it was hell. I'm NOT really concerned with HP gains since I'm more than satisfied with the current power and marginal gains at big cost don't move me. I'm more concerned with accoustics and value.

gschotland · 02-21-2010, 12:47 PM

If, too, have been considering a replacement exhaust that's a bit louder than stock and drone-free. The PSE (Pedro Sport Exhaust) is something you should investigate. Pedro claims his simple mods to the stock exhaust yield a throaty, drone-free sound, similar to Porsche's own PSE. I believe he has sound samples on youtube. Check out:

http://www.pedrosgarage.com/Site_3/Make_the_Pedro_Sport_Exhaust.html

Very lightly used S mufflers are readily available for $100-$150. Additional 1.5" ID stainless tubing would be $50-$75, depending on the source. He says it's 5 hrs of labor for the entire job, including brazing/welding in the tubes. If you're capable of doing this yourself, the whole setup can be exceptionally cost effective. Even if you can't, it's still pretty reasonable.

I see you're in NJ. This is a place I've been aware of for 20+ years in Trenton that does only custom/performance work. I'm sure they could do the job blindfolded. http://www.mufflex-performance.com/

Boxtaboy · 02-21-2010, 02:21 PM

The only mufflers I know of that don't drone are the Dansk pressed sport (I have one on my car), the latest Fabspeed full exhaust system, FVD sports exhaust (the one that looks like a Dansk pressed, but has a different baffle set up to sound more agressive, and the factory PSE or self PSE modded mufflers.

The are also some nice sounding mufflers like the GHL, Borla, B&B, and Top Speed exhausts, but they all drone to some degree.

RandallNeighbour · 02-21-2010, 03:32 PM

Be careful, buddy. "No drone" mufflers are rare. The Top Speed is the same as the Che muffler I have and it has PLENTY of cabin resonance or drone between 2-3k.

Any of the twin chamber mufflers are going to have cabin resonance.

I have heard that the Dansk that looks like the factory muffler is a tad louder with no resonance, but someone who has swapped their factory muffler for it should weigh in and tell you if this is true.

9eighty6 · 02-21-2010, 03:56 PM

I went with the Porsche Sport Exhaust, and I am quite happy with it. IMHO, it is worth the cost; it is a factory part and just looks right on the car.

My personal 2 cents. Good luck with your decision whatever you choose!

Boxtaboy · 02-21-2010, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

Be careful, buddy. "No drone" mufflers are rare. The Top Speed is the same as the Che muffler I have and it has PLENTY of cabin resonance or drone between 2-3k.

Any of the twin chamber mufflers are going to have cabin resonance.

I have heard that the Dansk that looks like the factory muffler is a tad louder with no resonance, but someone who has swapped their factory muffler for it should weigh in and tell you if this is true.

I have the Dansk muffler, and there is no resonance at all that I can detect. The exhaust is slightly louder and more throaty but not nearly as loud and sporty sounding as a GHL. After hearing the drone in the GHL (she rode with me in a friend's Boxster with a GHL), however, wifey said no way to that.

Perfectlap · 02-23-2010, 01:13 PM

I think you've sold me on the Dansk. Any good sites? I see a range of a few hundred bucks between them.

navair · 02-23-2010, 04:41 PM

I'd recommend the Fister mod (same as Pedro bypass, beautiful welding). Done to my S, no drone in cabin with top up, not too loud, but definitely rips at 5K+. Several compliments. I drove my Box in at 10, and picked it up at 4, about $380 with labor. He's in East SF Bay area.

http://www.fdmotorsports.net/index_files/Page441.htm

Boxtaboy · 02-23-2010, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

I think you've sold me on the Dansk. Any good sites? I see a range of a few hundred bucks between them.

I got mine years ago at Departstop before it went out of business. Paid $750 when they advertised for around $995. Not sure where is the best to get now. Before you buy, I would call FVD, as their version looks just like mine but I think is more aggresive sounding. Not that I don't like mine, but I do wish it had more bark sometimes.

If you're near Edgewater, NJ, you're welcome to listen to mine one weekend. Just PM me.

Btw, here's the FVD Brombacher "sound" version exhaust I was talking about. I've read really good things about this exhaust, and I'm pretty sure if you call them, you can get them to drop the price as well, as I know they ran a special on it on 6speed not long ago...

http://shop.fvd.de/us/en/Porsche-0/Boxster_986-13-41/-/-/item/item_details/VID_8253982-VCD_45656450-gid_30-sort_4-display_5-item_BES98605000S/EXHAUST-Tuning-Muffler-BES98605000S-Sport-Muffler-%26quot%3BBrombacher%26quot%3B-986-S-Boxster--%28Sound-Version%29%2C-Stainless-Steel%2C-2x90mm.html

blinkwatt · 02-23-2010, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by navair

I'd recommend the Fister mod (same as Pedro bypass, beautiful welding). Done to my S, no drone in cabin with top up, not too loud, but definitely rips at 5K+. Several compliments. I drove my Box in at 10, and picked it up at 4, about $380 with labor. He's in East SF Bay area.

http://www.fdmotorsports.net/index_files/Page441.htm

Rip off. Talk to Pedro.

