Quieting down the car? Exhaust vs Engine?

What the car in the video sounds like is a stock VW exhaust.

What you have in your photo is most of that, swapping out that big can across the back, and that can probably doesn't have much for noise-cancelling baffles inside.

Question:  What size is your engine?

If it is a 1,600 up to a 1,776 you, too, could run a stock VW muffler like this:

https://www2.cip1.com/ProductD...3%2D251%2D053%2DAKKT

Dansk, in the Netherlands, made all of the mufflers for VW Beetles for like, forever, so if you've heard an old Beetle, that's what'cha get.  Nice and quiet, just like your video.

Be warned that you absolutely NEED the two chromed tail pipes for a quiet engine as they drop the noise level by about half.  You'll also look like the Pre-A 356's as they pretty much ran the same (Dansk) system.  It should bolt right up.

Also be warned that you may, depending on your engine size, feel a slight drop in performance (which means you can sneak by people before they notice you because you're a lot quieter).

$124 bucks for that system is a really good deal, too.  If you don't like it you can sell it to a local VW owner for about what you pay for it.

Why don't you post a video of your own car so we can hear it? Maybe you've just gotten old?

I had my headers going to two mufflers then exiting via two tail pipes in my Aircooled IM and the exhaust was much much quieter.

Ray, do you know what the dual mufflers are?

I've been running a "Dual Quiet Pack" pair for like, ever, and they've never been "quiet", although with a pair of "Earpeace" ear plugs in they're just about perfect....    

Not sure what they were but it was IM’s version and H said it was the quietest AC unit they had the headers split to two mufflers on each side of the engine and you had to drop the mufflers to do a valve adjustment but it took no time to dO it 2 bolts and off the hanger it came.

My original IM, I was the second owner and it has now gone to the 4th owner... It was all decked out.

That looks like a $150 EMPI GT 2 Tip Glass Pack Muffler that fits Standard and Super Beetles as well as Karmann Ghias with 1300cc to 1600cc based engine.  I bet all the muffling fiberglass has blown out or settled/compacted.  I'd also check for carbon evidence of leaks at joints, where the heat exchangers mount to engine, and around head to cylinder mating surfaces.  Looks like very clean engine so should be easy to see..  Neither your intake manifold nor the exhaust use the heat riiser tubs so don't need the block off plates.  Ate your head exchanger maybe rusted internally - car would probably smell like exhaust/oily when heat is on.

My speedie has a 1776 with dual Dellorto carbs. My exhaust is this 4- tip GT exhaust from Empi: https://www.jbugs.com/product/3414.html. It's reasonably quiet, yet still a little bit throaty, unlike the stock VW exhaust. I've discovered that most of the noise I hear while driving is actually from the intakes of my Dellortos. The car gets pretty quiet inside when I put up the top, the wife and I can have a conversation at two-lane backroad speeds without shouting. Can't do that with the top down.

I'm finishing an MG TD replica. It came with the same 4-tip GT exhaust on a 1500 single port. It's rather quiet, without that distinctive VW whistle. I'm changing it to this single-tip GT exhaust, also from Empi: https://www.jbugs.com/product/3487.html. I imagine it will be just as quiet, perhaps moreso, but the reason I'm changing is because the single tip looks more aesthetically correct on an MG TD. I hope this helps.

How old is your exhaust, Sean?  I'm with Wolfgang. I suspect your glass pack done packed up and left.

From the looks of it, you don't want to put OEM tailpipes on it, I think they'd be too restrictive. OTOH, an appropriate length pair of these might work. https://www.appletreeauto.com/...QOUwL8RoCs5oQAvD_BwE

Are your tailpipes open?  That could be amplifying the noise. As for baffle inserts, I did that to mine. It didn't so much make it quieter than it changed it to a more pleasant note.

In another post you mentioned gas smell in car - that could be leaky heat exchanges or their seal to heads or head to cylinder sealing

@Eric (McGruff) posted:

I'm finishing an MG TD replica. It came with the same 4-tip GT exhaust on a 1500 single port. It's rather quiet, without that distinctive VW whistle. I'm changing it to this single-tip GT exhaust, also from Empi: https://www.jbugs.com/product/3487.html. I imagine it will be just as quiet, perhaps moreso, but the reason I'm changing is because the single tip looks more aesthetically correct on an MG TD. I hope this helps.

