What do you get from a Resonator Delete?

l008com

Original poster
Member
Feb 19, 2016
886
Massachusetts
I've read a bunch of threads on the topic but I wanted to start a fresh one anyway, and get some fresh opinions. What do you really get from a resonator delete (on a 5.3), besides the obvious weight savings? Some say it makes things louder. But others say resonators are just cancelling out specific frequencies, so it's changing the sound, not really making it louder.

I'm thinking of doing it, but I don't want to have to undo it because it turns out I hate the sound you know, or that without it, the exhaust resonates inside the cabin at certain highway speed.
 
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Paul Bell

Member
Aug 16, 2014
460
The first 2 or three years of these trucks with the V-8 had a muffler with NO resonator. My truck is pretty quiet-if you ignore the manifold noise from broken bolts.
 

Capote

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Jul 14, 2014
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Atlanta, GA
The resonator only exists to further decrease noise from the muffler. If you chop it off your truck will look way better and only get a tad louder.
 

l008com

Original poster
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Feb 19, 2016
886
Massachusetts
Is there any performance penalty for having a resonator? (Other than it's weight) One post on another topic said the idle sounds better, which is pretty cool.
 

Capote

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Jul 14, 2014
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Atlanta, GA
Is there any performance penalty for having a resonator? (Other than it's weight) One post on another topic said the idle sounds better, which is pretty cool.
I doubt it has any affect whatsoever really with the entire exhaust system. Chopping it off will just be more visually appealing and yes your idle will have a nice tone to it. Not loud, but you'll hear it.
 

Capote

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Jul 14, 2014
24,227
Atlanta, GA
That sounds pretty good for a quick chop chop weld weld.
That ugly "can" should of never been thought up for GMT360's in the first place. Our rigs aren't even loud with the resonator taken off and the stock muffler still in place.
 
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Capote

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Jul 14, 2014
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The stock muffler is ridiculously huge.
 

dmanns67

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Apr 3, 2013
32,979
Ohio
Many people think the resonator is also the muffler. I have seen people post pics of replacing the resonator with a FlowMaster muffler :bonk: Nothing gained from running two mufflers.

Like Capote said, removing the resonator will change the exhaust tone for the better and also clean up the rear end. Thats about all you will gain and no downside to removing it IMO.

If I had the 5.3, I would go with some headers and a cat back exhaust.
 

Sir ffeJ

Member
Dec 1, 2011
543
lol
love the sound as is, hate the can look.
I spray painted the can with high heat black paint, made it look less intrusive..
 

dmanns67

Member
Apr 3, 2013
32,979
Ohio
I have the 5.3, so this doesn't apply to me. But if you have the 4.2 i6, and you remove the resonator, does it sound more or less like this:

jetsons.jpg

:rotfl:

Removing the resonator and keeping the stock muffler, no. Its when you start removing the stock muffler and welding in aftermarket mufflers. Stock muffler with no resonator sounds really good to me, but not loud enough to be annoying on the highway and cause the dreaded drone.
 

Paul Bell

Member
Aug 16, 2014
460
It is (or used to be) common to replace the muffler with a tube and have just the resonator. I wanted to do that but with no resonator....
 

C-ya

Member
Aug 24, 2012
1,098
That must be an insanely loud setup?

Not really. There are videos on utoob with 5.3's having exhaust pipe all the way out the back and they aren't terribly loud or obnoxious sounding. I think the length of the pipe helps muffle it on the way out.

The V8 sounds really good without a muffler. Three years ago, my muffler rusted out at the back. I wanted to keep it loud when I got a new muffler but my youngest daughter had just been born so I decided to go quiet (long, stock-ish muffler). Earlier this summer, my exhaust pipe developed a rust hole where the hanger is in front of the muffler. I rather liked the sound myself - a nice, throaty SBC rumble. Where I park my truck is by my next door neighbor's bedroom window and I hated waking her up in the mornings. Winter would have been terrible as I let it idle to warm up. I ended up with a Thrush 17650 welded muffler. It has a slight drone right around 1K rpm. The cats really help dampen the noise apparently, because my '97 Isuzu Hombre with a SBC, headers, and Thrush Turbo mufflers was louder than this is now. Although, the Isuzu was true duals all the way back. I always remember the welded mufflers being much louder, but again, that is without cats. My TB has a nice sound at idle now and if I have the windows down, it sounds good accelerating.

Oh, mine had the resonator gone when I got it. Still missing...
 

l008com

Original poster
Member
Feb 19, 2016
886
Massachusetts
I'm ordering a section of straight pipe to weld up in place of my resonator, anyone know off the top of their heads, what diameter (and thickness) the v8 exhaust uses?
 

C-ya

Member
Aug 24, 2012
1,098
I'm ordering a section of straight pipe to weld up in place of my resonator, anyone know off the top of their heads, what diameter (and thickness) the v8 exhaust uses?