ChrisZang · 02-23-2010, 09:41 PM

I like the solution we did to my car (a.k.a. the "DocDanRacey" mod):
open the stock muffler (from the top)
take all the baffling out
trim the internal pipes
close it again
after you mount the muffler again there is no way to visually detect that the muffler is no longer stock

Sounds throaty and ZERO drone.

Was done @ Sporttech in Campbell, CA which - I understand - doesn't help you a lot as you're in the Garden State.

gschotland · 02-23-2010, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blinkwatt

Rip off. Talk to Pedro.

I did talk to Pedro by email and he said he's not doing the mod (back and forth shipping isn't cost effective) but is instead sharing the information. I think you could get it done for $250-$300, labor & materials, if you bring your muffler to a shop and then reinstall it yourself. I've got to believe it won't take an experienced welder more than a few hours to do the job. The going rate around here in NJ for top notch licensed welders is $60/hr, specialized racing shop guys probably a lot more. Pedro said to figure 8' of light gauge 1.25" or 1.5" ID stainless tubing, which I've priced $75-$100. So $380 isn't a rip off. A little high, maybe. You still can't get a good quality aftermarket muffler for anywhere near that price.

Boxtaboy · 02-24-2010, 06:41 AM

The one thing that bothers me about the Fister type mod is that it has exterior pipes welded on that look like the owner went to Home Depot and bought plumbing supplies to modify their muffler. On a Porsche, it just doesn't look right to me, regardless of the sound result. On a Pcar, I think it should have fancy lookin pipes, not a hack job.

MN 986 · 02-25-2010, 05:16 PM

[QUOTE=Boxtaboy]

Btw, here's the FVD Brombacher "sound" version exhaust I was talking about. I've read really good things about this exhaust, and I'm pretty sure if you call them, you can get them to drop the price as well, as I know they ran a special on it on 6speed not long ago...

Boxtaboy -
Do you know anyone that has the Brombacher 'Sound' muffler? I have talked to Rhonda at FVD about it, and I am considering it. She says it is louder than your Dansk (on a scale of 1-10, if OEM is a 1, Dansk is a 5 and Brombacher Sound is a 7) with no drone.
Do you know what the special price was on 6 speed? I must have missed it. She took about $100 off so far.

Thanks - Ken

Boxtaboy · 02-25-2010, 05:56 PM

Sorry, I can't remember what the discount price was, as it was a while ago. For some reason, 15% off stuck in my mind. Do a search on 6speed for FVD Brombacher, and maybe you can find it. From what I read from people on there who have bought it, they seem to love the sound and the fact that it has no drone. I don't know anyone personally that has one though, but I can tell you for sure that mine has absolutely no drone in any rev range that I can detect.

Johnny Danger · 02-25-2010, 09:36 PM

The FVD exhaust is actually made for them by M&M in Germany. M&M are the "big boys" behind many of the top "tuners" in Germany when it comes to there exhaust systems - Gemballa, Manthey, Techart, Cargraphic , Speedart to name a few. They custom fabricated a set of headers and cats for me a few months back. The quality and performance of their products is unsurpassed. Check out some of the posts on Planet-9 and 6Speed regarding their exhaust.

m-m-germany.de

m-mgermany.com/CMS/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/advimage/patchImage/qto/Produkte/Tuning/Boxster/Boxster_Datenblatt.pdf

jmatta · 02-26-2010, 06:21 AM

My S muffler has been modified similar to the Pedro or Fister style. This, in addition to Fabspeed secondary cat bypass pipes, yields a throaty exhaust note (think GT3), without drone or resonance. In addition, because the bypass pipes are welded above the center line of the muffler, you don't see them once the bumper cover is re-attached. I personally don't like the looks of the PSE with it's big pipes showing in the middle. The aftermarket mufflers I've heard either don't sound that much different from stock or are really poor sounding; I can't say if I've heard the FVD, offhand.

Poor picture, but you get the idea.

bluelagoon · 02-26-2010, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

I think my 10 year old exhaust has had it. On start up I'm getting a wheezing sound that seems to go away once the car has warmed up after driving a while.
It almost sounds like a whistle. Well its going in for some maintenance this week if it is indeed time to replace the exhaust I'd like to consider some alternatives you've tried. Of course no drone, I went through that with an old car and it was hell. I'm NOT really concerned with HP gains since I'm more than satisfied with the current power and marginal gains at big cost don't move me. I'm more concerned with accoustics and value.

I also have the Dansk pressed sport version and I love it. Good sound and looks like OEM