That single tip GT kit looks exactly like what a stock MG TD had. It's like it was made for those kits. I had one on Bridget before I swapped the Subaru engine in it and it looked and sounded great. I would not use it on anything bigger than a 1641 though.

@edsnova posted:

That single tip GT kit looks exactly like what a stock MG TD had. It's like it was made for those kits. I had one on Bridget before I swapped the Subaru engine in it and it looked and sounded great. I would not use it on anything bigger than a 1641 though.

Bridget's blog influenced my decision to purchase the single-tip GT exhaust.

@WNGD posted:

Why don't you post a video of your own car so we can hear it? Maybe you've just gotten old?

Thanks all for the superb feedback as always.  I'm posting a few videos in case it might help with the diagnosis.  Of course, it'll never be like standing next to the car in person, but maybe some things can be determined.  I used a decent quality mic to try to remove the variable of a bad recording in the first place.  Of course, it depends on the position of the mic, your speakers, and your volume.  I suggest turning the volume up for best/accurate results 😊.  

First one is in the garage, so it's going to be louder.  Then out on the street.  Then in an alleyway to garage.  I tried to record a few on the open roads, but the mic picked up a ton of wind, basically making those recordings useless.  I can try again with a better mic position if anyone thinks that'd be helpful.

Sorry for the Dropbox link that'll probably disappear some day, forum direct video uploads kept erroring out:

• 1 Garage
• 2 Street
• 3 Alley

I listened to the garage and driveway clips and to be honest, it sounds very quiet at idle, not what I expected at all. I doubt any neighbor would object.

@WNGD well, I think the video doesn't illustrate it.  For example, a good friend in the complex said the whole building shakes...  And even when at a red light, passengers/I basically need to yell at each other.  It would've been great to have someone's ears on it at a local meetup, but I think I will have addressed it by then (fingers crossed)

To me I did detect an exhaust leak and possibly some valve noise but I'm no expert. I'd make sure the whole system is leak free from the J-tubes on down and adjust the valves to make sure the lash is set properly. If none of that works then it may need a new exhaust.

The Tri-Mil Exhaust came stock on almost all of the cars built by VS on their stock size engines. They are very quiet and not a lot of money.

I can't tell if a head fin is just bent or the heads are loose.  I'd check the circled area out.

vs

@Robert M posted:

To me I did detect an exhaust leak and possibly some valve noise but I'm no expert. I'd make sure the whole system is leak free from the J-tubes on down and adjust the valves to make sure the lash is set properly. If none of that works then it may need a new exhaust.

The Tri-Mil Exhaust came stock on almost all of the cars built by VS on their stock size engines. They are very quiet and not a lot of money.

Thanks, at this point I'll take whatever option is quietest just to not take chances.  I know this isn't the kind of thing people just readily know, unless we "taste tested" a "flight" of mufflers side by side under the same conditions.  Eg, in various prior threads where people have sought out the quietest exhaust system, I've had trouble confidently sussing out which is the quietest.  

But any inkling which is quietest?  The Tri-Mil versus the Dansk that @Gordon Nichols posted (Gordon I meant to answer mine's a 1641cc).  Both look like good options.  Or any others?

That just looks like a bent fin, Greg, but there certainly sounds like the huffing of an exhaust leak going on, too.  To amplify on what Robert said, above:

@Sean Seena take a close look around where the exhaust pipes connect to the heads.  You may see small black stains where the exhaust is leaking out.  Same thing where the heater boxes connect to the muffler - those slip-joints are notorious for leaking.  If you find leaks, you'll need new exhaust gaskets or at least tighten the flanges up.  Be careful that you don't over-tighten them - it's a steel stud threaded into the aluminum head and they strip out if you're not careful.

Regardless, you may not like the sound even if you cure the exhaust leaks so a newer, quieter system may be in order so let's see what others are running on here.  Mine is a Berg extractor and it seems to get progressively louder as I get older.  

Dansk makes a very nice (stock) system which would work well with your 1641 and be quiet.  If you've ever heard a Volkswagen original Beetle, that's what they sound like as long as you install the chrome-tip resonators with it.  Leave off the resonators and the sound level almost doubles.  You would want one for a sedan or Karman Ghia 1970 - 1974  (the 1600cc years before smog pumps and stuff).  If you have dual carbs now you won't need the carburetor manifold heater tubes.  If that's the only way they come you can buy some block-off plates for those tubes and cap them without hurting anything.