I'm pretty sure it should be 2.5", but don't hold me to it. I remember ordering a muffler that I could stock size pipe on. Of course, the knuckle head at the muffler shop didn't use 2.5" pipe... I dropped it off to get done and my wife went to pay for it before they closed. I showed up to pick it up and didn't look that close, but I did the next day. I saw that they had to stretch the pipe to match the muffler. I wish I had told them to make sure they used 2.5" pipe. I'm sure it wouldn't have been much more expensive.
 

Reprise

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Jul 22, 2015
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The first 2 or three years of these trucks with the V-8 had a muffler with NO resonator. My truck is pretty quiet-if you ignore the manifold noise from broken bolts.

That explains why my '03 doesn't have the can - I thought a prior owner removed it. Now I know - it was never there to begin with. Appreciate the info.
 

Harpo

Member
Dec 4, 2011
411
Sweden
If I don't remember wrong doesn't the Tb have the odd size of 2,75".
 

l008com

Original poster
Member
Feb 19, 2016
886
Massachusetts
Well, clearly i'm going to have to go out and measure before I order anything :biggrin:

What about the thickness of the pipe? I've never order exhaust piping before, do I even have an option?
 

Frazier

Member
May 1, 2016
21
Utah
Not sure about pipe thickness. But it's 3 inch pipe. If I remember correctly you have to go 3 1/4 to fit over the factory pipe. But don't quote me on that.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
No, it's 2.75" stock. When I lopped off mine at the time, there was hardly anything past the hanger so you can't really go over. IIRC, I slipped a 2.5" inside of it.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
Damn, gotta remember to switch from the 4.2 to the 5.3. In all honesty, I haven't measured the exhaust on my 5.3 but since we were talking taking off the resonator, that one is 2.75" on the 4.2.
 

Frazier

Member
May 1, 2016
21
Utah
So I went ahead and chopped off my resonator. Pretty much sounds stock. The tone is a little more aggressive, and it's slightly louder at idle but you have to be listening for it. My wife couldn't tell the difference. Besides saving 20 lbs there is no performance benefit to it. Looking through the resonator it's a straight shot. I used a large hack saw so I could cut it off right at the weld. Leaving room to slip and weld a pipe over the existing pipe, rather than necking down to a smaller pipe.
 

l008com

Original poster
Member
Feb 19, 2016
886
Massachusetts
I just measured mine up, and it's 2.75" diameter. 18" long should more than cover it. But back to the question, what thickness/gauge should I get? I don't deal with pipes of any kind very often, except when I'm playing Nintendo, so there's no obviously/close enough answer in my brain for thickness.

So I just looked around places like jegs and summit... yikes, I didn't plan on paying $90 for the tube. Of course, I also don't need 5 feet of tubing. Is there a good spot for buying just a little bit of this stuff? Like a place that will sell just 1.5' or 2', and not crazy expensive?
 
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C-ya

Member
Aug 24, 2012
1,098
Is there a good spot for buying just a little bit of this stuff? Like a place that will sell just 1.5' or 2', and not crazy expensive?

Stop by a muffler shop. They may have some leftover stuff they would sell (or give) you.
 

Bow_Tied

Member
Dec 21, 2014
453
London, ON
Great thread, I like to see things like this talked about in detail as we all have different needs/wants for noise/loudness.


So I went ahead and chopped off my resonator. Pretty much sounds stock. The tone is a little more aggressive, and it's slightly louder at idle but you have to be listening for it. My wife couldn't tell the difference. Besides saving 20 lbs there is no performance benefit to it. Looking through the resonator it's a straight shot. I used a large hack saw so I could cut it off right at the weld. Leaving room to slip and weld a pipe over the existing pipe, rather than necking down to a smaller pipe.

Thank-you! That report tells me what I needed to know - would the wife and kiddies in the back seat notice/be bothered by it. I think I can safely assume there's no issue.
 

C-ya

Member
Aug 24, 2012
1,098
Thank-you! That report tells me what I needed to know - would the wife and kiddies in the back seat notice/be bothered by it. I think I can safely assume there's no issue.

I have a Thrush welded muffler on my truck with no resonator. I drove the family down to a nearby zoo and my father-in-law was in the "way back" with my oldest daughter (EXT model). (She likes to sit in the "trunk" as she calls it.) There were no complaints from either of them on noise (windows up/closed, A/C on) and we could hear them and they could hear us while doing 75 on the interstate. No complaints while accelerating on local surface streets, either. With the windows down, I can hear some nice noise coming from the rear. My exhaust is coming out the right side, just behind the tire.
 
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Apr 23, 2016
145
Tennessee
Here is what I done with mine for now, I just cut the down slope off the tip so it didn't look so ridiculous and of course it didn't affect the sound any
 

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C-ya

Member
Aug 24, 2012
1,098
I see so many resonators hanging down, looking 'flicted and dumb. They should all be cut off.

Derrick, at least yours isn't hanging down.
 
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