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Clarifications Posted by sam96CS [Email]  (#852) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from sam96CS) on Wed, 7 Nov 2012 19:11:24
In Reply to: Goodbye resonator, sam96CS [Profile/Gallery]
, Wed, 7 Nov 2012 10:08:43
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I had no idea that exhaust systems are a quasi-religous subject like motor oil, and I did not intend to offend or entertain. I was clear in my second and last paragraph that this modification is not recommended for those who want the quietest possible exhaust system.
Resonator or muffler? I really don't care what it is named. It has been called a resonator over 200 times on this board alone (nonbelievers may use the search window), and it has also been called a center muffler, a mid muffler a front muffler and perhaps other things. So what? If anyone really cares about linguistic precision, then cut one open. If you find sound absorbing materials inside such as steel wool or fiberglass, then it is a muffler. If you find chambers designed so that pulses of sound energy can cancel each other out at certain frequencies, then is it a resonator. If you find both features then call it whatever you want. I merely intended to distinguish the sound attenuating box near the center of the exhaust system from the sound attenuating box near the end of the exhaust system. Everyone knows exactly which box I mean, whether my term is technically accurate or not.
If silence is golden, then what is sound? My wife does volunteer work at a horse farm that provides horseback riding therapy to children with various physical and mental problems. She has a t-shirt that says something like, "Yes, I smell like a horse. No, I don't have a problem with that." Like odors, sound has its place. Even noise has its place. I don't ride motorcycles and I don't like loud bikes. I know men who ride, and they say that loud pipes save lives. Their point is that if nearby motorists do not see them then perhaps they will hear them. Their primary desire is to survive in the midst of far larger vehicles. In our ignorance we might assume they're showing off. We might not like the cadence of a Harley engine, but to others it is music. Does that mean we are right and they are wrong?
Next weekend the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra will be performing Mozart's Mass in C Minor, and I will be on stage. I know something about sound, and I know what I like. When I'm driving, I almost never use the sound system. I prefer to hear my car's auditory feedback, and I know how I want it to sound. When the turbo is boosting I don't want to just feel the power. I want to hear it, and I can. The resonator was to me (and I made it clear that I was writing about my own preference) of no acoustical value and even dysfunctional. To clarify, I do not hear the exhaust while coasting or cruising along, which is most of the time. It does not drone at any speed below 85 mph. I don't know about how it will sound at higher speeds.
Do I care what impression my Saab makes on others around me? If so, then why don't I wash it more regularly? I did the mod for me. Primarily for me and secondarily for the state of NC, which I will explain later.
Was the performance gain just my imagination? There are several possibilities. One is that I am right. I am occasionally right. The car is my daily driver. I know how it drove before the mod and after. Another possibility is that the old resonator was failing internally in a way that was obstructing the exhaust flow above and beyond however much resistance to flow it originally had. In which case removing it could have improved the car's performance. I didn't say why it felt stronger, only that it did. Do I have to post before and after dyno runs to have credibility here? No thanks. Another possibility is that I am wrong. But if so the burden of proof is on whoever doubts. I consider myself right until proven otherwise.
I did not claim a big performance gain, and it is well documented at saabnet that even a 3" turbo back system will not in and of itself add much power. I reported only that it feels stronger to me, and it does. Others who have done the same mod have reported likewise, so I'm not the Lone Ranger.
Performance wasn't the goal of the mod, and saving money wasn't a key driver either. I knew I could buy a replacement part for less and that I could get the mod done for less also at other shops. I'd still be driving with the old resonator, but the car was due for NC inspection. I could for a little money buy a replacement knowing that I'll have to do it again in about 5 years. Or I could spend a little more and have a part that will outlast the car. I chose the latter course. But what drove the decision was my dislike of exhaust work and my belief, whether anyone agrees or not, that deleting the resonator will make life a little easier for the old turbo. The deeper and louder exhaust sound is an unexpected bonus in my ears even if it is noise in someone else's ears. Perhaps my muffler (by which I mean the sound attenuating box near the end of the exhaust system) is dying because others didn't get this result after doing this mod.
Clearly this is not a mod for everyone. But it is a good one for those who agree that a turbo Saab needs a resonator like a fish needs a bicycle.
, Wed, 7 Nov 2012 10:08:43, Wed, 7 Nov 2012 19:11:24 <-- Viewing This Message
, Wed, 7 Nov 2012 11:06:29, Wed, 7 Nov 2012 10:35:22
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