A muffler delete has proven to be a popular way of making your vehicle sound more aggressive. And while it is a popular way, it isn’t the ONLY way of making your exhaust louder.
But there are some big red flags with the growth in the popularity of muffler deletes. Continue reading, and we’ll dive into the details.
What is Muffler Delete and How Does It Work?
A muffler delete is a common modification made to a vehicle’s exhaust system, removing the muffler. It can enhance the performance and sound of your vehicle because you’re able to freely expel exhaust gases, increasing airflow and performance.
Your vehicle will also make a louder and sportier sound without a muffler! But there is still going to be an exhaust system on the vehicle; you use a straight exhaust pipe in place of the muffler.
If you didn’t have it, all those exhaust gases would be released under your car, and you would have an obnoxious noise and fumes coming into the cabin, making you sick.
Muffler Types: Turbo Mufflers Vs Straight Pipes
When you hear “muffler delete,” “turbo muffler,” and “straight pipe” from the outside looking in, all of those terms can be a bit confusing.
These two processes can be somewhat related or not at all. A straight-piped exhaust can be a part of a muffler delete project, but you can straight pipe other parts as well, not just the muffler. We further elaborate on these terms below.
Turbo Muffler
Turbo mufflers are a great option for someone looking to tone down the exhaust note of their car, making it more contained.
They have three or fewer tubes, so the exhaust doesn’t change direction frequently. As a result, sound waves rattle into each other to cancel out unwanted tones, providing excellent exhaust flow while still producing a mild exhaust note.
Straight Pipes
If we want to be technical, straight pipe exhaust procedures refer to anything exhaust-related, like resonators, manifolds, and catalytic converters, as being parts of the exhaust system.
A straight pipe exhaust is an exhaust that bypasses any mufflers and/or catalytic converters to produce louder sounds and possibly greater performance. Because they can be extremely loud, these types of exhaust systems are usually found on performance and racing vehicles.
Muffler Delete Advantages
Muffler deletes are popular for a purpose, and believe it or not, it’s sometimes for more than just the sound. Below, we’ve listed the two most common reasons people do a muffler delete on their vehicle.
#1. Increased Horsepower on Older vehicles.
If you drive a vehicle that is close to 20 years old or older, there is a good chance that doing a muffler delete will give you a top-end horsepower increase.
This is because on older vehicles, mufflers are extremely restrictive and create backpressure to the engine, neither of which is ideal. You read that right, on older vehicles, a muffler delete is actually beneficial!
#2. More Aggressive Exhaust Sound.
While muffler delete might be good for older engines, the reason they are so popular is due to one thing and one thing only – they give your vehicle a louder, more aggressive sound. The entire purpose of your muffler is to reduce the amount of noise that your vehicle generates.
So, if you are after a louder vehicle with a more aggressive sound, it would only make sense to do a muffler delete.
#3. Perfect Sound.
The most common reason for people opting for a muffler delete is sound. If you enjoy listening to the engine rev while driving, a muffler delete has no comparison.
#4. Clean Appearance.
In the rear, clean view while no longer having a muffler hanging below the rear bumper. It’s a clean look, and just as you wanted!
#5. Light Weight.
Lose a little weight off the vehicle with a muffler delete. You could lose at least 25 lbs of additional weight off your car!
Muffler Delete Disadvantages
Although many car enthusiasts love muffler deletes, there are more downsides to muffler deletes than upsides. Below are four examples of potential issues you will face should you complete a muffler delete.
#1. Way Louder Exhaust.
Vehicles without a muffler are LOUD. And while that’s kind of the point, it’s still a slight nuisance if you’re on a long road trip. This is especially true when, later on down the road, your exhaust is flowing through at higher RPMs.
You might not be bothered by the noise during acceleration, but once you are simply driving down the highway, the deafening drone can be more than a little annoying.
#2. Can Reduce Engine Performance.
Wait. Did we not say that a muffler delete can increase engine performance? Yes, and we said that because with older vehicles, a muffler delete can increase top-end horsepower – on newer vehicles, a muffler delete can do the opposite!
The new mufflers are much less restrictive, and the manufacturer tunes the ECM to work with a muffler. Not only will you likely have some engine performance loss with a muffler delete on a newer vehicle, but you might also get a check engine light.
You might think “What’s the big deal?”, but you have now negated that issue with the check engine light before other issues popped up, you need to look at?
#3. Inspection/Emissions Failure.
