3" straight pipe exhaust - DRTDEVL

220629

Well-known member
Did you feel the glass pack was enough to quiet it down? Would like to have the least restriction as possible, but don't want to sacrifice sound level.
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To my ears the 2004 with a glass pack only is no louder than my 2006 with intact OEM exhaust system.

If I were to do the 3" pipe all the way back is the header come out at 3" and it gets smaller from there?
:idunno:

I left my catalytic converter part of the system intact and legal for emissions compliance. That is what the glass pack is connected to. I didn't use traditional exhaust clamps/joints. I used ceramic fiber mesh tape, ss metal tape, and hose clamps. It remains properly sealed.

:cheers: vic
 

blinefcmid

New member
Here's my exhaust. My buddy convinced me to do an exhaust system so I had a little fun with it. Makes me laugh every time I see and hear it. It's pretty funny to turn heads with. You can see the solid black streak it leaves on the side of the body.

Started as a straight pipe system too but the yelling to have a conversation on the freeway was pretty ridiculous. I threw a resonator on it and now it's perfect and sounds awesome.
 

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Nautamaran

2004 140” HRC 2500 (Crewed)
Is there any benefit to the side pipe?
thx. m
Side exit was stock on my van... it allows the rear doors to be opened without filling up the rear with exhaust, but I’d rather be able to drop the kids off at school without exhaust entering through the slider, and the exhaust does tend to accumulate under the body if I sit idling (an incentive to comply with Calgary’s anti-idling rules...)

-dave
 

Surf44

2004 158 2500
Here's my exhaust. My buddy convinced me to do an exhaust system so I had a little fun with it. Makes me laugh every time I see and hear it. It's pretty funny to turn heads with. You can see the solid black streak it leaves on the side of the body.

Started as a straight pipe system too but the yelling to have a conversation on the freeway was pretty ridiculous. I threw a resonator on it and now it's perfect and sounds awesome.
Thats Cool! What size pipe did you run from the turbo?
 

smcguyer

2006 3500 Cab chassis. With 12' Box.
True exhaust tuning the old skool way. Get a O2 sensor plug that fits the Sprinter threads. Drill a tight hole in it to support a press-in steel or aluminum tube, about a foot long. Connect rubber hose to tube. You will need a low pressure gauge to attach to the hose. You need to be able to observe about 0-15 PSI range if possible. Now with the 02 sensor removed , you can test drive while watching the amount of exhaust back pressure produced in the system. Unplugged 02 sensor will set a code.. but this is a temporary test. This testing is done at WOT wide open throttle, of course. Make sure your pressure testing rig has no leaks in it, duh... we will eventually be working with low pressures, hopefully. So say you have old cats and see are getting in the 6-8 psi range of WOT backpressure, your performance and mileage and everything else is suffering. You can then find the source of the excess exhaust restriction and fix it. A low restriction exhaust will cause faster turbo spooling as some have mentioned, less gear downshifts on hills, and better fuel mileage, if you had an accurate way to measure it (most dont). A straight exhaust might run, say 3.3-3.6 PSI just to show what a true low restriction exhaust looks like. Also, on a long Sprinter, the big muffler doesnt seem to reduce noise much. The turbo is what reduces most of the exhaust noise. A long tailpipe reduces the noise a bit. The cats can turn out to be the biggest flow restrictor. A plugged cat will mess up your backpressure, performance, self-esteem, etc ... no good.
 

Worm707

2005 Freightliner outfitted by Gulfstream
OK, I can finally report back.

Yes, it spools faster and makes more power. t definitely helps with fuel economy. Unfortunately, when loaded heavy, it is just too much noise. I had the shop put in a 36" long 3" diameter resonator on Monday, as I was getting a headache driving long distance. Its still straight-through, it just adds a larger section with some glass matting inside to reduce the volume of the resonance that was reverberating through the van's body. Before the trip, I also had them put on a black 6" diameter tip, just to spice things up a bit.

On the plus side, however, I got exactly 20 mpg towing a 93 Chevy truck on an 18' PJ Car hauler to Wylie, TX, and 23.2 mpg pulling the empty car hauler back to La Cruces, NM.
Is your exhaust guy in Las Cruces???
I want to get this done to my van.
 

lindenengineering

Well-known member
Just s reminder that if you cut the cat sections out it won't pass an E test in some states like Colorado.
The real deal is $1220 with cats/muffler and tail pipe from MB..
Dennis
 

Lojack72

'02 DIY adventure van, 300K miles (210K by me)
Just finished repairs to my '02, flex pipe had gone bad & of course the rest of the exhaust basically fell apart upon removal- 21 years old & 290K miles. . Muffler before welding, tab from a 5yo patch:IMG_2914.jpg
I was still able to clean it up & weld on an ~17" section of pipe, reusing the old mount:
IMG_2955.jpg
I went the factory flex pipe from Europarts, but they won't ship the single-piece factory tailpipe so went with the 2-piece one from RockAuto. It's a little larger diameter, so I welded a butt sleeve on the end of the new muffler pipe & it bolted up fine. I've used bolts on the hangers before to ensure they don't slide out, but as they don't seem to get very warm I just used large zip ties through the center of all of them- made install easier as well.
IMG_2916.jpg
Still surprising that it doesn't sound much different than before. Biggest indication of a torn flex pipe was the heat shield was black, and with the leaks in the back of the pipe my wife complained of fumes in the back of the van while idling.
 
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