Hey all,
I just had a new exhuast installed on my 06 3.5L Monte, and I am not happy with the sound of it at all. I had a custom catback made from a local shop - 2.5" pipe, Magnaflow muffler, and Borla tip - because I didnt want to go with the Magnaflow dual exit. I talked to a rep at Magnaflow, and they said that a single exhaust would yield better results than a dual because of the fact that the 3.5 is only a single exit. Anyways, it sounds ok at idle, but at 2000rpm under normal acceleration, it has a really low vibrating sound to it. I'm going to take it in to the shop next week, and they said that they will put a bigger resonator on it, and I'm hoping that it will tame that sound down. Just a word of warning - make sure you know exactly what you want when changing your exhaust out. I will post an update when I get the new resonator put on. Anybody know anything about resonators? Do they restrict flow at all, or do they just change the sound?
Cheers

 

I found this on the Meineke web site:





Resonator


The muffler alone cannot always quiet all of the engine noise. Many exhaust systems also include a resonator which is like a mini muffler. They are usually straight pipes filled with sound muffling materials. The resonator can be either before of after the muffler in the exhaust system.

 

After thinking about it, being called a straight pipe, the resonator is probably not that restrictive.

 

Kewl link!

http://www.meineke.com/stuff_about_c...haust.asp#text

 

I was thinking of dual tips for my 3.5l. I wonder which would be better, taking the exhaust past the cat and going complete dual all the way back, or just replacing it with a dual outlet muffler.

 

The resonator does produce a restriction, but I still don't think pulling it is worth it. I had mine off for about a week before putting it back in. The interior noise was horrible. It's nice to hear the extra rumble, but as you continue to drive it really becomes an annoyingdrone. I usually have a woman in the car with me and trying to chat with them just doesn't work.

The temp fix was to crank the radio, but most women don't really like that when you're running smooth game.

Also I honestly didn't notice any power gain or loss with it in either place. I think it might actually help with the back pressure as well.

 

I've seen you or someoneelse mention the interior noise before. Makes total sense.