If you live in a state where your vehicle is required to pass a vehicle or emissions test, your vehicle is not going to pass with a muffler delete. Sometimes your vehicle might throw an engine code that will throw a wrench into a successful emissions test, and which will fail your vehicle essentially automatically.
Sometimes, a technician will see that you just didn’t even have a muffler and fail your vehicle. Either way, if your vehicle requires emissions tests, you should likely figure out how to get your entire stock system back on, or else you won’t be passing anything.
#4. It’s Illegal.
Let’s be very clear, if you are going to perform a muffler delete on an actual vehicle you plan to drive down a road, you ARE breaking the law.
While it’s unlikely you’ll get pulled over for actually removing your muffler, you may just very well get pulled over for violating local noise ordinances.
Will a Muffler Delete Pass Emissions?
Short answer – No! A muffler delete will fail a regular vehicle inspection, and an inspection targeting the exhaust system will specifically identify the problem. However, if you are wondering if a muffler delete will cause an increase in emissions, this is a big no.
All the muffler does is limit noise. It does not have any smog reduction or emission equipment. But that won’t stop the inspector, or even the ECM of your vehicle, from failing you on the test.
Is a Muffler Delete Legal?
Depending on where you live, removing the muffler may or may not be legal. Because vehicles without mufflers are usually registered and used for off-road use, driving such vehicles on public roadways in the USA is illegal.
The problem is that every local government has decibel restrictions. It is illegal to remove the factory-installed muffler in some cases, depending on local law.
Local laws, however, are irrelevant as long as your vehicle is not over the noise pollution decibel limit of your area. Muffler removals do not usually exceed these limits. However, verify your local guidelines before modifying your vehicle’s exhaust system.
Even if you are not located in the USA, consider your state’s and local rules, just to be prepared. Different laws define good, better, and best in different places, times, and countries.
Muffler Delete vs. Resonator Delete
Muffler Delete and Resonator Delete are two modifications done to a vehicle’s exhaust system to alter sound and possibly increase performance, but they both remove different components of the exhaust system and create different effects:
1. Muffler Delete.
- Purpose: When the muffler is removed, the primary purpose of which is to minimize exhaust noise, the exhaust note is louder and more aggressive.
- Sound Impact: A muffler delete increases volume by a considerable margin and can create a deeper, more aggressive exhaust note.
- Performance Impact: A muffler delete can improve exhaust flow slightly and result in a small increase in horsepower and torque in some cases, but it can also disrupt backpressure, causing a loss in low-end speed torque.
2. Resonator delete.
- Purpose: A resonator delete removes the resonator, which is usually in the middle of the exhaust system. The purpose is to adjust the exhaust note, without a completely obnoxious note.
- Sound Impact: A resonator delete usually has limited changes in exhaust sound compared to a muffler delete. A resonator delete removes some of the overtones and unwanted frequencies of the exhaust.
- Performance Impact: Generally speaking, a resonator delete has no considerable performance impact and results in no noticeable gains or losses in horsepower or torque.
A muffler delete is considered more aggressive and will result in a deeper, louder exhaust sound with possible performance consequences, while a resonator delete is a mild modification primarily meant to fine-tune the exhaust note without performance implications.
The choice between the two will depend on personal preference, local noise limitations, and the sound/performance characteristics you want for your vehicle.
Is It Bad to Delete Your Muffler?
If you’re thinking of doing it yourself, it’s better to spend the money to complete it professionally or have better knowledge about what you’re doing.
A muffler delete may be worse than good. Your engine won’t explode without a muffler, but if you don’t know what you’re cutting or removing, then you’re not only going to damage your internals or other critical components.
Poor welding will cause an exhaust leak or rust, vibrations of piping to body styles, or a bad pipe cutting that possibly so much as to mess with your car’s ECU. On top of the real work, you have law enforcement that can give you citations.
It is against the law to modify an automobile’s exhaust system to increase the amount of noise over the allowable limit, regardless of whether it is a new or old vehicle.
For muffler delete reasons, it is improbable you will get pulled over for actually removing the muffler, but you can surely get stopped for a noise ordinance violation.
How Much Does a Muffler Delete Cost?
The costs to do a muffler delete typically cost between $100-$200. The price will vary based on the make and model of your vehicle.
Some vehicles are more simplified for modifications, as well as difficult factors can vary costs from car to car. The install process for a muffler delete is an easy job if completed by a qualified mechanic.
First, remove the old muffler from the vehicle, usually by unbolting the muffler from the exhaust. Then install the new muffler delete.