Mufflers & Noise Minimising
Your mechanic may have just told you that you need your muffler replaced. Or perhaps you’re currently building your dream car, and you want to be sure every part of it is perfect, from the headlights to the tailpipe. You might be the owner of a car parts store, looking to supply customers with the best options for commercial vehicles. In any case, for those who want to be car-savvy, knowing about noise reduction is a must.
Your car’s muffler is easy to overlook, but if you don’t have the proper one or yours is damaged, you’ll know right away. If you’re used to the smooth hum of today’s typical car, then you’ll notice when that hum is replaced by a jarringly loud rumbling of the engine. For many enthusiasts, that’s no problem, but even the most passionate driver doesn’t want their engine at its loudest for a multiple-hour drive. It’s not just a comfort concern, either—Australian law specifies that all road vehicles must operate below a certain noise level. Plus, your muffler can have a surprising impact on your engine’s fuel efficiency, so choosing the right muffler for your purposes can save you plenty of money in the long run.
We’re happy to sell you any muffler you might need alongside plenty of other parts, but before you check out our store, here’s some helpful information on mufflers.
The Basics
The muffler attaches to your vehicle’s exhaust pipe using exhaust clamps, mitigating sound as much as possible right as exhaust gasses are expelled during fuel conversion. While they’re hardly the most complex part of a car, they do come in various designs. Some hotdog mufflers have a winding, curved interior made to reduce noise by redirecting sound. Others are straight on the inside but contain a kind of fibre padding that absorbs sound. Still, others contain a series of chambers that break noise up.
Every muffler performs an important balancing act to do its job. A muffler is designed to block sound without blocking air, and it’s hard to maximise one without somewhat sacrificing the other. As more sound is blocked, so is more air, which creates backpressure. Put simply, back pressure causes some exhaust gas to not be vented; that gas then takes up space in your engine’s cylinder which is meant for fuel, impacting engine efficiency. That’s why it’s important you know how each muffler design performs before purchasing one.
The Types
Straight Through / High Flow Muffler: This might be your choice of noise reduction if you happen to be restoring a classic ride. They’re also known as straight-through mufflers for their very simple design. These parts contain a straight or s bend in perforated pipe which is wrapped in sound-absorbent padding. Some also include some stainless steel mating in between the sound mating. As air travels through the muffler, some sound waves are forced through the perforations into the padding. If your main concern is airflow, then this is your best option: these mufflers create virtually no backpressure to speak of. However, this design is the least noise-reducing, usually an additional muffler, like a round or hotdog style, is used in conjunction with this type of muffler. If you're looking for that rumble this is the type of muffler you're after.
Triple Flow: Odds are high you’ll need one of these; they’re the most common on the road. This design forces air to travel up and down the muffler three times before leaving. This allows the sound to pass over more sound absorbent and creates more back pressure forcing the air into the perforated tube which then leaks back into the other passes causing some sound waves to crash into one another causing a cancelling effect.
This kind of muffler maximises noise cancelling, leaving you with a pleasant hum. It does create more backpressure than the other designs, however.
Chambered Muffler: This is the middle ground between the 3. This muffler uses a series of chambers to break up sound waves without holding back as much exhaust gas as the triple flow. If you enjoy a bit of engine purring or have a performance ride, this might be your best bet.
